Flathead Lake Monster: Tracking Montana’s Deep-Rooted Aquatic Mystery

For over a century, Montana has seen more than 100+ sightings of an underwater mystery. Of course, there are the skeptics who believe it’s all one hoax or, at the very least, a common misidentification. Others believe that this tale is one of prehistoric nature. But then, there’s the vast majority that believe something unknown is lurking beneath the surface, and has been for centuries. Whatever conclusion you make of this aquatic cryptid, though, there’s one thing you should keep in mind: there’s just enough evidence to keep her legend alive.

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Captain James C. Kerr’s 1889 Expedition 

Having explored these waters for years, Captain James C. Kerr was no stranger to Flathead Lake. He and his steamboat, affectionately named the U.S. Grant, had spent countless days out fishing this Lake. With its beautiful, calm, and clear waters, it was one of his greatest joys to be out in the middle of it. So when 100 passengers boarded the U.S. Grant, one sunny day, along with their several fishing poles and life jackets Captain Kerr was happy to share one of his favorite pastimes. 

After a few hours out on the water, the sun started to set, so Captain Kerr and all 100 passengers aboard began to head back to shore. But all of a sudden, one of the passengers noticed something odd bobbing in the water off in the distance. At first glance, they thought it was just a piece of driftwood bobbing in the water. However, as they started approaching the mysterious dark object, one by one, each of the passengers aboard the US Grant shared a similar sense of dread they couldn’t shake. 

This dark object was much larger than a fallen log. As some of the passengers would later describe, this mysterious object was nearly the size of a black whale and seemed to be very much alive. Whatever this unknown object, whale or otherwise, meant, the passengers needed to get back on land fast. 

Quickly picking up speed, both the steamboat and the unidentified object, one of the passengers was so frightened they wouldn’t make it back in time that he pulled out his rifle and started shooting at the water. After a few rounds, they no longer saw the black creature swimming towards them, and the water became still once more. Fortunately, Captain Kerr was able to get everyone back on shore unscathed.  

While he was, of course, rattled by this wild encounter, it was the first and only time Captain Kerr had ever witnessed this mysterious figure. However, what he and all those passengers witnessed in 1889 was only the beginning of what would become one of Montana’s most elusive cryptids to date. 

The Flathead Lake Monster’s Description

The Flathead Lake Monster, or rather, Flessie, as some of the locals affectionately call it as an homage to Scotland’s own Nessie, is often described as having an eel-shaped body. As locals describe, this underwater beast undulates through the water like a snake and is said to leave a wake nearly 12 inches tall in the water. Due to its size, the Flathead Lake Monster is often compared to a whale or a giant sturgeon nearing 20-60 feet long. Other characteristics worth mentioning are its steel, black eyes, scaly dark skin, and shiny, bowling-ball-sized head, with some reports stating that it has “long, black eyelashes.” Some eyewitness reports, however, vary in some of their descriptions. Some describe this underwater creature as having 4 large flippers. 

However, one of the most peculiar descriptions comes from Marion Avery. Apparently, in 1933, Marion and her husband were out boating near Big Arm Bay when they claimed to see the Flathead Lake Monster. While this creature did indeed have dark skin, a snake-like body, and shiny black eyes, there was something eerie about their last description. Apparently, both Marion and her husband swore this aquatic beast had “a head shaped like a sheep.”

While Finley Point resident and wildlife photographer Pam Moriarty never saw the creature’s head, she shares, “There was a wake in the water, and I saw this black form. At the end of it, there were five shark-like fins.” 

Unfortunately, she couldn’t get her camera out in time, but she shares, “If I had gotten a picture of it the way I saw it, I don’t know if my life would be any different. I might be in a few newspapers or something. It would just be the thrill of telling everybody that this is what I saw and it does exist.” 

No matter these slight variations in color and size, though, there’s something to be said about the frequency of its appearance. I mean, since Captain Kerr’s first sighting in 1889, there have been over 100+ sightings in the last 135 years, with the latest documented appearance being in 2017. 

Supposed Flathead Lake Sightings

One such encounter happened in the late 1980s. 

Brian Beck, owner of Flathead Lake Monster Inc., says he saw something strange lurking in the water. In his words, “It was serpent-type and with waves. It just didn’t look like anything I’d seen on the Lake, and I grew up on the Lake. I’ve seen about everything on the Lake.”

