Monsters Among Us S20 Ep10:

"Bayou Bigfoot, a Buckskin Ghost, and a Pennsylvania Vampire"

Date: November 13, 2025
Host: Derek Hayes

Episode Overview

In this richly atmospheric episode of Monsters Among Us, Derek Hayes curates a spine-tingling lineup of firsthand paranormal encounters as phoned in by listeners. Tonight’s stories traverse a range of supernatural phenomena: from objects mysteriously moving after a pet’s death, to a towering, red-eyed cryptid in the Ozark National Forest, guardian angels in human trafficking near-misses, and an alleged child vampire in the haunted hills of Gettysburg. Hayes' warm, slightly mischievous narration threads folklore, empathy, and speculation through each tale.

Key Discussions, Insights, and Stories

1. Messages from Beyond: Disappearing Pet Collars

• Caller: Helen from Arkansas ([02:16])
• Story: After euthanizing her dog LB, Helen places his collar and leash in her car. The collar vanishes for weeks—despite exhaustive searching—then inexplicably reappears on top of her open purse at work.
• Notable speculation: Helen wonders if it was a sign from her late husband (the dog’s original owner) letting her know all is well.
• Host’s personal parallel:
  • Derek recalls his own lost-and-returned collar story involving his late cat, Jarvis ([05:53]).
  • Quote: “There’s still part of me that likes to think that Jarvis was swinging by to say hello.” – Derek Hayes ([07:50])

2. Valley Lights: UFO Sighting in California

• Caller: Morgan from Colorado ([10:37])
• Story: In May 2024, while staying with friends at Harbin Hot Springs, Morgan observes a low-flying, slow-moving cluster of lights—like a glowing “dandelion puff” with a tail—traveling west to east in a clear night sky.
• Key Details:
  • No drugs or alcohol involved.
  • Lights were silent, unaffected by wind, visible from multiple angles.
• Derek's research:
  • A Falcon 9 launch occurred earlier that day, but hours before the sighting ([14:08]).
  • Quote: “It certainly sounds like Morgan is convinced and we thank her again for leaving us with this mystery.” – Derek Hayes

3. A Guardian Angel and a Near-Kidnapping

• Caller: Ariel from Indiana (event in New York, 1994) ([16:31])
• Story: At age 9, Ariel is lured away from a park by two men under the guise of modeling for a children’s book. Her brother fortuitously rescues her moments before she gets in their car. She’s then enveloped by a “golden yellow glow” and a calming, warm presence, which she interprets as a guardian angel.
• Reflection:
  • “I absolutely believe that I was being hugged by my guardian angel. And I absolutely believe that somehow the guardian angel was able to help my brother find me that day before it was absolutely too late.” – Ariel ([18:45])
• Derek’s take: Living threats outnumber the supernatural; gratitude for benevolent interventions.

4. Bayou Bigfoot: Red Eyes in the Arkansas Night

• Caller: Anonymous ([22:54])
• Story: While working late at night parked near Lake Weddington, AR/OK, caller sees two widely-spaced, low-to-the-ground red lights that rise to ten feet off the ground, moving away as if “backing up” and standing. There’s a profound sense of daze and fear.
• Key Details:
  • Lights are red, dim, like reflectors or eyes.
  • Apparition is massive, possibly larger than “standard” Bigfoot.
• Derek’s folklore dive:
  • Local legends dating to the 1850s document similar creatures—tall, hairy, red-eyed, with predatory traits ([26:23]).
  • Quote: “A creature so big, it wouldn’t have mattered if you lock the door. That thought will make your skin crawl.” – Derek Hayes

5. Premonition: The Florida Condo Collapse

• Caller: Danny from Wisconsin (event in Miami) ([32:26])
• Story: Danny wakes at 1 a.m. in a panic, convinced her high-rise will collapse—a hypervivid fear never experienced before. News that morning reports a nearby Miami building collapsed at approximately 1:20 a.m.
• Host’s commentary:
  • Echoes the frustration of John Keel’s “warnings-without-context” theme from The Mothman Prophecies ([36:18]).
  • Quote: “Per usual, a warning that didn’t include enough detail to be useful… what good is the info if it can’t be interpreted?” – Derek Hayes

6. Wisconsin Graveyard: The Phantom Scent

• Caller: Dawn ([37:45])
• Story: During a late-night ghost hunt at a Wisconsin cemetery, Dawn is overwhelmed by the distinct and upsetting smell of burning flesh. Her friend does not notice the scent. The pair, known for attracting the supernatural, flee.
• Host’s take:
  • Derek shares news of graveyard odors linked to decomposition, but notes the difference between decay and burning ([39:35]).
  • Quote: “The sickly scent of burning flesh in an open air cemetery, no less. That has to be supernatural, right? What else could possibly explain such an experience?” – Derek Hayes

