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Researcher, author, since 1978.

File# 10196 Part 2

Interview, ,

Here is the continuation into my investigation of a reported incident which occurred  Friday, January 22, 2016, at 4 a.m, Near McLeese Lake British Columbia.

Thomas Steenburg

 

SAMANTHA’S INTERVIEW

Hello Samantha?

Hi, how are you.

How are you?

I’m good, thank you.

Please state your full name?

Samantha Chrystal Godwin.

What is your mailing address?

Same as Yuri’s.

Same phone number as well?

Yes.

You saw it first, Correct?

Yeah.

What happened? What were the circumstances which lead to this?

Well we were on a tow. We were at the back of the truck, hooking. He,(Yuri) was on the drivers side and I was on the passenger side, and in the fog and the rain I seen this what seemed like a huge man, but harry, and a really light, greasy looking hair, I don’t know if that was because of the rain but.

Were you stopped at this point or were you moving?

I was still moving. I was so freaked out.

What I mean is were you stopped at the towing job, or were still moving down the road when this occurred?

The truck was stopped. I was walking into the tow truck.

So this occurred while you both were working on the broken down truck?

Yes.

The subject. Was it on the east side or the west side of the highway?

The west.

Was that the side with all the trees?

No. The river side.

OK. When you saw it it was on the west side of the highway?

Yes.

You told Yuri about it, and he didn’t believe you?

Well he didn’t believe me. He thought I was talking crazy. Lol. I did really believe myself.

How long did you see it for?

Um. 2 minutes or so, I was trying to get into the truck, quick, I was scared, like I didn’t believe what I was seeing. Then it was gone.

You got nervous and got into the truck?

Yeah.

Yuri didn’t notice that something was in fact making you nervous?

Well he heard me, but thought I was, you know, just saying stuff. He asked me what was wrong? I told him what I saw, and he thought I was talking crazy. Lol.

What was your first impression of it?

Um. Like what did it look like to me?

What did you think it was? Did you think it was a man? Did you think it was a bear? What did you think it was?

I thought it was a Sasquatch.

Sasquatch came to mind, right away?

Right away. Yes.

What was it doing?

Just walking down the highway. Just on the side of the road. Kind of like a monkey, his arms were swinging, kind of strait down his arms were going.

Describe that for me, like a monkey?

You kind of like how their arms go back and forth, behind it’s body. Then ahead of it’s body, then ahead again.

You mean both arms at the same time?

No opposite to each other, opposite times.

Did it stand and walk upright?

Upright.

Did you ever see it go down on all fours?

No. I didn’t see it do that, no.

Was it hairy?

Yeah. The whole thing was hairy. The arms the hair hung off it’s arms. The hair seemed longer on the arms.

The hair seemed longer on the arms?

Yeah, on the bicep part of the arms.

What color was it?

A tan brown. Like a light tan color.

How tall do you think it was?

Um. 8 feet tall? About 8 feet?

Did it seem heavy to you or light?

It seemed real muscular, not body builder just mass, real heavy. Big broad shoulders.

Was this a clear night or overcast?

It was a bit foggy.

How close was it to you when you saw it?

Um. It was about, I don’t know, one telephone pole to the next telephone pole. 50 meters?

Did you see any facial features?

No, just the back of him.

Did the arms seem longer than a mans or shorter than a mans?

Way longer.

How long did they come down the body?

Well not that much longer I guess, about half way down.

Could you tell if it was male or female?

I don’t know? I just figure male because it was big and hairy.

How long did you see it for?

Maybe a minute or two, somewhere around there.

I assume it did see you?

Yeah. T hats why it was heading the other way?

It was walking away from you?

Yeah.

When you saw it?

Yeah.

What was it’s reaction? Just walking away from you?

It was just walking away.

On the west side of the road?

Yes heading south.

Did you see it cross the road?

No I didn’t.

So when you got in the truck that is when you last saw it?

Yeah. But like we kept hearing that noise? Like a low scream of high pitch nes?

Did you actually see it make a noise?

I really didn’t think anything else of it after I hopped in the truck, and then we went back outside to finish the repair, and it was then we heard that noise. And Yuri said, “Ah theirs your Sasquatch”, and laughing at me. And then finally he.. well at that point he didn’t believe me.

Did you smell anything, before, during, or after?

No. Not at all.

Are there any other physical characteristics of this subject which stands out in your mind?

