URECAT - UFO Related Entities Catalog

URECAT is a formal catalog of UFO related entities sightings reports with the goal of providing quality information for accurate studies of the topic. Additional information, corrections and reviews are welcome at patrick.gross@inbox.com, please state if you wish to be credited for your contribution or not. The main page of the URECAT catalog is here.

JUNE 26, 1978, CROSSETT, ARKANSAS, USA, MIKE LOFTON:

Brief summary of the event and follow-up:

First found in the local Press, apparently, a "Bigfoot" story made its way into ufology catalogues:

Mike Lofton, a 10 years old child, was playing outside his parents' remote trailer home in Crossett, Arkansas, USA, when his puppy began to whine and tremble as if he was terrified of something.

The boy looked towards the woods near his home, and gasped as a "creature about 7 1/2-feet tall and covered with thick hair" approached him. Its arms were extended overhead and from the ends of what appeared to be the creature's fingers, long claws glinted in the sun.

The young boy said he ran into the house where his father always keeps a loaded rifle, returned outside and shot seven times at the creature.

Police reportedly later found blood and hair at the scene, but no sign of the "creature".

Basic information table:

Case number:	URECAT-001048
Date of event:	June 26, 1978
Earliest report of event:	June 29, 1978
Delay of report:	Hour, 3 days.
Witness reported via:	Not known.
First alleged record by:	Local newspaper Crossett News Observer.
First certain record by:	Sensation tabloid Weekly World News.
First alleged record type:	Local newspaper.
First certain record type:	Sensation tabloid.
This file created on:	December 13, 2011
This file last updated on:	December 13, 2011
Country of event:	USA
State/Department:	Arkansas
Type of location:	Near remote trailer home near wood.
Lighting conditions:	Night
UFO observed:	No
UFO arrival observed:	N/A
UFO departure observed:	N/A
UFO/Entity Relation:	None
Witnesses numbers:	1
Witnesses ages:	10
Witnesses types:	Not reported. Boy living in a trailer home.
Photograph(s):	No.
Witnesses drawing:	No.
Witnesses-approved drawing:	No.

Number of entities:	1
Type of entities:	Animal
Entities height:	2.30 meters
Entities outfit type:	None
Entities outfit color:	N/A.
Entities skin color:	Not reported.
Entities body:	Not reported.
Entities head:	Not reported.
Entities eyes:	Not reported.
Entities mouth:	Not reported.
Entities nose:	Not reported.
Entities feet:	Not reported.
Entities arms:	Not reported.
Entities fingers:	Long claws.
Entities fingers number:	Not reported.
Entities hair:	Covered with thick hair.
Entities voice:	None heard.
Entities actions:	Came out of wood, approached witness.
Entities/witness interactions:	Possible approach.
Witness(es) reactions:	Observed, went, came back with rifle, shot at being.
Witness(es) feelings:	Gasped.
Witness(es) interpretation:	Not reported.
Explanation category:	Probable confusion, bear. Not UFO-related.
Explanation certainty:	High.

Narratives:

[Ref. ww1:] "WEEKLY WORLD NEWS":

Huge bigfoot terrorizes boy

Mike Lofton, 10, was playing outside his parents' remote trailer home when his puppy began to whine and tremble as if he was terrified of something.

Young Mike looked towards the woods near his home at Crossett, Ariz., and gasped.

Approaching him was a creature about 7 1/2-feet tall and covered with thick hair. Its arms were extended overhead and from the ends of what appeared to be the creature's fingers, long claws glinted in the sun.

The young boy says he ran into the house where his father always keeps a loaded rifle, returned outside and shot at the "thing" seven times.

Police later found blood and hair at the scene, but no sign of the probable Bigfoot.

[Ref. bo1:] JANET AND COLIN BORD:

26 June 1978 / South Crossett, AR / Mike Lofton (10) / Saw and shot at 7 1/2-ft Bigfoot (see ch.8) / Crossett, AR, News Observer 29 June 1978, repr. FN July 1978, p.18.

[Ref. cc1:] "CREATURES CHRONICLE":

On June 26, 1978, Mike Lofton of Crossett, Ark., proved his courage by shooting at a 7 foot "something" outside his home. The incident began as Mike was feeding his puppy when it began to tremble. He then saw this thing coming out of the woods. The 10 year old ran into the house and retrieved his father's .22 caliber rifle. He fired on the creature and it fled into the woods. (6)

6. The News Observer, Crossett, Arkansas, July 12, 1978

[Ref. ms1:] MARK MORAN AND MARK SCEURMAN:

The authors say that on June 26, 1978, Mike Lofton, ten-year-old, resident of Crossett, Arkansas, went face to face with the Fouke monster.

