Been tracking big cat sightings across the south-central states for about twelve years now and the Ozarks corridor keeps coming up repeatedly. What people describe is almost always the same - jet black, muscular build, long tail with a slight curve at the tip, moving low and deliberate like it knows exactly where it's going. Not the bouncy gait of a bobcat, not a dog. Something else entirely.
Missouri and Arkansas wildlife authorities will tell you there are no black panthers in North America and technically they're right, melanistic jaguars and cougars do exist though and both species have documented ranges that historically extended much further north than officials like to admit.
The question I always ask witnesses is about the tail length relative to the body. That one detail tends to seperate genuine big cat sightings from misidentified dogs or bears. What did this animal's tail look like and roughly how far from the road were you when you spotted it?