Freddy Allison interview

Saturday, October 26, 2024 – 1:40 p.m.

Freddy Allison discovered the vandalism scene with his friend, Melissa Bridges.

Detectives Armstrong and Murphy interviewed him at his residence at 414 Old Taylor Road.

Participants:

• Detective T. Armstrong
• Detective S. Murphy
• Freddy Allison

Detective Armstrong: All right, Freddy. For our records, would you please state your name, age, address, and occupation?

Freddy Allison: My name is Freddy Allison. I'm 11. I live with my family at 424 Old Taylor Road in Taylor, Mississippi, USA. And I work on my dad's farm sometimes, but I'm mostly in school at Yoknapatawpha Elementary.

Detective Armstrong: Do you remember how you ended up at the clearing in the woods today?

Freddy Allison: Yes, sir.

Detective Armstrong: Tell us about it.

Freddy Allison: Um, I was walking out in the woods, playing down near the creek, and I just came up to it.

Detective Murphy: Were you with someone else?

Freddy Allison: Yes…

Detective Murphy: Who were you with, Freddy?

Freddy Allison: Melissa Bridges.

Detective Armstrong: What were y'all doing out there?

Freddy Allison: Nothing. We were just walking, I swear!

Detective Armstrong: Okay, okay. Easy now. Is Melissa a friend of yours?

Freddy Allison: Yes, sir. She lives down the road. I don't have anybody else who wants to go walk in the woods with me, so she goes sometimes. We go down there all the time just to look around and look for deer tracks or anything.

Detective Armstrong: When did you find this site?

Freddy Allison: This morning, probably about 10:00 a.m. We were just going to this place in the creek where there are mini-rapids. We put these big stones out there and created this rapid, and a lot of times, I have this action figure in a small canoe, and we put him out there on the rapids.

Detective Armstrong: Is the clearing near these rapids?

Freddy Allison: Um, it's a good ways before the rapids.

Detective Murphy: And did you touch or move anything there?

Freddy Allison: No, we just walked around it, and then we saw the dead chicken, and Melissa screamed. She was scared, and it kinda got me scared, so we ran back and told Dad about it.

Detective Murphy: You didn't look around any more before you ran back?

Freddy Allison: Nope. No, ma'am.

Detective Armstrong: Did you see a bucket in or near the creek?

Freddy Allison: No, sir.

Detective Murphy: Your dad said you told him it was a witching ground. What made you call it that?

Freddy Allison: I don't know. It just looked like the kind of place where witches dance. It's what I always pictured it looking like. See, we went to this play at the university because Melissa's brother was in it. It was called The Crucible, and it was about witches, and that's when I started thinking about witches.

Detective Armstrong: Did you ever see any witches out there?

Freddy Allison: Very funny. Everyone knows there's no such thing as witches anymore.

Detective Armstrong: You never know. Have you ever seen anything strange or out of the ordinary in that area of the creek before?

Freddy Allison: One time, we found a sack full of chicken claws. That was pretty strange, but it was months ago.

Detective Armstrong: Do you ever see any other people around there?

Freddy Allison: No, sir. I guess we see Mr. Owens down there every now and then, but he wasn't near the creek. We usually just hear him on his tractor in the pasture that's off in the clearing out past the creek. Sometimes, in the winter, there are hunters near there, but I never see them, just hear their guns.

Detective Murphy: Have you seen anybody up around your dad's pasture recently?

Freddy Allison: I saw Mr. Strong. He rents that house down the road from Dad. I was back in the pasture about two weeks ago, maybe, and he was looking at the ground for bugs or something. It looked like he was checking out the cow pies. He flips me off every time he sees me.

Detective Murphy: Did you tell your dad about seeing Mr. Strong?

Freddy Allison: No, ma'am. Sometimes, Dad goes out and stays gone pretty late or for a couple days. I probably just forgot or didn't see him.

Detective Armstrong: Where does he go?

Freddy Allison: I don't know. Mom never will say.

Detective Armstrong: Thanks for your help, Freddy.

Freddy Allison: No problem, sir.

Detective Murphy: Would it be all right if we talk to you again sometime if we think of any more questions we'd like to ask you?

Freddy Allison: Yeah, sure. I guess. If my dad says it's okay.

Interview ended – 1:59 p.m.