Known collectively as the Appalachian Investigators of Mysterious Sightings (AIMS), the men who make up AIMS spend their time investigating reports of mysterious creatures in West Virginia’s Tygart Valley and throughout the Appalachian region.

John “Trapper” Tice

AIMS Co-Founder, Team Leader, Expert Trapper

Trapper, who died in December 2019 after a series of health problems, was the team lead of AIMS. The West Virginia native was a US Air Force veteran who served in Vietnam before returning home to become a boilermaker. Remembered in his obituary as a lifelong mountaineer, Trapper also loved animals and was a skilled gardener and hunter. It was his zeal for the unexplained that helped launch AIMS—Trapper estimated he spent 250 days a year in the woods.

Jake “Buck” Lowe

Expert Caller

As the youngest member of AIMS, he takes a fair bit of ribbing from the older guys, but he is always willing to do what it takes to help solve the cryptid mysteries of Appalachia.

Jeff Headlee

AIMS Co-Founder and Team Researcher

Described by one of the producers as “Jeff, the genius,” he is arguably the brains of the operation as he handles research and technology, and he has the ability to recall mountain folklore and traditional history. Jeff runs the thermal camera on night-hunts and organizes witnesses to be interviewed before investigations. When he’s not hunting monsters, Jeff runs an antique store, H&S Trading Post.

Joseph “Huckleberry” Lott

Head of Security

The towering US Marine veteran has more than 50 years of backwoods experience to draw on as he works to keep the AIMS team safe during their night-time hunts. Despite his height and intense stare, Huckleberry is a gentle giant with a big heart.

Willy McQuillian

AIMS Co-Founder and Expert Trap Builder

Willy, the backwoods MacGyver, boasts that he can build a trap to hold anything—and he can. Willy prefers to build his traps using things he finds himself or salvages from junkyards. Willy’s day job is a tree trimmer, and his extensive knowledge about the properties of different woods gives him unique insight as he builds the wood and metal traps built to catch Appalachia’s cryptids.

“Wild Bill” Neff

Expert Tracker and Big-Game Hunter

Wild Bill is sheer brute force and able to assist Willy with the traps as well as track monsters through the woods. The Marine Corps veteran and big-game trapper never hesitates to climb a tree, scale a wall, or give chase, and his hyper, gregarious personality brings energy to the team.

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