Sasquatch has been ripped from his native habitat in Albany County, and his neighbors want him back.
The residents of the unincorporated community of Garrett, north of Laramie, know this Sasquatch exists and have non-blurry photographs to help others in their search.
Many people spend (or even give) their lives to searching for Sasquatch and never see one, but Garrett’s residents know someone will see this one sooner or later.
“We’re trying to find a real Sasquatch,” said Linda Fittje. “We need this carved wooden Sasquatch to be returned so we can love it for years to come.”
Endangered Mystery
In the dense forests of the western U.S. dwells the strange and beautiful Sasquatch, perhaps. They require vast amounts of land for remaining elusive, typically dwelling behind rocks while playfully bounding into thick fogs and out-of-focus areas.
Garrett’s Sasquatch has been visibly lurking behind the same tree, right next to the road, since 2022. The wooden carving even has its own “Warning! Please Do Not Feed The Sasquatch” sign.
“It was on a neighbor’s ranch in the Friend Park area, south of Esterbrook,” Fittje said. “We all stop and take pictures with it and show our friends. It’s been a cool thing for a few years now. It’s the neighborhood Sasquatch.”
Many people spend their entire lives looking for Sasquatch. Fittje and her neighbors were alarmed when they passed their Sasquatch spot and didn’t see the local cryptid.
Stolen Sasquatch
Fittje was driving along the road Wednesday when she passed the Sasquatch spot. When she didn’t see the familiar face, she stopped to investigate.
After looking at the tree, Fittje didn’t need a professional Sasquatch hunter to tell her what happened to their Bigfoot. It wasn’t being elusive – it was stolen.
“Then I got furious,” she said. “The asshats left the screws in the tree.”
The timeline of the Sasquatch theft isn’t precise. Fittje said she believes it occurred within the last two days, and the landowner last saw his resident Sasquatch two weeks ago.
“I'm assuming it probably left within the last day or two,” Fittje said. “I think I would have noticed if it wasn’t there before that, because I go by it quite often. You're used to seeing it."
Fittje said she believes out-of-state hunters might have poached Garrett's Sasquatch.
“There's a lot of hunters that go through our area, especially this time of year,” she said. “We’re pretty isolated, but most of what I have seen on the road lately has been out-of-state people, which concerns me.”
However, as with any wildlife harvested in the fall, Fittje said it’s only a matter of time before someone gets cocky and wants to show off the ill-gotten cryptid they bagged in Wyoming.
“I think somebody's going to show it off to somebody else, and that's going to be our tip,” Fittje said.
For Everyone’s Enjoyment
Wyoming’s future generations have already noticed that Garrett’s neighborhood Sasquatch has been stolen. Casper resident Callie Miller said her young son loves seeing the lurking Sasquatch whenever they pass through the area.
Fittje is spearheading the Sasquatch search. It’s not a leadership role she ever envisioned for herself, but at least she knows there’s an actual Sasquatch to find.
“I can’t believe I'm trying to find Sasquatch, but I’m trying to find a real one," she said. "It’s pretty entertaining."
Anyone with information on the stolen Sasquatch can reach out to Fittje directly via social media.
“Message me if you have any information or see this randomly appear somewhere it shouldn’t,” she said.
Finding and rescuing a real Sasquatch might be worth the bragging rights alone, but there is also a $100 reward for whoever gets Sasquatch back to Garrett.
However, Fittje is only interested in sightings of this particular Sasquatch. Wyomingites who might have seen Sasquatch elsewhere aren’t needed, especially if they haven’t seen one in the last two weeks.
As for the existence of the real Sasquatch, Fittje doesn’t rule it out. All she knows is that this real wooden Sasquatch needs to come back to Garrett.
“Just because I haven't seen something doesn't make it not real,” she said. “But I know this one is real, not somebody in an ape costume or something.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
