The Dover Demon Mystery

The Dover Demon is a cryptid creature that has been linked to both cryptozoology and ufology. It is one of the few mysterious creatures that falls into both categories. However, the name "Dover Demon" was given by a cryptozoologist, which led to the creature being known more as a cryptid than an alien.

Unlike Nessie, who has been seen over a span of about 1,500 years, the Dover Demon was only seen for three days. However, that was enough to make it one of the most mysterious cryptid creatures in the world and the subject of cryptozoology research to this day.

The encounter of Bill Bartlett 

Is where it all began. On April 21, 1977, at around 10:30 p.m., three 17-year-old friends were driving in Massachusetts, USA. Bill Bartlett was driving, while his two friends were chatting.

Suddenly, the car's headlights illuminated a strange figure. Bill was shocked by what he saw. At first, he thought it was a dog or a cat, but he realized that the creature was not like anything he had seen before.

The creature's body was odd, with a disproportionately large head that looked like a melon. Its eyes were round like marbles, orange in color, and seemed to glow. Its arms and legs were very thin and long, adorned with very thin fingers.

But what really astonished Bill was the creature's unusual face. Its face was flat, without a nose, mouth, or ears. Despite being illuminated by the car's blinding headlights, the creature seemed unconcerned. Bill saw it crawl from a stone wall towards the road with its thin palms before disappearing into the darkness of the night.

Bill's friends were busy talking to each other, so they did not see the creature. But Bill knew he wasn't mistaken – he had seen a strange creature he had never encountered before.

So, on that night, the creature that would later be called the Dover Demon appeared for the first time.

A few hours later, the creature appeared again before another witness.

The encounter of John Baxter 

Occurred two hours later, not far from where Bill had seen the creature. John Baxter, 15, and Pete Mitchell, 13, were walking home after visiting a friend's house.

Suddenly, their eyes were drawn to a small figure in the distance. John thought the figure was his friend Bouchard, who was also small. So, he called out his name.

There was no response. John and Pete approached.

The small figure then ran towards a ditch, stopped beside a tree, and stood there for a moment. It was then that both of them realized that the figure was not Bouchard.

"The creature stood about 15 feet away from where I was standing. We just stood there, looking at it. I'm sure the creature was looking at me too," John said, recalling the events of that night.

After a few moments, the creature disappeared into the woods. John felt his heart beating faster. He then ran towards Farm Street and went home. That night, he drew a sketch of the creature he saw, and the sketch turned out to be similar to the one drawn by Bill Bartlett.

The next day, two other witnesses saw the creature again.

The encounter Abby Brabham

On the morning of April 23, 1977, 18-year-old Will Traintor was driving on Springdale Avenue to take his girlfriend, 15-year-old Abby Brabham, home.

As they were driving, Abby accidentally saw a strange creature standing on the left side of the road.

"The creature looked like a monkey. Then I saw its head and realized that the head was too big and strange... Its eyes were bright green and appeared to be shining, and it seemed to be looking at me."

The creature touched the ground with both hands and feet. Abby estimated that the creature was about the same height as a goat. Abby's description matched that of Bill Bartlett, except Abby mentioned that the creature had bright green eyes, not orange.

Sketch made by Abby Brabham

When the sighting report reached the authorities, Bartlett, Baxter, Brabham, and Traintor provided sketches of the creature they had seen. And the three sketches showed a similar creature!

To reaffirm the experience, Bill wrote a sentence in his sketch: "I, Bill Bartlett, swear on the Bible that I really saw the creature."

Sketch made based on Bill Bartlett's report

Soon after, the story of the encounter reached the ears of Loren Coleman, a well-known Cryptozoologist who lived in the area. He then invited UFO researcher Walter Webb and Ed Fogg to investigate the case together.

The sketch was made based on John Baxter's report

They interviewed witnesses, teachers, and police officers.

After investigating for days, they concluded that the witnesses did not fake the sighting because they all described the same creature despite not knowing each other before.

Loren Coleman then called this creature the Dover Demon. The media liked it, and the creature got its official name until now.

Until then, no one knew the true identity of the creature.

What kind of creature is it?

Some people believe that the creature is an alien because of its resemblance to alien creatures in UFO sightings. Others believe that it may be a new and unknown animal species, a mutant or hybrid creature.

Others even doubt the credibility of the sighting because all witnesses were teenage children. For example, Martin S. Kottmeyer's theory is that what the witnesses saw was just a young deer. The position of the eyes on its face, the lack of nose and mouth, are very similar to the description of a young deer's head. Besides, all sightings occurred at night, so the witnesses' imagination could easily deceive them.

Young deer

But Coleman believes that this creature is more mysterious than what people think. According to Coleman, the history of the city of Dover is filled with mysterious things. 

"In this city, we have three big legends that happened. First, the sighting of the phantom horse, then the legend of the buried treasure, and then the Dover Demon. I think these are connected."

So, could the teenagers have seen a deer or a young horse, as some people believe?

Coleman is not sure about it. He has combed the area and has not found any farmers who have lost a horse. As for deer, only two deer have ever been seen in Massachusetts, in 1977 and 1978. Both were in central Massachusetts, not in the area where the sightings occurred. Moreover, if the creature seen by witnesses was those two deer, then the size couldn't have been that small. Thus, the identity of this creature remains a mystery.

If this creature is indeed an unknown species, why was it only seen for three days?

This question also perplexes Coleman. According to him:

"Regarding the Dover Demon, no creature like it has ever been reported before. The Dover Demon does not match the description of the Chupacabra, the Roswell alien, or the big-eared bat that attacked a family in Kentucky in 1955. This case is unique because it has no connection to any other phenomenon."

And because of that uniqueness, the mystery of the Dover Demon remains unsolved to this day.

Dover Demon - eternal mystery

In 2006, a Boston Globe reporter met with Bill Bartlett to revisit his encounter with the Dover Demon. After 29 years, Bill still stands by his testimony and reaffirms that he did not fabricate the story.

Bill even says that he regrets telling the story because his credibility has been questioned by many.

"I don't know what I saw back then."

"But one thing is for sure, I know that I saw something. I didn't make up the story, although sometimes I wish I had. I never tried to be funny. Anyone who knows me knows that I didn't make this up."

"I hope that creature appears again so that everyone knows that I was telling the truth."

Loren Coleman gives his own reflection on the Dover Demon.

"It's okay to say that we don't know the answer to this mystery."

"I think the mystery of the Dover Demon will continue to live on. The sighting is an unexplained phenomenon that has become famous worldwide, and I think the town of Dover should be proud of that."

Wikipedia-Dover Demon
WBSM.com

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