The Mothman is a cryptozoological creature thought to be first spotted on November 15, 1966, in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Witness have described the creature to be man-like, either brown or gray, and from six to eight feet tall. The Mothman is capable of flight with a wing span of eight to fifteen feet. Many claim to have spotted him at night, with his bright red eyes shinning in the darkness.
In World War II, Point Pleasant was used to manufacture and house explosives in concrete igloos in densely wooded areas. Post-war the igloos were abandoned and the woods were turned into the McClintic Wildlife Management Area. It was discovered in the 1980’s that the neglect of the explosives had caused major contamination of the land, although no efforts have been made to clean up the materials. Many in the area speculate that the contamination has lead to the mutation of local birds into what they believe is the Mothman.
In the 1960’s the McClintic Wildlife Management Area was a popular destination for the youth of Point Pleasant. On the fateful night of November 15, 1966, teens Steve Mallette, Mary Mallette, Roger Scarberry and Linda Scarberry were all in the McClinitc Wildlife Management Area well after the sun had set. The couples were driving through the area when Mary and Linda spotted a figure hovering near one of the igloos. The figure started moving away from the building in a shuffling manner.
The teens thought the figure looked like a man at first, but then soon realized that it did not have arms, massive folded wings high up on its back, and most horrifying; bright shinning red eyes. The couples speed off in their car. The creature chased after them with its 10 foot wingspan at speeds up to 100 miles per hour, making noises similar to a record being played at high speed.
Not wanting to go to the police with false information, the couples then returned to the area to confirm what they had seen. They once again saw the creature, this time stumbling around. They rushed to the Mason County courthouse to file a police report. Deputy Millard Halstead took the report, and due to the size of the town he knew the couples and believed their claims. The police put each teen in separate rooms to tell their stories in great detail, each one telling the same story.
Halstead took the teens back to the area to investigate and they were meet with strange noises, shadows, unexplained dust clouds, and a hoof-like footprint in the sand. Linda Scarberry was treated for shock after these encounters and claimed to have supernatural experiences from then on. She reported that she got multiple phone calls from men claiming to be “The Men in Black” who would intimidate her.
Mason County Sheriff, George Johnson, held a press conference the next morning, addressing the sightings. The story started trending in local and national news, and was dubbed the name “Mothman” by the press, inspired by the “Batman” series. Police estimated that there were up to 1,000 people looking for the Mothman every night after the story broke.
After the story put Point Pleasant on the map, locals used the publicity to attract tourist to the area. Many stores in the town sell Mothman merchandise and there a big Mothman statue in the center of town. While it hasn’t be proven that a Mothman could exist, the amount of evidence has many believing that one must be out there.