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Officials in Clarke County, Ala., want to know the identity of a man behind the viral online story claiming a Bigfoot creature is harassing his family and hurting his outdoor pets in the community of Gainestown. (Bigfoot cutout photo by Kelly Kazek/kkazek@al.com)

Officials in Clarke County, Ala., want to know the identity of a man behind the viral online story claiming a Bigfoot creature is harassing his family and hurting his outdoor pets in the community of Gainestown. In its June 9 edition, the weekly Clarke County Democrat featured a story by reporter Jim Cox asking anyone with information about or photos of the creature to contact the newspaper office in Grove Hill.

In the story, Cox quotes Clarke County Sheriff Ray Norris: "We've never had one reported ... Call us, I'd sure like to see one." Norris has not responded to two messages left with his office from AL.com.

The request came after a story was published on CryptozoologyNews.com on May 30, with an unnamed man saying he plans to kill the creature if authorities don't capture it. The story was a popular share on social media since its posting.

The May 30 story was a follow-up to a 2015 report on bfro.net, the Bigfoot Field Research Organization website, in which the unnamed male witness states: "Its [sic] starting to kill the family pets and chase people."

According to CrytozoologyNews.com, the witness is a Texas native who has family in Gainestown, an unincorporated Clarke County community of about 800 residents. The man reported he is "tired of dealing" with the Bigfoot, which he describes as being 8 feet tall and covered with reddish-brown fur. The witness estimated the creature weighs about 800 pounds and said it smelled like "cheese gone bad."

In the 2015 report on the BFRO site, the same witness (also unnamed on this site) described a sighting categorized by BFRO as "Class A," which means it involved "clear sightings in circumstances where misinterpretation or misidentification of other animals can be ruled out with greater confidence." The witness' 2015 report states: "I am trying to get some of the guys together and try and kill it because no one will do anything to research and capture this thing. We know where it lives and how it travels, all we want is for someone to capture and remove it. I live in Texas but my family lives in Alabama, and they are living in fear of this thing so it has to go one way or another."

That initial report was investigated by Mike Brumfield with BFRO, who wrote: "There is no doubt in my mind this was a real encounter. I know the area and if I were a Sasquatch, that's where I would live."

Brumfield also reported that Sasquatches - Sasqui? - have been previously spotted in the area. He wrote that he explained to the man "That they all have their own personalities and more likely there isn't just one in the area. I suggested that they may not take lightly to one of theirs getting shot. The folks living there who had close encounters realized at how much they look like humans, and they really couldn't kill any of them."

Join al.com reporter Kelly Kazek on her weekly journey through Alabama to record the region's quirky history, strange roadside attractions and tales of colorful characters. Find her on Facebook or follow her Odd Travels and Real Alabama boards on Pinterest.