At the time, though, he tried shrugging it off. “It’s easy to talk yourself out of such strange things,” he shared. And while it was definitely a strange encounter, he tried to convince himself that it was just a figment of his imagination. That is, until a week later, “he heard about other people who had sightings at exactly the same spot and time as his.”

Of course, “there’s a chance he saw a log or something else, with perfect wind and lightning conditions to give the impress of a living creature.” According to Brian, “It could actually be our monster. You never know. That’s what makes the story great. You can’t say something doesn’t exist just because you haven’t seen it.”

But it appears that in 1993, many people claimed to have seen this unknown creature. 1993 just so happened to be a record-breaking year of Flathead Lake Monster sightings. Not only were there 13 total sightings in a single year, but apparently, on May 24th, 1993, one report stated seeing two creatures together in Big Arm Bay. According to the report, one of the creatures was “considerably larger than the other and was thought to be a mother and child.” 

With this, on July 15th and July 17th, there had been several sightings back-to-back. And according to my research, there is a supposed video floating around where a bank officer and a district sales manager from Seattle were able to record this cryptid hanging around Woods Bay that showed a large, dark shape about 12 feet long just below the surface. However, I have not been able to find the video. 

With this much cryptid activity, though, I’m sure people have seen something mysterious in Montana’s waters. But whether or not this creature actually exists isn’t really the point, is it? It’s more so the belief in the Flathead Lake Monster that has shaped locals and tourists alike. Whatever this creature is, there have been way too many sightings over the last 100 years to say otherwise. People are seeing something strange and unknown at Flathead Lake. And that’s precisely what Laney Hanzel believed. 

World-Renowned Flathead Lake Monster Expert Weighs In 

In 1993, the record-breaking year for Flathead Lake Monster sightings, the late Laney Hanzel decided to start documenting what the people claimed they saw. After spending 30 years working as a Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Biologist, Laney Hanzel had retired from his day job and began documenting what people had to say about this unknown creature. Real monster encounters or otherwise, Laney spent the rest of his life “compiling these sightings and conducting multiple interviews with people who had reported seeing “large fish” or other unusual animals in the lake” until he passed away in 2022. 

While Laney himself never witnessed the Flathead Lake Monster firsthand, he was so incredibly dedicated to studying this aquatic cryptid and those who saw it that his obituary noted that Laney had earned the reputation as ‘the world-renowned Flathead Lake Monster Expert.’ 

But it wasn’t just that he preserved these people’s stories; he believed in them. 

To Laney, the goal of documenting these countless stories wasn’t to prove or disprove people’s experiences; it was simply a way of preserving this part of Montana’s natural history and the lore behind it.

In Laney’s words, “Every Lake has some sort of legend. Flathead Lake is no different; it has its legends and myths. Somebody has to keep these records. Regardless of what they say, I just write it down.”

When doing my research on this cryptid and those affected by it, I  stumbled upon Hilary Devlin. Hilary, who had previously worked with the Flathead Lakers, a conversation group in Montana, also happened to work closely with Laney to “create a map of more than 100 sightings going back to 1889.” 

As she later described Laney and his studies, she said, “When Laney told stories and talked about [the creature], you weren’t sure if he believed it. He just presented it in a way that you could make up your own mind.” 

But that’s not all he did. Beyond documenting these sightings, Laney took it one step further. Not only did he respect the people and their stories, but he also respected the creature itself, specifically in the way he described the being. 

In his words, “If you think of a monster, in general, you think of something that’s hideous, that’s dangerous and could hurt people. [but] No boats were crushed, nobody was eaten. [it] scared people because they didn’t know what it was, but I thought a ‘monster’ might be a little too strong. I don’t like monster, I like creature.”

If you ask me, this is one of the most beautiful things about local legends, and why did we even have this podcast in the first place? Whether it’s the Flathead Lake Monster, the Beast of Bladenboro, or even the Slide Rock Bolter, the stories behind the legends are what bring us together. It doesn’t matter that these things exist but that our experiences do. Laney didn’t get the reputation for being “the world-renowned Flathead Lake Monster Expert” because he could prove the creature’s existence. 

No, this title gives meaning to something so much deeper that it goes far beyond Cryptids and uncovers the unknown. In fact, sometimes, when we find the truth, there’s nothing really else to explore, is there? 

