All language subtitles for Expedition.X.S04E02.The.Van.Meter.Monster.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-SLAG_track3_[eng]

[Phil] Oh, God,
this is a graveyard.

[Josh]
Jess and Phil journey
to America's heartland...

-[Jess] Oh, check this out.
Jawbone.
-[Phil] Skull. Another one.

[Josh]
...to investigate reports of
a winged creature

that began terrorizing
the area
over a century ago.

He actually fires
at the creature.

[gunshot]

[Josh] Now, residents around
Van Meter, Iowa,

are claiming the beast
is real and and it's back.

-It was flying.
Had a real strange long body
-[Jess] Mmm-hmm.

[Mike] ...and a face
that looked
more like a reptile.

It looked directly at us.

[shushing]

[Jess whispering] Did you hear
all that rustling?
Right over there.

-[Phil] Ohh!
-[Jess] Careful, careful!

Holy [bleep].

[Josh]
And when the evidence
leads underground...

-Oh, boy!
-[Jess gasps]

-Look at that.
-[exclaiming]

[Josh] ...the team digs
for the truth behind...

[Jess] Get the cameras in!
Get the cameras in!

[Josh]
...the Van Meter monster.

My name is Josh Gates.

In my travels, I've
experienced strange things
that defy logic

and made me
question everything.

Oh, my God.

Now, I've put together a team
to investigate

the stranger side
of the unknown.

Let's go.

Phil Torres is a scientist

who hunts
for rational explanations.

[Jess speaking]

[Josh] Jessica Chobot's
paranormal research

has made her a true believer.

[Josh] Together
we're searching for answers...

[Phil] What is that?

[Josh] ...to the world's
most extraordinary mysteries.

This isExpedition X.

when I say the name
Van Meter, Iowa,
what do you think of?

I have nothing.

-Nothing.
-[Josh] What?

Not even you,
with your encyclopedic
knowledge of weirdness,

knows about this story?

This is, like,
one of the most vivid

and corroborated
crypted sightings of all time.

First of all, Josh,
Jess and I

clearly studied
very different encyclopedias.

But secondly,
what are we talking about?

We're talking about
a flying creature,

and the origin story
for this is a doozy.

It started
with this mass sighting

when practically
the entire town of Van Meter

had a very close encounter
with something
that they couldn't explain.

Something that
has become known
as the Van Meter monster.

1903, Van Meter, Iowa.

Sitting along
the idyllic Raccoon River,

this small coal mining town
becomes the battleground
for a war

between its residents
and something that to this day
remains unexplained.

Local newspapers report
that Van Meter

becomes besieged
for nearly a week

by a giant flying bat-like
creature.

Night after night,
it is said to terrorize
the town folk

with its deafening screech.

[screeching]

The community rallies together
to bring the monster down...

but their bullets seemed to
have no effect on the beast.

In the days that follow,

several of the town's
most prominent citizens,

including a banker, a doctor
and several business owners,

all put their reputations
on the line by going on record

with their extraordinary
experiences.

On the final night
of the ordeal,

the creature
reportedly retreats

into a nearby
abandoned coal mine.

The posse quickly seals
the entrance,
trapping it inside.

Despite the story
becoming national news,

in time, it fades to legend.

Now, nearly 120 years
after that week of terror,

recent sightings in
and around Van Meter

are terrifying
a new generation of witnesses,

who all describe seeing
something large and black
with bat-like wings...

triggering
a groundswell of interest
in the original case.

What really happened
in 1903?

And are the recent sightings
the key to solving the mystery

of the Van Meter monster?

This is so up your alley.

-Jess.
-I can't believe
I've never heard of this.

-It's amazing.
-[Jess] It's pretty cool.

I mean, the fact that this
whole town saw this thing,

I mean, mass sightings
are incredibly rare.

And now that we're getting
more reports in modern day

that match up
with the previous reports,

that's kind of next level.

Phil...

-I just... It's odd for me.
-Come on.

It's night time. Something
like a bat flies at you,

-you get scared--
-A bat?

Phil, did you zone out
during the package
that I just prepared?

[Jess chuckles]

The bottom line is
we need to focus

on what real animal, people
could have been seeing
and still seeing today

from the known natural world?

Exactly.
The known natural world.

It expands all the time.

Biologists are constantly
finding new animals out there.

Not ten-foot-tall ones.

Okay, all right. I don't want
this to come to blows.

We're not going to
settle this here.

Your mission is to go to Iowa,
talk to these eye witnesses,

figure out
what they actually saw.

Is this some sort of
misidentification? Phil.

Or is this some sort of
unknown species? Jess.

