A Missouri witness submitted two reports involving unidentified flying forms photographed several months apart near Trenton and Burr Oak Woods Conservation Area. The images appear to show two very different silhouettes, including an elongated, sharply bent object over a cornfield and a dark, compact form resembling a broad-winged or triangular object above a wooded conservation area.

The witness believes the photographs may document extremely fast-flying creatures. However, the available imagery leaves several important questions unresolved, including distance, scale, motion distortion, and whether conventional wildlife or airborne debris can be eliminated.

CASE FILE:

Date: October 15, 2023, and May 24, 2024

Time: Approximately 10:59 AM during the Trenton incident. Not given for the Burr Oak Woods encounter, although submitted screen images display an evening time.

Location: Trenton, Grundy County, Missouri, and Burr Oak Woods Conservation Area near Blue Springs, Jackson County, Missouri

Setting: Rural cornfield viewed from a moving vehicle; wooded conservation area with grassland and open sky

Witness: AB

Reported By: The witness directly to Phantoms & Monsters

Phenomenon: Two unidentified flying forms and a reportedly unexplained footprint

Environmental Conditions: Daylight. The Trenton sky was heavily clouded with intermittent brighter areas. The Burr Oak Woods images show blue sky, scattered clouds, woodland, and open grassland.

WITNESS REPORT

Trenton, Missouri, October 15, 2023

“I was traveling to visit my grandmother at a memory care facility near Trenton, Missouri. I was a passenger in the back seat of a moving vehicle when I took a Live Photo of a cornfield.

“I did not immediately realize that anything unusual had appeared in the photograph. After capturing another unknown flying object during a later experience, I went back through my earlier images and discovered this strange form in the sky.

“I have never seen anything like it before. The object appears dark, narrow, and sharply bent, almost as if two elongated sections were joined at an angle. In different frames of the Live Photo, its appearance seems to change.

“I have been told that this may be some of the best evidence certain people have seen, while others will not even consider that it could represent a real creature. I understand why people find these things difficult to believe, but I think the stories told for years about large unidentified flying creatures may have some basis in reality.

“Whatever I photographed appeared to be extremely fast. I believe the Live Photo may show its wings extended in one frame and drawn together in another, possibly demonstrating the strength or speed of its wing movement.”

Burr Oak Woods Conservation Area, May 24, 2024

“I have spent a great deal of time at Burr Oak Woods Conservation Area with my children, and we have experienced many unusual things there.

“During one visit, we found a footprint that we could not explain. We eventually obtained additional photographic evidence of an unidentified flying form above the conservation area.

“The object appeared dark and moved through the sky above the trees. In the enlarged images, it appears to have a broad or triangular shape, though it was difficult to identify due to the distance and speed involved.

“I do not know what it was. I am hoping that someone familiar with unusual aerial phenomena, wildlife, or photographic analysis may be able to help determine what these images show.”

COMMENTARY

The two incidents are linked by the same witness, but the objects shown in the submitted images do not possess the same obvious profile.

The October 2023 Trenton image contains a long, dark form with a pronounced right-angle or hook-like configuration. In the wider frame, the object occupies a relatively small portion of the sky. The enlarged versions reveal a soft outline and considerable motion blur, but no clearly resolved head, body, feathers, membrane, tail, or other anatomical structure.

Because the photograph was taken from the rear seat of a rapidly moving vehicle, several conventional factors must be considered. These include camera movement, rolling-shutter distortion, computational processing within the Live Photo, an insect close to the lens, windblown plant material, debris, or an ordinary bird photographed during a rapid change in wing position.

A nearby insect can appear extremely large and strangely shaped because its distance from the camera is unknown. Motion blur can stretch wings, legs, antennae, or a small body into elongated forms that bear little resemblance to the actual subject. A moving vehicle can intensify that distortion.

The Burr Oak Woods images show a more compact, broad silhouette. In some frames, the object resembles a triangular or manta-like form, while in others it appears smaller and less symmetrical. This variation could represent changes in orientation, wing movement, motion blur, digital enlargement, or compression.

Large Missouri birds must remain among the primary possibilities. Turkey vultures can have wingspans approaching six feet, and bald eagles can exceed six feet. Hawks, vultures, eagles, herons, owls, and other birds may briefly appear as unfamiliar silhouettes when viewed from below, particularly when banking, folding their wings, or photographed at low resolution.

The broad shape in the Burr Oak Woods images could also be consistent with a bird captured during a downstroke or banking maneuver. Nevertheless, the available pixels are insufficient to make a confident species identification. There are no visible markings, feather divisions, anatomical details, or reliable measurements that conclusively establish either a known bird or an unknown animal.