It’s almost like the thrill of the chase. It gives us something to look forward to, gives meaning to our lives, and connects us together. When we’re sitting around campfires or local coffee shops nursing our favorite drinks over shared experiences, interests, and passions, speculating about what things may or may not be, that’s really what life is about, isn’t it? 

We all desire to feel seen, heard, and validated, which is exactly what Laney Hanzel strived to do for others. It doesn’t really matter about unknown cryptids lurking behind trees in the woods or swimming several feet below our boats. If these things truly exist, then they’re worth exploring. And if they don’t exist, it’s not for nothing. Because if the very thought of something we collectively are unsure about brought us together, then that’s worth exploring as well. 

Flathead Lake Facts vs. Fiction

If you could go back in time and ask Laney if he personally believed the Flathead Lake Monster truly exists, I’m not sure what he would say. 

But I do know this: With his “file folders full of recorded accounts, maps, newspaper clippings, and various tidbits concerning the creature” and his research as a former Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Biologist, he would tell you that Lake Flathead “could hide something very easy.” 

If you’re unfamiliar with Lake Flathead, it just so happens to be “the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River” as it “covers nearly 200 square miles and is as deep as 386 feet. With 22 different fish species and an array of aquatic plants, the Lake, in theory, is big and hospitable enough to hold a large creature.” 

One of the biggest reasons I’m unsure if Laney actually believed in the creature himself is that he never had a firsthand account of his years of research. 

However, on more than one occasion studying the average aquatic life found in Lake Flathead, “he did pull up nets on several occasions with huge holes” that he couldn’t explain. What he could explain, though, is that when multiple people claimed to see schools of fish jumping out of the water, that’s a pretty good sign the fish are trying to swim away and escape a predator.

Despite his personal lack of sightings, though, Laney did believe that people were telling the truth. Or, at the very least, he believed that people believed what they saw.

Of course, there are always hoaxes floating around. I mean, even Laney believed that some of these sightings were from pranksters looking to have a little bit of fun. And if there aren’t at least hoaxes or pranks, there are, in fact, skeptics and those who have simply misidentified what they’re looking at.

Is the Flathead Lake Monster really just a sturgeon?

I mean, there are many individuals who say that these sightings are none other than a sturgeon, and a large one at that. In fact, during the 1950s, the Flathead Lake Monster was often considered a giant sturgeon. But, according to a 2007 article from Flathead Beacon titled” The History of a Monster,” Laney stated that a sturgeon had never been recorded in Lake Flathead. 

Well, except there was that one time in 1955.

According to the Great Falls Tribune, Big Fish Unlimited offered a cash reward for any sturgeon caught out of Flathead Lake in the early 1950s. And in 1955, Leslie Griffith, a retired sawmill sawer, had supposedly “caught his Flathead lake sturgeon on a 160-pound nylon line, with a hook not much bigger than one would use for catfish.” Oh, and apparently, Leslie also used eels that he had sent in from Oregon to use as bait, which is ironic as many locals claimed that the Flathead Lake Monster is more eel-like in nature as it undulates in water, but I digress. 

After what Leslie claimed to be a five-hour fight between fish and man, nearly turning his boat over, Leslie finally pulled in around the dock at Big Arm between 2 and 3 a.m. with his 7ft-6in, 181-pound white sturgeon tied up, with gaff-sized holes in its side. In the next three days, several thousand people lined up and paid to see the sturgeon, and Leslie’s half of the take was over $600. 

An article from Flathead Beacon states that J.F. McAlear, a spokesman for Big Fish Unlimited, said this sturgeon “was just a small fish. The big ones are still out there…” With this, promotional posters quickly began describing Leslie’s famous sturgeon as “our baby monster” and “the biggest fish ever caught in Montana.” 

With his giant sturgeon on display at the Polson-Flathead Historical Museum, mixed with the spokesmen from Big Fish Unlimited claiming that Lake Flathead had always had sturgeon swimming about and those who claimed this monstrous beast was always just a sturgeon, there might be some validity to this big fish idea. 

However, there is a bit of controversy over this big fish.

Big Fish Unlimited vs. Leslie Griffith vs. Skeptics vs. Scientists

For starters, we’re not entirely sure where this sturgeon came from. Yes, Leslie Griffith claimed to have captured it near Big Arm Bay, but that still doesn’t mean sturgeon are native to these waters. 