That's what
you've got to figure out.

And I think you have to
investigate the original
1903 sighting.

Separate fact from fiction.

If you could do that,
you might just be able
to solve the entire case.

-Okay.
-All right.

All right?

-I've even got a cab waiting
to take you to the airport.
-Really?

-Yeah.
-Right now?

Right now. Yeah. The Van Meter
is running.

-Oh, my God!
-What! I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

There's no cab.

Wait, you didn't get us
a cab?

No, it just for the joke.

Have a good trip.

[Josh] Phil and Jess fly
from New York City

to Iowa's capitol
Des Moines.

Then they drive east
toward Iowa City.

[screeching]

All right, so what you know
about Iowa?

That for every person,
there are eight pigs.

What? Eight to one ratio
of pig to people?

It's the pig and corn capital
of the United States.

There you go.
I hope you like bacon.

-I do like bacon.
-I love bacon.

Iowa's got a lot going for it,
in my opinion.

Well, we got a farm
to the right, farm to left,

-but I'm not seeing...
-What?

...any the giants,
winged creatures
flying around.

[Jess] Well, we're about
to meet some people who have.

We arrive
at Terry Trueblood Park,

where Josh has arranged for us
to meet Joey Perales
and Tia Stauffer.

They say they would have
never believed in something
like the Van Meter monster

until their terrifying
encounter with
a large winged creature.

We saw it right here, but
the grass was a lot taller.

-And how close were you
to where it was standing?
-Right on the path.

-You guys were close.
-[both] Very close.

[Joey] We were coming down
to watch the stars
on a clear night.

We're walking down this path.
There's no one out here.

We heard rustling
in the grass...

[Tia] Then it got
progressively louder.

And that's when we thought...

-bat-like but gigantic.
-[Joey] Bat-like wings.

It looked directly at us,
so we started running.

It was parallel with us.

We made it to the car.

We look back,
and the second time,
and it was gone.

I know you guys were
ready to ditch,

but were you able to glean
any kind of details from it?

It was tall, like, seven...

Significantly taller than him.

Significantly. Like,
we were looking up at it.

It had, like, tucked in wings.

Aside from the rustling
around in the grass,

-did it make any other noises?
-[Joey] Besides the grass, no.

[Phil] Any color?

Black. The head was
almost like a bird head,

like, a longer beak-snout
kinda thing.

I have to say,
if you see a beak-snout,

birdlike head...
wasn't a bird?

Biggest bird I've ever seen.

I don't think I know a bird
with a head that size.

I mean, I worked at a zoo,
I've done a lot of, like,
biology research, too.

And there's no--

I can't think of an animal
this thing looks like.

-You said
you worked at a zoo?
-Mmm-hmm.

-So you've been around
all sorts of exotic animals.
-All sorts.

I did lots of
animal observation.

I've had to create
all sorts of fact sheets
on, like, animal biology.

And it just...
I can't say I've ever seen

anything that's even close
to what I saw.

-I'm just trying to
picture this thing...
-You could show him.

-I have the tattoo.
-You got a tattoo?

I got a tattoo of it.

[Phil]
So bird-like head,
big, pointy shoulders.

-They were that pointy,
that tall?
-[Joey] Yeah.

[Jess] And did the wings
look leathery
like a bat like that?

Yeah. I just wanted to, like,
recount my experience.

Never forget it.

[Joey] Never forget it.
Never forget.

[Jess]
Whatever Tia and Joey saw,

it made a lasting impression
on both of them.

And their encounter
was not far from Van Meter,

the birthplace of
the legend.

-Look at this place!
-Oh, it's so quaint and small
and awesome.

It's like we've just
gone back in time.

[Josh]
The town of Van Meter

dates back to 1869,

and not much has changed.

There's one main street,

and nearby lie
the remnants of Van Meter's

coal mining
and brick manufacturing past.

I've arranged for Phil
and Jess to meet Chad Lewis.

Chad is a researcher
who studies the relationship

between people's
fears and beliefs.

-Hi.
-Chad.

Good to see you.

[Josh Gates] He's written
several books including
an in-depth examination

of what happened here
in the fall of 1903.

[Phil Torres] So, Chad,
what got you interested
in this mystery?

I had done several books
on odd newspaper stories
from the 18-1900s.

Came down here

and, originally, I thought
it was going to be very
quick stop.

Had to be a hoax.

And the beauty of this town is

it hasn't changed in
100 and some years.

This, right here, is the spot
of the week of terror.

First night, a local
implement dealer was
coming back about00 a.m.

Something flew
across the street.

And then disappears.

[Phil] And what happened
night two?

