Screaming or howling in Douglas County, Nebraska

We live near Omaha, Nebraska. I am speaking on behalf of my mother. My mother first saw this "thing " when she was 10 years old. You have to understand the way the neighborhood we live in is set up. The house my mother lived in when she was 10 is less than a quarter mile away from the house that she lives in today. All of the yards in that neighborhood sort of connect with somewhat of a gully in the middle. The first time my mother had any knowledge of the thing, her sister and her were swinging on a double tire swing in her backyard. The next thing my mother knew, her sister had jumped off the swing and was running and screaming. My mom didn't know what to do, so she ran after her sister into the house. Her sister was hysterical saying she saw something in the back wooded area of their yard. I guess my grandpa did find some sort of large footprints. This was the first incident. The next incident was when my mom was outside her house when she was young. She saw a large thing covered in hair walking across her driveway. My mom told me that the "thing" walked almost as if it was bo-legged. She also said it's shoulders moved from side to side as it walked. Now my mother lives in the house I grew up in. As recently as two weeks ago, something has been seen in my mother's back yard. It hasn't only been seen by my mother, but also by my sister who frequently stays at my mom's house. About three years ago (April of 2002) is when my mom had her most vivid and frightening encounter with the "thing". She was letting our dogs out in the backyard and they both went barreling towards the fence surrounding our yard barking. My mom walked out in the yard, thinking nothing other than the dogs were just being dogs, and was standing waiting for them to use the bathroom. It was then when she noticed something moving in the next yard. She said it was about seven feet tall and standing behind a tree. She said as fast as the dogs had ran up to the fence to bark, they were running back to the house yelping. My mom said she froze. She always tells me the fear that she feels when she sees this "thing" is overwhelming. She said it then "leaped" from behind one tree to another. That's when she started running. She said she looked behind her and it was now coming forward towards her. She ran in the house and locked the doors. My mom lives in a brick house and she has also told me that on occasion she will hear something that sounds like something beating or throwing itself up against the side of her house. My mom is completely afraid of this "thing". We would really like someone to contact us or something. My mom doesn't really talk about this to anyone because she feels that they'd all think she was crazy. We don't know what to do but we do need some help or advice.