While he was feeding his dog, he noticed his pet was trembling, and just then he saw the monster emerge from the woods.

He ran to his father's room, grabbed his father's rifle and fired at it.

The monster fled into the woods.

[Ref. ar1:] ALBERT ROSALES:

Albert Rosales indicates in his catalogue that in Crossett, Arkansas, on June 26, 1978, at night, Mike Lofton was outside feeding his puppy, when it suddenly began to tremble. Lofton then looked up and saw a huge hairy "thing" coming out of the woods and walking towards him. The 10-year old ran into the house and retrieved his father's 22-caliber rifle. He then fired on the creature and it fled into the woods, apparently unhurt.

Albert Rosales indicates that the source is "Ron Schaffner."

[Ref. ud1:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:

The website indicates that on 26 June 1978 at 21:00 in Crossett, Kansas, USA, "Mike Lofton was outside feeding his puppy, when it suddenly began to tremble. Lofton then looked up and saw a huge hairy "thing" coming out of the woods and walking towards him. The 10-year old ran into the house and retrieved his father's 22-caliber rifle. He then fired on the creature and it fled into the woods, apparently unhurt."

The source is a broken link.

Points to consider:

About the local stories of the "Fouke Monster" see le the case file of this 1965 case.

The young boy's sighting appears totally explainable: it could have been a bear. I see no reason to think otherwise.

One thing appears quite certain to me: this has nothing to do with UFOs and it should not have entered CE3 catalogues.

List of issues:

Id:	Topic:	Severity:	Date noted:	Raised by:	Noted by:	Description:	Proposal:	Status:
1	Data	Severe	December 13, 2011	Patrick Gross	Patrick Gross	Primary source not available.	Help needed.	Opened.
2	Cryptozoology	Severe	December 13, 2011	Patrick Gross	Patrick Gross	Apparently not investigated.	Help needed.	Opened.
3	Cryptozoology	Severe	December 13, 2011	Patrick Gross	Patrick Gross	witness is a 10-year-old.	Help needed.	Opened.
4	Cryptozoology	Severe	December 13, 2011	Patrick Gross	Patrick Gross	Apparently no identification attempt although blood and hair was found.	Help needed.	Opened.
5	Cryptozoology	Severe	December 13, 2011	Patrick Gross	Patrick Gross	Hour, thus visibility conditions, not reported.	Help needed.	Opened.

Evaluation:

Probable confusion, bear. Not UFO-related.

Sources references:

* = Source I checked.
? = Source I am told about but could not check yet. Help appreciated.

[---] ? Article in the newspaper News Observer, Crossett, Arkansas, USA, June 29, 1978.
[---] ? Article in the newspaper News Observer, Crossett, Arkansas, USA, July 12, 1978.
[---] ? Ron Schaffner, USA.
[---] ? Article in Forteana News, page 18, July 1978.
[bww] * Article in the sensation tabloid Weekly World News, USA, February 3, 1981.
[bo1] * "Chronological List of Bigfoot Sightings 1818-1980", in "The Bigfoot Casebook", by Janet and Colin Bord, Granada publishers, USA, 1982.
[cc1] * Article in the cryptozoology bulletin Creature Chronicle, USA, #5, Summer 1985.
[ms1] * "Weird U.S.: Your Travel Guide to America's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets", book by Mark Moran and Mark Sceurman, Sterling publishers, USA, page 125, 2005.
[ar1] * "1978 Humanoid Reports", compiled by Albert Rosales, circa 2007, at www.ufoinfo.com/humanoid/humanoid1978.shtml
[ud1] * "26 Jun 1978 - Crossett, Kansas, USA", web page by the UFOdna website, circa 2010, at thecid.com/ufo/uf19/uf6/196497.htm

Document history:

Authoring

Main Author:	Patrick Gross
Contributors:	None
Reviewers:	None
Editor:	Patrick Gross

Changes history

Version:	Created/Changed By:	Date:	Change Description:
0.1	Patrick Gross	December 13, 2011	Creation, [ww1], [bo1], [cc1], [ms1], [ar1], [ud1].
1.0	Patrick Gross	December 13, 2011	First published.

This page was last updated on December 13, 2011