A local doctor was sleeping
behind his office.

Something or someone
woke him up.

So he grabs his weapon

then he starts
looking out the window

and he sees this great form

of some monster-creature

but he can't make out
the details but it's huge.

He actually fires
at the creature.

[gun fires]

But it has no effect.

[Phil] According to
newspaper reports,

two nights later, the town's
hardware store owner

also shoots at the beast.

[gun fires]

But it doesn't seem
to make any impact.

[Chad Lewis] Well,
now the town's on high alert.

And out at the brick
and tile factory

right next to
the abandoned coal mine,

the plant manager's been
hearing weird noises for
several nights.

He finally gets
the courage to walk over

about 200 yards to the old
abandoned coal mine

and he sees this creature

descending into
the old abandoned coal mine.

And the town quickly
boarded it up.

That's where the story ends.

Nobody's ever gone out there
to try and dig it up?

It's been boarded up
since the last sighting.

Nobody's touched it.

The coal mine today
you wouldn't know you were
on top of it.

[Jessica Chobot]
If the 1903 story is true

and the townspeople trapped
whatever this thing was
inside that mine

by blocking the entrance,

then it's possible there are
physical remains left behind.

And what about
the recent sightings?

Chad tells us that
just like back in 1903

there have been several
reported encounters

around the abandoned
brick factory.

Well, I'll tell you what,
we would love to

be able to check out
the old brick factory.

Yeah, I know the owner.

[Jessica] You mind
giving your friend a call?

[Chad] Yeah,
I'll do that right now.

[Jessica]
As the sun begins to set,

we get word the property owner
has given us permission

to check out the old factory.

This abandoned complex next
to a thick forest and a stream

would make a great hidden
shelter for a large creature.

[Phil] Most of the alleged
sightings happened at night

so this is the best time
to investigate.

[Jessica] This whole
thing's collapsed.

I can't really tell
if we're on the outside
of the building

or on the old inside
of the building.

Perfect place to hide

and nobody would see you.

[Phil] First, we wanna
search the old factory's
main office building

or at least what's left of it.

[Jessica]
Well, check this out.

That's where in 1903,

the manager of the brickyard
said he heard strange noises

coming from
the nearby coal mine.

-Here we go.
-[Phil] Oh, God.

[suspenseful music playing]

[birds chirping]

[Phil] This is full of
barn swallows.

[chirping]

-[Jessica] Oh, Jesus!
-[Phil] Oh!

[Phil] This is full of
barn swallows.

[chirping]

-[Jessica] Oh, Jesus!
-[Phil] Oh!

A bat.

He's the calmest one
out of all of 'em.

[whispering] Definitely is.

[Jessica] Oh, hey, look.
There's an upstairs.

Looks like the floor's
somewhat intact.

It's all covered in hay
so I can't really tell

if there's holes
in the wood or not.

[Phil] Oh, yeah.
Look at that right there.

[whispering] Careful
where you're stepping.

Yeah.

Oh, what is that pile
back there?

Look we got bone here.

Another bone there.

So what d'you think that this,
whatever's living up here

is using this
as like a nest home.

Something like that.

It's clearly eating up here

and dropping up here.

There's tens of pounds
of feces up here.

[Jessica] Yeah. This doesn't
look like bird poo to me.

This is big scat.
That's gotta be a big animal.

[Jessica] Could it be coyote?

[Phil] This doesn't really
look like coyote poop.

It's usually
a little more tapered.

And I just don't see
how a coyote

could take the stairs every
single day to get up here.

Let's keep going,
I'm gonna take some photos.

[camera shutter clicking]

Oh, dead animal.

This... Why are so many
dead things up here?

[Jessica] Dead animals.
Something was eating up here.

[Phil] We can definitely know
this thing's getting used

heavily by some things.

Whatever is using
this space is

is big enough to carry
prey the size of

-rabbits and possums.
-Yeah.

Why don't we bust out
the trail cam?

Do you wanna try
putting it right there

so that it covers the stairs

and kind of just anything
that might come up here?

That's a good idea. If there's
something crawling up here

it has to take the stairs.

If something's flying in here

-we'll be able to catch it
flying in one of these ways.
-Yeah.

All right, Jess,
let's get out of here.

[Jessica]
The factory building,

I think that thing was huge.

There's just so many walls
that fell down.

It's all crumbled.

[Phil] We also set up multiple
cameras around the perimeter
of the brickyard.

You wanna put one right here
so it's facing the main
entrance?

[Phil] All right.

If something crosses we'll get
a notification on my phone.

[Phil] We decide to cover
more ground by splitting up.

