Overview
Louisiana is a river town of about 3,200 people in Pike County, Missouri, on the Mississippi south of Hannibal, where State Route 79 meets U.S. 54. In July 1972 it became the home of 'Momo', a name built from 'Mo' for Missouri and the start of 'monster'.
The best-known report came on July 11, 1972. A teenage girl named Doris looked out a window and saw her two younger brothers playing in the yard while a large, hairy creature stood nearby. Witnesses described it as about seven feet tall, walking on two legs, covered in dark hair, with a 'pumpkin-shaped head', big glowing orange eyes and a terrible smell.
More reports followed that month, including one from the local fire department chief and city council member, Richard Allan Murray. A search party of about twenty people went out, but nothing was ever found.
Unlike Point Pleasant or Fouke, Louisiana never built a tourist trade around its monster. Momo lives on in books, a 2019 docudrama horror film, and memory of a Six Flags St. Louis ride named after it that ran from 1973 to 1994.
Visiting
Where: Louisiana, Pike County, MO, on the Mississippi River at State Route 79 and U.S. 54, south of Hannibal.
Access: The town is open to visitors, and Route 79 follows the Mississippi for much of the way between Hannibal and St. Charles County. The 1972 sighting sites are on private land around town; do not trespass or go onto farms. No Momo museum or marker was found.
Events: No Momo festival. The town's big event is the Louisiana Country Colorfest, held the third weekend of October since 1984.
Timeline
- July 11, 1972Doris and her younger brothers report the creature near their home.
- July 1972More reports, including from fire chief Richard Allan Murray; a 20-person search finds nothing.
- July 15, 1972A man walking at dusk near Louisiana later tells the BFRO he saw a huge red-haired creature step over a fence.
- April 1973A family reports strange screams off Highway 54 in Pike County (BFRO).
- 1973-1994Six Flags St. Louis runs a ride named for Momo.
- Spring 1991A man gathering firewood near Cyrene reports an ape-like animal in a creek bed (BFRO).
- 2019A docudrama horror film about Momo is released.
Reported sightings
Rural edge of Louisiana, MO
July 11, 1972 On the record
A teenage girl, Doris, said she looked out the window and saw a large creature near her two younger brothers, who were playing in the yard. It was described as about seven feet tall, upright, covered in dark hair, with a pumpkin-shaped head and large glowing orange eyes. A strong, unpleasant smell was reported. This is the sighting that launched the Momo story.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgLouisiana, MO
July 1972 On the record
Richard Allan Murray, the local fire department chief and a city council member, also reported seeing the creature. His standing in town lent weight to the reports, and a search party of about twenty people went out. Nothing was found.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgRural road near Louisiana, MO
July 15, 1972 Investigated report
A man walking alone at dusk told the BFRO, years later, that a bipedal creature about eleven feet tall, with thick, matted reddish-brown hair, stepped over a four-foot barbed-wire fence without touching it. It smelled like skunk and rotting flesh. He said it followed him as he ran to a farmhouse, where dogs chased it off. BFRO rated it Class A.
Source: bfro.netOff Highway 54, Pike County
April 1973 Investigated report
The BFRO lists a Class B report of a family hearing strange screams off Highway 54 in Pike County, the year after the Momo scare. Only the listing summary was reviewed for this dossier.
Source: bfro.netFamily farm creek bed, Cyrene, Pike County
Spring 1991 Investigated report
A man gathering firewood on an ATV said he came face to face with something that looked like a large ape or bear in a creek bed. It held eye contact for about 30 seconds, then leapt up an eight-foot bank and fled. He noticed a strong odor. Storm flooding destroyed any tracks. BFRO rated it Class A.
Source: bfro.netEvidence
1972 search Unexplained
A 20-person search party found nothing.
Witness descriptions Disputed
Consistent reports of height, dark hair, glowing eyes and smell, but no physical traces in the sources reviewed.
What each side says
What witnesses and researchers report
Supporters point to several independent witnesses in one month, including children and a fire chief and councilman, all describing a tall, hairy, foul-smelling creature.
A man who reported his own July 15, 1972 encounter to the BFRO decades later said he only learned afterward that others had seen the creature at the same time and place, which he took as confirmation.
What skeptics and scientists suggest
Skeptics note that once newspapers took up the story, more reports followed, a common pattern in monster scares. No hair, tracks or photos from 1972 are described in the sources reviewed.
The details vary widely, from seven feet to eleven feet and from dark to reddish hair, which skeptics see as a sign of excitement and suggestion rather than a single animal.
Open questions
- Were any tracks or hair collected in July 1972?
- Why did reports fade so quickly after that summer?
Did you know?
- The name 'Momo' combines 'Mo' for Missouri with the first letters of 'monster'.
- Wikipedia notes that, unlike similar creatures elsewhere, Momo never became a big tourist draw.