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Posted on 04/14/2008 10:26:30 AM PDT by BGHater
‘It’ attacked a van in Bishopville and attracted a Bigfoot-hunting team to the state
BISHOPVILLE — Something apparently attacked Bob and Dixie Rawson’s van in the early morning hours of Feb. 28.
The Rawsons live about two miles southeast of downtown Bishopville. They woke up Feb. 28 to find the front fender of their 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan chewed up, bite marks through the front grill, wheels on both sides bitten and metal crumpled in a wad. There was also blood on the front and sides of the car.
While there has been no “official” sighting of the Lizard Man since July 1988, the Rawsons’ evidence has created a stir, not just locally but nationwide.
After the Rawsons contacted a Columbia TV station, the story was aired on CNN. In March, filmmaker and self-proclaimed Bigfoot hunter Tom Biscardi and his five-man team visited Bishopville to discover the truth of the Lee County incident.
Equipped with thermal imagers and high-tech cameras, Biscardi conducted initial forensic tests and sent the evidence to California. The team also planned to use its cameras overnight in search of the creature.
The initial evidence found by Biscardi’s team is compelling, he said. “You’ve got the real deal here.”
While Biscardi hasn’t ruled out it was a bear, he thinks it was more likely a Bigfoot. “They’re called different names in the different communities,” he said.
The creatures have three toes, Biscardi said. They range in height from 6 to 9 feet and weigh 300 to 800 pounds. They are hairy. They climb trees and move around by doing what Biscardi describes as knuckle walking.
More than 3,500 Bigfoot creatures exist nationwide, Biscardi said. “They’re nocturnal creatures and they’re migratory,” he said. “They move from south to north this time of year.”
Biscardi said he doesn’t know if Bishopville’s latest incident is related to the 1988 sighting of the Lizard Man.
“I am going to talk with Liston Truesdale, who was the sheriff 20 years ago,” Biscardi said. “But I’m mainly concerned with what happened to the Rawsons’ van. I haven’t fallen off a turnip truck. I’m a firm believer that what you have down here is unknown.”
Biscardi doesn’t buy local authorities’ theory that a coyote damaged the Rawsons’ van.
“You can look at the jaw pressure that it took to do this damage,” he said. “It wasn’t a coyote. I think what you have here more than likely is a Bigfoot creature.”
Biscardi said the Rawsons are good, straight-up people.
“I wouldn’t have come 3,100 miles here from California if I didn’t think there’s something here,” Biscardi said. “My main concern is to find out what’s happened here now. This woman (Dixie Rawson) is afraid. They have cats who haven’t come around since this happened.”
More than a month after the incident, Dixie Rawson said she is still concerned about what might be lurking near her home. “Let’s just say that when I go outside, I have my gun with me,” she said.
Biscardi said he works with state and federal officials in many states whenever there’s a sighting.
“I have to admit I have a problem here in South Carolina,” Biscardi said. “What is law enforcement doing to protect these people? Where is the Department of Natural Resources? Where are the game wardens? What is going on here?”
Biscardi’s 2007 film “Bigfoot Lives” won several awards, including best documentary at the Pocono Mountains Film Festival. The documentary includes videos and interviews that show evidence of Bigfoot sightings in Texas, Minnesota, Ohio and Arizona.
Lee County Chamber of Commerce executive director Beth Hedegor said the chamber is embracing the Lizard Man.
While she personally believes the creature that attacked the Rawsons’ van was some type of known animal, probably a bear, she said the publicity is a positive opportunity for the community.
“We are not fighting this,” she said. “This doesn’t have to be a negative. We consider this an opportunity.”
“Lizard Man is Back” T-shirts are for sale at the chamber office on Main Street, Hedegor said. Hedegor gets the T-shirts from Vickie Moniz, owner and operator of the Blossom Shop on North Main Street.
“We have sold more than a hundred so far,” Moniz said. “And we are ordering more.”
Moniz welcomes any publicity about the Lizard Man. “I think I’ll go out there (to the Rawsons) and give this team from California a free Lizard Man T-shirt,” she said.
Yeah but don't you HOPE that it's Bigfoot? I mean who is such a fuddy dud that they don't want to learn there really is a North American ape and the average Joes and Janes who have seen them were right and the fuddy duds were wrong. I would love it!
Tell me about it. Willow Creek California, not very many miles from my home town was practically the start of the Bigfoot craze in Calif. Big footprints in a logging camp with big oil drums thrown around etc. etc. There is a large statue of him there in town. Some believe and some are doubters but the legend lives on. And it was in that area where that motion picture of him that is always shown on TV was filmed.
They use the secret tunnel system to transport their dead to the ancestral burying grounds in the High Himalayas, to be interred by their priest caste, known as Yetis.
They use the secret tunnel system to transport their dead to the ancestral burying grounds in the High Himalayas, to be interred by their priest caste, known as Yetis.
Dang! I’m never sure whether to waste even more bandwidth apologiszing for a double post;
or to just ignore it, and hope people chalk it up to seeing double, from sipping while reading.
You can’t fool me. That’s Elvis in a Bigfoot costume!
On the internet, nobody knows you’re a bigfoot.
“Let’s just say that when I go outside, I have my gun with me,” she said.
“Hmmm. Sounds bitter.”
LMAO
What is OwlBore doing in South Carolina?
And why did he attack that gas guzzling Dodge Caravan?
I used to call on this gal in Bishopville. I wonder....
She probably clings to her religion by praying before she opens the door.
This rings a bell about a movie that was being filmed around there called, I think, the Swamp Monster, It was all a publicity stunt.
I doubt that the blood evidence was still there when the people from “Cauli”fornia arrived. Someone most probably took the car for a “trial run” and hit a deer.
thanks
Back in 1983 when I was a young infantry officer stationed at Fort Lewis Washington I had the unique opportunity to be present when a young sergeant from the Ranger Battalion at the post explained to a group of officers (all my friends) why he'd called for an emergency extraction of his patrol in the middle of an extended Field Training Exercise. I am not at liberty to give the details of the exchange because I gave my word that I would never do so, but the account was blood chilling. If it were coming from my own troops at the time, I'd say there were drugs involved. But from an airborne ranger, part of an outfit whose creed is to never lie to any officer or another ranger...I became a believer. I wonder how many of our special ops folks whose duty is to train deep in the wilderness have had similar encounters? They'd be the most likely to have them since part of the job description is to slip thru the forest silently and recon for the enemy. You wanna call those guys hoaxers or dupes, be my guest. But I know better. I've not seen any of the critters but I have had some chilling encounters deep in the woods of the pacific northwest that I can't explain. My platoon sergeant at the time was a combat veteran from vietnam was also present and he'd say it creeped him out too. I didn't call for an extraction by Blackhawk, but I did link up and stay with another platoon operating nearby.
Blazing Saddles was on the other night. I'm reminded of the line given by Gene Wilder as Cleavon Little was heading out to deal with MONGO: Don't shoot him! You'll just make him mad.
Somehow, I think a .38 or a 9mm is going to feel like a flea bite to somethiung like this. I'm thinking I finally have a valid excuse to present to the wife to buy my Smith & Wesson 460 XVR, with five inch ported barrel. What do you think? Will it fly?
And thanks for your service.
They all made the same promise at Roswell, New Mexico in 1947, but they all eventually talked. (One example)
C'mon, enough time has passed. Dont have to name names. Just tell us what happened. :-)
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