Monsters Among Us – S20 Ep4: Robed Figures, Antlered Anomalies, and a Disappearing Hitchhiker

Host: Derek Hayes
Date: October 23, 2025
Podcast Description: First-hand eyewitness paranormal stories, curated and woven together by Derek Hayes. This episode features eerie encounters: ghostly laughter in a cemetery, robed spirits dancing, a UFO above Denver, the infamous disappearing hitchhiker, an antlered humanoid, shadowy beings, haunted institutions, and more.

Episode Overview

In this mid-October episode, Derek Hayes invites listeners to gather around the "virtual campfire" for a chilling selection of recent listener-submitted paranormal encounters. The stories—delivered by the experiencers themselves—cover classic and unusual supernatural phenomena: from spectral children in a frontier graveyard and antlered desert creatures, to UFOs, robed apparitions, shadow entities, and haunted detention centers. Derek links some stories to existing folklore, offers safety tips for ghost-hunting season, and invites further listener engagement to help unravel these mysteries.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Cemetery Encounter: Ghost Children’s Laughter in Wyoming

[04:43–07:42]
Caller: Amanda from Wyoming

• Amanda recounts a dare from her uncle in the early 2000s: she and her sister must sit alone at the end of a small, local cemetery for one minute at night.
• The girls nervously comply, sitting on a bench with truck headlights off, when they suddenly hear the sound of multiple children laughing.
• Amanda looks around and realizes they're in the “children’s section” of the graveyard—she notices toys on some gravestones.
• The uncle insists nobody else was in the graveyard, deepening the mystery.

Notable Quote:

“We're sitting there on the bench ... and then we hear really little kids laughing, like a bunch of little kids laughing.”
— Amanda [05:49]

Host Reflection:
Derek warns listeners about the potential dangers of visiting haunted locations, sharing a cautionary tale of real-life tragedy at a haunted “ghost train” site in North Carolina.

“No one's actually caught a ghost yet. You're probably not going to either. So don't die trying.”
— Derek Hayes [09:12]

2. High Altitude UFO Sighting

[12:40–14:39]
Caller: Joseph from Georgia

• Joseph describes an encounter while flying into Atlanta: he notices three triangle-arranged objects in the sky, then sees one split in two, with part shooting upward and disappearing.
• He records video; pilots confirm seeing the objects but can’t identify them.
• Joseph is “spooked” and unconvinced by mundane explanations.

Notable Quote:

“It was really weird ... I’ve just never seen aircraft just split in two. That’s just not a real thing to me.”
— Joseph [13:26]

Host Reflection:
Derek admits to being baffled, especially since professional pilots were equally perplexed, and invites listeners to review and discuss the video evidence.

3. Dancing Robed Spirits in Puerto Rico and Oregon

[17:55–22:26]
Callers: Luis from Puerto Rico & Anonymous from Oregon (previous episode)

• Luis: His brother witnesses 20+ figures emerge from the backyard “mini-forest,” dressed in ancient Greek or Roman-style robes, dancing in celebration and floating above the ground. One, dressed like a warrior, “locks eyes” with him before the vision ends.
• Host Parallel: Derek plays a previous call from Oregon about white-robed figures performing a rhythmic, pagan-like dance high among the trees, also intently gazing at the observer.

Notable Quote:

“He realized ... they were floating a few feet above the ground while they were dancing ... And there were as many as 20 dancing, celebrating, but oblivious to his presence.”
— Luis (by way of his brother) [18:54]

Host Reflection:
Derek notes the eerie similarity of the encounters despite the vast distance—3,700+ miles—between them, suggesting listeners “take notice” whenever recurring motifs appear:

“That makes two, which means it’s time to take notice. If I find a third, well, you’ll definitely hear about it.”
— Derek Hayes [22:30]

4. Shadow Figure Encounters in Nevada

[23:41–28:01]
Caller: Diana from Nevada

• Diana observes a near 10-foot-tall, “Vantablack”-colored humanoid shadow figure in her backyard one peaceful night. When it notices her, it emits tiny glitters of light and vanishes.
• Later, she recalls an earlier shadow being experience inside her house, resembling the same blacker-than-black quality.
• Security cameras capture nothing; her daughter now reports seeing similar beings, but Diana finds these encounters “pretty chill” rather than threatening.

Notable Quote:

“The best way to describe what I was seeing is a figure that was so dark, so thick in color ... the color of Vantablack ... It stood as still as possible and watched it for what seemed like minutes, but it was just mere seconds when the figure realized I could see it.”
— Diana [24:14]

Host Reflection:
Derek offers potential rational explanations (e.g., insect on a camera lens) but acknowledges the eeriness and thanks Diana for the story.

5. Message from Beyond: The Miraculous Candle

[30:30–37:10]
Caller: Gary from Louisiana

• Following the death of his son Jordan in 2015, Gary volunteers to fight for stricter DUI laws. One night, after receiving an invitation to a bill-signing, he sees a seemingly long-defunct memorial candle suddenly lit.
• The candle, inoperable for years (with leaked batteries and corroded circuits), turns on again the next night in front of family.
• New batteries revive it for good. Gary feels it's a sign from his son, encouraging him to continue advocacy and attend the law signing.

Notable Quote:

“I look up and I see that it's lit up and it's as bright as it would have had brand new candles in it ... I chalked this up as my son, probably in some kind of way ... came to say, dad, you need to go.”
— Gary [33:00, 34:47]

Host Reflection:
Derek is clearly moved, shares sympathy for all affected by drunk driving, and encourages listeners to stay attuned for subtle messages from loved ones who have passed.

