Viswa Vanapalli
Netflix’s ‘Unsolved Mysteries: Paranormal Rangers’ delves into the various paranormal sightings that witnesses of the Navajo Nation described to the Navajo Rangers Stanley Milford Jr. and Jonathan Dover. One of the first cases they looked into was that of a Bigfoot sighting by resident Brenda Harris. On the show, she talked about her experience and what happened at the time. If you’re curious to find out more about Brenda, here’s what we know.
Who is Brenda Harris?
At the time of the incident, Brenda Harris lived by the San Juan River in the Navajo Nation. She lived in a mobile home with her family, and at around 10:30 pm one night, her husband headed out to work the graveyard shift. On the show, Brenda stated that about 30 minutes later, she heard something heavy walk onto the porch. She had been with the kids and had all her windows open since it was summer. Soon after that, Brenda claimed that her doorknob began to turn.
Brenda further added that when she opened the door, she was stunned upon seeing a large, hairy-looking creature that wasn’t muscular. Brenda stated that it took off running but returned a few minutes later. This time, she switched on the light, leading to that creature going away again. The following morning, Brenda noticed an 18-inch footprint behind her house. When she later set up a camera, she saw a similar smaller-sized creature running outside her home close to the pool.
In 2012, Brenda talked about another encounter from 2008 when her sister came over. She said, “I could hear the dogs going nuts, but not in the usual way when someone comes over. You can tell when something is really disturbing your dogs.” Upon going out, they heard heavy steps coming toward them. When Brenda and her sister went over the fence, they saw a strange shape.
Brenda described the creature, saying, “Huge. Very, very hairy … long dark hair and no neck. Kind of a pointy head. The chest was really wide and very muscular. It dropped down on all fours and started running that way. It was surprisingly fast.” At the time, she believed that the creature was about 12 feet tall. Brenda later learned that others on the reservation also had seen something similar.
Where is Brenda Harris Today?
Soon after, Brenda went to a chapter meeting and talked about her experience; she urged others to share their stories and said she would investigate such sightings. Brenda said, “I was prepared for people to laugh and call me crazy. Instead, you wouldn’t believe the number of people who came up afterward and thanked me.” Brenda believed Bigfoot existed and said these creatures smelled like musk and rotting meat.
Brenda further mentioned that most of the unusual activity was reported between 2 am and 3 am and believed bright lights kept them away. The Shiprock, New Mexico native has been living in Upper Fruitland, New Mexico, since 1986. In 2012, she started the New Mexico Shadow Seekers to look into Bigfoot sightings and other strange phenomena in the Four Corners area of New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah. Brenda is happily married to Robert Harris, and she recently celebrated her birthday.
