Strangers, just a note at the top.

There is a very brief mention of possible violence towards pets in this episode,

so listener discretion may be advised.

I'm Lauren Norton, and this is one strange thing,

the show where we search the nation's news archives, for stories that can't quite be explained.

Strangers, it wasn't so long ago that we told you about the spate of Bigfoot sightings

that crisscrossed the Appalachians, the Ozarks, and various points in the Midwest,

stories that popped up back in the 1970s.

We touched on many of those tales, on the absolute Bigfoot frenzy of that decade, in our premium episode

covering the Spotsville monster. But we must confess there was one that we skipped over,

because, really, it deserves its own episode. This creature, known variously as The Thing,

the Missouri Monster, or Momo, for short, had the town of Louisiana, Missouri in its apparently stinky grip throughout the summer of 1972. According to its official website, Louisiana, Missouri is a little town in the northeast portion of the state, in Pike County.

It's just over an hour north of St. Louis, and in 1970, its population was less than 5,000,

and the area was, and still is, in fact, best known for its historic architecture and its,

quote, oak and hard-went forests. Well, that in the cryptid.

We suppose that those plentiful forests, they would be a good hiding place for the monster,

one that the Springfield leader in press described as, quote,

a giant, hairy biped with a large, pumpkin-shaped head, glowing orange eyes, an ape-like growth of hair,

large feet, clawed hands, and arms that reached to the knee, plus a sulfur-like odor.

Its height was estimated between six and twelve feet.

In that description, it's been generally agreed upon, except for the eyes.

Many witnesses actually claimed that Momo had no eyes at all, or at least none that

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