Fifty years ago, on the night of October 11, 1973, a bizarre incident took place in Pascagoula, Mississippi that would become one of the most famous alleged alien abduction cases in history. Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker claimed they were fishing by the Pascagoula River when they were taken aboard an alien spacecraft and subjected to physical examinations by strange creatures.
The case has endured as one of the best-documented alien encounter stories ever, passing lie detector tests and gaining an historical marker at the site of the supposed abduction. Now, five decades later, new witnesses and evidence continue to emerge, shedding more light on what may have really happened that fateful autumn evening. Let’s dive into the details of this captivating case.
Article Key Takeaways
Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker claimed to be abducted by aliens while fishing near Pascagoula, Mississippi on the evening of October 11, 1973.
The men immediately reported the event to the local sheriff and passed polygraph tests. Unusual wounds were found on their bodies.
Investigators uncovered reports of numerous other UFO sightings in the area that same night, including some apparently connected to the abduction.
In recent years, additional witnesses have come forward and new evidence has emerged, including a never-before-seen hypnosis session with Calvin Parker.
While theories abound, the credibility of the witnesses and the consistency of their story still make this one of the most compelling alien abduction cases in history as it reaches its 50th anniversary.
Pascagoula Alien Abduction Case
The Abduction
It was an ordinary night of fishing for 42-year-old Charles Hickson and 19-year-old Calvin Parker until around 9pm when they heard a whirring noise behind them. An oval-shaped, bluish craft landed near the pier. A door opened and out floated three strange beings – about 5 feet tall with wrinkled grey skin, no neck, and long arms ending in pincer-like hands.[^1]
Hickson and Parker found themselves paralyzed. Two of the entities grabbed Hickson, while the third took Parker. They were floated into the craft. Inside, Hickson remembers being scanned by a large mechanical eye and the entities collecting samples. Parker recalls being examined on a table by a female entity while a taller creature watched. After about 20 minutes, they were deposited back on the river bank, watching the craft take off.
Terrified, the men drove straight to the local sheriff’s office to report what happened. Afraid the fantastical story wouldn’t be believed, they initially just asked how to get in touch with officials at nearby Keesler Air Force Base. But Sheriff Fred Diamond and Captain Glenn Ryder were intrigued by the clear fright of these grown men. They left Hickson and Parker alone in an interrogation room secretly equipped with a microphone, hoping to catch them in a lie as they spoke privately. Instead, the “secret tape” captured the men emotionally rehashing what occurred with no indications of fabrication.
Pascagoula Alien Abduction Case
Initial Investigations
Hickson and Parker soon underwent further questioning and polygraph examinations which they passed. They also had a medical checkup where doctors noted an unusual, fresh wound on Hickson’s arm. Within days, Keesler AFB representatives interviewed the men, gathering all the details of their story, which did not waver.
Meanwhile, Sheriff Diamond revealed his office had received several other reports that same evening of UFO sightings in the area around the same time as the alleged abduction.[^7] Among them was a respected local reverend, Emmanuel Sigalas, who saw a blue craft fly over his car.
Media interest ballooned and Hickson seemed to take it in stride. However, the more reserved Parker wanted to avoid the spotlight. He retreated from interviews and even briefly joined the Navy, hoping a military career would help him escape the unwanted attention. In the ensuing years, Hickson occasionally spoke about the event publicly, while Parker largely refused to discuss it until recent years.
New Evidence Emerges
Fascination with the Pascagoula incident never completely faded in UFO research circles. But in the lead-up to the 50th anniversary in 2023, the case suddenly leapt back into focus with a flurry of new developments:
In 2018, a new witness named Maria Blair came forward, claiming she and her husband Jerry had also been abducted that same night across the river from Hickson and Parker. The Blairs kept quiet for decades but wanted the truth known before Jerry passed away from illness.
UFO investigators Philip Mantle and Irena McCammon Scott dug up old police logs confirming at least 50 other reports of UFO sightings the night of the event, including some by additional witnesses to the Hickson-Parker encounter like the reverend Emmanuel Sigalas.
An old audio recording resurfaced of Hickson describing the aliens’ appearance in great detail for a 1973 45rpm record.
Most notably, Calvin Parker agreed to undergo regressive hypnosis for the first time in years, with video footage of him tearfully recounting disturbing physical procedures the aliens performed on him.[^13] Under hypnosis, he recalled fighting back against the entities at one point.
Mantle also gained access to two boxes of Hickson’s personal case files and correspondence, including previously unseen sketches Hickson made of the alien craft and beings.
All of this and more has been compiled in a comprehensive new book by Mantle and Scott titled “Beyond Reasonable Doubt,” which aims to definitively document the Pascagoula incident, with Parker’s cooperation and blessing in his final years as his health declines.
The authors present the evidence and leave it to readers to draw their own conclusions.
Theories and Explanations
Like any major alleged alien encounter, the Pascagoula case has attracted its share of skeptical scrutiny over the years. Debunkers have proposed various possibilities, such as that Hickson and Parker may have seen a top-secret military aircraft, experienced a shared hallucination, or simply fabricated the story for notoriety.
However, most researchers find the duo’s visceral, consistent reactions hard to square with a hoax. Parker in particular seems deeply haunted by the events. Why maintain a lie for 50 years, they ask, especially while actively shunning the limelight?
If Hickson and Parker’s account is accepted at face value, their story shares common elements with some other famous alleged abductions, like Barney and Betty Hill. The physical examinations, biological sample taking, and pregnancy focus with female abductees like Maria Blair align with narratives of aliens conducting a genetic study or hybridization effort with humans.
On the other hand, some aspects seem atypical, like how the entities in Pascagoula were apparently able and willing to sedate their captives into calmness before departing. Ultimately, short of the emergence of even more explosive evidence, the true nature of what happened that night will likely remain a mystery.
The Pascagoula Alien Abduction Case: 50 Years Later — Source: youtube
Conclusion & Final Thoughts
A half-century later, the Pascagoula abduction still stands as a landmark case in UFO history. While opinions remain divided, it continues to tantalize thanks to the credibility of the initial eyewitnesses, the immediacy and consistency of their reports to authorities, and the steady drip of new evidence and testimony that has accumulated over five decades.
Regardless of what really occurred, the story clearly left an indelible mark on Charles Hickson, Calvin Parker, and anyone else who may have been swept up in the events of that fateful night. As Parker and the last living witnesses reach the end of their lives, they seem intent on ensuring a full accounting of the fantastic tale is preserved for posterity before it’s too late. The truth, as they say, is out there.
