West Virginia’s headless creature 'Grafton Monster' still haunts locals after 60 years

A headless and skinless monster in West Virginia has been blamed for the town’s population dropping by half since the 1960s.

The monster, first spotted by a local reporter named Robert Cockrell in June 1964, appeared to be nearly nine-feet tall and four feet wide with no head and seal-like skin.

This horrifying creature, though not officially investigated, has been sighted by many local teenagers and adults.

Cockrell reveals that he spotted the creepy creature while driving on the road on a June night in 1964 and when he returned the next day with his two friends to investigate, the monster had disappeared.

The local reporter revealed that despite his fears of being labelled as a hoaxer or a crazy person, he decided to report the sighting and the matter was briefly investigated by the law enforcement as well.

Local curiosity led to several sightings and Cockrell interviewed people stating that their description matched his own sighting.

The legendary monster has been referred to by several names over the years but now it has become widely known as Beast of Grafton or Grafton Monster.

Grafton is a small town in Taylor County and it currently has a population of 4500, roughly half of what it was at the time of sighting.

Despite no official recognition, the Grafton Monster has earned a permanent place in local lore and is often mentioned alongside other West Virginia cryptids.