The Kushtaka or “Land Otter Men” are dangerous shapeshifters that can hide in the waters of the Pacific NW disguised as one of nature’s most charismatic animals… the otter. These creatures can steal a person’s soul and change them into a land otter man, preventing them from ever experiencing the afterlife.  

Haunted Inside Passage by Bjorn Dihle includes a chapter covering the Kushtaka in depth: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31416418-haunted-inside-passage   

References for this Episode at: https://sites.google.com/view/haunting-cases-podcast/episodes/episode-49-the-kushtaka-part-1