Ohio may not seem like the place for cryptids for most people.
If you mention Ohio to most people they will probably tell you about lots of empty space filled with fields. But hiding in those fields and woodlands are a few things that go bump in the night and Ohio cryptids are more numerous than one might otherwise suspect.
For the people of Defiance, Ohio, what crawled out of the dark in the summer of 1972 is what they called a werewolf.
What Is The Defiance Werewolf?
The Defiance Werewolf, also known as the Defiance Dogman, refers to a series of terrifying encounters in the late summer of 1972 in Defiance, Ohio, where witnesses reported seeing a large, bipedal creature resembling a werewolf. The creature was described as over six feet tall, with dark fur and glowing eyes, often wielding a metal object. These sightings sparked fear in the local community and remain a mysterious piece of Ohio folklore.
The Appearance of The Defiance Werewolf
The troubles in Defiances started on the night of July 25, 1972 when it attacked a railway worker named Ted Davis.
Mr. Davis has been working between two rail cars, connecting air hoses when the creature walked up behind him. When he noticed the creature’s hairy feet he turned around and looked up. Just as he was about to say something, the creature struck him with the piece of 2×4 lumber it was holding.
Luckily the creature immediately ran off into the nearby brush leaving Mr. Davis relatively unharmed. But that was just the start of the sightings. Over the next week, other railway workers would see the creature, almost always in the darkest hours of the night.
Railroad workers were not the only ones to spot the creature. About a week after the initial sightings, a grocery store worker had a dog-like monster run across the road in front of them as they were on their way to work.
Initially, the police didn’t report the sightings to the newspapers, but as the sightings piled up, they eventually got concerned for the public safety and broke the story.
“We didn’t release it to the news immediately when we got the first report about a week ago. But now we’re taking it seriously. We’re concerned for the safety of our people.” police chief Donald Breckler told the press.
The news broke in the August 3rd edition of the Toledo Blade with an article titled Werewolf Case In Defiance Not Viewed Lightly By Police. The original scan is hard to read so I’ve done my best to recreated it here:
August 3rd Defiance Blade Werewolf Report
Werewolf Case In Defiance Not Viewed Lightly by Police
Chief cites concerns over reported sighting of large beast, attack
By James Stegall – Blade Staff Writer
August 3rd, 1972
Defiance – Some people here are jokingly referring to it as the case of the werewolf. But Defiance police are serious about it.
Three persons have told police they saw a large beast that resembles a werewolf lurking along railroad tracks near downtown Defiance in the last week.
In each case, he was spotted during the early morning hours. And one man, a train crewman switching trains, said that he was approached from behind and was struck on the shoulder with a piece of 2-by-4 lumber. But when he ran the “werewolf” also disappeared into some nearby brush.
In the other reported incidents the “werewolf” was seen by another train crewman about 3 a.m. Police say the third report came from a motorist who said “it” ran in front of his car at about 4 a.m. and then quickly disappeared.
“We don’t know what to think.” Police Chief Donald Breckler said. “We didn’t release it to the news immediately when we got the first report about a week ago. But now we’re taking it seriously. We’re concerned for the safety of our people.”
Chief Breckler said that the descriptions of the “werewolf” given by the three persons (police are not giving their names) that spotted him are similar. But he admits in each case the description is ‘vague.”
“Very hairy” is the first description given by each person who saw the “werewolf.” The chief said that he thinks that a person is wearing some disguise such as a mask. “But there is a lot of natural hair, too,” he said.
“I’m inclined to think it might be a local person.” Chief Breckler said. “None of the other area towns have had anything like this. And in each case he has been seen in the same area of our town.”
Chief Breckler said that the creature wears dark clothing and at first reports described him as ranging from 7 to 9 feet tall. “But that was a little exaggerated,” the chief said.
Two of the trainmen that reported seeing the “werewolf” work in the area during the early morning hours. Both of the are from Toledo. The third complaint came from a local grocery store employee, Mr. Breckler said.
“If his motive is robbery then he is not picking on the type of person that would have a lot of money,” Cheif Breckler said.
