Narrator: THERE ARE GLOBAL PHENOMENA
THAT SCIENCE CANNOT EXPLAIN --
TRUE STORIES THAT DEFY RATIONAL EXPLANATION.
IN THE FOOTHILLS OF THE ANDES,
SOMETHING CRASHES INTO THE MOUNTAINSIDE,
SCORCHING A GREAT SWATCH OF EARTH.
THEN A CIGAR-SHAPED OBJECT GLIDES OVER A SMALL TOWN.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT THIS AREA
THAT HAS TERRIFIED RESIDENTS WATCHING THE SKIES?
[ WOMAN SCREAMS ]
IN A WEST VIRGINIA TOWN ALONG THE MUDDY OHIO RIVER,
AN URBAN LEGEND LOOMS LARGE.
WHERE'D HE GO?
I DON'T KNOW.
DO THESE GLOWING EYES BELONG TO THE MOTHMAN
WAITING IN THE SHADOWS, PREDICTING DOOM?
Hipes: IT WAS TRYING TO WARN EVERYBODY
THAT SOMETHING WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.
Narrator: OR IS THE ENTIRE TOWN BEWITCHED BY DELUSION?
[ GROWLS ]
AND IMAGINE A DISEASE SO STRANGE, SO RARE...
Casey: I NOTICED THESE BIZARRE FILAMENTS
COMING OUT OF THE LESIONS.
Narrator: ...MOST EXPERTS
REFUSE TO BELIEVE IT'S A DISEASE AT ALL,
BUT THESE PAINFUL SORES WITH PROTRUDING FIBERS
TELL A DIFFERENT STORY.
COULD THIS REPULSIVE MALADY
REACH BEYOND THE UNDERSTANDING OF SCIENCE
TO THE VERY DEPTHS OF SPACE?
THIS BACTERIA MIGHT BE A SPECIES
THAT'S JUST NEVER BEEN OBSERVED BEFORE.
Narrator: NEW INVESTIGATIONS QUESTION
UNEXPLAINED HAPPENINGS AND OTHERWORLDLY EVENTS.
Woman: WHAT IS -- OH, MAN.
IT'S HOVERING! IT'S NOT AN AIRCRAFT!
Narrator: FIRSTHAND TESTIMONY AND FRESH EVIDENCE
BUILD NEW POSSIBILITIES.
Man: NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THAT IN MY LIFE.
AND IT JUST DISAPPEARED INTO THIN AIR.
IT WASN'T FROM THIS PLANET.
MY ARMS WERE JUST ON FIRE.
Narrator: RETHINK EVERYTHING YOU THINK YOU KNOW.
-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
THE FORMIDABLE ANDES MOUNTAIN RANGE
IN NORTHERN ARGENTINA
IS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL SITES IN THE WORLD.
AND AT ITS BASE LIES ONE OF THE MOST HUMBLE --
THE FRONTIER TOWN OF JOAQUíN V. GONZáLEZ
IN THE PROVINCE OF SALTA.
Wierzbicki: [ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
Interpreter: A SMALL TOWN,
A SMALL PLACE WHERE YOU WOULDN'T GO ON HOLIDAY.
JUST SIMPLE PEOPLE, SIMPLE HOUSES, SIMPLE LIFE.
Narrator: BUT A PAIR OF PERPLEXING EVENTS
SEPARATED BY 14 YEARS
LOOMS LARGE OVER THIS SLEEPY TOWN.
IS THIS REMOTE VILLAGE A BEACON FOR ALIEN VISITORS?
IT'S JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT, NOVEMBER 25, 2009.
Daniel: [ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
Interpreter: I WAS RETURNING HOME
AFTER DINNER WITH SOME FRIENDS.
SUDDENLY, I LOOKED UP TO THE SKY AND SAW THIS VERY LONG OBJECT.
MUST HAVE BEEN AS LONG AS A TRUCK.
Navarro: [ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
Interpreter: I WAS ABOUT TO GO INTO MY MOTHER'S HOUSE
WHEN I SAW A HUGE LIGHT IN THE SKY.
NONE OF US HAD A CLUE WHAT IT WAS.
[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
Interpreter: IT WAS BETWEEN THESE TWO LAMP POSTS,
AND IT WAS ABOUT THIS SIZE.
Narrator: ISOLATED UFO SIGHTINGS ARE FREQUENTLY CLAIMED.
IT'S EASY FOR AN INDIVIDUAL'S IMAGINATION TO TRUMP REALITY.
BUT THIS TIME,
THE SCALE OF EYEWITNESSES IS UNPRECEDENTED.
