Here is an interesting news article that I came across in my travels, as well as commentary by a local man on the case...read it and let me know what all of your thoughts are on this.

The following is the link to the story:

http://www.wmcstations.com/Global/story.asp?S=2819495

DeSoto County officials ID the body of a missing man

Investigators have identified a body found this past weekend as that of Mark Havens. The DeSoto County coroner used dental records to prove the body found is Mark Havens. But what happened to Mark Havens is still a mystery.

Ed Stanford is a soft spoken man with very few words. He's lived in the Nesbit community of DeSoto County all his life. Stanford took Action News 5 deep into the woods to the creek bed where investigators found a body. The mystery started November 30th when Havens disappeared. His jeep was found along Oak Hill Road less than a mile from his home, even further from the area where two teenagers discovered a body Saturday. Stanford says investigators even found Mark Havens' wallet on that creek bed. According to the coroner, there were no signs of trauma on the body, nothing to indicate how the man died or how his body ended up in the creek. Knowing that, Stanford says the mystery thickens surrounding his friend's disappearance. The coroner's office is waiting for the results of a toxicology report. That will let investigators know exactly how the man died.

Mark Havens was first reported missing back on November 30th of last year. Havens was supposed to pick up his daughter from day care. His jeep was discovered not far from his home the same day. Crews called off an active search after weeks of combing DeSoto County.


Now, after all the excitement had died down and everybody had left my son and his father went back to the creek the next day where the body was found. The area was combed over pretty good by the local law enforcement but something was strange. The spots where the plaster casts were taken had been covered over with fresh dirt. I say fresh as the soil was replaced with a darker, fresher type soil. This was clearly evident and yet it was done in such a way that a person could plainly see the stride of where the prints were cast. The length of the strides were enormous measuring about 6 ft between steps! This was measured by my son's father after letting his curiosity get the better of him. My son mentioned that it looked like maybe Bigfoot tracks as his father, who stands about 6' tall, laid down between the spots that had been covered with fresh dirt. His father knew about my involvement researching Bigfoot and although he laughed about it started scratching his head. While nosing around the area they found a few tracks that were not discovered by the local law that were clearly barefooted and measured out to be about 20' inches in length and about 9' inches wide. This totally blew my son's father's mind and he said that they needed to get the hell out of there.

When they got back to the house the father called a local deputy who he personally knew and that was at the crime scene and told him of what he had found. The deputy asked him would he meet with him at the scene so that he could be shown the tracks that he had found to which my son's father's agreed. Less then an hour later the deputy along with the local wildlife game officer and 3 other law officers showed up at the creek meeting up with my son and his father. As the officers got out of their vehicles the game warden and one of the deputies produced a couple of shovels immediately as they got out of their truck and squad car respectively. My son's father thought that this was very strange. They showed the officers where the tracks were whereas the men then proceeded to cover up the large prints with dirt dug from the creek bed. I guess, figuring that he was owed an explanation, the game warden told my son's father that they had found (get this) large dog/cat tracks and did not want to alarm the local population about something this big running loose in the neighborhood. My son and his father knew that what they were covering up was NOT dog or cat tracks! They both had seen humanlike bare footprints of a larger then normal size. Hell, they even watched them being covered up!

The deputy that my son's father knew stayed around after the others had left maybe already knowing that my son's father was not gullible enough to believe that line of BS about large dog/cat tracks. My son's father told him "what was that business about the tracks as he knew the tracks were large and humanlike and not dog or cat like." The deputy told him that he would lose his job if this got out but that creek bed was covered with those tracks with even a couple being found UNDER the body! The tracks were determined to have been made by something very heavy as they were recessed about 3 1/2 inches into the ground. He also said that nothing has come from the autopsy yet but the man seems to have died from a heart attack with signs that indicated that he was terribly frightened by something. He also said that the body was transported to that location from father north up the creek instead of south closer to where the bridge is, in other words, something strong carried the body a long distance away from where this man's jeep was found. He also told him that the body was not found in the creek but along the bank of the creek with these large tracks found UNDER the body indicating that the tracks were made BEFORE the body was placed there.

I'm going to research this area more closely in the very near future and will update anything found. Needless to say my son's father is now very interested in Bigfoot and is worried also because as he told me, "This is too close to home!"

This is just another confirmation of how the government covers up the fact that this creature does exist. Read the following low-down of the given territory and you will understand what could be lost if this creatures existence were allowed to be revealed as real compared to the efforts in covering up its very real reality. Bear in mind that if a new species is proven to exist that it requires a certain amount of terrain to be provided as a 'habitat' which does not interrupt its habitation.

A little information about this area. This location is in Mississippi just south of Memphis, Tennessee, and Horn Lake, Mississippi, and just north of Tunica, Mississippi, where all the riverboats supporting gambling are located. To the West is the Mississippi River whereas to the East is the town of Nesbit (where Jerry Lee Lewis, the 50's rock 'n roll piano player lives). The area is getting heavily populated because of urbanization spreading south from Memphis and north from Tunica. It's like a small island of woods and forest sparsely populated with houses not yet incorporated into urban communities. Major development is happening all around this area as it is a very hot location that will be totally enveloped within the next 10 years by urbanization. During the month of December, the week before Christmas, the area was covered by an ice storm with about 5 inches of snow on top of the ice. The tracks were found AFTER the snow and ice had melted except for the two tracks found under the body which were deeply imprinted into the ground.

