Episode 5: The Legend of Bigfoot from Valley of Shadows

About this episode

The episode explores Bigfoot sightings in the Devil’s Punchbowl and connects them to the investigation of Jon Aujay’s disappearance.

Decades before Jon Aujay’s disappearance, the Devil’s Punchbowl was infamous for something else: Bigfoot sightings. Sasquatch became a known boogeyman in the area. But beneath the folklore lies something real —- a local deputy, named Rick Engels, whose reputation inspires a different kind of fear. As detectives Brandenburg and Hager look into their colleague, they uncover a surprising connection to the Aujay case. Hear the full Valley of Shadows soundtrack here . Binge the entire season of Valley of Shadows, ad-free, by subscribing to Pushkin+. Sign up on the Valley of Shadows show page on Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm/plus . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Topics covered

• Bigfoot
• folklore
• true crime
• investigation
• local deputy
• disappearance

Keywords

• Bigfoot
• Devil’s Punchbowl
• Rick Engels
• Jon Aujay
• true crime
• Valley of Shadows
• investigation

Sponsors

Pushkin+

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Apple Podcasts, Pushkin.fm

Books & works: Valley of Shadows

Places: Devil’s Punchbowl

More episodes of Lost Hills: Dark Canyon

• Episode 8: The Finish Line from Valley of Shadows · March 2, 2026 · 53 min
• Episode 7: The Trial from Valley of Shadows · February 23, 2026 · 51 min
• Episode 6: The Big Takedown from Valley of Shadows · February 16, 2026 · 43 min
• Episode 4: Outlaw Country from Valley of Shadows · February 2, 2026 · 47 min
• Episode 3: Tweaker Talk from Valley of Shadows · January 26, 2026 · 47 min
• Episode 2: An Unreasonable Act from Valley of Shadows · January 19, 2026 · 41 min