Any animal out here is
going to need water to drink

so I head toward the large
stream at the edge of the lot.

I hear water.

[whispering] Right here
it gets pretty thick forest.

So I'm gonna get out
the FLIR camera.

So it'll pick up any
heat signatures of anything
moving in here.

[rustling]

[suspenseful music playing]

Look at this.

There's something
in the tree up there.

Oh, we definitely have a
hotspot right there.

Seems like it's moving.

That is not a small animal.

I lost it. I don't see it.

Whatever it picked up up here
has definitely moved on.

Let me try to set up
a camera trap.

I think we have a really
high chance of picking up

of the wildlife
coming up this tree.

[Jessica] While Phil
checks out the stream,

I focus on the area around
the abandoned buildings.

I'm searching for any evidence

that might help identify
what creature is living here.

Whoa. It's just wires,
storage, some more nests.

Let's check the back.

Oh, look at this. Come here.
Come here. Come here.

[whispering] Look you can tell
it got ripped out

because all the hairs
on the bottom half,

like the roots
still attached to it.

Could be anything.
Cow, coyote, monster.

Let me take a picture
of this for Phil.

[camera shutter clicks]

And then, I'll also collect
a sample so we can test
any DNA.

[Phil speaking]

Witnesses have described
a bat-like creature

so I brought along some
bat-tech that would even
impress Bruce Wayne.

Bat's navigate by echolocation

which means they vocalize
a high-pitched noise,

then pick up the sound waves
as they bounce back

off objects
in the environment.

Those sounds are beyond
the range of the human ear.

But the Echo Meter Touch 2 PRO

is designed to record
those bat sounds

and identify
the specific species

all in real time.

[echo meter chirping]

I just got my first bat hit.
It was a hoary bat.

We're getting hits
on the bats but

the wingspan's probably
only about this big.

The only action
I'm getting here are
relatively small bats.

I'm not entirely
ruling out bats

but I'm also thinking there
could be large raptors
in this spot

like vultures, eagles or owls.

But eagles and vultures
aren't nocturnal

and owls have round
flat faces that don't match

the descriptions we've heard
of the creature.

So far,
nothing really adds up.

[Jessica] Let's see if I can
zoom in a little bit more.

[gasps] I just got a hit
on one of the cams.

[over radio] It's the cam
by the brickyard.

-[Phil over radio]
Meet you over there.
-Let's go.

[dramatic music playing]

-[Phil] What you got there?
-[Jessica] Check it out.
Check it out.

Look at this.

Look at that.
See it's dropping
and it's kinda flying away?

-What the hell is that?
-Look at all the bricks.

So that's that camera
over there, that first
building that we went to.

-[Phil] All right, let's go.
-[Jessica] Let's go.

-[Phil] You see the camera?
-[Jessica] That camera's
right there. It looks okay.

We got cameras set up here

-in the barn, down by
the river--
-[shushes]

Did you hear
all that rustling?

Right over there.

[Phil] It sounds like it's on
the other side of this wall.

[grunts]

[Jessica] Be careful
'cause that's all loose.

[Phil] Oh, God.

What? What? What?

-[Phil] Dead animal.
Another one.
-Another one?

[Phil] Maybe two. Looks like
a dead fox or something.

Like something's
been eating up here.

All right. I'm gonna try
to get a closer look.

[grunting]

[Jessica yells] Careful.
Careful! Careful!

[thuds]

[Phil] Looks like something's
been eating up here.

All right. I'm gonna try
to get a closer look.

-[grunting]
-[Jessica] Careful.
Careful! Careful!

[thuds]

-Crazy.
-[Phil] Holy [bleep]!

[Jessica] While climbing
over the crumbling wall,

our cameraman, Ryan,
falls onto his shoulder.

[Ryan groans]

[man speaking]

-A little bit.
-Let me see.

All right. I feel it.
Look at that.

[Jessica] You popped
your shoulder?

[Ryan groans]

Oh, [bleep].

-Oh.
-Seems like it's a little
dislocated right now.

You want to try
to pull it back?

-[Jessica] What?
-Push it back in?

-Yeah.
-Have you done that
for somebody before?

I've seen it done
for somebody before.

Well, I've seen it done, too,
on Karate Kid,

but I'm not gonna [bleep]
do it to somebody.

I'll just lay down
and you keep our light on.

[Phil] Lay down.

-Okay, you ready?
-Yeah.

One, two, three.

[Jessica] No!

[shoulder pops]

[Ryan] There it went.

[groans]

[Phil] How's it feeling?

[Ryan] I feel better.

[grunts]

I'm good.

