Murder: True Crime Stories - MYSTERY: The Beast of Gévaudan, Man or Monster?

Episode Date: March 20, 2026

In this episode of Murder: True Crime Stories, Carter Roy investigates the Beast of Gévaudan, one of the most infamous unsolved mysteries in true crime history. Between 1764 and 1767, a series of brutal attacks terrorized the rural French province of Gévaudan, leaving dozens of men, women, and children dead. Witnesses described a massive wolf-like creature with unusual features, sparking panic, superstition, and a nationwide manhunt ordered by King Louis XV. Professional hunters, local militias, and royal forces all attempted to track and kill the beast, turning the case into an international sensation. When a hunter named Jean Chastel claimed to have finally slain the creature, the killings stopped, but the mystery only deepened. Was the Beast of Gévaudan a rogue wolf, multiple animals, a serial killer, or something else entirely? If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Murder True Crime Stories to never miss a case! For Ad-free listening and early access to episodes, subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Murder True Crime Stories is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios 🎧 Need More to Binge?  Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Crimes Of…, Serial Killers & Murderous Minds, Crime House 24/7, and more wherever you get your podcasts! Follow me on Social Instagram: @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios YouTube: @murdertruecrimestories To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it's Carter. If you're enjoying murder, true crime stories, there's a new crime house show for you to check out. It's called The Final Hours hosted by Sarah Turney and Courtney Nicole. Sarah is an advocate for missing and murdered victims whose own sister disappeared in 2001. And Courtney is a true crime storyteller who has seen firsthand how crime can change a family forever. Together, they bring lived experience to every case, examining the moment. moments just before a person disappears, the routines, the timelines, the small details that often get overlooked, because every disappearance has a moment where everything still feels normal until it doesn't. Listen to and follow the final hours on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon music, or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes drop every Monday. This is Crime House.

Yellow eyes, huge fangs, razor-sharp claws, and a killer who seemed to vanish into thin air. We've all heard the saying, better the devil you know than the devil you don't. Well, that's not always the case. From 1764 to 1767, a strange creature terrorized the French province, a Jevedon. It attacked at a moment's notice and left no evidence behind except the brutalized bodies

of its victims. The people of Jevadon spent three years hunting the beast. A few managed to escape its clutches. Even the King of France got involved. But taking down the beast was easier said than done. No one could agree on what it looked like

or where to find it. The only thing they knew for sure was that it was massive and deadly. In the centuries since, this terrifying creature has turned into a legend. The spooky story you tell around the campfire. But I can tell you one thing for certain. The beast was very real, and no one was off limits. This is the beast, Ojevodon. People's lives are like a story.

There's a beginning, a middle, and an end. But you don't always know which part you're on. Sometimes the final chapter arrives far too soon, and we don't always get to know the real ending. I'm Carter Roy, and this is Murder, True Crime Stories, a Crime House original powered by Pave Studios. New episodes come on every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Thank you for being part of the Crimehouse community.

please rate, review, and follow the show, and for early, add free access to every episode, subscribe to Crimehouse Plus on Apple Podcasts. Welcome back to another episode of Murder Mystery Fridays, where I'm covering unsolved cases with questions that I cannot get out of my head, the ones where the evidence points in multiple directions, and every theory feels like a possibility. Today, I'm talking about a story that keeps me up. at night, the Beast of Juvedan. For three years, the people of France were terrorized by a mysterious

animal known only as the beast. Some swore it looked like a dog. Others said it was a lion or a wolf. Whatever it was, it hunted with purpose, fed without hesitation, and left an entire community utterly terrified. From 1764 to 1767, The beast claimed anywhere from 100 to 300 victims. It's a case that makes you wonder, how do you defend yourself from evil you can't define? All that and more coming up. In the mid-1700s, France was going through some pretty big changes.

It was a major player in European politics with a growing population that was making all sorts of scientific advancements. But internally, things were a mess. The feudal system was in full swing, which meant it was almost impossible to move into a higher social or financial class, especially if you were one of the millions of people living in the countryside. And the rural province of Jevodon was no different. Located in south-central France, this area was full of dense, dark forests, scattered farms, and just a few roads.

