The Goatman: unknown cryptid, mad scientist or old preacher with a goat wagon?

The Goatman - it won't be a surprise that this creature is apparently half-man, half-goat (this particular legendary figure bears strong resemblance to the Ancient Greek Satyr and god Pan, mythical figures that were also man-goat hybrids).

But today's Goatman also comes with alleged sightings which tips it into the cryptid - creatures that might be real but aren't yet proven to exist - category, as well as maintaining Urban Legend status.

Plus - he has some super-fun origin stories, including the mad scientist and preacher mentioned in the title above.

While this creature is heavily associated with Maryland, there are also a few other regional US variations so without further ado, let's find out more about this scary goat-man cryptid.

Published: 3rd Sep 2025

Author: Sian H.

Key facts at a glance:

Mythology:

American urban legends

Regions associated:

Prince George’s County (Maryland), Denton County (Texas), Louisville (Kentucky), rural Wisconsin

Folklore type:

Urban Legends, Cautionary Tales, Hoaxes

Creature type:

Cryptid

Variations:

Lake Worth Monster, Pope Lick Monster, Chevo Man

First recorded reference: 

Oral stories start from the late 1950s

Distinctive feature:

Wields an axe, insatiable rage, glowing red eyes, high-pitched squeal

Witnesses:

Numerous oral accounts, media reports from the 1970s, confirmed police reports of smashed cars and pet attacks

The Maryland Goatman - origins of a cryptid urban legend

The most famous Goatman legend comes from Maryland, particularly in Prince George's County. This version of the creature is typically described as a hairy, six-to-eight-foot-tall bipedal being with a muscular human torso, goat legs and hooves and a horned head.

Some reports also say it has a high-pitched squeal. Oh, and it apparently likes to carry an axe. Because why not.

This goat legend dates back to the late 1950s:

• Early sightings: The earliest stories come from 1957. Reverty Garner and his wife pulled into their driveway in Upper Marlboro, Maryland and claimed to see a hairy wild man of sorts. The same year, a young couple parked up in Zug Road, Bowie, heard something hitting the top of their car and reported seeing a half-man, half-goat figure holding a shiny axe which then ran away into the woods. Other teenagers in the area later reported having the taillights and windows of their cars smashed by the beast while parked at local lover's lanes.
• The maiming of people and pets: Over time, the legend became more gruesome. In the summer of 1962, the Goatman was blamed for the murders of fourteen people who supposedly wandered too close to his home. He has also been blamed for the disappearances of a young boy on Halloween and a twelve-year-old boy on his bicycle, with only their personal items being found. He is also credited with a number of unsolved animal mutilations.
• More recent encounters: The legend has continued to evolve. A landscaper at Woodmore Country Club in Mitchellville, Maryland, reported seeing a large animal in 1976. In 1998, a group of teenagers claimed to have seen a human-like creature in the woods, and in 2007, a TV crew even captured a video of a dark animal at the same country club that many believed was the Goatman.

Goatman origin stories

The Maryland legend has a few competing origin stories:

• The "Mad Scientist": The most popular story claims a scientist at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) botched an experiment, turning himself into the Goatman. According to this version, a doctor named Stephen Fletcher was desperately trying to find a cure for his wife's mysterious illness and combined the DNA of a goat with his research assistant, William Lottsford.
• The Hospital Escapee: Another version of the legend claims the Goatman is an escapee from the nearby Glenn Dale Hospital. In one variation of the "mad scientist" story, Fletcher is said to have used blood samples from patients at the hospital, which, despite widespread rumors, was a tuberculosis treatment center and not an insane asylum.

Goatman v.s The Man With The Hook

If you've seen the movie Urban Legend, or are just familiar with Urban Legends in general, the early stories of Goatman share a lot of thematic similarities with the Man With The Hook. Teens parked in lovers lanes. A creepy being with a sharp weapon intent on killing. I didn't find any "drip, drip, drip" versions of the Goatman (if you know, you know) but there's no doubt that this  American cryptid originally served as a cautionary tale in much the same way as other urban tales.

Other US regional variations of the Goatman

The "real" Goatman - Charles "Ches" McCartney

During my research for this article I found another compelling character that's worth discussing - the existence of a real man famous for his goats: Charles "Ches" McCartney, an itinerant preacher known as the "Goat Man."

For six decades, this guy traveled across the United States in a goat-drawn wagon and was considered something of a folk celebrity.

But his unique and often unsettling appearance may well have served as a foundational inspiration for many of the local Goatman legends.

• Goat-skin clothes: Inspired by the book Robinson Crusoe, McCartney and his family initially wore clothes made from goatskin.
• A pungent smell: Because he rarely bathed and slept among his large herd of goats, he carried a strong, musky odor that would often precede his arrival into a town.
• Dirty appearance: He was often described as being covered in dirt and grime, with a long, unkempt beard. One account noted that you could barely see his hands beneath the dirt.
• A "junk" wagon: His rickety wagon was piled high with random items he collected from the side of the road, including lanterns, old furniture, and scrap metal, which contributed to his bizarre and memorable presence.
• Fiery preaching: While not part of his physical appearance, his "fiery sermons" about damnation and the fires of hell, combined with his peculiar look, made him an even more intimidating figure to some.

McCartney's unsettling appearance was a result of his nomadic lifestyle and closeness with his animals, which made him an easy source of local legends for people who didn't understand his way of life.

I love digging into cryptid stories. Some are plain odd. Others are definitely mis-identified animals. And then there are ones like the Goatman that have distinct crossover into Urban Legends but also definitely exist as a possible real unidentified creature (even if not quite the axe-wielding one that seems to have been reported).

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