“We don’t know what his motive is.
A railroad agent at the Norfolk & Western depot on Fifth Street ………..that “the switching crewmen from Toledo” are the only persons that have spotted the werewolf.
The agent, who did not identify himself, said that none of the other crewmen in the area seem disturbed by reports.
“We don’t think it is a prank.” Chief Breckler said. “He’s coming at people with a club in his hand. We think it’s to the safety of our people to be concerned.”
Creature Described As Having Fangs
Two N&M brakemen, interviewed at the railroad’s Sumner Street yard today said that the creature “had huge hairy feet, fangs, and ran from side to side, like a caveman in movies.
Ted Davis and Tom Jones crewmen on the N&W Locomotive freight which serves Defiance on an overnight run, said that the large figure, which they said was between 6 and 8 feet tall, has appeared twice under a full moon.
“When we leave here the moon is usually about a quarter full, but about 4 a.m. when we’re working Defiance, the moon is full,” Mr Davis explained.
The creature was first seen July 25, and then again last Sunday, both men said. When he first confronted Mr. Davis the creature ran away before he (Mr Davis) could say anything.
“I was connecting an air hose between two cards and was looking down. I saw these huge hairy feet, then looked up and he was standing there, with that big stick over his shoulder. When I started to say something, the took off for the woods.
Both Mr. Davis and Mr. Jones saw the bluejean-clad figure again last Sunday morning in the yards. The creature was standing in some weeds near the main track.
“At first I thought the whole thing was a big joke, but when I saw how hairy and woolly it was, that was enough for me,” Mr. Jones said.
He had laughed at Mr Davis earlier in the week, but said that when he could account for all the railroad workers at the time, he knew it was not a crewman’s joke.
When they took off, Mr. Jones said, he and Mr. Davis also heard screams from a car stopped on a nearby road.
“That thing’s going to hurt somebody someday,” he said.
Werewolf Reports Played Off As A Man In Disguise
The initial reporting of a werewolf in Defiance obviously sent a shock of fear through the town.
More reports of werewolf near-encounters started to flow in and while people weren’t seeing the creature, the panic that the news articles has created was very real. The Crescent-News ran an article with a headline “Wolfman Reports Persist” in which several other encounters were documented.
“Three persons, newar hysteria, sought police protection from ‘the thing,’ although they never saw it. At 1:24 a.m. today a man came into the police station to report that something had followed him on foot from Deatrick and S. Clinton Street to the Hotel Henry. He indicated that he didn’t see anything but knew it was there because he had ‘a crawly feeling up the back of his neck.’ The report said the man was in near hysteria and spent the remainder of the night in the lobby of the hotel.”
That same night, a report was called in about a north side resident that was in a panic because something kept rattling her door knob at about 2 a.m. every morning.
Another woman reported that something had been scratching at her door and that “if anything came through it I will shoot it.”
Because of this, I believe Chief Breckler toned things down a little when talking to the press, and the next day another article ran regarding the Defiance werewolf that played up the likelihood that this was just some nutter in a mask running around scaring people.
“We don’t want to scare people or give them the idea that some kind of monster is on the loose” the chief told the press. He surmised that it was either a local or someone that rode in on the train wearing a mask that people were encountering.
While some people were terrified, others were less fearful and more pragmatic about their feelings towards the idea of someone running around their town in a werewolf mask. “If I see him (the werewolf) the police are going to find out who he is,” Rupert Figg said. “That’s because they’ll have to take him to the hospital to get the buckshot out.”
The follow-up article in the Toledo Blade the next day played up the idea that the creature that was haunting the rail yard was just someone in a mask, but could offer no real explanation as to a motive.
August 4th Werewolf Follow-Up Report
Defiance Resident Suspicious Of Their Werewolf
‘Creature’ Believed Human In Disguise
August 4th, 1972
The “werewolf” of Defiance may not be some kind fo weird animal after all.
“It” is now referred to by citizens as a disguised human.
Reaction has varied to reports of such a large hairy creature lurking along railroad tracks, just two blocks from downtown.