The people of Jevodon made a living by herding cattle, goats, and sheep. They foraged for food and lived in small stone houses, and they paid a boatload in taxes, which ensured they stayed poor. The capital, Paris, was hundreds of miles away, so the local bishop was the one who handled any issues or disagreements. But geography wasn't the only thing keeping Louis Villefifier. from intervening in local affairs. Starting in 1756, he'd been dealing with the seven years war.

France was going head to head with Great Britain over land disputes in North America. Over a million French citizens had fought in the conflict, with many coming from remote provinces like Jevodon. When the war didn't end well for France, it lost most of its territory in North America. But by 1763, at least the fighting was over. The people of Jevodon could breathe a sigh of relief. But that sense of calm was short-lived, because just a year later,

they came face to face with a new enemy, and it was more terrifying than any global superpower. On June 30th, 1764, 14-year-old, old Jean Boulet was shepherding her flock of sheep back to her family's farm. She was looking forward to getting home and settling in for a nice calm evening. But then somewhere far down the path, she saw something. It wasn't exactly a dog or a wolf. Whatever it was was a lot bigger and scarier, and it was running straight at her. Jen screamed and turned around toward her flock. She tried to weave through the sheep, hoping the animal might go after one of them instead,

but its eyes stayed trained on her. Before Jeanne knew it, she felt the weight of the beast, bringing her down to the ground. The sounds of Jeanne's screaming echoed down the hill toward town. A group of concerned neighbors rushed up the path to see what had happened. They found a bloodbath. Jeanne's throat had been ripped apart, her abdomen torn open, flesh stripped from limbs. There was no doubt about it. Jeanne was dead.

But there was no sign of who or what had done this to her. Based on the state of Jeanne's body, her neighbors knew her attacker wasn't human. It must have been some sort of crazed animal, but it left no evidence behind. No paw prints, no tufts of fur, just the blood-stained grass and Jen's mangled body. It wasn't long until news of Jen's death spread through Juvedon, and eventually the townsfolk realized this wasn't the first time something like this had happened in Jevodon. Just a few months before Jeanne's death, another young woman had come back from the fields in a panic. She talked about a horrifying creature that had tried,

to attack her while she was tending to her cattle. She managed to escape with her life, but the memory of it still haunted her. When people in Javadon made the connection to Jen, they started to wonder. Had both young women been attacked by the same creature? Residents searched the nearby woods for any sign of the animal, but found nothing. So they rode it off as a strange coincidence. and for two blissful months, the town of Givodon went back to normal. Jen's brutal death seemed just like a memory, that is, until August 1764.

Just six miles away from where Jean-Boulet was killed, another young girl named Marianne went missing. It was the middle of the day, and she was working the fields nearby when she vanished. A search party went into the surrounding woods to look for her. After a little while, they spotted shreds of cloth scattered on the forest floor. They followed the scraps until eventually it led them to Marianne. Like Jen, her throat had been slashed and her entrails devoured. And like last time, there was no sign of the animal responsible. But clearly, this creature didn't go far.

because two days later, it happened again. A 15-year-old girl was found brutalized, her neck ripped apart by what appeared to be a wild animal. Later that month, on August 30th, the creature struck once more. This time, the victim was a young boy who'd been tending to his cattle. At that point, it seemed like a pattern had emerged. All the victims were children, and they'd all been here. killed in the exact same way. And there are some conflicting reports about the state of the bodies.

Some say the animal just ripped them apart, but others claim their abdomens were torn open and their internal organs were removed. People in this camp say the animal fully feasted on its victims. And discrepancies like these are common in older cases, especially in a place like Juvedon, where most people were illiterate and there were no formal autopsies. Typically, the local priest would just take a look at the body, record their death, and then the victim would be buried. But the people of Juvedon didn't need a coroner to tell them something very dangerous was hunting them. So they gave this mysterious creature a name, the beast.