Just the hair on the arms and how shiny the hair was. The wast was small and the shoulders were huge,

Did you check for footprints?

Yuri went back a few days later, and said there were impressions in some of the snow patches but nothing good.

There was snow on the ground?

Yes. In places.

Did you report what you saw?

No I felt like a weirdo.

Just describe for me again what happened?

I was just walking on the road, to hop in the truck, and I just looked up, I just looked down the road for any on coming traffic, and I saw this big, hairy man looking, ape like thing walking down the road, and I got a little scared, I didn’t really know what I was seeing. I then put my head down and hoped into the truck, and I looked up again, and I didn’t see it, and I told Yuri what I saw. He was still hooking up the truck, I then heard the barking, oh, oh no, it was low and then high pitched, Yuri said, “That’s your Sasquatch”, and he laughed at me. Then I heard him say, come on, come on. And that when we told each other what we both saw. We both knew then we both saw the same thing.

Do you ware corrective lenses?

No.

Yuri was the only other witness?

Yes.

What do you think it was?

A Sasquatch.

You are convinced of that?

Yes.

When you saw it it was walking away?

Yeah. Walking away.

It was closer to the road than the tree line?

It was right on the road. Or right on the side of it.

STEENBURG HOTE: After my interview with Samantha I again talked to Yuri in order to get more detail of the tracks he thought he saw when he returned to the area a few days later. However do to mild temperatures and rain fall the tracks were little more than shapeless holes in batches of remaining snow.

A friend and college of mine, Sebastian Wang, who only lived about 40 kilometers up the road from this incident agreed to meet with Yuri in order to get some photographs of the exact spot where this happened. Yuri did talk to him and agreed to meet with him the following Saturday. However Sebastian informed me that Yuri was a no show. So I had to settle for a few photo’s of the general area.

Thomas Steenburg

Clearbrook Library Lecture

Research, ,

The Lecture given at the Clearbrook Library in Abbotsford on March 20th went off with out a problem.  About 30 persons attended. I think all found it interesting. It was suppose to be between 2 and 3 pm, but interest and questions took us nearly 40 minutes over time.  One fellow in the audience told of a possible sighting he had in the mid 1980s while driving just on the Washington side of the border with his father? Others, I think,  were just happy to hear someone talk about this subject with out sounding like a inmate running an asylum. The photo below show the setup just before the doors were opened. More chairs were needed.

Thomas Steenburg

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES
SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

Sighting Report 10196

Interview, Research, , ,

I will present this report in two parts as it consists of the full testimonies of both witnesses involved.

Thomas Steenburg

 

map file 10196 A

 

Yuri and Samantha
B.C. FILE # 10196
LOCATION: Highway 97, Just north of McLeese Lake General Store
TIME: Approx 4:00 am
DATE: Friday, January 22, 2016.
REPORT BY: Thomas Steenburg

What follows is a transcript of two interviews with two witnesses whom reported encountering a possible Sasquatch at 4 am, Friday, January 22, 2016. This encounter accrued a few km north McLeese Lake, on Highway 97; at times a lonely stretch of road. The tow truck driver, Yuri Seterengen, and his girlfriend, Samantha Godwin, have not requested confidentiality concerning this case.
Hello, did you phone me around noon today?

Yeah I did. I saw you on TV there, and my girlfriend and myself had a sighting a few nights ago.

Do you have time right now to talk?

Sure you bet.

Could you state your full name please?

Yuri Seterengen.

Where are you residing, Yuri?

I am calling from Williams Lake B.C.

Williams Lake? Is that close to where this happened?

Yes it is. Its about, 45 minutes away.

STEENBURG NOTE : At this point in the interview we talked a bit as I was trying to pin point where on Highway 97, this actually occurred. Both witnesses reside in Williams Lake, British Columbia.

You were driving just north of McLeese Lake when this happened?

We were called out to tow a large truck. Broken down. I was driving one of those big rig tow trucks. I brought my girlfriend with me.

What’s her name?

Samantha Godwin.

You were on a call? You are a tow truck operator?

Yes. We were hooking up the Tow truck, like the driver of the truck had left as the box had been hooked up to another truck so he was long gone.

STEENBURG NOTE: Yuri started to rattle off the whole story at this point but there were a few more details I wanted to hear before getting into it.

Yuri, your present phone number is (withheld from written report)

Yes, it is.