Hmmmmm......very interesting....

I seems to me, that if you think a government cover-up is underway, why not forward your information to WMC-TV. The media loves a scandal and a government cover-up. They should be able to investigate the cover-up angle, while you are investigating the bigfoot presence in the area.

Also, if the creek bed is full of footprints, please share the location so other investigators can start a good scientific based investigation.

Yes, share the location of the reported track find, but I would suggest you not do it in the open forum here to avoid attracting, um, well crackpots. Find people you trust (preferably not involved with the GCBRO) and let them know. Contacting the BFRO would be a great option. If it is a valid report, then something should be found to substantiate the claims made.

EDITED BECAUSE OF MY COMPUTER BEING A PAIN IN MY A-- AND NOT WANTING TO COOPERATE.

WOW - This is my back yard!!!!!!

Sounds like some research close to home........

Does anyone have a GPS Fix on this area?

Geez! I've been working for state and local government and in conjunction with the Federal government for over 25 years, so how come I don't get to be in on any of these neat conspiracies? I'm pissed! I want in on a conspiracy!

One thing that caught my eye in the article is this:



If there was an active search, searching for weeks..wouldn't any of the people searching for the body have found any tracks either? Seems strange that no tracks were found near the jeep. I don't buy into the conspiracy theory of a coverup either, because it's too hard to keep "everyone" quiet. You can keep it a secret with a few individuals involved, but once you get a lot of people into the conspiracy, SOMEONE will talk.

Yes, I agree..contact someone and get people on the scene. Lots of people in that part of the country just itching to get out in the woods and find something. From the sounds of it, should be easy to locate more tracks.

Good luck.

Who made plaster casts of what, when did they do it, and why?



What indications did they have that the man was "terribly frightened by something?" Was it something at the presumed original position of the body or something where the body was found? Was it something about the body itself? What condition was the body in when found?



Toxicology: a science that deals with poisons and their effect and the problems involved

Toxicology will only help determine if the man was under the influence of drugs or had been a vicitm of some toxic substance. There are any number of things that can kill you that toxicology won't reveal as the cause of death.

Hold on my friends, before your enthusiasm becomes infectious. It would be a little difficult for O'footer to call in the troops, because he doesn't claim this is his story, just something he "ran across," undoubtedly on the internet. The link is to a mundane news story about an unfortunate fellow who met an untimely end. The commentary "by a local man" is just another hearsay story from an unattributed source. Indeed, I wish someone could explain the relationships involved, since the story by the "local man" is about his (the "local man's") "son" and "his son's father." Say again???

Before we scoff at skeptics, we ought to think first about the rigor of our own mental processes. We who live in glass houses...

-Vern

hi everyone thats very interesting article about bigfoot. please keep me updated ok. bill green ct sasquatch researcher. does anyone here have the photos of the footprints or the area of the sighting.

Vern,

I was confused as well over the "father/son" and finally decided that the story teller was the mother of the son. I missed the reference in the first paragraph concerning a "commentary by a local man".

So the next question is where can we find the commentary? Is it on the internet? Was the commentary given to O'footer? It isn't mentioned in the news article.

What's the deal? 'Now look at the predicament you got us into, Ollie!' :rolleyes:

I understand that this is not O'foots report. I just have some serious questions about some of the assertions made in the story as reported. Like you, I think there may be some underlying psychological factors coming into play.

Hey ouachita...I feel your pain, I really do. I'll see if I can find a conspiracy around here and I'll give you a call.

Reading about all these government conspiracies is like listening to the gossips talking about the "slut" who is "sleeping" with EVERYBODY... how come they never get around to sleeping me?!!? I always miss out on the fun!!!

It's not like they can't trust me to keep a secret, it's all those other people I tell they have to worry about!

It would probably help everyone to click on the link provied and, within the news article itself, there is a video by the reporter that adds more details. As follows:

The body was found by some teenagers who were riding their 4-wheelers in a big field. When the 4-wheelers became overheated, the decided to explore the nearby creek. They found the body draped over a "log". The reporter shows a video of the "log" but it looks like an upright tree trunk to me. If the news report is true, it hardly seems likely that there could have been footprints UNDER the body, as it was above ground.

Anyway, go to the link above, and click on the text that says "DeSoto Body Found: Tony McNary"

If anyone is interested in looking up the location, I suppose a simple phone call to Tony McNary at the tv station in Memphis would get it. The reporter didn't look like there was anything to hide.

im confused but i think that the original article ends at the point where its stated " Crews called off an active search after weeks of combing DeSoto County."

i believe that oregonfootin's own story is whats posted after that point.

if thats the case, then be careful oregonfootin, it sounds dangerous. altho the man could have died of fright, and the bigfoot carried him closer to his truck. or not.

gael

I work for the govt, and have been involved in a conspiracy or two... just lucky I guess. jk

Seriously, I'm wondering how much of that comentary is true and how much is exaderation. Like the dude stumbled across a "monster" in the woods and had a heart-a-tack?

edited for spelling

Yep, that's the way it looks to me too gael.