As Samar gave way to fall in 1764, a man named Etienne Lefant sat alone in his dim office in Juvedon. Etienne was the regional representative for the Bishop of Monde. Part of his job was keeping the parish record updated. That day, he added yet another name to the list, another victim of the beast of Jevodon. Etienne had been hearing about the horrifying animal attacks for months now. He estimated that Gen Boulaye was the first of at least a dozen victims, and Etienne was confident he knew exactly what this horrifying creature was. A wolf.

He planned a right to the region's most powerful families to tell them about the killer in their midst. That way they could encourage the people of Jevadan to band together to try to hunt and kill this wolf. But before sending out any letters, Etienne decided to get a second opinion from the Bishop of Monde himself. Etienne got up from his desk and walked across the hall to the bishop's office. He was the wisest person Etienne knew. If anyone had advice on how to move forward, it was him. But when Etienne told the bishop, he wanted to assemble a group of men to kill the wolf, the elderly man paused. Then the bishop said, no wolf leaves bodies like this, no, this beast is no creature of forest or field. For a moment, the two men stood in silence.

Until finally, the bishop continued. He explained that this creature wasn't a wolf or a dog. In fact, it wasn't of this world. According to the bishop, this creature was an agent of divine wrath. The bishop's revelation certainly complicated things for Etienne, but he still felt like the best solution was to simply hunt the beast down. So he went ahead with his plans and wrote to all the noble families in Juvedantan. He suggested they formed several different hunting parties to find and kill the beast. Etienne hoped that this way they could take care of the problem before it reached any more areas of the province,

and before the beast could claim any more victims. Unfortunately for Etienne and so many others, that was easier said than done, because the beast wasn't going away just yet. and the next time it attacked, it would make the people of Jevodon question everything they thought they knew. On September 7, 1764, a 36-year-old woman stepped out of her house to wander through her garden. Unfortunately, we don't know this woman's name,

but we do know she was a local herbalist. Some people even called her a witch. Her garden was right outside her door, and it was full of herbs and plants that could be used for all kinds of tinctures and homemade remedies. She bent down to pick a few sprigs of rosemary when suddenly her hair stood on end. She felt something staring at her from behind, but she couldn't bring herself to turn to face it. Instead, she stood up. She gripped the bundle of herbs in one hand and began to perform the sign of the cross with the other.

but before she could finish, the beast pounced. You can probably guess what happened next. The herbalist was attacked, just like the others, her body mangled, and her inside strewn on the ground. But after she was found, the people of Jevodon realized two things. One, this creature didn't just prey on children. It would kill anyone it could. could, and two, it wasn't just hunting out in the fields or near the woods. It had no issues attacking right next to someone's house in broad daylight,

which meant no one was safe. After the herbalist was killed, the search for the beast ramped up. Groups of noblemen began to scour the countryside looking for the creature. During Sunday Mass, the local priest even told his congregation that whoever took down the beast would get a hefty reward. With money on their minds, more and more men grabbed their rifles and headed into the woods. The rest of the town waited with bated breath and hoped good news was coming their way. And on September 20th, 1764, their prayers were answered, or so they thought. A group of men had been out in the forest looking for the beast when they came upon a massive wolf.

They didn't hesitate to shoot and kill it. They dragged the corpse back to town, their faces shining with pride, as promised they were each given a reward. 18 livres, nearly half a year's wages at the time. For a moment, it seemed like the saga. was over the people of givodon could breathe again but just nine days later they realized the truth the beast was still very much alive and it had claimed another victim on the scene was exactly the same throat torn abdomen split organs devoured a couple days later the beast struck again and again And again, it's hard to know the exact number of victims during this time, but by January of 1765,

it was probably in the dozens, and people were panicking. More groups of local men comb the countryside, hoping to finally bring the reign of terror to an end. Nearly 50 different hunting parties went out to look for the beast during this period, but it was always one step ahead of them. If a search party focused on one part of the woods, the beast would simply move to another. And soon, the attacks weren't just happening in the town of Jevardal. They spread all over the province.

