Saugus, California
Mrs. Childress and the Blue-Belted BigfootIn September 2009, Santa Clarita resident Dale Richards wrote to say this story is probably made-up. The Los Angeles County Census Bureau recorded no persons by this name living in Saugus, California during the years mentioned in this story. A UFOlogist himself, Richards said he found no records for any UFO sightings or credible crash reports in Texas Canyon. 9.30.09
A ray of morning sunlight sparkled through the window as 44-year-old, Adele Childress, sat back in the sofa. Her attractive face looked gaunt as she recalled the eerie events of the past few months. She flashed through the commonplace aspects of her life her children, neighbors, the family pets, and the harried routine of a homemaker, mother, and manager of a busy home nestled in the suburbs of Saugus, Los Angeles County, California. She remembered how simple life was prior to the bizarre circumstances of her encounter with the unknown."What reason, would he have for scaring me like that," she said, wringing her hands nervously. "I've known him and his wife for two years. He wouldn't have told me such a story unless there was some truth to it..." Adele Childress turned toward the window and began her story as if her worries lay suspended somewhere beyond it. She slowly retraced the events, which led to a strange and frightening warning. This is her report:
It was in October 1974, I had just gotten my son off to school that morning when my husband, Frank, called my attention to an article in the Saugus-Newhall Signal. Under the headline "Does Bigfoot Roam the Santa Clarita Valley?" was a story about two teenage boys named McBride who reported to police that they had seen a strange creature running and carrying a pig away under its arm.
I'm a member of a local club interested in reports of that kind, so I contacted the owners of the ranch where the sighting took place and went to investigate. I learned that only one of the McBride boys actually saw the creature on the grounds, while his brother glimpsed the monster as it ran off with the pig. What really interested me was that both boys said the creature had a glowing, blue belt around its waist. I mentioned the blue belt to other members of my club, but no one had heard of such a detail before - this was a new one.
After making a detailed report to my group, I decided to issue a press statement to the Signal in hope that someone would come forward with more information, or at least another report. Well, after the statement was printed there was the usual amount of joking and ribbing from my neighbors, and my husband got a great kick out of calling the McBride report a bunch of hogwash! I don't know how many times I heard that pun. But my kids didn't feel that way; they claimed their friends at school - whose parents had farms near the McBride's - told them similar stories that weren't publicized for fear of ridicule.
Anyway, several weeks after my press statement appeared in the newspaper, I received a call from some people who said they saw a UFO near a place called Texas Canyon. They described the object as disc-shaped, glowing white and hovering silently near the east end of the canyon. I was interested in the report since the McBride sighting was just south of that area.
One night in late November, about 11 p.m., I received a telephone call from a group of teenagers who had been driving late at night near Texas Canyon. The only way into the canyon is a passable dirt road used mainly by weekend campers. I asked them to come to the house. My husband protested, saying he didn't want the house becoming a pigpen, but I convinced him of the importance of talking to them.
Minutes later six of the most frightened kids I've ever seen were sitting in my living room. What they told me was that shortly after the high school football game they decided to take a short cut home along the dirt road going through Texas Canyon. They entered the canyon at the northwest end and had traveled about three miles when they noticed a cloud of dust on the road ahead of them. Thinking it was a motorcycle or car kicking up the dust, they drove on. As they approached the spot, the "weirdest-looking animals we'd ever seen" shocked them. They described the three animals as upright, tall and hairy with dog-like faces, human-like bodies and glowing eyes. As they passed them, the creatures threw dirt and stones at the car and screamed in what the kids thought was "monkey chatter.' Several of the witnesses said they saw more "points of light" coming down off a hill, giving them the impression that more of the creatures were approaching.
I immediately called two of my friends who showed up with several others, and a group of us ended up driving to Texas Canyon in the middle of the night I was impressed with the sincerity of the teenagers. Their stories held together when I interviewed them separately, and there was no sign they'd been drinking or using drugs, all were clean-cut kids. My husband was equally impressed; he grabbed our trusty old shotgun and tagged along, just in case.
When we got to the site, we stopped and searched the area on foot for any sign of what the teenagers reported. Near a clump of brush at the side of the road we found several large patches Of oddly disturbed ground and small, six-inch holes here and there, but no tracks of any kind in the hard, nearly frozen ground. As we searched there was the unmistakable odor of rotten eggs in the air. This was interesting since many reports of Bigfoot tell of just such an odor. We also noticed that large amounts of dirt and stones had been scattered across the road.
As we stood discussing the situation, one of group yelled out and pointed to the sky. Above us a small plane seemed to be having engine trouble. It circled several times, almost directly overhead, and its motor sputtered and seemed to stop running altogether. We heard the pilot trying to start the engine, or at least it sounded that way. Suddenly we heard a loud sound from somewhere farther down the canyon. It sounded like a helicopter but more muffled. While our attention was focused alternately on the plane above us and the sound below us, a huge, white, bright light blinked on slightly behind and above the plane. The light was silent and extremely bright. It darted quickly eastward in an incredible burst of speed and disappeared. With that the sputtering plane motor started and headed west, disappearing over the horizon with, I'm sure, a very relieved pilot. This all happened in a few minutes and we stood there dumbfounded. My husband dropped his shotgun in the commotion and muttered something about never cracking another pig joke again. One of our groups snapped a picture of the light with a Polaroid camera, but nothing came out on the film.
When the bright light took off, the helicopter sound grew louder for a moment and then stopped. But though we couldn't see anything we could hear the sound of rushing wind as if there was a quiet helicopter out there somewhere.