[Jessica] Ryan says he's okay,
but he shouldn't lug around

that heavy camera rig
on his shoulder.

Plus, all this commotion
has likely scared off

any wildlife in the area.

It's time to call it a night.

There's definitely something
preying on animals here.

We'll leave
our trail cams running

so we can capture a shot
of whatever it is.

According to
historical records,

the brick factory is just

a stone's throw away
from the old coal mine

where, back in 1903,

the townsfolk
supposedly trapped

and then buried
the Van Meter monster.

Now, the current landowner
has given us permission

to be the first
to access the mine.

If we can find it hidden under
more than a century of dirt,

we're going to need some help.

-Hey, guys!
-Oh, hey, Josh.

Hey, Josh. How you doing?

I'm good. Have you figured out

what's terrorizing
the skies over Iowa?

Not yet, but, oh, my God.

The story of the Van Meter
monster is next level.

Yeah, that 1903 encounter is

an insane story.

So what's happening there now?

Well, we did investigate
the old brick factory,

and we actually found
a lot of stuff.

-We found scat.
-Found dead
animals everywhere.

-Chunks of fur.
-[Jessica] And then
we ended up

setting up some trail cams.

And we actually got a hit.

It looks kind of like,
I don't know,

-like a wing.
-Wing-ish.

Wow. Okay, well,
send it all to me.

The fur. The [bleep].
All of it.

I'll make sure
it gets analyzed.

In the meantime,
what's going on
with that mine?

Any luck with
getting in there?

[Jessica] Yes. We got
permission from the owner

to come on his property
and look for it.

The problem is,
we don't know where it is,

and it's probably
all covered up

according to the history,
and who knows what's in there.

-Yeah.
-[Josh] All right.

It sounds like the first
challenge is just
finding this place,

and then excavating
old mines is no joke.

I mean, real risks
of cave ins,

collapses, toxic gases,
you name it.

So, I know a geologist
in Des Moines.

Let me call him.
Maybe he can help you
pinpoint this place

and then, hopefully,
help you explore it safely.

-Cool. Works for me.
-Amazing.

Oh, and I've got another
new lead for you as well.

I was able to track down
a recent eyewitness

who had an experience in
a place called Colfax, Iowa,

which is less than 40 miles
from Van Meter.

Awesome. Okay.
Well, I'll go talk to him.

All right. Good luck.

And don't get eaten
by a flying monster.

-See you, Josh.
-Bye!

[Phil]
While Jess heads out to talk
with our new eyewitness,

I meet up with John Jungman,

the third generation
owner of the property

that housed a coal mining
operation in the late 1800s.

That mine is now supposedly

the unmarked grave of
the Van Meter monster.

For the first time ever,

he's allowing
an excavation operation

to search for the entrance
to the mine.

I would say it's in
this area right here.

[Phil] Hopefully,
we can find it.

There he is right now.

Josh's geologist
contact is Ryan Clark.

He works with
the Iowa Geological Survey

and has spent years studying
the state's coal mining past.

-Thanks for coming out.
-All right, thanks for
having me.

[Phil] He can help us
pinpoint where to dig

so we don't make Swiss cheese
out of John's land.

Do you have an idea
of how wide

the entrance would have been?

[Ryan Clark] Probably
ten feet by ten feet.

[exhales] So that doesn't
exactly narrow it down
in this area.

[Ryan] Yeah, but, you know,
luckily, I brought along
some maps

that we can take a look at.

[Phil] What you got for us?

What we've got here is,
this is a map

that shows you really
high resolution

land surface elevation.

-Okay.
-Your property sits
right in this area here.

And these green symbols
are mine locations.

[Phil] So this structure here,

that's the abandoned
brick factory?

[Ryan] Yep. The hills right

kind of back behind us there.

[Phil] Ryan's maps indicate
that the mine opening

is close to where
we're standing,

but there's no sign of it
from the surface.

So, we're going to need
some heavy duty equipment
to locate it.

John, are you sure

we can make a giant hole
on your property?

-You're okay with this?
-Let's give it a go.

-Let's give it a go!
-[Ryan laughs] All right.

[Jessica] While Phil digs in,

I'm driving to
the nearby town of Colfax.

-Hey, Mike.
-Hey. How are you?

[Jessica] Local minister
and avid bird watcher,
Mike Evans,

grew up in Iowa.

He says what he saw
in the sky a few weeks ago

was unlike any wildlife
he's ever seen here.

I'm hoping this
new sighting will give us

a clue about where
the creature is now.

Tell me what happened
that night.

[Mike Evans] I was driving
down the road

and looked off
into the distance

and I could see the top
of the hill was flying.