7. The Buckskin Ghost: Haunted in College Woods

• Caller: Keith from Virginia (story in Ohio) ([43:18])
• Story: While camping deep in national forest near Ohio University, Keith is forced to chase after his drunken friend in the dark. They are trailed by a silent, ghostly figure dressed in fringe buckskins—a spitting image of a 19th-century frontiersman, who follows them silently and closely.
• Key Moment:
  • “We turned off the light, and we just sat there for what felt like forever…then you just started hearing the [leaves rustling], and it started coming towards us. So we took off, and we ran as fast as we can.” – Keith ([47:16])
• Host’s historical note:
  • The area has a legacy of frontiersmen like Daniel Boone, and sightings of such figures might be supernatural, a time slip, or even a real person living rough in the woods.

8. Gettysburg Vampire: The Hissing Girl

• Caller: Joe from Maryland ([51:14])
• Story: On a ghost tour behind Gettysburg High, Joe and the group encounter a girl in period clothing whose eyes turn from blue to jet black. She hisses, contorts, and scuttles away on all fours, her bones cracking. Afterwards, the entire group flees in terror.
• Memorable Quote:
  • “Her eyes went from blue to jet black and she hissed…her body contorted, we heard the bones crack, and she went on four legs and she hissed and ran out. Now, my fluffy butt at the time ran past the guy that was our tour guide, out the woods, across the street, gasping for air.” – Joe ([53:00])
• Host’s reflection and local legend:
  • While there’s no historical record of vampires in Gettysburg, Derek segues into the tale of the Erie Cemetery vampire lore ([57:08]).

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• Helen: “The collar wasn’t there. And all of a sudden it was there. I was kind of stunned.” ([04:08])
• Ariel: “I was being hugged by my guardian angel…somehow the guardian angel was able to help my brother find me that day before it was absolutely too late.” ([18:45])
• Anonymous (Ozark Bigfoot): “They kept rising up as they went backward until they were probably 10ft off the ground…something is about to come right into the light.” ([23:54])
• Danny: “I woke up…with this extreme anxiety that the building was going to collapse…this to me just doesn’t really make that much sense.” ([34:00])
• Keith: “It was this guy dressed in, like, a Davy Crockett…buckskin, leather with fringe. And he darted behind a tree.” ([46:40])
• Joe: “Her head tilted sideways, her body contorted, we heard the bones crack, and she went on four legs and she hissed and ran out.” ([53:20])
• Derek Hayes: “Words I will always stand by: The living are far more dangerous than the dead.” ([20:51])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:16] – Helen’s lost-and-returned dog collar (object movement after death)
• [10:37] – Morgan’s dandelion puff UFO in California
• [16:31] – Ariel’s guardian angel & kidnapping near-miss
• [22:54] – Arkansas Border: Large, red-eyed Bigfoot encounter
• [32:26] – Danny’s Miami high-rise collapse premonition
• [37:45] – Dawn’s ghost hunt and burning flesh smell in a cemetery
• [43:18] – Keith’s pursuit by a buckskin-clad stranger/ghost in Ohio woods
• [51:14] – Joe’s encounter with a hissing, transforming “vampire” girl in Gettysburg

Memorable Moments

• Derek interlaces personal stories (cat collar), historical folklore (Boggy Creek, vampire legends), and practical skepticism, always leaving room for the mysteries listeners bring.
• Several stories strongly highlight the blurred lines between supernatural intervention, psychic phenomena, and frightening brushes with very real human danger.
• Listeners repeatedly thank Derek for creating a supportive community space where the inexplicable can be shared.

Tone, Language, & Style

• Warm, approachable, and slightly mischievous.
• Respectful to callers, but unafraid to speculate, share relevant history, or challenge interpretations.
• Encourages critical thinking and curiosity; stories are both eerie and laced with a touch of humor.

Summary

This episode is quintessential Monsters Among Us: a carefully woven tapestry of unexplained phenomena, personal vulnerability, folklore, and possibility. The stories range from poignant signs from lost loved ones, to truly terrifying encounters with things not easily named. Derek’s steering hand, equal parts storyteller, folklorist, and confidant, invites the audience to participate in the inquiry, reminding us all, “Keep it spooky.”