‘Eerie’ screams emerging from creek behind NC home prompt debate. See the video
North Carolina has more than its share of mythical creatures – from the Beast of Bladenboro to the Wampus Cat – so people pay attention when bizarre screams are heard in the night.
It happened most recently in Shelby, 45 miles west of Charlotte, and this time someone had the foresight to pull out a cell phone and start recording.
Jeanine Cramer-Haddow says she was letting her dog out around 6 a.m. on April 22, when screams came from a tree-lined creek behind her property. The video shows she hit the trees with a flashlight, but saw nothing.
“The sound is like nothing I’ve heard before. Very eerie like an animal in pain or screaming,” she told The Charlotte Observer.
“I had no idea what it was and thought I would record it and ask around. ... We moved here from California a few years ago so we are still getting to know what the native animals are here.”
The search for an explanation led her to share the video with the Carolina Critters Facebook group, which has more than 31,000 followers. Some reported hearing the same unnerving screams in other parts of the state.
“I would never investigate. This is why I don’t live in the woods,” Amanda Moran wrote.
“No (one) needs to be outside when this noise is happening that close,” Jennifer Schaut posted.
“Your dog would react differently if it were something scarier than a fox or bobcat – so that rules out Bigfoot at least,” Beth Williams Visser said.
Guesses ranged from a bobcat to an owl, but the consensus was red fox, a predator the size of a small dog found in all 100 N.C. counties. A review of red fox recordings on YouTube backed up their assumption.
The species is shy, largely nocturnal and attacks on people are rare, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission says.
“Male red foxes make noises similar to the sound of a screaming woman to warn off competing mates,” Critter Control reports. “Fox vocalizations can be surprisingly loud and unsettling, especially at night, which is when they are most active.”
This story was originally published April 27, 2026 at 11:15 AM.