[Jessica] What did
this thing look like?

[Mike] It had
a real strange, long body

with a tail and a face
that looked more like
a reptile.

Like more pointed in the...

Yeah, more pointed
with the snout.

-Okay.
-It was probably
six to eight foot

and bat-like wings.

I grew up doing
bird watching, hunting.

You know what to look for
around here versus

what is something
that is out of place.

Yes, I grew up here.

This wasn't something normal.

So what direction
was it flying in?

Uh, it was flying southeast,
maybe towards, like, Red Rock.

It's a river with some bluffs.

-Mmm-hmm.
-There's a lot of marshy area

that something like this
could hide in.

Okay, well, thank you so much

-for sharing
your story with me.
-Oh, yeah.

This was super informative.

[Phil] A little bit more!
A little more!

Let's get digging!

[dramatic music playing]

Look who it is.

[Jessica] What are you doing?

We're digging a hole.

-Do you want to go gear up?
-[Jessica] Yeah, I will.

[radio chatter]
Okay hold right there.

[Phil] Hey, Ryan!

You mind taking
a look at this?

[Ryan] What you got?

[Jessica] So why is this dirt

so much darker
than everything else?

Is that coal mixed in?

Yeah, this looks like
it could be coal.

-We found coal?
-Already.

Yeah. I mean,
if you think about it,

mining coal is kind of
a dirty business.

And they didn't grab
every single little grain
and gram of it,

so there would've been coal
scattered all over the place.

We got this
brick layer on top,

which happened
after the coal mine.

This is evidence that
they're filling this in

with whatever
they had laying around.

One of the pieces of evidence
that we're looking for

if this is a mine shaft
that's been filled in

is we don't want to
see normal soil.

We want to see
evidence of junk

that shouldn't
naturally be there.

-[Jessica] Yeah.
-So we're on to something.

Let's keep digging.

[dramatic music playing]

We're getting deep now.

[Jessica] Did you hear
that scrape?

-Oh!
-Oh, boy. Look at that.

[Jessica gasps]
Get the cameras in!

Get the cameras in!

-[Jessica gasps] Holy crap!
-[Phil] Oh!

[Jessica] Look at that plank!

[Phil] Holy [bleep].

[Jessica grunts]

Look at that right angle.

[exhales] That is
absolutely cut.

[Phil] The beam is intact
but soft and crumbling,

meaning it has likely been

deteriorating underground
for a long time.

Could have been part
of the framework

that supported the mine.

[Ryan] So that timber
came out of there.

[Phil] This could
have been the entrance
right on this side.

[Ryan] That's what
it looks like to me.

And then he's been pulling up

-really big slabs.
-[Jessica] Oh, yeah.

[Phil] Big slabs. Yeah.

That tells me
they really didn't want

somebody going through there.

[Jessica] Or coming out.

Mmm, or coming out.

That's an awful lot of work

just to cover up a hole.

Let's keep digging.

I'll admit that what
we're finding is compelling.

But I'm not seeing
any evidence

of a creature buried here.

We're still getting
brick down here.

[Ryan] That looks
like a lot of fill.

Who knows how far we'd have
to dig to get anywhere here.

[Phil] It's true. Probably
not going to see much more.

Judging by the moisture
in the soil

and the deterioration
of the wood beams,

it's possible that after
100 plus years

any physical remains
like animal bones

would have
completely disintegrated,

leaving nothing but
a questionable legend behind.

[Ryan] This is all still just
junk fill that was dumped
in here.

[Jessica] We now know
that at least one part

of the Van Meter monster
origin story is true.

There was an old mine shaft
next to the brick factory,

and it was closed up.

As for the rest of the legend,

we've hit a historical
dead end.

But there are still
recent sightings
to be investigated.

So we say goodbye
to Ryan and John.

-[John Jungman] Thank you.
-[Phil] See ya.

[Jessica] And while
there's still daylight,

we head towards Lake Red Rock,

in the direction that
our new witness said
the creature flew.

This lake is not only
the largest in all of Iowa,

it's a massive
wildlife habitat.

Looking at a map,

it sits in between
the recent sightings

and the town of Van Meter.

[Phil] I'm thinking
my original instinct

about this case is correct.

That the eye witnesses
are misidentifying
flying wildlife.

Look at the size of this lake.

[Jessica] This is
where we're going.

[Phil] This is
where we're going

but first, we got a little
stop to make, Jess.

I've been hung up on
trying to figure out

who our prime suspects
are around here

as far as native wildlife.

So, I got a guy.

-You got a guy?
-I got a guy.

-Who's your guy?
-Let's just say he's
slightly obsessed with bats.

