The same happened here in North Dakota, with the claims filed under 'anecdotal evidence' (IOW, generally poo-poohed), until someone brought in a dead cougar.
For the uninitiated, these are beautiful, sneaky, nasty and deadly critters. There is a reason they were eliminated from inhabited areas, like many other predators who will view a human as a hot lunch in a pinch.
Ditto here in MO.
Apparently, some type of large cat was “reintroduced into the area”, without telling anyone they were doing it, and then it was denied by the DNR that there were any cats other than housecats out near the lake area. Worked pretty good until people started catching them in traps.