Oregonfootin' is the rest of the story yours, or is it from someone else?

I'm always skeptical of fatal reports involving abandoned vehicles. I seriously doubt bf carjacked the man and drove him to a secluded area. Without knowing why the man was there, or how his vehicle came to be where it was, there are just too many questions to be trying to put together a theory at this time.

You spoke the truth there, Bitter Monk. Still, with big barefooted humanlike footprints all over the place, my old speculator kicks into gear, too. The info is far too sketchy to draw any conclusions at this point.
BSF

IF, IF this is a true report.....then perhaps the BF was just checking out the area where the guy was....maybe laid him across that log in an attempt to "help" him (speaking in a speculative "WHAT IF" manner of course). Of course, we'll never know, but I'd pay money to see the autopsy report and scene photos on this one.....someone start sucking up to the local law enforcement

OK, so I'm trying to re-type a really hard to read 1900 newspaper story I found regarding a giant human foot imprint found in stone in a stream bed. I can't figure out one word relating to a certain "Loyalhanna ____" creek, or river or something, but I can't read the word. So I do a Google search on it and find Loyalhanna Creek" does exist in Pennslyvannia. But I didn't expect to find this story! Coincidence no doubt, but....


tirademan

http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review...d/s_291325.html
Woman's body found in creek

By Sam Kusic
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, January 9, 2005

Search and rescue workers remove the body of Deborah Joan Pritts from a section of the Loyalhanna Creek located near Laurel Mountain Camp in Cook Township.

What happened to Deborah Joan Pritts? For her family, it's the ultimate question, and one for which there may never be a complete answer.

"That will be ... on our minds for the rest of our lives," said her daughter-in-law, Colleen Pritts.

Deborah Pritts, a 55-year-old Cook Township resident, had been missing since Tuesday. Her body was found Saturday, lying in the cold waters of Loyalhanna Creek.

How and why that came to pass is, at this point, mere speculation.

Pritts had gone missing sometime between 6 p.m. Tuesday and 10 a.m. Wednesday. The last anyone had seen her was when her husband, Thomas, left to pick up her prescription medication. She had been fighting serious illnesses for more than 10 years.

The search began Wednesday. Bloodhounds tracked her scent to the edge of the Loyalhanna Creek, which is behind her home along Route 381. Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department divers also searched the creek.

They found only a set of wireless headphones that Deborah Pritts often wore. Searches were mostly suspended Thursday because of the weather. Friday's searches yielded nothing.

The discovery yesterday was the result of the largest and most thorough search for her.

The Appalachian Search and Rescue Conference organized it. The conference is a group of trained volunteers who specialize in searches and rescues. It's an umbrella organization for other search-and-rescue teams in the mid-Atlantic region.

Some of its members arrived at 6:15 a.m. yesterday to establish a base of operations at St. Michael's of the Valley Episcopal Church in Rector.

By 8 a.m., the 275 or so volunteers who helped yesterday had begun to show up. From there, they fanned out into an area within a 1.5-mile radius of the Pritts' home.

The effort included the Civil Air Patrol, Westmoreland and Fayette County sheriffs' deputies, local fire departments, the Salvation Army, seven other volunteer search-and-rescue teams, dog teams, state police and friends.

Among them was Lanny Beck, of Derry. His son knows the Prittses.

He was out Friday walking in the woods, searching.

He came back yesterday, this time with a friend and a nephew , Barry Ellenberger.

"If it was me, I'd want somebody looking for me," Ellenberger said.

At 12:11 p.m., Deborah Pritts' body was found in the section of creek that runs through Laurel Mountain Girl Scout Camp, about a half-mile from her home.

An Allegheny Mountain Rescue Group dog team and another search team, approaching from opposites sides of the creek, stumbled onto her body at about the same time.

She was found clothed, face down, near an island in the creek. Westmoreland County Deputy Coroner Joseph Musgrove pronounced her dead at 2:10 p.m.

After the search concluded, Thomas Pritts went to church to offer his thanks to the volunteers. He was too choked up to say more than a few words.

Colleen Pritts said the family will be forever grateful to the people who looked for her mother-in-law. She said the support her family received was overwhelming.

"We owe all our gratitude to the searchers," she said. "It's really made a world of difference."

Deborah Pritts' death is still under investigation. An autopsy is scheduled for this morning.


Sam Kusic can be reached at skusic@tribweb.com or 724-836-6077.

hi researcher interesting article bill green

Just to clarify..... This is a story that was passed on to me. I thought it would be interesting. I had no part in this story whatsoever and do not know the location. I just thought this would provide interesting reading and discussion material. Sorry if I did not make that clear.

thats cool, thanks for clarifying it.

gael

cool enough.

It did! Thanks for the story, oregonfootin. Good job.