Mothman Returns to Chicago?

[Mystic Wanderer]

On April 7th a  sighting of a tall seven foot creature took place in the Lincoln Park area of Chicago. The witness said it resembled a bat-like humanoid. Read the witness's story Here.
There have been approximately 15 more witnesses come forward telling their own experiences since then. The map below shows where the sightings took place:

Below is a drawing of what the witnesses say they saw:

The winged being, according to some witnesses, bears a resemblance to the famous Mothman of Point Pleasant, while others have described it as more bat-like in appearance. One researcher argues that it is probably just a large owl. While testimony concerning the appearance of this creature varies, one recurring theme seems to be consistent; the feeling of dread and doom that comes over the witnesses, and the sense that tragedy lies in its wake.

Enter Lon Strickler, an expert in the field of cryptids and founder of the popular website, Phantoms and Monsters. He has received multiple reports concerning the recent rash of sightings in Chicago and has been thoroughly investigating each one.

In an interview with Mysterious Universe, Strickler pointed to two sightings on his website that he states are the most compelling. The most recent incident, on June 3rd, occurred in the Lincoln Park area around 10:00 PM local time. The couple, who wishes to remain anonymous, just finished a late dinner and were out for a walk when they saw the strange being.

According to the report,

[it was] a 7-8 ft solid black humanoid with wide membrane wings, that resembled those of a huge bat. The wingspan was at least 12 ft. The head was prominent, and thinner than a human head. The back end of the body tapered to a point. No legs were noticed, but could have been tucked up under the body. The figure was gliding quickly along the length of the street heading east, then suddenly ascended into the night sky. Neither heard any sound. Both witnesses told [Strickler] that they felt a sense of foreboding and were still terrified almost an hour after the encounter.

The second interesting case is an earlier sighting which occurred on March 22nd to a local truck driver and Chicago local, Billy Bantz. With the help of Strickler, Mysterious Universe was able to secure an interview. Bantz was delivering a shipment when he noticed something strange in the air,

It looked like a flying Batmobile. I was sitting in my semi–trailer at around noon. I saw this object coming from Route 55 and Cicero. I saw it gliding, and, not too fast. No sound. I saw that it was not a drone, and the size of a large car. It climbed higher and turned twice…I can tell you that it glided just like a bird. It went almost straight up and I lost it in the clouds.

Bantz believes that this incident has affected his life. According to Bantz,

The more I speak of this, the worse my luck becomes. My mom died three weeks ago…I am not sure what to think at this point.

Bantz, like the many other people who reported seeing a strange flying humanoid over Chicago, just wants to know what is going on.

So, the Mothman returns.  But, could it be a publicity stunt? 

The April 7th, 2017, report came lass than a week before a second trailer was released for the crowdfunded documentary, “The Mothman of Point Pleasant,” which was produced by Small Town Monsters (STM) and will be released on Vimeo OnDemand, Amazon, iTunes and other streaming platforms starting June 2. According to the press release:

Seth Breedlove, the film’s director, promises recently-discovered history connected to the Mothman legends as well as new, untold encounter stories. He goes on to say that the collapse of the Silver Bridge is integral to the story but does not believe the tragedy was connected to the Mothman stories.

Is this latest report of a possible Mothman sighting in Chicago real or part of the film’s publicity? It could be either, especially with Chicago’s history of Mothman sightings. What better place to generate interest than a city with an attachment to Mothman ad a few million more potential viewers than Point Pleasant?

Source 1

Source 2


I can't say if these particular sightings were real, but I can say there are some strange creatures out there that are nothing like what we consider 'normal'.
Many people have relayed their own personal sightings to me on another board, and they had nothing to gain by doing so, and I, myself, have witnessed weird creatures where I grew up.  So, who knows?  It makes for good entertainment, regardless.