There is a dangerous, wild animal on the loose in Henry county, and no one knows what it is.

Or do they?

With no further progress in the identification and capture of the animal that has, so far, claimed seven lives, the few residents that remain have begun questioning the way police have been handling events. Especially suspect is the withholding of autopsy reports of both Leslie-Ann Jenkins and Bonnie Hand. Leslie-Ann was found alive but unconscious after both of her parents were killed at a campsite. On August 14th, she died from her wounds, which police originally said were severe but not life-threatening. Bonnie Hand was the latest victim of Alexander D. Holt, suspected serial killer who may have fed his victims to the unidentified animal he kept as a pet. Despite evidence linking him to five disappearances, only the body of Bonnie Hand was found intact. In both of these cases, police have asked doctors and coroners no to share information with residents or the press.

Equally suspect are the legions of hunters that have descended on the area, presumably to help police search for and capture the "Henry County Horror."

"I don't know who these people are," said Butch Caswell. Caswell heads the local chapter of a state-wide hunting club which offered their services to police. They were turned down despite extensive experience hunting game locally and in places as far away as Alaska.

"We know the land and we know the game in this area better than anybody they could bring in from outside. I know every serious hunter in this region by name, and I've never seen any of the people they got out here. I have no doubt they they're professionals... but they ain't local, that's for sure. And when you're hunting an animal as dangerous as this one appears to be, unfamiliarity with the lay of the land can be fatal"

"I think they're agents," said David Henny, a member of Caswell's hunting club. He contends that some or all of the hunters used by police are actually federal agents. "I mean look at 'em... they don't even look like hunters. They're all driving late-model SUV's... mostly black. Carrying heavy ordinance... military style assault rifles. Hunters, yeah... soldiers is more like it."

None of the hunters has spoken with the press, and though Sheriff Robert Cook has vehemently denied any federal involvement, he has been suspiciously quiet concerning the hunters and so-called 'animal experts' that have suddenly appeared in Henry County. Residents and press are kept well away from both the Sheriff's office and the hotel where the newcomers have been housed.

Finally there was the anonymous phone call that some members of the press received late yesterday evening. The caller offered unsubstantiated claims that not only is there heavy federal involvement in the hunt for the "Henry County Horror," but that the sheriff's office knows much more than they have shared with the press or with residents.

"The Feds are here and they've been here for days. Ever since we bagged Holt. They know what that thing is out there," said the caller. "And... they took that drunk seriously. Very seriously. And if you notice, nobody's seen that drunk since he left the sheriff's office."

The caller was referring to Joe Hambly, who gave a fanciful description of the animal he witnessed leaving the mobile home where Steve and Barbary Holms were attacked and killed. Both are presumed dead although, like the majority of other attacks, there were no bodies found. Police are quick to point out that Hambly was drunk at the time he saw a large dog-like creature with horns burst through the Holms front window. However, they have not released the sketch that Hambly says he drew of the creature.

"It ain't just me. There are some of us who don't like what's going on. The picture Hambly drew disappeared, but there are copies nobody knows about."

The caller went on to cast doubt on the official reports of Holt's behaviour in prison. Earlier, Sherrif Cook described Holt as silent and sedate, but the caller disagrees:

"He was crazy, no doubt about it. He raised a fuss in that cell, screaming and yelling, throwing himself against the bars like he was awful desperate to get out. Mostly he spoke in something that sounded like German. Maybe it was Latin, or some weird accent... I don't know. For all his yelling, I only heard him say one word that I understood: 'Insatiable.' He said that quite a bit. Insatiable. Didn't mean nothing at the time, but I tell you right now, after seeing what I've seen at these crime scenes, that word scares the bejeesus outta me. Insatiable. What the hell was he talking about?"

He also disagreed with Cook's statement that Alexander Holt committed suicide while in police custody.

"Feds showed up pretty early on. Nobody was supposed to know, but we'd have to be stupid not to figure it out. When the Feds came, Holt calmed down considerably. They talked to him that night, with nobody else around. Made everybody else leave. Then he turned up dead a few hours later. That's what they say, anyway... I can't find anybody who was actually there to see the body. It ain't at the morgue. It ain't anywhere. It's just gone."

The anonymous caller offered no proof of his allegations, but he did say that he was in possession of photographs and documents... including a copy of Hamby's picture... that could back up some of his claims. He also said that he was fearful of his life.

"This is serious over here," he said, referring to the Sheriff's office. "People are being threatened, and I don't mean threatened with lawsuits or jail time. A lot of people know somethin', but ain't nobody willing to talk. I'm taking a big risk right now. Don't get me wrong, Sheriff Cook's a good man... but Cook isn't in charge any more. He hasn't been in charge since the day we bagged Holt."

Is the "Henry County Horror" a government cover-up? Do the police know more than they are admitting? Is the federal government involved? More and more people are asking these questions, and are not satisfied with the answers they are getting.

Meanwhile, the hunt for the "Henry County Horror" continues.