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Search for Momo continues By DON KRAUSE 04/19/01 Courier-Post Regional Editor An investigative team is in the city of Louisiana seeking possible clues to a monster legend that stalked the community in 1972. A team from the International Society of Cryptozoology is seeking information on the Missouri Monster, Momo. A member of the team, Bill Riley, a Hannibal native, reported seeing Momo in 1972. Riley now heads bigfootbusters.com, which is sponsoring the expedition. "He came to me with this report and I find it very credible," said Richard Greenwell, a zoologist with the International Wildlife Museum and ISC's secretary. "We got to talking about coming back one day and meeting the other witnesses from the 70s. Maybe other witnesses, who have kept it to themselves to avoid ridicule, might be willing to talk after all these years." Riley, who had kept his encounter with Momo quiet for years, said there are reports of creature sightings going back many years. "A lot of people do not realize the Momo sightings in '72 were not the beginning, there's sightings that go back into the 1800s around the area," said Riley. Greenwell said that is often common across the country. "If you start digging through the newspaper archives you'll find reports going back to the 1800s when there were reports of guerrillas or Wild Men," he said. "There'll be a little article in a paper and then you don't hear anything about it and it gets forgotten." It was a little different in Louisiana in the summer of 1972. According to a Courier-Post article, Louisiana resident Edgar Harrison received a call at work from his children on July 10, 1972 about something they had seen. His 15-year-old daughter reported seeing "a monster about 10 feet tall, standing on two legs like a man, with long black hair all over and holding the body of a dog, still bleeding, in one of his arms." When he arrived home about 30 minutes later, he began searching for the creature, and only noticed a foul stench like an old mold, a few black hairs and some broken brush. However, he was convinced his children had seen something. Within a week there were three other incidents involving the alleged monster. Riley said his encounter involved Momo emerging from a treeline and then following behind him. He said the creature stepped over a fence "without losing a stride." Although reports of Bigfoot or Sasquatch are often associated with the Pacific Northwest, Greenwell said there are reported sightings scattered across the United States. "We're getting reports from all over the country," he said, noting reports from Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, as well as the midwest." Regardless of what it is, whether it is a social phenomenon or a zoological one, these reports keep coming in," Greenwell said. "The Pacific Northwest is the core area where we get most reports, but if this thing exists, there could be remnant populations in other parts of the country," he added. "Of course local people would give it local names, Momo, Skunk Ape, it would all be the same." While in the area, the investigative team hopes to find some pieces to add to the mystery. "We hope to uncover some more evidence to add to the archives, and who knows, maybe some evidence that's still roaming around," said Riley. Greenwell will talk to the public tonight at 6 p.m. and7:30 p.m. at the Louisiana Middle School. There is a $3 fee. |