We drove back to the house, had coffee, and I had everybody fill out a report. The following day I called the local airport to find out if any pilot reported-a UFO. As usual my inquiry was shuffled from one person to another, and required more time to follow up than I had, so I decided to put if off and started my daily chores. That's when things began to happen.
Around noon I drove to the supermarket and after parking the car and getting out, two men in a white car, a Plymouth I think, pulled up next to me. I remember them because they looked at me squarely in the eyes. I immediately thought they were cops because they had that typically hard stare. I walked toward the market and they watched me all the way. I don't consider myself unattractive, but their stares were definitely not flattering. I didn't notice them leave the car at any time.
I finished my shopping and while in the checkout line I noticed a friend of mine, Ed C. I'd met his wife at PTA meetings and knew only that he was or used to be in the Army. He was talking with another man, constantly looking at me. He waved and I waved back. As I pushed the shopping cart toward the door, Ed approached me, smiled, and introduced his friend. Ed asked me if I had a minute to talk. His tone was serious and I began to wonder what it was all about. We walked into the parking lot and he stopped me with a firm grip on my arm. I'm paraphrasing now, but this is what he told me.
In 1967 he had been attached to a military intelligence unit stationed in Southern California. He said his unit had been investigating UFOs for a long time, and then he asked me if I believed in UFO's. I said I had an open mind on the subject, but my group was very interested. Ed emphasized that if I told anyone what he was about to say he would deny having said it. I felt myself getting a little angry, but said I'd keep mum about it. Ed went on to say that back in 1967 he had been called to a remote desert location where a UFO had crashed. Several big trucks went to the scene, including some equipped with what he called special devices. it was about then, I remember, that I noticed the two men in the Plymouth, they were practically breaking their necks watching us. I thought of asking Ed about them, but frankly I was speechless, in fact, my stomach was doing cartwheels. What had I gotten myself into?
Ed explained that he wouldn't have bothered me, but that he learned through the newspaper story that I was investigating the McBride report of the blue-belted Bigfoot. It was then he felt compelled to warn me. He said that when his special unit arrived at the UFO crash site, a pungent odor permeated the air. The object itself, which he said was oblong in shape, was broken in two but apparently landed before exploding. Lying around in several places were bodies of the occupants. He described them as four of the most hideous-looking creatures you can imagine. He said they were huge, about nine feet tall, covered with a fine hair, and were a perfect likeness of what has been described as Bigfoot. The occupants' faces were hairless, Mongoloid in appearance, with flat, wide noses. The mouths, which he said seemed to be agony, showed a row of teeth with what looked like stubby fangs."
At that point I was in shock! This man, whom I'd known for two years, was telling me the craziest story I'd ever heard. Why? I thought to myself that if this were a joke it was in damned bad taste! Ed apparently sensed my uneasiness and assured me that what he was saying was no lie. He had been in the military, that much I knew. His children went to school with my children. His wife was a kind woman with a great deal of energy and was involved in many community activities. What reason would he have for upsetting me like that? What possible reason would he have for lying to me? If his intention was to scare me, well, he succeeded!
Ed continued and said that when they examined the dead bodies of the creatures at the crash site, they found one still alive. One of the men tried to give it water The creature reached up and grabbed the man's shoulder hard, then gasped and died. Ed emphasized that each of the creatures wore a copper-colored belt with a huge buckle rifted with small buttons. He said that the belt glowed when activated but didn't say what it was used for. On their feet were boots something like sandals but with very thick soles. Apart from these things the creatures had nothing else on them.
Whether the story was true or false, Ed said the glowing blue belt the McBride boys described worried him. He looked at me right in the eyes, and these aren't his exact words, but wrote down what I could remember when I got home. He said, "Adele, these beings are dangerous. They've been turning up in recent years in growing numbers. Stay away from them, have I made myself clear. You're in over your head. There are other animals, too, which are vicious. We don't want you to get in trouble over this. I wouldn't tell you what know if didn't think you were in danger. I've been in this business a long time and know what I'm talking about...
All the time Ed was telling me this wild story, his friend just stood there watching my reactions. Ed repeated his warning and said that even though little was known by the general public a very real danger existed, and / was getting too involved. In finishing his story he said the bodies of the creatures were put in large plastic bags and shipped off somewhere. He didn't know the whereabouts of the UFO wreckage or the creatures.
In parting, Ed said that I was welcome to call him or his wife anytime if I felt the need to talk further. He asked me not to mention what he told me to anyone, least of -all the newspapers; and he said he would have to deny everything if questioned. The two men in the Plymouth drove away at some point, I didn't notice, and the entire conversation took a total of about 15 minutes.
I drove home in a daze. I'd known Ed and his wife for two years. He wouldn't have told me such a story unless; there was some truth to it. Could it be an absurd lie? I have my family to think about, can I take the chance?
Adele Childress' fear was apparently justified. In April 1975, and on no fewer than three occasions, her home had been broken into - all the doors were unlocked and left wide open, but nothing was taken or damaged. On several successive nights "horribly loud" pounding on the roof and sides of the house terrified the family. The clincher came in June of that year when more than a dozen school children watched a tall, "...hairy, white-faced ape" stare fixedly at them from an adjacent hillside. The Childress kids were among them. Mrs. Childress needed little prodding to end her investigation of the blue belted Bigfoot - she decided not to take the chance.
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Story courtesy Peter Guttilla
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