Oh. So he's a batman.

He's batman.
We're going to meet
Batman, Jess.

[mimicking Batman]
Does he talk like this?

[laughs]

Oh, yeah.
Look at that license plate.

-[Jessica] BATSRUS.
-I think we found him.

Russ Benedict is a biologist

with more than 25 years
of experience

exploring the prairies
and woods of the Midwest.

So we're looking for
the Van Meter monster,

and essentially
what people were reporting

is this
seven-eight foot creature

with leathery bat-like wings.

So the biggest bat
that we have around here

has a wingspan
of about 18 inches.

So, small, but yet play a
huge role in the eco-systems.

[Phil] I'd love to see one
up close, is that possible?

We have 40 to 60 bats
up in the roof up above us.

-Right up here?
-[Russ] They're there now.

They're hidden within
the spaces up above us.

So what we're gonna do is
we'll string up a couple of
what are called 'mist nets',

and once it gets dark,
they'll start flying
around 'em

and we'll see
if we can catch some.

[Phil] We set up
these soft nylon nets
in front of the window.

We don't have long
to wait until dusk

when the bats wake up
and start flying in search
of their bug breakfast.

[Jessica] I got one.

[Phil] They're all over
the place up there.

Bats. [imitates whooshing]

[Jessica] There's one there!
There's one!

[Phil] Oh.

-[Russ] Look at
how pretty she is.
-[Phil] Beautiful.

Look at that fur.

[Russ] That's a big,
brown bat,

the second biggest bat
in Iowa.

[Jessica] I don't see
how anyone could confuse
this with a flying monster.

The wingspan is impressive,
but that body is so tiny.

-[Russ] Right, right.
-[Jessica] So tiny.
Oh, my gosh.

So when you light her up...

That shadow is huge. Wow!

The shadow of the bat cast
against the wall of the barn

makes me think that
maybe back in 1903,

this is what people saw.

[Jessica] That looks
like it could

potentially be a seven-foot
creature with bat wings.

During that time,
they had just

brought electricity and
streetlamps into the town.

-Okay.
-So, potentially,

they weren't used to seeing
shadows that strong.

[Jessica] It would also
explain why the bullets
the townspeople fired...

-[gunshot]
-...had no effect
on the monster.

They were firing at a shadow.

[Phil] But I don't think
witnesses today would be
confused by a bat shadow.

I think they're seeing
a bigger winged animal,
a large species of bird.

Well, I'll tell you what,
I think we can,

thanks to you, cross bats
off the suspect list.

-[Jessica] Yeah.
-Excellent.

[Jessica] Now that it's night,
we continue on our mission

to check out Lake Red Rock.

It seems like a perfect home
for a giant flying monster

with plenty of water,
shelter and prey.

-[Phil] Goin' in.
-[Jessica] All right.

Woohoo!

[Phil] This lake
is a massive habitat.

Several large predatory birds
nest here,

like eagles, herons,
and even cranes that
migrate through the area.

Do you see
how close the forest gets
to the rock formations here?

[Jessica] Yeah.

[Phil] So that's
the type of place where

the bird that feeds
on the lake by day

would roost at night.

I think we need
to get up there, Jess.

-Okay, grab the gear.
-Thank you.

Now everybody has to be
real careful on this edge.

[Jessica] Oh, whoa,
you're not kidding.

[Russ] Oh, no.

[Jessica] Oh, check this out.

-Jaw bone.
-[Phil] Ooh.

Teeth are flat,
like an herbivore.

Maybe a deer.

Oh, [bleep],
another one right here.

So a lot of birds of prey
will have an area that
they take their food to

and then eat it
perched up high,

so that they can keep an eye
on anything else coming
to steal their food.

[Jessica]
Their feeding grounds.

Is that another bone?

[Phil] This is
a graveyard out here.

This is the most bones
I think I've ever found

in a single place
on the planet.

Another skull.

So we've got beaver,
deer, fox.

It would have to be a big bird

to be able to carry something
the size of these

all the way up here to feed.

Why don't you take
the FoxPro,

see what you can blast out

and then I'll go
take the FLIR

over in that area
and I'll scan to see
what you might bring in?

-Okay.
-[Jessica] Cool?

[Phil] You got it.

While Jess searches
the tree line along the cliff,

I'm going to try
drawing out whatever

may have been snacking
on parts of some big animals.

The FoxPro mimics
the mating calls of wildlife.

Let's just hope whatever the
Van Meter Monster really is,

it's feeling
a little frisky tonight.

[whispering] Got some
of the birds loaded up on here

All right, Jess,
I'm about to call out
the great blue heron.