Burr Oak Woods Conservation Area encompasses more than 1,000 acres of forest, grassland, glades, ponds, creeks, and open fields. This habitat supports abundant bird and animal activity, making ordinary wildlife encounters likely. At the same time, wooded edges and open clearings can produce brief sightings in which distance, size, and speed are difficult to estimate.

The witness also reports finding an unexplained footprint during the visit to Burr Oak Woods. A clear photograph with a scale reference, multiple angles, overall measurements, stride length, a description of the substrate, and surrounding tracks would be necessary before the impression could be meaningfully evaluated. No sufficiently detailed footprint image was available with the material reviewed for this report.

These photographs should therefore be classified as unidentified rather than presented as confirmed evidence of a cryptid or anomalous flying creature. The images are intriguing, but neither conventional wildlife nor photographic distortion has been eliminated.

CASE NOTES

• The Trenton photograph was taken from inside a fast-moving vehicle.

• The witness was a rear-seat passenger and did not initially notice the aerial form.

• The original image was captured as an Apple Live Photo, providing several frames surrounding the exposure.

• The Trenton object appears long, narrow, and sharply bent in the enlarged frames.

• No definite anatomical features are visible in the Trenton image.

• Vehicle movement, rolling-shutter effects, motion blur, airborne debris, insects, and birds remain viable explanations.

• The Burr Oak Woods object appears broader and more triangular than the Trenton form.

• Its apparent shape changes across the available frames.

• The submitted enlargements contain insufficient detail for reliable species identification.

• No distance, altitude, speed, or physical scale could be established from either set of images.

• Burr Oak Woods contains mixed forest, grassland, glades, ponds, creeks, and open fields that attract numerous bird species.

• Large Missouri birds, including vultures, eagles, hawks, herons, and owls, should be considered before an anomalous explanation.

• The witness reported an unexplained footprint, but adequate photographs and measurements were not available for examination.

• The two incidents remain unresolved pending analysis of the original, unedited media files and additional supporting information.

Readers interested in similar cases can explore additional Phantoms & Monsters reports involving unidentified flying creatures, winged humanoid sightings, anomalous aerial silhouettes, giant bird encounters, cryptid photographs, and unexplained activity reported throughout Missouri and the central United States. Lon

RESEARCH NOTES

The Missouri Department of Conservation describes Burr Oak Woods Conservation Area as a 1,071-acre property containing diverse wildlife habitat. Department publications also identify forests, grasslands, prairie, ponds, open fields, creeks, and glades within the area.

Burr Oak Woods is recognized as a birdwatching location, with brushy areas, grasslands, woodland, and limestone terrain supporting numerous bird species. Deer and wild turkeys are also regularly observed along its trails.

The Missouri Department of Conservation lists the turkey vulture at approximately 27 inches in length with a wingspan near 70 inches. Black vultures have shorter tails and wingspans of approximately five feet, while bald eagles may reach about six and one-half feet.

FAQ

Could the objects be birds?

Yes. Birds remain a strong possibility, especially in the Burr Oak Woods images. A bird banking, flapping, or folding its wings can create an unfamiliar silhouette when photographed at a distance.

Why does the Trenton object appear bent at a sharp angle?

The unusual configuration could reflect the object's actual shape, but it could also result from motion blur, rolling-shutter distortion, camera movement, or a small object passing close to the lens.

Can the size of either object be calculated?

No. There is no reliable distance, altitude, or known object located on the same focal plane. Without those references, apparent size cannot be converted into actual dimensions.

Do the photographs prove the existence of an unknown flying creature?

No. They document unidentified forms, but the resolution is insufficient to establish biological anatomy or to rule out conventional explanations.

What additional evidence would help?

The original uncompressed Live Photos, complete metadata, exact locations, witness sketches, estimated direction of travel, weather data, sequential frames, and properly scaled photographs of the reported footprint would improve the analysis.

NOTICE: Witnesses Sought for Upcoming TV and Film Project

If you have ever seen a winged humanoid in Chicago or the surrounding region, including the O’Hare corridor, nearby suburbs, forest preserves, Lake Michigan shoreline, or northwestern Indiana, I would like to hear from you.

I am currently assisting with an upcoming television and film project focused on the ongoing Chicago Winged Humanoid phenomenon and am seeking credible eyewitnesses, both past and recent, who may be willing to share their experiences.

If you have previously contacted me or are a new witness who has not yet come forward, please consider reaching out. All serious inquiries will be treated with respect and discretion.

If you would like to discuss your sighting, you can reach me through the 'CONTACT' link at the top of the page.

Your account may help document an important part of this continuing mystery. Thanks. Lon Strickler