Some personas seemed shocked and a few expressed fear. But most persons living in the residential neighborhood along the Norfolk & Western Railway tracks think the “thing” is “just some nut running loose”
Two N&W train crewman and a truck driver told police that they were approached by a beastly looking creature that was very hairy and had fangs. One man said that it hit him on the shoulder with a board.
In each case the “werewolf” was seen in the early hours of the morning between 1 and 4 a.m.
At first police were skeptical about making the sightings public. But Chief Donald Breckler said he became concerned for the safety of people when the …. Witness said the ‘werewolf” tried to assault him.
After it was made public this week police were called to one woman’s house in the neighborhood adjacent to the train tracks. She had not seen it but reports about it put her “in a state of shock.”
“We don’t want to scare people or give them the idea that some kind of monster is on the loose” Chief Breckler said. He admitted that he feels that the “werewolf” may be a local person disguising themself, using a mask or costume.
But police are puzzled as to what the person’s motive might be.
Police don’t think it is robbery because the “werewolf” seems to scare off easily. “And hasn’t approached any women,” Chief Breckler said.
Police also do not understand why the “werewolf” is so bold. All of his appearances have been in a two-block area that is thickly populated. The N&W depot is right in the middle of the area and the Defiance police station is just a few blocks away. Hundreds of homes are on one side of the tracks and industrial plants operate throughout the night are on the other side.
Most residents are going about their daily routines, apparently giving little thought to the “werewolf.”
“I haven’t heard of anybody talking about it,” Mrs Richard said. She lives in the neighborhood adjacent to the tracks. “But I make sure my doors are locked at night.
“It just doesn’t sound like something that would happen in this neighborhood, Kathy Kehnast said. “This is probably the safest neighborhood around.
“I don’t think the adults are scared, but it has scared a lot of children,” one man, who declined to identify himself, said. “I live in the neighborhood and I’ve got children. They’re on the lookout for anything suspicious.”
“It doesn’t worry me”, Dale Ott, another resident of the neighborhood said. “I’ve got kids and I let them play out day and night.”
Some elderly citizens of the area aren’t so quick to brush off the incident.
“If I see him (the werewolf) the police are going to find out who he is,” Rupert Figg said. “That’s because they’ll have to take him to the hospital to get the buckshot out.”
None of the day-shift train crewmen seemed disturbed working in the switching yard where the werewolf was seen.
“I don’t worry about it,” Rusell Brown who cleans out the box cars said. “If he going to get you, he’s going to get you.”
Mr. Brown said that he hears crewmen talk about the werewolf occasionally, but the topic is more popular outside the railroad yards.
“They say he is hair all over and he is about 7 feet tall, Mr. Brown said. “From what I’ve heard, I can say this guy is ugly as hell”
Chief Breckler speculated that the disguised person either lives in the neighborhood where he was seen or he is riding in on one of the trains each night from another town.
But everything at this stage has been purely speculation. “Descriptions are too vague” Mr. Breckler said.
Thomas Jones and Ted Davis were the N&W crewman that reported seeing the ‘werewof’.
Mr. Jones said he thought the whole thing was a joke at first. But he changed his mind when he and Mr. Davis saw the hairy creature Sunday.
Meanwhile police crews have been assigned to extensive patrol of the area at night. One investigating officer speculated that the ‘werewolf’ might be a night shift worker at one of the nearby industrial plants.
“If he works the third shirt, he could be sneaking off his job to turn wolfman,” the officer said. “But don’t ask me why.”
Chief Breckler suggested that someone might be doing it for publicity. If that’s what he wants he’ll love reading the newspaper now,” the chief said. “Maybe he’ll come back and maybe we can apprehend him. The last thing I need is a wolf man running around.”
Ape-like Animal Reported Sighted North of Tiffin
A Tiffin man told Seneca County sheriff’s deputies that day that he saw an ape-like animal while walking along a wooded area on the River Road north of Tiffin.
Harold Annon of 155 Thomas St. said the “ape” was covered with hair and had wolfish ears and fangs. He said that it was 6 or 7 feet tall and was hunched over.
