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* Jan. 3, 1988/Newspaper clipping from New York Times, pg 5

BLUE LIGHT ENGULFS THE GHOSTWOOD

Blackwater, Washington  // Sunday, January 3, 1988  // Story by Karen McKnight

Thursday evening around 11:45 PM local time, a blinding blue light engulfed The Ghostwood forest, a large swath of woods west of Blackwater, WA across Ross Lake. The Ghostwood forest is a small section of the North Cascades National Park that is noteworthy as Washington locals have all sorts of (unproven) ghost stories and old wives’ tales about the forest. Blackwater is a remote midsized town boasting a population of around 13,000 people born from a failed journey west during the mid-1800s during the California Gold Rush. “Yeah, this huge pillar of light, maybe a few hundred yards across I’d guess,  just fell down from the sky and hit Ghostwood. Ma’am, I’ve never seen anything like it in my life,” says Herschel Walker, 38. Mr. Walker is the night shift Park Ranger for the Blackwater area of the North Cascades National Park. He stated that he was doing his nightly rounds through the park when he spotted the light across Ross Lake. Mr. Walker indicated that it was difficult to judge the distance to the pillar of light, but if he had to guess it was easily a few miles away.

In an effort to corroborate Mr. Walker’s story, I spent some time interviewing some of the residents of Blackwater. There didn’t seem to be many people outside celebrating the new year, as many were inside anxiously awaiting the ball drop being televised in Times Square. However, I spoke with Valerie Dorsette, 22, a bartender at the local watering hole in Blackwater. “I was outside taking a smoke break and saw, like, a flash of bright blue light and then it faded from view. What direction did it come from? I think it was to the west across Ross Lake. If I had a guess, probably somewhere near The Ghostwood. It was definitely unusual, but I was so far away I couldn’t see much. I chalked it up to maybe a spotlight from a helicopter flying in the area or something, or at least I did until you came here asking your questions Ms. McKnight,” she said.

I also spoke with Raymond Baird, 68, a retiree living in Blackwater. “I was sitting inside having a beer with my dog Marcus when a really bright light hit the blinds at the front of my house. I thought it was maybe some kids driving through the neighborhood with their brights on or something, so I grabbed my gun and went to check it out. When I peeked through the blinds all I could see was a fading pillar of light across Ross Lake. I tried calling the police to report it, but the phone was dead. When I called them the next morning, Diane (the operator for the local police department) said they were investigating the situation. I hadn’t given it much thought since then though,” remarked the pensioner. When I contacted the local authorities however, they refused to comment stating that the investigation was ‘ongoing.’

* Jan. 10, 1988/Newspaper clipping from the Seattle Times, pg 3

GRISLY MURDER SHOCKS RURAL WASHINGTON TOWN

Blackwater, Washington  // Sunday, January 10, 1988  // Story by Karen McKnight

Friday, January 8, local Blackwater police discovered the body of a young woman just outside of the northern city limits. According to a police spokesperson, the body was discovered by an undisclosed hiker who is not currently considered a suspect. The spokesperson continued that they believed the perpetrator to be some sort of aggressive local wildlife and was in contact with the local Park Ranger service for investigation efforts. The victim was identified as Lindsay Todd, 29, a lawyer at a local private law firm.

Her body was found missing most of her skin and clothes and it appeared that all her major internal organs had been removed via her the front of her chest. The estimated time of death was roughly 11:00 PM the night before her body was discovered. While this doesn’t fit any known descriptions of attacks that could be perpetrated by local wildlife, when I contacted the Park Ranger Service, they confirmed that while unusual, it’s not impossible that it could have been from a local wildlife attack.

I tried reaching out to the hiker who discovered Ms. Todd’s body, however I have not received a response at the time of writing this article.

* Jan. 17, 1988/Newspaper clipping from the Seattle Times, pg 2

SECOND BODY FOUND IN BIZARRE STRING OF DEATHS

Blackwater, Washington  // Sunday, January 17, 1988  // Story by Karen McKnight

Late Thursday night, January 14, police found the body of a middle-aged man on the edge of the northern city limits of Blackwater. According to the report, Dr. Frank Booker, 47,  a chemistry teach at the local high school was out taking an evening walk with his son, Jackson Booker. “We were out taking a walk after dinner like we always do, when something grabbed my dad and pulled him into the woods. I ran in after him, but lost track of him pretty quickly so I found the nearest pay phone and called the police,” says Jackson. Dr. Booker was found missing most of his skin and clothes, and all his major internal organs had been removed via his chest. Most notably, this fits the M.O. of the previous death of Ms. Lindsay Todd last week.

According to the police, there are no suspects currently and they still believe that these deaths are wildlife related. As such, they are still working closely with the Park Ranger service in hopes of finding the creature responsible quickly. The police are currently advising people to stay out of wooded areas north of town if at all possible.