The Beast of Bladenboro: A Chilling MONSTER Mystery That Still Haunts North Carolina!
Something sinister stalked the shadows of North Carolina, leaving a trail of carnage and questions that linger to this day. 🌐 #News #BladenboroNC #NorthCarolina #WeirdNews
BLADENBORO, NC — In the winter of 1953-54, the small town of Bladenboro, North Carolina, became the stage for a gruesome mystery that gripped the community in fear. It began on December 29, 1953, when a dog in nearby Clarkton was found dead, its body mangled by an unseen predator described as “sleek, black, about 5 feet long.” The killings escalated quickly, and by December 31, two dogs belonging to local resident Johnny Vause met a horrific fate.
Vause recounted the scene with chilling detail: blood pooled on his porch, one dog’s head was torn open and crushed, its body wet as if clutched in a beast’s jaws, while the other dog’s lower jaw was ripped away. “My dogs put up a good fight,” Vause said, but the creature returned hours later to claim the second dog, leaving only its battered remains days later in a hedgerow.
A Winter of Terror
The terror continued into the new year. On January 1, 1954, two more dogs were found dead on a Bladenboro farm, followed by another the next night. By January 3, an autopsy on one victim revealed a shocking detail: the dog had barely “two or three drops of blood” left, its jawbone smashed and lip torn open.
The creature’s method was consistent—crushing skulls, decapitating victims, and leaving little blood behind. A pet rabbit met a similar fate on January 5, found “cleanly decapitated and still warm,” while a goat was reported with its head flattened. On January 7, a dog was discovered dead in a pasture near the Bladenboro swamp, adding to the growing body count.
Witnesses Describe the Unthinkable
As the attacks mounted, so did eyewitness accounts, each adding to the enigma of the Beast of Bladenboro. Descriptions varied wildly, painting a creature that defied easy categorization. One local called it “about four and a half feet long, bushy, and resembling either a bear or a panther.” Another saw a smaller companion, suggesting the beast might not hunt alone.
A newspaper report detailed a creature “20 inches high with a long tail, dark, with a face exactly like a cat—only I ain’t ever seen a cat that big,” moving with a stealthy, predatory grace. Tracks found near attack sites showed claws an inch long, hinting at an animal weighing 80 to 90 pounds, possibly circling to protect offspring or a mate.
Encounters grew more brazen. On January 5, C.E. Kinlaw described a “big mountain lion” charging toward her near her home, only to flee when she screamed. Police Chief Roy Fores noted tracks “bigger than a silver dollar” in the dirt. That same day, a dog was attacked but escaped, while tracks along a creek bank revealed two sets of prints—one smaller, fueling speculation of a pair.
On January 6, young Dalton Norton reported a “big cat” on his porch, its cry like a baby’s wail, a sound others echoed hearing in the night. By January 11, drivers spotted a four-foot-long creature with “runty-looking ears” and a “brownish and tabby” coat, adding yet another description to the puzzle.
The Hunt for the Beast
Bladenboro’s residents refused to cower. On January 3, Chief Fores took his dogs to track the creature, but they balked, unwilling to follow the trail. Undeterred, locals organized hunts. On January 4, a group of youths and their dogs scoured the area, while Fores led officers in a nighttime search. Hunters from Wilmington tracked the beast for three miles through swampland, noting its calculated movements.
By January 5, over 500 people, armed and with dogs, combed the woods and swamps. The next night, the crowd swelled to 800, and Fores considered tying dogs as bait—a plan abandoned after protests from a humane society. On January 7, nearly 1,000 hunters gathered, but the beast eluded them. By January 8, only four fraternity brothers from UNC-Chapel Hill braved the hunt, as Mayor Woodrow Fussell called off the massive searches, citing safety risks and no fresh kills.
A Killer Caught—or a Mystery Unresolved?
On January 13, 1954, the saga seemed to reach a climax. Farmer Luther Davis found a bobcat in a trap near Big Swamp and shot it dead. Mayor Fussell declared the Beast of Bladenboro slain, posing with the cat for newspapers. That same day, Bruce Soles hit a leopard-spotted cat with his car, estimating it at 75 to 90 pounds, and took it home.
Meanwhile, professional hunter Berry Lewis claimed he killed a bobcat elsewhere in Bladen County, muddying the story further. Conflicting reports left uncertainty—could a small bobcat inflict such carnage? Many doubted it, noting the victims’ crushed skulls and bloodless bodies seemed beyond a bobcat’s strength.
Speculation ran rampant. Some swore the beast was a panther, though curator Harry Davis dismissed panthers in the region, suggesting a coyote. Others proposed a wolf, wolverine, or even a “wild police dog.” Chief Fores leaned toward a wolf, citing old tales of wolves in the swamps.
A. R. Stanton, from nearby Lumberton, believed his dog Big Boy, a German Shepherd-Hound mix, was the culprit, capable of leaping fences and killing chickens. Veterinarian N.G. Baird backed this, suggesting a dog could lap up blood, mimicking the beast’s bloodless attacks. Yet no theory fully explained the creature’s size, ferocity, or eerie cries.
A Legacy of Fear and Fascination
The Beast of Bladenboro faded from headlines, but its shadow lingers. Skeptics point to Mayor Fussell’s actions—like booking the film The Big Cat during the hysteria—as publicity stunts. Fussell himself admitted to a reporter he thought the beast might be a hoax, though the strange deaths intrigued him.
A local sign painter capitalized on the frenzy, crafting bumper plates proclaiming Bladenboro “Home of the Beast.” In December 1954, five pigs and three chickens were found dead near a hospital, their skulls crushed and bodies bloodless, reigniting whispers of the beast. A stray dog was blamed, but no tracks were matched, leaving doubts.
Today, Bladenboro embraces its eerie past. The annual Beast Fest, organized by Boost The ‘Boro, celebrates the creature—nicknamed “BOB”—as a mascot, blending community pride with the thrill of the unknown.
For those drawn to the paranormal, the Beast of Bladenboro remains a tantalizing enigma: a feline phantom, a bloodthirsty anomaly, or something else entirely. What stalked the town that winter? The question endures, whispering through the swamps, unanswered and unsettling.
As a thank you for reading this article, enjoy 25% off our new Feel Good Stories eBook. Do you have an uplifting story or fascinating news tip? Email us! news@jackandkitty.com.
RELATED TOPICS: Lifestyle | Paranormal | Weird News
Images in this article were created for illustrative purposes only by Kai Kim and are © Jack and Kitty Media Group.
Sign Up for Our Newsletter
Your opinion matters! Leave a comment below and join the discussion. We love hearing from you!