Even worse, they were getting more violent. Many victims were still found with their throats ripped out, but now others were completely disres. decapitated. As the death toll rose, rumors spread like wildfire, people started saying the beast wasn't a normal animal. It was supernatural. Some claimed they saw it walking on its hind legs. Others said it was literally bulletproof, that the bullets would just ricochet off its fur. There were even rumors that if someone did manage to kill the beast, it would come back from the dead. hungrier than ever. These stories turned the beast into a kind of boogeyman, a creature made of

pure evil who could be anywhere at any time. In a lot of ways, they were right. This creature wasn't just deadly, it was clever, too. And for a while, it seemed like the beast would come out on top. The people of Javadon were completely at its mercy. But then something totally unexpected happened. Someone actually fought off the beast. And it wasn't one of the hunters. It was a 10-year-old boy. Hey, it's Carter.

If you are enjoying murder true crime stories, there's a new crime house show for you to check out. It's called The Final Hour. and it's hosted by Sarah Turney and Courtney Nicole. Sarah is an advocate for missing and murdered victims whose sister disappeared in 2001. And Courtney is a true crime storyteller and investigator who witnessed firsthand how crime can change a family forever.

Together, they bring lived experience to every case looking not only at what happened, but what led up to it. Each episode examines the moments just before a person disappeared. the routines, the timelines, and the small details that often get overlooked, because every disappearance has a moment where everything still feels normal. A text that doesn't raise concern, a routine that goes unchanged, a door that closes just like it always has, until it doesn't. The final hours puts those moments under a microscope, because when it comes to justice, there's no such thing, as over-analyzing.

Listen to and follow the final hours on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen. New episodes every Monday. On January 12th, 1765, 10-year-old Jacques Portafei was tending to his family's cattle. That day, seven of his friends were helping out. They were between the ages of 8 and 12, and all lived in Jevodon. It was freezing out, but Jacques was having a good. good time, laughing and joking around. That all changed when he spotted a shadowy creature racing up the hill. It was too big to be a dog and too strange to be a wolf. Its fur looked reddish,

and it had a dark stripe running down its back. For a moment, Jacques was spellbound by the creature, but as the beast got closer, he yelled out to his friends. He told them to hide behind the cows and to use them as shields. The kids scrambled around, but the beast was too fast. It circled the group, its mouth open to reveal two huge fangs and saliva dripping down its fur. In a flash, it lunged forward and grabbed one of the boys. It latched onto his neck and pulled him to the ground. The other kids gasped in horror, but they stood their ground.

they were going to fight to save their friend. They grabbed the sticks they were playing with earlier and raced over to the creature, stabbing and swinging at it as hard as they could. One kid landed a blow on the beast's jaw, another on its ribs. This disoriented the creature just enough for it to loosen its grip,

dropping the young boy on the ground. He scrambled free and ran to join the others, clutching his bleeding neck. At that moment, Jacques decided this beast wouldn't claim any more lives. He started yelling out orders, telling his friends to form a circle around the creature and keep prodding it with their sticks. They did as they were told, striking the creature and calling it any names they could think of. They fought and fought, refusing to back down.

But somehow the beast managed to get away. It vanished into the trees, leaving the eight children terrified and breathless buts alive. Up until this point, crossing paths with the beast was basically a death sentence. That all changed with Jacques Bortefe and his friends. News of their heroic escapes spread across Juvedant, France, and all the way to the palace of Versailles. By then, King Louis XIV had already heard whispers about the beast,

that was terrorizing south central France. Like everyone else, he was shocked by the sheer number of deaths in such a short time. So when he heard about Jacques's bravery, King Louis XIV rewarded the young boy with a full education, all expenses paid by the crown. But this story of heroism and survival didn't last long because the beast wasn't dead yet. and he was still hungry for blood.

When the killings didn't end, the king decided it was finally time to get involved. On January 27, 1765, he announced that the crown would increase the reward for capturing the beast to 6,000 livres, more than $800,000 in today's money. With this new, outrageously high reward in place, Jevodong basically became the spot to be.

