Encounter Atlas
In the summer of 1972 police in Defiance, Ohio took several reports of a very tall figure with a wolf-like or animal head prowling near the Norfolk and Western railroad tracks on the south side of town. Railroad crewmen working at night said it came at them from behind, and one said he was struck on the shoulder with a club or piece of wood.
Local papers, including the Toledo Blade in early August 1972, picked up the story and set off a brief 'werewolf' scare in the town. A local grocer later said he saw the creature in his headlights.
No one was caught, and the original police reports are no longer on file. A follow-up in the Blade said most locals thought it was a hoax, perhaps someone in a costume. The case is still retold as one of Ohio's best-known dogman stories.
What witnesses report
- A very tall upright figure with a wolf-like head
- Fangs and shaggy hair
- Attacks from behind with a club
- Seen at night near railroad tracks
Famous cases
- 1972Railroad crewman reports being struck by a 'wolfman'
Defiance, Ohio
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