What is your present mailing address?

(withheld from written report)

Where on Highway 97 did this occur?

Just outside of McLeese Lake.

What date did this take place?

On the 22nd, (January 2016).

22nd of this month?

Yes.

STEENBURG NOTE: This interview was done on Friday, January 29th, 2016. One week later.

Was it night or day?

Early morning hours. So night, around 4 am.

It was still dark out?

Oh, yes. It was still dark.

What happened?

Well, I was out. We were both out, we were hooking up the rig that was going to be towed. She told me saw a large, you know, a large human-like creature? I was joking with her; I said, “well, that would be a Sasquatch – ha, ha”.  You know, kinda not taking her seriously. I come up from the truck and I hear the weird sounds? (I hear someone talking to Yuri in the background).  It was walking right along the highway.  I was unfamiliar with the sounds so I jokingly say to her, “ maybe that was your Sasquatch”. (Yuri still had not seen the subject at this point) She actually got scared and went back in the tow truck. So, I finished hitching up the rig, I took about half an hour, and just as I was turning around I looked over my shoulder, I see this, Sasquatch? And, like this was so fast, that it just disappeared back into the shadows. It was kind of like it had an interest in what we were doing? You know the lights on the tow truck. She (Samantha) got back in the tow truck when we started hearing those sounds. I don’t know? She saw it when it was walking on the highway so she can describe it better? I only got to see it for a second but, she heard me yell when I saw it, over my shoulder, I kind of got brain fever, (Hesitated) a couple of seconds, then I thought to see if I could fined a footprint, and I got about 30 feet in front of the tow truck, thought better of it. But what I saw was identical to what she saw. Like what I saw was light brown hair, when it was in the light it appeared shinny? But when it hit the shadows it was gone? The way it moved, it was so fast. (Again I can hear a female voice in the back ground talking into his ear), I can let you speak with Samantha for a second as she saw more of it then I did.
If you don’t mind, I will speak with you first, then I will speck to her?

OK, yep.

Describe the area in which this took place?

High way 97, the lone highway up through the interior of BC. There are railway tracks there. On the other side, (West side), The Fraser river runs parallel to all that. Kind of sparse, not much wooded area, but on the other side of the tracks it is mountainous with lots of trees.

Did this happen on the east or west side of the highway?

This was on the east side of the highway.

The east side is where the trees are?

Yes. But when she saw it it was on the west side of the highway. And when I got a glimpse about a half hour latter, it was on the east. So it would have had to cross the highway. T hats what gets to me, it must have been intrigued by what we were doing? Like the orange truck lights flashing and stuff like that, I mean to be there the whole time like that ? That sounds really odd?

Was there snow on the ground?

Yeah there is snow. I actually went back to go try to find some tracks. Like I said it was raining that night, so I don’t know?

How much snow?

Well its been so warm here. Its been a warm winter, Raining so much there is not much left now. Just batches of snow, and most of what was here that night is now gone.

What distance would you estimate you were from the thing when you saw it?

When I saw it? It must have been about 30m or 40m. It was so brief, but I know what I saw. It just moved so fast.

What was your first impression?

I thought to myself, ‘No I didn’t just see that’, I didn’t know what to think. Then I yelled to her, (Samantha), I am still having a hard time, grasping it, Ha Ha.

What was it doing?

Well it was walking, like non saliently, she, (Samantha) could see how long the hair was, from it’s arms and everything, like when cattle is walking, like there was a structure to it

What was it doing when you saw it?

Pardon?

What was it doing when you saw it?

I just saw it for a fraction. I think what happened, it saw me turn around, and it wanted to get out of sight of me. I just saw the back of it, poof it disappeared right back into the shadows.

Did it stand and walk upright?

Yep it appeared to be upright. You could see it’s arms, you could see everything.

Steenburg Note: At this point I could here Samantha talking in the background saying that the subject was hairy. I told Yuri that I would talk to her about what she saw after I talked to him.

Hairy. She says it was real hairy.

I will talk to her about what she saw. Right now I will talk to you.

OK.

Did it ever go down on all fours?

Pardon?

Did it ever go down on all fours? What you saw, not what she saw?

I didn’t see it go down on all fours, I just saw it for a second. But it didn’t appear to be on all fours, but she was giving it for the shadows.

Did it seem to be hairy?

