Explore the intriguing history of Bigfoot sightings in Sangamon County, Illinois. This page provides details on reported encounters and unique geographical features that might contribute to these mysteries. We invite you to learn more and share your insights.

Bandy Farms

Thursday, October 24, 2024 at 8:45 AM
Jim and I were contacted by a man in Sangamon County who claimed he’d been experiencing strange incidents involving what appeared to be a Bigfoot.

We drove up to investigate the remote area he described. We set out audio recorders and a trail camera, hoping to capture evidence. One recorder started with a full charge, yet it mysteriously died shortly after our contact walked away—cutting off mid-conversation and staying silent for the rest of the night. The next day, it was completely dead when we tried to check it. But the moment we left the area and glanced back at the device… it suddenly powered back on, fully charged, as if whatever was out there had finally released its hold.

At sunrise the following morning, Jim and I ventured back into the woods. There, in the sapling area hidden among the trees, we discovered a large teepee-style structure that had been built overnight. We have photos of the eerie shelter. Even more unsettling, one of our recorders had captured the unmistakable sounds of it being constructed in the darkness—loud, deliberate movements echoing through the black woods while we slept.

Recording of Tee Pee structure being built. Edited down to a minute and a half

Submitted by The Sqwatchers

Bandy farm

The following year Sunday, June 1, 2025 we returned to Brandy Farm after yet more disturbing incidents. We met Joe Tury, a documentary filmmaker from the Sangamon County area, along with the BFRO investigator and the property owner. During an interview with us down in the sapling area, all of Joe’s camera batteries suddenly died. We had to stop and head back up the hill, where the batteries began working again.

That night we ventured back down into the sapling area and spotted a small orb-like light drifting through the woods. As we watched through FLIR and night vision, something slowly eased its head out from behind a tree, then stepped partially into view before slipping back—over and over—until I captured a clear heat signature with my FLIR. While we were all fixated on the cryptid, I heard a sharp twig snap right behind us. I spun around, flicked on my headlamp in the pitch-black woods near the Sangamon River, and the lone beam cutting through the darkness looked eerily isolated. I snapped a quick photo with my phone before turning back.

This spring in 2026, while preparing a presentation, Jim reviewed the photo and wondered why I’d taken it. Zooming in, he froze. There, only 25 or 30 feet behind us, a silent figure stood among the trees—watching all of us as we stared at the heat signature ahead. We will include the photo.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​