A Horrifying, Unidentified Monster Terrorized The Residents Of Enfield, Illinois In The Early '70s
The Three-Legged Monster Sports An Odd, But Slightly Humanoid, Body
Photo: williamdefalco / YouTubeThe physical description of the Enfield Horror makes it sound like of the world's oddest creatures, even among cryptids. According to eyewitnesses, the monster sports three legs, gray fur, huge pink eyes, two arms attached to the front of its body, and stands approximately four-and-a-half feet tall. Additional reports state the beast's body resembles that of a monkey. At least one witness pointed out the body had a somewhat humanoid appearance. Despite its allegedly misshapen shape, the creature apparently boasts impressive speed and agility, and it screeches like a wildcat.
One Witness Actually Shot The Monster
Although later accounts claim the beast appeared 30 minutes before in Greg Garrett's backyard, Henry McDaniel was the first person to report seeing the Enfield Horror. McDaniel's children told him of a creature scratching the house. When McDaniel went to investigate, he found himself face-to-face with the monster. Slamming the door as any sensible person would do, McDaniel ran to his gun. Next, he opened the door again to discover the beast still scratching and hissing. Out of fear, McDaniel aimed the gun directly at the creature and fired several times. The Enfield Monster responded by quickly leaping away.
A 10-Year-Old Boy Saw The Horror First ... Or Did He
On April 25, 1973, the Enfield Horror decided to make contact with multiple humans. A 10-year-old boy, Greg Garrett, may have been the first. According to his original police statement, Garrett was playing outside when he encountered a vicious, hideous creature. The Enfield Horror, unafraid of the boy, approached Garrett, stepping on his feet in the process. Garrett stated the Horror shredded his shoes, though police failed to find any tangible evidence in the family's yard. Later on, Garrett told researchers he never actually saw a monster, and merely wanted to tease Henry McDaniel.
Physical Evidence Was Left Behind
Photo: MysteriousWorld / YouTubeOne of the things keeping most cryptid stories from becoming verified, or even seeming real, is a complete and utter lack of physical evidence. The Enfield Horror sightings, however, proved to be a different scenario. When police visited Henry McDaniel's house, they found unusual footprints with six toe pads, along with some odd scratch marks on the house. This corroborated McDaniel's story that the beast tried to break into his home. Interestingly, the footprints appeared in a set of three, with one being smaller than the others.
Police Reported McDaniel Sounded Rational
Surprisingly, even though McDaniel claimed the creature hailed from outer space, local police stated he appeared rational and sober during his witness statement. This almost certainly went a long way toward convincing other local residents the monster actually existed. When you combine this with Greg Garrett's account, it's not hard to imagine how Enfield Horror madness began to grip the tiny town. As a result, police ended up investigating many more areas where others allegedly saw the Horror.
The Monster Appeared To The Same Witness Twice
Photo: One Candle Society / YouTubeThe Enfield Horror must really see something great in Henry McDaniel's property. A mere 11 days later, the creature returned and McDaniel saw it roaming the railroad tracks near his home. This appearance happened at 3 AM, and McDaniel only witnessed it because a neighbor's dog's barking woke him up. This time, he refrained from shooting at the monster and watched it instead. Eventually, the Enfield Monster ran off and McDaniel went back to sleep.
A Search Party Yet Again Turned Up An Unidentified Beast
After all the publicity that the Enfield Horror received, three locals decided they wanted to find it, and WWKI news director Rick Rainbow joined them on the expedition. The foursome made their way to an old abandoned house, where they reportedly spotted the creature. Rainbow claims he recorded the Enfield Horror's bloodcurdling howl that day. This audio tape was later given to a cryptozoologist.
A Cryptozoologist Heard The Monster's Cries While Investigating The Story
Cryptozoologist Loren Coleman visited Enfield after hearing about the so-called monster. After listening to Rick Rainbow's alleged audio recording of the Enfield Horror, Coleman went to Henry McDaniel's house and examined the remaining physical evidence. While at the McDaniel home, Coleman heard what he described as "strange screeching banshee-like sounds." The clawed-up siding, the audio evidence, and what he heard with his own ears left the cryptozoologist wondering if the beast actually lived in Enfield instead of merely in the imagination of a few residents.
A Hunting Party Tried To Find It, But Only Found Trouble
A hunting party headed into the woods with the intention of finding, and presumably shooting, the Enfield Horror. Though they failed to accomplish their goal, all five men claimed to have spotted something gray running away, causing them to open fire. Later, local police charged them with threatening public safety and hunting violations, with the sheriff disbelieving their reports about seeing the creature.
People's Rational Explanations For The Enfield Horror Did Not Stick
Photo: semuthutan / flickr / CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0As with any other cryptid story, many locals started looking for a rational way to explain an irrational situation. Some decided the Enfield Horror was a kangaroo, as a man did report losing one the year before. Others deduced the creature was nothing more than a wild ape. Additional guesses included a bear, wildcat, and a large dog. On the completely irrational end of the spectrum, some claimed the Enfield Horror was real, and was actually an alien, a failed genetic experiment, or a demon.
The Enfield Horror Might Also Be The Mount Vernon Monster
Photo: One Candle Society / YouTubeDo cryptids move or go on vacation like humans? If so, this might explain why stories of the Enfield Horror began to disappear just as a new creature, the Mount Vernon Monster, showed up in Virginia. People started hunting the Mount Vernon Monster in 1979 after its muted but disturbing wail began startling local area residents.
The Washington Post interviewed local game warden Ralph Stickman during the height of these odd noises, and he indicated they were absolutely real. Police officers even looked for the source of the nocturnal wailing, though they disbelieved the locals who reported seeing a creature that sounds a lot like the Enfield Horror.
Sociologists Used The Enfield Horror As A Case Study
Photo: RedFoxofMystery / YouTubeSo many people reported seeing the Enfield Horror during the brief span of just a few days it caught the attention of sociologists. While they may or may not believe the monster is real, the sociologists confirm a very real thing happened to every witness. David L. Miller and a team of researchers from Western Illinois University determined the Enfield Horror story grew into a social contagion. In other words, people became convinced they saw or heard something that wasn't there because they believed in the creature's existence.