Yeah, light, light brown, like it was shinny? I couldn’t be leave how shinny the hair was. It was such a light brown color. Nothing like the pictures on line?

What color did you say it was?

Light, light Brown.

STEENBURG NOTE: It was lightly raining at the time of this incident so I wonder if it appeared shinny do to combination of a light brown color, wetness, and the tow truck area flood lights?

How tall would you estimate it was?

Oh I couldn’t even give you a estimation.

If that’s the case, then that’s what I wont to hear. How heavy do you think it was?

I just saw it from the back breafly. But I would guess 4 to 500 pounds.

Did you notice any facial features?

No I didn’t. No.

Any details of the arms?

No.

Could you tell if it was male or female?

No.

How long do you think you saw it for?

I saw it for maybe a second.

I assume it did see you?

That’s why, I think that it ran for shelter, because I was turning around.

That was my next question. What was it’s reaction?

Ha, ha, it bolted.

Did it make any noise?

Well I heard noises before, but I wrote those off.

What noise did you hear before?

It’s hard to describe. Not like a dog, more like an elk? I don’t know.

Did you have the impression that the noise was meant for you?

It must, I believe so now. I believe we had it’s attention, and it was making this noise at us, like it was really curious about what we were doing?

STEENBURG NOTE; The noise was heard by Yuri after Samantha had told him about what she had seen, but before he saw what he saw. In fact when the vocal was first heard he called out to her as she was now sitting in the cab of the tow truck. “I guess that might be your Sasquatch” with a laugh to himself.

Did you smell anything before, during or after?

No. Nothing like what I read about on line, you people describing a pungent Oder or anything like that. This looked at lest to me like, well groomed for lack of a better word.

Are there ay physical characteristics of the subject which stands out in your memory?

What do you mean?

Anything about it’s physical appearance which you remember but we haven’t talked about?

No. I didn’t get to see it for long enough, I just got a glimpse of it.

Did you check for footprints later?

I did. A couple of days later.

On the 23rd or the 24th?

We went back on the 26th.

STEENBURG NOTE: They did find impressions is some of the snow patches which remain on the ground but rain and warm temperatures had reduced them to the point of being useless. Also no photos were taken.

Did you report what you saw?

Well I didn’t know who to report this to?

Not to the R.C.M.P?

No. I didn’t, no.

How old are you Yuri?

36.

Do you ware corrective lenses?

No I don’t. I have 20/20 vision.

I take it your girlfriend, (Samantha) is the only other witness?

Yes.
Looking back, what do you think it was?

I honestly believe it was a Sasquatch.

Do you wish to remain confidential?

No. It does not matter to me. One or two people out there will believe us as they have seen things to. I am not to worried about what people think.

If you two have time I would like to talk with Samantha now?

 

 

PART 2 of this investigation will be posted in a few days.

Thomas Steenburg

Finding Bigfoot Season 8 Episode 1

Interview, Investigation Tactics, Research, , , , , ,

Last night, I was able to watch this season’s opening episode of Finding Bigfoot (filmed last June 2015) in which I was personally involved behind the scenes.  I was contacted weeks before by the producers of the program and agreed, somewhat reluctantly as I am not a great fan of the show, to provide names from my own files on recent cases which I had investigated; quite a bit of e-mail back and forth then went on. This was the second time the program had contacted myself for assistance, as they had planned to come to Canada a year before but for reasons I am not at liberty to disclose, the earlier planned episode for British Columbia had to be cancelled.

The premise for this episode was a silly affair based on a bet between Cliff Barrackman and Bo Bo, (James Fay) which area was, as they put it: Squatchier, British Columbia or Washington State.  Entertaining for the television audience no doubt, but just silly useless nonsense for those who take this subject seriously and have devoted our lives to finding an answer as to whether a large primate does in fact exist in the forests of British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest of the United States.

I have long been critical of the show as I have always felt that it made serious research into this ongoing mystery look foolish in the eye of the public, as well as portray researchers as nothing but a collection of oddballs who only like to go out at night and howl at the moon like idiots.  But, I also realized that the show is exactly that – a television show.  Despite the motives of the cast members, three of which I have known since long before the program first aired.  The main purpose of the programs’ producers is not really to find an answer to the Sasquatch question, but to entertain their viewing audience, achieve the goal of maintaining a loyal following to the point of justifying continuing seasons, and to keep people working.  These goals seem to have succeeded beyond the shows wildest dreams, as I cannot remember any other program of this nature lasting so long.

