Overview
A 13-year investigation into Wisconsin’s legendary Beast of Bray Road has produced a large collection of photographs, reported tracks and accounts of unusual lights, according to former teacher Lee Hampel. However, the material described in a NewsNation investigation does not independently verify the existence of a seven-foot, werewolf-like animal—or establish a connection between the alleged sightings and UFO activity.
Hampel discussed his findings in an episode of Unreported with Meagan Medick released on Oct. 28, 2026, in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. He said he began investigating in 2013 after neighbours told him about reports of a large, hairy creature near Bray Road. Hampel owns a 35-acre farm alongside the road and has used motion-activated cameras, field observations and written records in an effort to document what he believes may be responsible for the sightings.
A Wisconsin Folklore Mystery
Reports of a wolf-like figure in the Bray Road area became widely known during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Some accounts place the origins of the legend as far back as 1936, although the available reports vary substantially in their descriptions and details. Journalist Linda Godfrey’s 1991 reporting helped bring the story to national attention, while a 2010 PBS Wisconsin programme later revisited the case and its place in local folklore.
Hampel told NewsNation that his archive includes more than 100,000 photographs and over 200 SD cards. Those numbers indicate the scale of his investigation, but they do not represent a verified tally of sightings. One iPhone image reportedly shows a dark form near a cornfield. Hampel said a Chicago-based cameraman used an application to estimate the object as approximately seven feet tall and 3.5 feet across the shoulders. That estimate has not been independently validated, and the image alone cannot determine whether the figure was an animal, a person, an object or an optical effect.
Tracks and Reported Encounters
Hampel also says he has seen the alleged creature three times and has made casts of tracks that he describes as having five toes and seven pads. He reportedly contacted the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources about one impression measuring approximately three inches by 3.5 inches. According to Hampel, a representative suggested the track could have been made by an abnormal coyote.
The exchange has not been independently confirmed in the available reporting, and no wildlife authority has identified the tracks as evidence of an unknown species. Track interpretation can be complicated by mud, snow, overlapping prints, animal injuries and distortion during casting. Without access to the original impressions, casts and a documented chain of custody, the reported footprints remain inconclusive.
Alleged UFO Connections
The investigation also includes claims of flashing orbs, bright lights and what Hampel calls “black mist” appearing in camera images. He said he placed dead deer and raccoons on his property in an attempt to record whatever was disturbing or removing the remains. Some carcasses were allegedly damaged, moved or taken, but no recording clearly shows what caused those events.
Hampel believes recording gaps and unexpected camera behaviour coincided with some of the incidents, leading him to suspect a possible UFO connection. No evidence presented in the report demonstrates extraterrestrial activity or proves that unidentified aerial phenomena were involved. Establishing what occurred would require examination of the original image files, metadata, camera settings, timestamps, equipment and environmental conditions, alongside independent analysis of the tracks and photographs.
What the Evidence Shows
For now, the investigation adds to the body of claims surrounding the Beast of Bray Road but does not resolve the mystery. The reported photographs, tracks and lights document unexplained observations from one investigator’s perspective—not confirmation of a new animal or a link to UFOs. Independent review by wildlife specialists, image analysts and investigators using transparent methods would be necessary before the claims could support conclusions beyond Wisconsin’s long-running folklore.
