For 10 years Police in Switzerland have been hunting a ‘terrifying’ figure who has stalked Swiss woodland wearing gas mask, boiler suit and strange cloak.
Photographed
The mysterious person has been photographed for the first time after apparently being spotted wandering around the patch of woodland he has roamed for the past 10 years.
The figure, who is known as ‘Le Loyon’ and has been called Switzerland’s answer to the Loch Ness Monster.
He wears a military uniform and a thick cloak, with a gas mask covering his or her face. While he does not seem to be obviously aggressive or dangerous, police are hoping to speak to Le Loyon in an effort to encourage him to be less threatening.
LocalLegends
Tales of Le Loyon have been reported in the woods of Maules in western Switzerland for the past decade, apparently walking the same route every day.
Three years ago, his clothes were found abandoned in the woods with a note saying he was leaving the area because “The risk of a hunt for the Beast” was too great.
The clothes gave no evidence of the persons identity.
There have been a number of theories as to the figure’s true identity – a mentally ill woman, a gigantic man, or someone suffering from a nasty skin condition.
Others suggest that Le Loyon has deliberately chosen a hermit’s life, perhaps because he is a ‘survivalist’ obsessed with the apocalypse.
Update
A SINISTER figure has reportedly been caught on camera lurking in the woods in western Switzerland.
Dressed in a military uniform with a gas mask covering his face, the figure, known as ‘Le Loyon’, is said to have been haunting the woods for the past decade. He apparently walks the same route every day.
However, there was no evidence of his existence until local news website Le Matin published the first known photograph of the mystery man last month, and now police are trying to track him down. But is it for real?
“I came across him near the marches,” an unnamed amateur photographer who tracked him down told Le Matin. “I approached him up to a dozen metres away.
“He had a military cape, boots and an army gas mark – an antique type, I think. He measured more than 1.9m. He stared at me then turned his back on me and left in silence.”
Other locals have also told of their frightening encounters with the man.
“It scared my children,” a woman said. “He came out of the woods with his military clothes. We saw neither his face nor his eyes behind his big dark gas mask. It was scary and I know women who are venturing alone in the forest.”