Also, I know through personal communication with some of the cast members that, even though they do and act out scenarios they normally would not do by themselves, they have had to put their foot down a couple of times in years past as activities from behind the cameras by the staff were out right hoaxing attempts to make a particular episode more interesting than things were turning out to be.  To their credit, the cast has made it clear they are not interested in hoaxing and some people have been let go as a result.  With this in mind, one has to wonder, when the editing process is done, what is the purpose of saying things happen in a certain way when they didn’t?  Example: Matt and Cliff go and interview two witnesses, Maria Muller and Robert Baily, concerning their sighting at Weaver Lake, which occurred at 10:30 am, August 21, 2014 (Steenburg File #10191).

They interview the witnesses at the location and do an on-site investigation, just as myself and Brad Trent did 24 hours after this alleged encounter occurred.  Both Matt and Cliff concluded it was probably a Sasquatch, unlike myself.  I still think it may be a man in a dark hoody that Robert photographed, but I certainly do not rule out the possibility that it could be a Sasquatch.  Matt pointed out that the trail head was there where the figure was seen but for some reason didn’t mention the bear-proof trash containers at the trail head as well.  It is possible that the trash bins have been moved since the day of the sighting, but they were there when it happened.  But what struck me, was the show gave the impression that Matt and Cliff took a scenic route to get there and you see them in a nice speed boat on Harrison Lake, and the viewer is given the impression that they took this boat to the dock at Weaver Lake to meet the two witnesses? I don’t think so.  Weaver Lake and Harrison Lake have about five kilometers of mountain forest between them, so unless Matt and Cliff portaged that speed boat, there is no way they got to the location that way. So why do they edit the program like this?  Who knows…just a way to get footage of the two men in the speed boat into the program, I guess?

A number of times both Matt and Cliff made the statement that this was the first time any researcher had done any investigation on the Chehalis Reserve?  Well I, personally have been there doing research over the last three decades more times than I can remember. Rene Dahinden had also been there many, many times, as well as John Green, not to mention J.W. Burns, who coined the the name Sasquatch to begin with?  They must have known this, so why they state that this is the first time researchers have been on the reserve? I have no answer.  I could pick at little details like this for hours but I will just finish up by saying that I had a long meeting with both Matt and Cliff at the Sasquatch Inn after hours were spent at the town hall meeting (a lot of filming for a few minutes of show).  But that is how these programs are made, so I expected it.

And I expressed my opinions about how certain things were done and of course I realize that, which they both concurred, the main purpose of the show is to entertain, and to perhaps generate some thinking to the general public, most of whom don’t give the Sasquatch mystery 15 minutes of thought a year.  If they did things my way the show most likely wouldn’t last one season for the general public would find it boring.  So, I will end this with this statement: Finding Bigfoot is entertainment. It is not a serious study of the Sasquatch question.  Also, If I was in charge Bo Bo would have lost three points for dressing up in drag – I laughed for five solid minutes watching that bit.

Thomas Steenburg

Sasquatch Slow Down

Research, , ,

Well, it sure has been a strange and slow Fall in the Sasquatch field, so far.  Lack of reports, (credible sounding ones) at least…not much of interest seen on outings looking for evidence, etc, etc.

One has to wonder, why?  I have noticed that this is normal for this time a year, which flies in the face of what most researchers assume is the most active time of year: Fall.  Not so, according to my statistics.

I have had two odd reports recently.: one came to my attention when a man left a note on the windshield of my car with a small rock telling me that it was thrown by a Sasquatch which occurred up at Davies Lake, BC.  He also left his name and phone number on the note.  I did call, 3 times to be exact, but for one reason or another he has made no further attempt to contact and clarify the situation.  So, I have to assume he no longer wishes to talk about it? One has to wonder as to why he left the note in the first place?

The second was from a man who just lives south of me in Washington State who stated that his wife had recently seen a Sasquatch on the family property.  However, like the previous case, has not responded to messages for more information which I insist upon now before I investigate any further. This of course, could be a case of not clearing things with her before reporting the incident, after all many witnesses do not wish to be part of any investigation as their sighting is a personal matter they may not be ready to share with researchers.  That is understandable, too. I have encountered this many times over the years.

So far, the Fall of 2015 is turning out to be the same as so many before.  Slow and strange.

Thomas Steenburg