6. Disappearing Hitchhiker on the Navajo Reservation

[38:19–43:35]
Caller: Patrick from Cleveland, Ohio (story set in Arizona)

• While driving through the reservation near Kayenta during a heat wave, Patrick picks up an elderly Navajo man wearing outdated clothing.
• The hitchhiker repeatedly says he needs to “get back to his wife … I didn’t deserve her,” and emanates the “sweet smell of death.”
• After a 40–50 mile drive, Patrick drops the man off at a dilapidated house. When he turns the truck around, the man has vanished without a trace.
• Later, the host’s researcher finds a 1964 obituary matching many details: an elderly Navajo man, Jimmy Hat, killed along a nearby highway.

Notable Quote:

“He literally vanished. Most people, in that amount of time, they're still walking to the door. ... I turned the truck around and this guy was just gone.”
— Patrick [41:59]

Host Reflection:
Derek connects the story to the classic “vanishing hitchhiker” trope and provides historical research that could link the story to a real-life highway accident.

7. Haunted Detention Centers: Shadow Figures and Unseen Basketball Games

[47:35–53:57]
Caller: Jason (location undisclosed, works in Juvenile Corrections)

• Jason describes working at a remote youth detention facility with a reputation for hauntings.
• One night, he and a coworker hear a basketball game in the gym long after curfew.
• They see a figure in youth uniform at the edge of darkness, but after chasing, no one is found; a headcount confirms all boys are present; the gym is found in disarray.
• A former director confirms the site’s haunted reputation.

Notable Quote:

“Standing beside the gym, right at the edge of where the light and darkness meet, we seen a figure ... the dark blue, almost black khakis and a white T shirt ... at that time was the dress code for our youth.”
— Jason [49:05]

Host Reflection:
Derek contextualizes with other infamous haunted detention centers, adding historical accounts of tragedy and ongoing hauntings.

8. The Antlered Anomaly Near the California-Nevada Border

[57:39–60:37]
Caller: Gloria (location undisclosed; traveling in California/Nevada)

• Gloria and her husband, driving near Primm after dark, see numerous abandoned cars along a desolate stretch of I-15.
• The husband suddenly spots a “humanoid with antlers” upright and crossing the road; Gloria glimpses an impressive antler spread.
• Google searches point to tales of Windigo and Skinwalker, but Gloria finds nothing definitively like what they saw.
• Shortly after, their car fills with smoke, forcing them to stop—raising their anxiety.

Notable Quote:

“I just see this antler spread. But it's not an animal walking on fours. It's something walking straight up ... I'll never forget what I saw and it scared the crap out of me.”
— Gloria [58:16]

Host Reflection:
Derek discusses the local fauna (deer practically absent), regional legends (Wendigo, Skinwalker), and obscure creatures (Yucca Man, Mount Charleston Goatman), but finds no direct explanation. He solicits further listener reports.

9. Secret Entry: "Black Lightning Bolt" Shadow in Montana

[68:19–70:19]
Caller: Anonymous from Montana

• While going to the bathroom at night, the caller witnesses a shadowy, “blacker than the shadows” lightning bolt shape zip into their child’s closet.
• The shadow’s darkness seems to defy normal light and shadow logic.
• Opening the closet reveals nothing except ordinary clutter.

Notable Quote:

“A black lightning bolt, I don't know, maybe 6 to 10 inches wide ... It was weird because I saw it get sucked in the closet ... why was something blacker than the shadows and why was it black in the light?”
— Anonymous [69:39, 69:57]

Host Reflection:
Derek acknowledges reports of shadow beings but notes the lightning motif is unique; calls for anyone with similar experiences to reach out.

Timestamps for Notable Segments

• [04:43] Amanda’s ghost children in the cemetery
• [12:40] Joseph’s UFO sighting from a plane
• [17:55] Luis’ account of floating robed figures in Puerto Rico
• [21:30] Oregon robed dancers comparison
• [23:41] Diana’s Vantablack backyard entity
• [30:30] Gary’s memorial candle and message from his son
• [38:19] Patrick’s dead hitchhiker in Arizona
• [47:35] Jason’s haunted juvenile detention facility story
• [57:39] Gloria’s antlered anomaly on I-15
• [68:19] Secret “black lightning bolt” shadow call from Montana

Memorable Quotes

• “We're sitting there on the bench ... and then we hear really little kids laughing, like a bunch of little kids laughing.”
  — Amanda [05:49]
• “I’ve just never seen aircraft just split in two. That’s just not a real thing to me.”
  — Joseph [13:26]
• “He realized ... they were floating a few feet above the ground while they were dancing.”
  — Luis [18:54]
• “The best way to describe what I was seeing is a figure that was so dark, so thick in color ... the color of Vantablack.”
  — Diana [24:14]
• “I look up and I see that it's lit up and it's as bright as it would have had brand new candles in it...”
  — Gary [33:00]
• “I turned the truck around and this guy was just gone.”
  — Patrick [41:59]
• “Standing beside the gym, right at the edge of where the light and darkness meet, we seen a figure ...”
  — Jason [49:05]
• “I just see this antler spread. But it's not an animal walking on fours. It's something walking straight up...”
  — Gloria [58:16]
• “A black lightning bolt ... It was weird because I saw it get sucked in the closet...”
  — Anonymous [69:39]

Episode Tone

As always, Derek Hayes maintains a tone that's both skeptical and open-minded—rooted in campfire storytelling and seasoned with humor, empathy, and the occasional PSA for safety (especially during “spooky season”). The episode is atmospheric and brisk, but always nurturing for witnesses and the curious.

Final Notes

• Derek encourages listener participation for unraveled mysteries, especially for the antlered anomaly and shadow phenomena.
• Listeners are invited to submit stories, evidence, and theories.
• The episode features a “secret entry” not heard by the general feed—a subscription enticement for super-fans.

Keep it spooky!