While this wild catch made national news, something is worth noting here. 

According to the Great Falls Tribune, with its bold headliner, “Fisherman Hooks Flathead Lake Monster,” this article pointed out one critical fact: 

“The remarkable thing is no one has ever caught a sturgeon in Flathead Lake before, big or little, or produced any good evidence that sturgeon were there.”

But something about this seems a bit fishy. 

You see, many claim that this large sturgeon actually just swam up through the Columbia River, which flows from the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Another speculation was that this was all part of a promotional scheme from Leslie and Big Fish Unlimited. However, they both signed notarized statements proclaiming that the sturgeon was, in fact, caught in Lake Flathead. 

Because of this pushback, Big Fish Unlimited promoters offered an additional reward: $1,000 to anyone who could disprove the sturgeon’s whereabouts. However, no one at the time could explicitly prove or, rather, disprove it, and no one but Leslie Griffith’s hand, Big Fish Unlimited, was awarded any cash in hand. 

I will say that at least some research was done on this big fish.

The University of Montana in Missoula was indeed able to dissect its entrails. It’s true that scientists were able to determine the sturgeon was 27 years old. And it’s also true that after further examination, there had been the backbone of a smaller fish inside the sturgeon’s stomach that didn’t appear to come from any fish known to be in Flathead Lake. With this, the sturgeon controversy, however, only gained wild popularity in the coming years.

That following summer, and many following summers, several residents and visitors had reported seeing big fish in several parts of the Lake that resembled Leslie Griffith’s sturgeon in varying sizes. While this should have been good news to Leslie to prove his sturgeon had once called Lake Flathead its home, he had other things on his mind. 

For example, he took McAlear and Big Fish Unlimited to court, stating that he was the rightful owner of the sturgeon and that he was owed even more money than he had initially received. The case eventually landed at the Montana Supreme Court in 1959, where they confirmed that the sturgeon indeed belonged to Big Fish Unlimited and that Leslie was only owed half of the display proceeds, which he had already received. 

What’s even more controversial is that another article from Flathead Beacon, titled “In Search of the Flathead Lake Monster,” states that “according to state fishing records kept by Montana Wildlife, Fish, and Parks, there is no mention of the Griffith sturgeon” from Flathead Lake. However, it does mention that “a 96-pound white sturgeon caught by Herb Stout in 1968 in the Kootenai River takes the official Montana record holder.”

Whether the Flathead Lake Monster sightings are actually just schools of sturgeon or whether Laney Hanzel himself actually believed in the elusive creature, one thing is for sure: Laney believed in the people. 

Despite not having his own personal encounter, he believed what people said about Flathead Lake. As he shared, “I’ve visited with a lot of these people, and when I do, I let them do the talking. When I take a report, I don’t ask leading questions – I don’t ask, ‘Do you think it was…’ – I just let them describe what they saw. I don’t lead them; it’s too easy to lead people. I only recorded the information they told me. My feeling is I have to believe what these people are telling me. They [aren’t trying to make headlines, but I don’t know what it might have been. I believe the people who are reporting to me [when] they say, ‘We saw something, and it was real.'” 

Laney also recognizes that there may be more sightings than we know about. Many people, according to Laney, “hate to talk about it to anyone, for fear of being identified as a weirdo or worse.” 

But honestly, with the number of people coming forward to share their stories, it’s hard not to believe them. And probably the most notable person Laney believed? None other than Former Lake County District Judge Jim Manley. 

Lake County District Judge Shares His Close Encounter

It was a warm, sunny afternoon. With a wispy, slight breeze in the air and the water still and calm, it was the perfect time for Jim Manley and his wife, Julia, to relax and unwind. However, that summer in 2005 would be an experience they would not soon forget. 

According to the story, “Jim Manley and his wife got in their boat and cruised out to Big Arm Bay. After docking, they went out for an evening swim in the calm waters. No one else was around,” so they had this part of the Lake all to themselves. It was the perfect time to forget their troubles and enjoy each other’s company. 

However, once they returned to their boat, they realized the battery was dead because they accidentally left the lights on while swimming. But, no worries. They still had their phones. So, they called their daughter, told her what happened, and asked if she would rescue them in her own boat. Of course, she said yes, but she knew it would take her some time to get them. So, they just made themselves comfortable and laid back in their boat. 