Mr. Anon said he ran for his car and drove off then the “ape” saw him.
Weldin Neff, Seneca County game warden, checked the wooded area about 6 p.m. and said he found no tracks or any signs of disturbance.
A Similar Creature Spotted In Tiffin
Almost as a footnote in the article was mention of another similar sighting of an odd creature near the town of Tiffin. He was walking along the river road when he spotted what he described as an “ape” but with wolfish ears and fangs.
Tiffin is a mere 70 miles or so from Defiance and is directly linked by a rail line. Even now the area between the two is mostly fields except where the tracks go through towns. Was the wolfman just following the tracks from town to town?
The Werewolf Sightings Quietly End
After the initial flurry of sightings in late July and August, the werewolf panic in Defiance slowly faded.
Police had increased patrols in the area and Chief Breckler, though hopeful that the perpetrator would return so they could apprehend him. He did also suspect that they were scared off by reports of citizens, that were armed with shotguns, and who were ready to shoot and suspected werewolf on sight.
Possible Explanations For The Defiance Werewolf
Since no perpetrator was ever found, the answer to what or who the Defiance Wolfman is or was shall likely forever remain a mystery. Here are the two most likely explanations:
Possibility 1: Someone Playing A Prank
As mundane explanations go, this is the go-to answer.
The police took the stance that the creature’s size was exaggerated by fear, and that it was just someone having their fun with the community. A viable motive was never put forth though, aside from just making some stories in the press.
The reasons I discount this as being a hoar are:
- The creature’s size – Multiple witnesses all say it was over 7′, far taller than most people.
- The reports that it had hairy feet – Would a hoaxer really go into all that detail?
- Reports of fangs – I would think that witnesses wouldn’t have reported these if they weren’t prominent, and hard to fake.
- The unusual gait – Reports were that the creature had an odd side to side running style which seems hard for a human to replicate.
An Interesting Exchange
In researching this article, I did find one comment from someone claiming that it was their friend’s dad that had been out scaring people and was responsible for this whole event.
This was refuted though, by another commenter who refuted that it was any human running around causing trouble. “The footprints the police cane and took measurements of clearly show that it was a foot and NOT some made up 5 and 10 cent store costume. “
I suspect that that much of the evidence against this being a human hoaxer was swept under the rug by the local police, primarily to prevent panic. A local person playing a prank also doesn’t explain the sighting of a similar creature in Tiffin either.
Possibility 2: A Dogman Wandered Into Defiance
For me, the odds are that this was a stray Dogman that was wandering through the town of Defiance that summer. The description sounds almost exactly like the reports we hear today of them.
The typical Dogman is described as 7′ to 8′ tall, covered in fur, with a German Shepard type head with erect pointed ears, and fangs. This sounds very much like the creature reported in Defiance and Tiffin that summer.
The Midwest is known for Dogmen sightings, the most famous of which is the Beast of Bray Road, made famous by Linda Moulton Howe. While two states away, the reality is that it is only about 320 miles from Elkhorn Wisconsin to Defiance. That makes it very plausible that a Dogman followed the tracks there then moved on.
Wisconsin isn’t the only place in the Midwest though that has reports of Dogman encounters in several other Ohio counties. There also several in Michigan to the north.
My suspicion is that what was stalking Defiance in she summer of 1972 was a lone Dogman that had been kicked out of its pack and was looking for a territory of its own. Often in animal packs, young males will be driven off by stronger males to reduce competition.
It could have been that this Dogman was young and following the tracks looking for easy meals of animals that had been hit by the train. Other animals have been seen doing this, so it makes sense that a lone Dogman would take advantage of an easy meal too.
Another Cryptid Mystery Unresolved
While witnesses to the 1972 werewolf/Dogman sightings in Defiance Ohio still come forward with their experiences, we will likely never know the truth of the matter.
If it was a hoaxer, we should have known by now, and if it was truly a Dogman, it would have moved on by now to easier hunting grounds. This leaves us once again with a story that is complete and more questions than answers.
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Every report of a cryptid adds one more piece to this paranormal puzzle that we are all working on.
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