In 1996, in the quiet town of Varginha, Minas Gerais, an unusual event triggered one of the greatest UFO mysteries in history. What appeared to be a simple sighting of a strange being soon transformed into a case filled with enigmas, investigations, theories, and even involvement from national and international authorities.
This is the famous Varginha Case, a landmark in Ufology that attracted the attention of ufologists, military personnel, and the media worldwide. Intrigued? Then, keep reading to understand what really happened and how the story still raises many doubts.
It all started on a summer afternoon, January 20, 1996, when three young women—Kátia Andrade Xavier and sisters Liliane Fátima and Valquíria Aparecida da Silva—encountered a mysterious figure in an abandoned lot in Varginha. After working at a house, they decided to take a shortcut through the area, where they saw a humanoid creature near a wall. Liliane was the first to notice the being, described as crouching and looking strange, and quickly alerted the others. When they looked at the creature, they were startled by its penetrating gaze and ran towards their homes.
However, the story didn't end there. When the sisters told their mother about what they had seen, they mentioned a "devil" they had encountered. Intrigued, their mother went to the location but found nothing except a strange smell and a mark on the ground.
In the following weeks, other witnesses came forward. Oralina and Eurico de Freitas, owners of a farm along BR-491, claimed to have seen a cylindrical gray UFO hovering over their pasture. The object, which seemed damaged, was observed for about 40 minutes before disappearing. The fact that this sighting occurred around the same time as the girls’ encounter did not go unnoticed.
Next, a zoo caretaker reported that the Fire Department had brought a peculiar creature to the zoo, but it was not left there. To add to the mystery, three animals at the zoo mysteriously died in the months following the event.
Amid growing interest, lawyer and ufologist Ubirajara Franco Rodrigues began investigating, soon joined by businessman and ufologist Vitório Pacaccini. Together, they formed a team that attracted the attention of internationally renowned ufologists like John Mack and Stanton Friedman.
Local researchers like Marco Antonio Petit, Edison Boaventura Junior, and Claudeir Covo joined the cause, and prominent journalists such as Luiz Petry, Goulart de Andrade, and Ademar José Gevaerd brought the case to the media, turning Varginha into the center of a global phenomenon. Over the following weeks, more reports surfaced, not only about the creature sighting but also about the increased UFO activity in the region, including various lights seen in the sky before the incident.
The situation took an even more intriguing turn when Brazilian military officials secretly informed that the United States government was monitoring the UFOs spotted in the region via satellites. Moreover, rumors surfaced of a possible military cooperation agreement between Brazil and the U.S.
The case gained a new dimension when it was suggested that, before the girls' sighting, a first capture of an alien creature had occurred. According to witnesses, the Fire Department had captured a strange being with a net, later known as the "Varginha ET." Some sources even suggest that at least two creatures were captured.
According to the accounts of the girls and other witnesses, the creature had an otherworldly appearance: a large bald head, red eyes without pupils, a long black tongue, and three protrusions on its head resembling horns. Its body was brown and dark-skinned, covered in a shiny oily substance, and it had three fingers on its hands and large feet without nails. The creature was about 1.60m tall and emitted a sound similar to a bee's buzz.
However, the case took a more dramatic turn when a military police officer, Marco Eli Chereze, reportedly involved in the creature's capture, died mysteriously just days after the incident. His sister, Marta Tavares, revealed that the autopsy indicated "acute septicemia" caused by toxic substances in Marco’s body, which she believes is related to the creature’s capture.
Months after the incident, Liliane and Valquíria reported being followed by mysterious men and receiving threats to deny what they had seen. Fearing for their safety, the sisters decided to give interviews to the press, which seemingly ended the pursuit.
Investigations revealed that not one but several creatures had been seen in the town, with some even being captured by the military. It became clear that there was a well-organized and secretive military presence in Varginha, with cover-up operations carried out by both Brazilian and American authorities.
Ufologists like Marco Antônio Petit claim there is evidence that, after the crash of an aircraft, extraterrestrial beings were captured and taken to military bases for study. In one of the most shocking reports, an unidentified military source claimed that the bodies of the extraterrestrials were handed over to the United States, where American scientists studied them.
In 2022, American filmmaker James Fox released the documentary Moment of Contact, which revisits the Varginha Case with a new perspective. The production revealed new information, including testimonies from military personnel, doctors, and civilians, who confirmed the presence of extraterrestrial beings in the town and the transportation of the creatures to various military facilities. According to some reports, even videos of the creature’s capture were made but remain classified.
Even after nearly three decades, the mystery of the Varginha Case remains officially unexplained. How did the United States government know in advance about the UFO crash? What happened to the extraterrestrial bodies? The truth behind these events remains shrouded in secrecy, and new investigations may eventually reveal the long-hidden secrets. Until then, Varginha remains one of the greatest UFO mysteries in history, waiting for answers.