Thousands of hunters traveled to the province in search of the creature. By this point, the beast had killed at least 47 people. And it wasn't long until news of the murder spree spread beyond France. The newspapers all over Europe and even the American colonies started reporting on the creature. With so much attention on the story, rumors started to spread. There were tons of supposed sightings, dozens of alleged slings, and yet no one had proof, which meant the beast was still out there. But it seemed like maybe the creature was finally getting tired.

On August 11, 1765, a 19-year-old woman named Marie Jean Valet was crossing a river with her sister, when out of nowhere an enormous starling creature jumped out from the underbrush. The animal was gray and white striped with a large head and terrifying teeth. You might be thinking, this sounds a lot different from Jacques's description. That was pretty common when it came to the beast. It seemed like everyone who came across it remembered it differently. One possible explanation is trauma. Our senses are heightened when we're in fight or flight.

If you come face to face with a beast that wants to disemallow you, then you're probably not thinking about what it looks like. You're just focused on getting away. Another possibility is that there was more than one beast, or that it could somehow change its appearance. Whatever the beast looked like, Marie Jeanne was absolutely terrified when it jumped out in front of her, but she was prepared.

She'd brought a makeshift spear on her journey, made out of a stick with a bayonet tied onto it. The moment she saw the creature lunging for her, Marie Jeanne grabbed her weapon. Before the beast could land on her, she stabbed it in the chest, bringing it down into the frothing water. She and her sister started screaming for help,

all while keeping an eye on the creature, Casea tried to attack them again, but the beast had been badly injured. It didn't fight as the water dragged it downstream. Like Jacques before her, Marie Jeanne was seen as a hero. Actually, she became so famous that people compared her to a modern-day Joan of Arc. You can even visit a statue of her in the city of Uver. And despite her bravery, the beast was still out there, and the country was still terrified. Louis the 15th even sent his own hunters to the province to help with the search.

No stone was left unturned, no corner of the forest left unexplored. They were certain that someone would finally bring down the creature. And on September 20th, 1765, someone did. At least they said they did. According to the king's gunbearer, Francois Antoine, he shot and killed an enormous wolf that he assumed to be the beast. The crown was more than willing to believe him. They rewarded Francois handsomely, showering him with money and royal titles. The animal itself was stuffed and brought to the royal court as a symbol of Francois's heroism. King Louis XIV might have gotten ahead of himself, though, because just two months later, the attacks continued, and they were just as intense as before.

By then, it seemed like the king had enough of this mysterious creature. Although these accounts were well documented, he refused to believe the beast was still alive. In his mind, Francois had killed the animal, and that was that. But the people of Jevodon had suffered enough to know better. They knew the beast was still out there. And if the king's men wouldn't help them, they would have to rely on their own community to finish the job. Unfortunately, stopping the beast for good

would take another two years. In that time, another 30 people died. Like I mentioned, it's hard to know the exact death toll. it could have been anywhere from 100 to 300 victims. With each new killing, the hunt only grew more desperate. But it wasn't until June 19, 1767, three years after the first recorded kill, that these attacks finally stopped.

And it was all thanks to a man named Jean Chastel. That day, Jean was treading through the woods near Montmuchet in Jevoudon, he was determined to succeed where so many others had failed. Jean was hell-bent on slaying the beast, even if he died in the process. He moved carefully between the trees, musket at the ready, his hunting dogs at his side. As he pushed deeper into the forest, something changed. The birds stopped chirping, the insects stopped buzzing. Everything fell quiet.

The air felt thicker, and Jean had this sudden urge to run. Even his dogs whimpered. Something was not right. That's when Jean realized he was no longer the hunter. He was being hunted. Jean looked around trying to calm his nerves. He kept his eyes peeled in his musket at the ready. Then suddenly he heard the snap of a twig.

