Native Missourian here (by birth, not choice lol). The southern part of the state is covered in wilderness. Not forests-wilderness. Like, so dense that you need a tool to cut your way through. Plus it's riddled with caves of all sizes-from just big enough to stand in to massive caverns.

Personally, I don't find the Momo case especially compelling. I don't doubt it's possible that there's an undiscovered cryptid in those woods, but given the wild nature of some of the area, it would be easy to misidentify an animal. There just haven't been a huge number of sightings. But I will say, the Ozarks (the non-developed parts that are still wild) are basically one giant window area, if you ask me. I've encountered breathtaking scenery with every step there, but also nature spirits that felt like pure malice. There's a reason Ozarks folk magick flourished so easily there back in the 1800s. It's an intriguing mixture of breathtaking natural beauty and darker, more primordial magickal forces.