Great blue herons
are huge birds,

up to four and
a half feet tall,

with wingspans up to
six and a half feet.

They eat fish and sometimes
small mammals as well.

Ready?

Yeah, I'm ready,
I think we're in a good spot.

All right, standby.

[great blue heron
call playing]

[Jessica]
I'm not getting anything.

You wanna try again?

All right, Jess,
next up is turkey vulture.

[turkey vulture call playing]

[Jessica gasps]

It's going this way.

[Phil on walkie-talkie]
Jess, you hear that?

-[Jessica] Yeah, I hear that.
-[Phil] Can you pick it up
on your flashlight?

[Jessica] I'm looking
but it's flying by.

Whatever flew by,
'cause that thing scared
the crap out of me.

-At night, if you
wanna... [gasps]
-[wings flapping]

You may have noticed
the descriptions

of the Van Meter Monster
are eerily similar

to a pre-historic pterodactyl.

But since they went extinct
about 66 million years ago,

they probably aren't
making a comeback.

Or are they?

Present day birds are living
descendants of dinosaurs.

And some scientists believe
it may be possible

to manipulate poultry DNA

to turn back
the evolutionary clock.

Inside an egg, an unborn chick

could theoretically
be engineered to

grow teeth a long tail
and a pre-historic beak.

Such a creature could give us
a greater understanding

of evolution.

Or it might break out
of its cage and kill us all.

So even if the
Van Meter Monster
turns out to be a legend,

keep your eye on the skies
for chickenasaurus.

That thing scared
the crap out of me.

-At night, if you
wanna... [gasps]
-[wings flapping]

[Phil on walkie-talkie]
Jess, you okay?

[Jessica] Something's flapping
around over here.

[bleep]

I definitely had
something going berserk
over on this side.

Was it big?

[Jessica] Can't tell
what it was.

Hey, I'm gonna climb a little
further into the woods

just to see if I can scare out
whatever it was that was
freaking out in the bushes.

Why don't you hit that call
one more time?

All right, let me know
what you find.

I'm gonna call out
some other birds.

[Jessica] Gotcha.

Next up is sandhill crane.

Sandhill cranes are big,

with wingspans
of over seven feet.

[sandhill crane call playing]

[Phil] Jess, you getting
anything on the FLIR?

Nothing.

Look at this.

I just found something.

[Phil] Okay, on my way.

[Jessica] Check this out.

-[Phil] What?
-[Jessica] Right here.

That's...

That's gotta be
turkey vulture. That is huge.

-[Jessica] Okay, um...
-[Phil] Huge animal.

[Jessica] Yeah, look at this.

[Phil] Another bone.

[Jessica] So they just come
here with their takeout

and then take off.

[Phil] Turkey vultures
don't usually fly at night.

So even a witness
who is familiar with the bird

might misidentify
one in the dark

if they stumble across it
and startle it into flight.

So when you think of witnesses
in modern times seeing things,

I just can't help
but think of birds.

When it's this quiet
and still out,

and something flies by,
I mean,

if you're not expecting it,
you jump.

And brains will see things
as bigger

when you're terrified.

[Josh] It's hard
to put too much stock

in the original news report
of the Van Meter Monster.

A flying, screeching beast

that's allegedly
impervious to bullets,

living in a local coal mine.

It's a wild tale that just
doesn't really seem to fly.

Phil and Jess did dig up
what could be

a terrified town's attempt

to eradicate
something threatening.

This could have been the
entrance right on this side.

[man] That's what
it looks like to me.

[Josh] As for the
modern-day sightings
of this flying horror,

the cameras my team
left running in the
old brick factory

captured several more images
of what look like wings.

-We got tons
of scat up here.
-[camera clicks]

[Josh] The droppings
Phil found there

were identified as raccoon.

The hair that Jess collected,
domestic cattle.

So what animal
is the most likely culprit

when it comes to
the Van Meter Monster?

While the largest bat in Iowa
only has an 18-inch wingspan,

its eerie shadow
stretching across a wall

could definitely bring
a monster to mind.

[Jessica] That looks like
it could potentially be

a seven-foot creature
with bat wings.

[Josh] Five-foot-tall
sandhill cranes

were once rare in Iowa,

but their numbers have
increased in recent years,

right along with new sightings
of the Van Meter Monster.

Turkey vultures are big,
black, have featherless faces,

a six-foot wingspan,

and they'll scavenge carcasses
as big as a deer.

Put it all together on a dark,
quiet night,

add a dash of imagination
and a pinch of panic,

and the result
could seem monstrous.

For more information
on Expedition X,

head to... [reading]