It’s always unfortunate when a potentially interesting case of the paranormal is debunked, but it’s also a necessary task to keep the field honest. Unfortunately yet another hoax was confirmed, this one coming out of Texas when a youth reported spotting mysterious creatures during a birthday party.
The incident occurred when a family get together ended with a close encounter of the third kind. Or at least that’s how the story goes. It all began when three children who were the reporter’s niece and two nephews came running into the house claiming to have spotted a mysterious craft hovering low to the ground and witnessed spotting three small beings emerging from the craft and wandering around the property. As the adults in the family exited the house and walked toward the location the children had reported, they noticed the dogs barking and acting strangely. As they approached the location they observed a craft hovering off the ground and a strong smell like mesquite. As they approached the object they observed several mysterious beings picking up rocks and eventually returning to the craft before it took off. The strange incident was more than enough to make believers out of those who observed it, so they claimed. When MUFON looked into the case earlier this year, however, they found it was completely fabricated.
Having reported this case personally it’s unfortunate to learn that it was not real, but the price of scrutinizing so many UFO cases is you will undoubtedly run into your fair share of hoaxes. One of the clues to a hoaxed event is the dramatic nature of it. If witnesses are claiming something happened, look at how they reacted to it and think “how would I have reacted?” If they seem to be motivated by realistic understanding of the world around them, this is evidence of either a finely concocted hoax or possibly there could be more to the story than just a story. In addition, it’s important to look at the information presented. Is it consistent? Do the witnesses know more than they would have had they been observing? A witness should be able to tell you exactly who noticed something as it happened, rather than know information beyond what they would have been capable of knowing. Finally, be sure to examine if their reaction to the incident. Just saying, “I know this sounds crazy, but” is easy enough, but are they genuinely disturbed to the degree that someone would be if seeing something so life changing? It’s an unfortunate correlation that people who see disturbing or life changing events sometimes are left hysterical or not forthcoming about the incidents, but there are ways of telling if the events were the cause or result of their hysteria. And of course it’s always good to ask as many questions as possible to help witnesses relive the events. It was thanks to these techniques and more that MUFON was able to catch a hoaxer in the act and avoid a potential black eye for the field of UFOlogy.