The sound sliced through the silence. like a blade. Jean jerked his musket up to his shoulder as one of his dogs ran towards him, its tail tucked and trembling. Behind the dog, hot on its heels, something emerged, an enormous, terrifying animal. It was almost like a wolf, but unbelievably large. Jean was so close that he could see its glittering teeth, each one like a perfectly sharpened knife. Jean knew right away, this was the beast. The creature ran toward him, then skidded to a halt, its huge claws tearing into the earth, then it turned to face John.

Its yellow eyes were fixed on him as its lips curled back into a snarl, ready for its next meal. But Jean had been waiting for this moment. He swallowed his fear, aimed his gun. and fired. Jean shot the animal in the throat, severing its trachea. The creature tried to stand, but it was already losing so much blood that it collapsed back onto the ground. And after a few moments, it was dead.

After killing the animal, Jean loaded it onto a horse and took it to be autopsied at a nobleman's castle. Once and for all, the people. of Jevodon would know what kind of terrible creature had been using their community as a feeding ground. But this is where things got complicated. By 1767, The Beast had become a nationwide legend, and news of Jean's killing quickly spread through the region. By the time Jean arrived at the nobleman's castle, a crowd had gathered outside. everyone wanted a piece of the beast.

Literally, the people in the crowd had shown up with knives, and they cut off entire chunks of the beast in a mix of fury and curiosity. According to records, the beast's remains had been thoroughly butchered and destroyed by the time they reached the dissection table, so it was impossible to determine what kind of animal it actually was. but there's no shortage of theories. Some people think the beast was a wolf, a pack of wolves, or a lion that escaped from an aristocrat's private zoo.

But others think the creature was more supernatural. Certain retellings of the story say Jean didn't kill the beast with a regular gun, with normal ammunition, that instead he killed the creature with a silver bullet, which is where the whole supernatural element comes in. According to some people, The Beast, sounds a lot like a werewolf. The stories about it are pretty similar to legends of werewolves,

incredibly strong, bloodthirsty creatures that brutalize their victims. And just like what happened with the Beast, some people think the only way to kill a werewolf is with a silver. for bullet. But other theories have gone in the opposite direction. They think that maybe there was a human serial killer in the area who made it seem like their victims were attacked by an animal. And then there's a theory that combines both of these elements. Apparently, John Chastell's son, Antoine, had recently returned to the Javudan region right before the attacks began. and he brought a large dog-like creature,

that he'd supposedly trained to attack people. Some people described it like a hyena, and apparently people really didn't like Antoine. They thought he was strange, maybe even dangerous. So there's this whole theory that Antoine and his killer pets were actually responsible for the attacks, that Antoine was some sadistic serial killer, who used his violent animal to do the killing,

and that when Jean caught wind of it, he killed the beast. Whatever the truth is, Jean Chastel was definitely the person who saved the town once and for all. And all these years later, the beast of Jevodon is told like a scary story, because that beast might be dead, but there's no telling if someday another beast. might return stronger, angrier, and hungrier than ever before.

Thanks so much for listening. I'm Carter Roy, and this is Murder. True Crime Stories. Come back next time for the story of another murder and all the people it affected. Murder True Crime Stories is a Crime House original powered by Pave Studios here at Crime House. We want to thank each and every one of you for your support. If you like what you heard today, reach out on social media at Crime House on TikTok and Instagram. Don't forget to rate, review, and follow Murder True Crime Stories wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback truly makes a difference. And to enhance your Murder True Crime Stories listening experience, subscribe to Crime House Plus on Apple Podcasts.

You'll get every episode early and ad-free. We'll be back on Tuesday. Murder True Crime Stories is hosted by me, Carter Roy, and is a Crime House original powered by Pave Studios. This episode was brought to life by the Murder True Crime Stories team, Max Cutler, Ron Shapiro, Alex Benadon, Natalie Pertzowski, Lori Marinelli, Georgia Hampton, Sarah Camp, and Russell Nash. Thank you for listening. Hi, it's Carter. If you love Murder, True Crime Stories, check you. out the new Crime House original about disappearances. The Final Hours, hosted by Sarah Turney and Courtney Nicole.

Listen and follow The Final Hours on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes drop every Monday.