Varginha UFO incident is the name given to a series of events involving the alleged sighting and capture by the Brazilian military of an extraterrestrial being in Varginha, Brazil, in 1996. Such reports were first broadcast on the Sunday TV showFantástico of Rede Globo, and gathered media coverage worldwide, including an article in The Wall Street Journal. It has since become a well-known case in modern Brazilian ufology. The Brazilian government has officially denied any claims of being involved in the capture of extraterrestrial biological entities, but some theorists claim otherwise, accusing the government of a cover-up. For some the lack of reliable sources is evidence against its actuality; the testimony of unnamed, anonymous "official" individuals are frequently featured. UFO investigator Kevin D. Randle writes that "this case is as complicated as any other in the UFO field." Randle notes that there is a lack of physical evidence supporting the case, and adds, "In fact, we have been unable to verify much of anything." Ufologist Roger Leir of Ventura, California, describing interviews with local witnesses in Ufo Crash in Brazil, surmised that there were two creatures. Allegedly, one had been injured and both were taken to a local medical clinic. The doctors and nurses of the clinic described the creatures and reported unusual occurrences, some apparently paranormal in nature. As a podiatrist, Leir was particularly interested in their feet. The story ends with the removal of the creatures by military personnel.
Overview
The creatures
According to media reports, the creature was first sighted by three women ranging from 14 to 22 years old: sisters Liliane and Valquíria Fátima Silva, and their friend Kátia Andrade Xavier. They allegedly saw the creature in the afternoon of January 20, 1996: A biped about, with a large head and very thin body, with V-shaped feet, brown skin, and large red eyes. It seemed to be wobbly or unsteady, and the girls assumed it was injured or sick. The Silva sisters said they fled and told mother they had seen the "devil". The woman did not believe them up until she went to the area where they had allegedly seen the creature, and smelled a strong ammonia-like odor, and found nothing but its footprints and a dog sniffing the place. After relating their tale to family and friends, rumors began to spread throughout the city regarding UFO sightings and alien creatures being abducted by the military forces. Two days later, another creature was allegedly found lying along a road. Three military trucks were supposedly sent to retrieve it. A similar creature was reportedly seen at the local zoo by its janitor. The following months, three animals mysteriously died.
UFO sightings
Oralina and Eurico de Freitas, owners of a farm in the town, reportedly saw a UFO hovering over their cattle. Oralina was attracted by the sudden agitation in her animals and spotted the flying object after she went to check what was disturbing them. The object supposedly hovered over their field for 40 minutes.
Inquiry
In regard to the wasteland creature, an official inquiry led by the Brazilian military authorities concluded in 2010 that the Silva sisters had actually came across a homeless, mentally unstable man nicknamed "Mudinho" covered in mud, and that the military trucks were operating in their normal schedule that night. The military also stated that the alien seen in the hospital was an expectant dwarf couple.