However, this is where things get interesting. Jim recounts, “We were sitting there, half asleep, and it was really quiet. Then we heard a sound from about 75 yards away, like a splashing, and we were looking at each other like ‘What’s making that noise?’ because we knew there weren’t any waves.” 

What was peculiar about this sound was that Jim described it as having a “regular, rhythmic quality.” Curious, they walked around to the edge of their boat and peered into the darkness now that it was getting late. 

In his words, “I don’t know what we saw, but it was something that was dark, and it had two, three, maybe four humps that were three or four feet out of the water. It was moving really slowly, and sometimes we’d see a different number of humps. I knew it wasn’t a log, and it wasn’t a wave.” 

He described its movement as “perpendicular to the current” and “appeared to be headed north toward either Cromwell or Wild Horse Island. And while they never saw a head or a tail, they said the unknown beast seemed about the size of their 25-foot boat. 

Dumbfounded at what this thing was in the water, they saw their daughter and son-in-law across the distance heading toward them in their boat. While Jim tried to get their attention by pointing to the creature in the water, his daughter simply thought he was waving them on. And unfortunately, right as they approached their rescue boat, the creature “slowly subsided into the water.” 

So, what was this creature? What exactly did Jim and Julia see in the water? 

Julia believes that it was more “serpent-like” and couldn’t have been a sturgeon because, in her words, “it was really long, and its humps were moving in and out of the water, moving north. To me, it was big and strong because the current was strong, and it wasn’t taking the creature further east. It wasn’t moving away from us; it was moving north.”  

While they couldn’t quite explain the steady rhythm of splashes they heard, Jim wasn’t quick to believe that the creature, whatever he saw, wasn’t necessarily monstrous. 

In his words, “I’m pretty convinced by the scientists that nothing like that could live in Flathead Lake because it couldn’t sustain itself. All I know is nobody’s been able to explain to us anything that’s consistent with what we saw and heard. If it was just an optical illusion, how do you explain the loud splashing? Afterward, it was a little eerie that that thing was swimming underneath us.” 

However, as eerie as the encounter was, Jim does say, “If there is something here, I think it’s shy and avoids boats as long as it can.” And even though it’s been nearly 20 years since their encounter, Julia says, “It’s like I can [still] see it. It hasn’t changed my belief.” 

Skeptics Scrutinize “Monster” Theory

Then there are those who believe the Flathead Lake Monster can easily be explained away. Of course, we’ve already discussed the potential sturgeon theory, but even that tale has its own controversy. Other than really big fish, there is actually a vast variety of possible explanations. 

One theory is that, in general, lake monsters all over the country are really just swimming elephants that use their trunks as snorkels. (Side note: We will dive a lot more into this specific theory in a future episode, so hang tight.) Another theory is that “Flessie” isn’t a single entity but rather several otters swimming together, creating what looks like one giant creature. Which, if you remember, we did an entire episode on the King of Otters in Ireland, known as the Dobhar Chu, so this could be a plausible possibility.

And then you have a dozen other theories. According to the late Paul Fugleberg, the longtime editor of the Flathead Courier and author of numerous books about the history of the Lake, many of these theories include, but are not limited to: “hyperactive imaginations, playful pranks, natural phenomena such as wave action, shadows, lighting effects, logs and a large number of animals, including bears, horses, deer, elk, dogs, a dead monkey, a loose circus seal and even an escaped buffalo.”

It’s evident that many of these explanations are not like the other. However, the idea that this creature is more deer or elk-like in nature? While unlike any of our previous descriptions and sightings, it follows the lore of an indigenous telling of the beast.

Native Kootenai History Passed Down 

Legend states, “When the Kutenai [peoples] first arrived in the area, they inhabited a small island in the middle of the Lake. Two young girls who possessed mystical powers were traversing the frozen Lake to return to the island when they spotted what appeared to be a pair of antlers suspended above the frozen water. Wanting the antlers for themselves, the two made their way to the figures, planning to remove them from the unfortunate animal that had met its frozen fate there in the Lake.

Once they reached the antlers, having procured a couple of rocks with razor-sharp edges, the girls began hammering away at the ice that held them fast in place. Suddenly, the ice shattered and broke away, and the antler’s owner, a huge monster, vigorously shook the ice from itself as the two girls peered on in awe.

After the girls realized the reality of the situation they were faced with, being that they had mystical powers, the two quickly transformed themselves into a ball and buckskin target to escape the wrath of the monster they had awakened, but their tribe was not so lucky. 

The vibration from the monster’s vigorous shaking shattered the ice up to the island, shaking the island. Half the tribe met their doom when they fell into the icy, cold water. The legend says this is why so few of the Kootenai tribe left, and those who remain live close to the Lake’s shore.”

Flathead Lake Monster Not Really a Monster, but a Dinosaur?

If you don’t believe the Flathead Lake Monster is monstrous and have completely ruled out the sturgeon theory, but you’re still not entirely sold on the Kutenai elk story, there may be yet another explanation. 

One that still predates the documented 1889 sighting but takes on a more prehistoric approach. Much like its cryptid cousin, Nessie, and other various aquatic cryptids, Montana’s own “Flessie” has often been thought of as one of the last living aquatic reptiles from the Early Jurassic period. 

Many believe the Flathead Lake Monster and the plesiosaur are one and the same. I mean, think about it: The 20-40 ft length description, with the large flippers, snake-like neck, tiny head, and long tail. 

But then again, skeptics will tell you that plesiosaurs went extinct about 62 million years ago and that there’s no way something that old could still thrive in Flathead Lake. And I’d have to agree with that notion. But there’s still so much we don’t know about aquatic life, do we? 

There’s Still a Lot We Don’t Know.

It’s not surprising that so many North American lakes and rivers have their own lore of underwater cryptids. In fact, we’ve covered quite a few of them here on the show, like the Alkali Lake Monster from Nebraska, the Lake Worth Monster from Texas, and even the Ogopogo from Canada, to name a few. 

But that’s just North American lakes. There’s plenty of lore behind our world’s oceans like the Ningen surrounding the waters of Antarctica or the Trunko spotted in the surrounding waters of South Africa. While some of these oceanic cryptids may have been debunked and/or misidentified, it’s worth mentioning that humans have only explored about 5% of our oceans. 

With this very limited understanding of what’s living just beneath the surface, unknown water cryptids taking residence in our backyard lake systems isn’t that unheard of. And with 100+ sightings over the last 100 years, there’s undoubtedly something to this whole Flathead Lake Monster thing.

Maternal Flathead Lake Monster Saves 3-Year-Old Boy from Drowning

Whether you, who may be hearing this story for the first time, believe in this sort of thing or not, there are hundreds of others who do. There are countless sightings of something out there. Our disbelief doesn’t invalidate those who do believe. And for this Polson resident, the belief in this sort of creature possibly saved her son’s life. 

According to a 2017 article in The Missoulian, local Poison resident Cindy Johnson was in her house getting things ready for a boat ride on Flathead Lake when she was surprised to see her sister there as well. 

As Cindy shared, her sister was supposed to be watching her 3-year-old son, Andrew, as he played outside. But when Cindy and her sister looked through the window, there was no trace of Andrew. Immediately plagued with fear, both women raced outside to try to find him. 

After a few moments of looking around the house, they found Andrew alive and well at the end of the dock. Of course, they were hit with relief as he was smiling at them, but Cindy felt a wave of horror when she realized Andrew was completely soaking wet. She was horrified because 3-year-old Andrew didn’t know how to swim, and there was no life jacket in sight. 

Frantic, Cindy ran toward her son, pulling him away from the short, and asked him what happened. “I fell in,” Andrew proclaimed in his small, toddler voice. Thankful he was no longer in the water, Cindy was a bit perplexed at how he got out. But Andrew had an answer for that as well. 

“The flathead monster lifted me up. And she had a baby, too.”

What We DO Know About Cryptids

It makes you wonder. If there have been that many reported sightings throughout the last century, what if Captain Kerr wasn’t the first person to see such a creature? 

What if the Flathead Lake Monster legend has been around for much longer than we can imagine? What if the Kutenai tribe had been right all along? Or what if Montana is home to one of the last living plesiosaurs? 

If there’s one thing we do know about Flessie, it’s that though she might be mighty large, she is completely harmless. And she might just have a soft spot for small children. While very much cryptid in nature, Flessie leaves us with just enough evidence to keep her legend alive and keep our imaginations running wild. 

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