MORE THAN 30 PEOPLE
WATCH THE SAME STRANGE, HOVERING OBJECT OVER SALTA --
ONE OF THE LARGEST MASS SIGHTINGS EVER RECORDED.
Perez: [ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
Interpreter: IT WAS VERY BRIGHT, LONG, AND SHAPED LIKE A CIGAR.
Navarro: [ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
Interpreter: I SAW A CIGAR-SHAPED OBJECT
EMITTING AN INCANDESCENT LIGHT
WHICH SEEMED TO BLINK FROM TIME TO TIME.
Narrator: THE OBJECT HOVERS ABOUT 1,000 FEET ABOVE THE TOWN.
15 MINUTES LATER, IT MOVES SOUTH THEN DISAPPEARS.
AS IT DOES SO, THE TOWN LOSES ALL POWER.
Navarro: [ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
Interpreter: EVERYTHING WENT PITCH BLACK.
ALL YOU COULD HEAR WERE VOICES,
BUT THE OBJECT HAD ALREADY DISAPPEARED.
Narrator: SEVERAL HOURS LATER, JUST BEFORE DAWN,
THE POWER FLICKERS BACK TO LIFE.
Navarro: [ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
Interpreter: NO ONE KNEW WHAT CAUSED THE POWER CUT.
ONE SUGGESTION WAS THE OBJECT HAD CAUSED
THE SUDDEN LOSS OF ELECTRICAL POWER.
Narrator: COULD THE CIGAR-SHAPED OBJECT
REALLY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR KNOCKING OUT THE TOWN'S POWER?
OR IS IT A COINCIDENCE?
LOCAL JOURNALIST DANIEL BARBOZA
CALLS THE ELECTRIC COMPANY FOR ANSWERS.
Barboza: [ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
Interpreter: AN ENGINEER TOLD US, "TO BE HONEST,
"WE CANNOT FIND ANY TECHNICAL ISSUES
THAT MAY HAVE CAUSED THIS BLACKOUT."
Narrator: DESPITE MORE THAN 30 WITNESSES
AND AN INEXPLICABLE POWER LOSS,
NO GOVERNMENT INVESTIGATION
ATTEMPTS TO EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENS THAT NIGHT.
LOCALS ARE LEFT TO DRAW THEIR OWN CONCLUSIONS.
Interpreter: MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS, "IT MUST BE A UFO."
BUT IT CAN'T BE. I DON'T BELIEVE IN THESE THINGS.
Narrator: THE UFO DEBATE CUTS DEEP,
NOT JUST BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF EYEWITNESSES
BUT ALSO BECAUSE IT'S NOT THE FIRST TIME
THE DEBATE HAS RAGED IN SALTA.
TONY GALVAGNO RECALLS THE TOWN'S FIRST RUN-IN
WITH WHAT HE BELIEVES WERE VISITORS FROM ABOVE
BACK IN 1995.
TODAY, HE RECOUNTS THE STORY TO HIS SON.
Tony: [ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
Interpreter: IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL DAY.
SUDDENLY, WE FELT TWO EXPLOSIONS,
ONE AFTER THE OTHER.
[ EXPLOSION ]
TWO SECONDS LATER, WE FELT THE GROUND SHAKE.
[ RUMBLING, DISHES CLATTERING ]
Narrator: TONY IS CONVINCED
THERE'S ONLY ONE EXPLANATION FOR THE EXPLOSION AND TREMOR --
A PLANE CRASH.
HE IMMEDIATELY CALLS THE POLICE.
Interpreter: LOCAL POLICE CHIEF INFORMED ME
THAT THERE WERE NO REPORTS OF A MISSING PLANE.
Narrator: HOSPITALS, THE MILITARY,
AND OTHER EMERGENCY SERVICES
ALL DISMISS THE IDEA OF A PLANE CRASH.
Interpreter: SOMETHING VERY STRANGE WAS HAPPENING.
Narrator: BUT GALVAGNO IS SO SURE
SOMETHING HAS CRASHED ON A NEARBY MOUNTAIN
THAT HE DECIDES TO TAKE ACTION.
Interpreter: WE HAD TO FIND THE FALLEN OBJECT,
WHATEVER IT WAS,
IN CASE THERE WERE ANY SURVIVORS.
Narrator: GALVAGNO SETS OUT FOR A THOROUGH SEARCH
OF THE CERRO COLORADO MOUNTAINS.
A TEAM OF LOCAL MEN,
LED BY PICKLE PACCELLO, JOIN HIM.
Interpreter: I TOOK CHARGE OF THE GROUP
BECAUSE I FELT CAPABLE AND KNEW THE AREA.
YOU RUN INTO A LOT OF THINGS
WHEN YOU'RE OUT IN THE WILDERNESS.
Narrator: WHILE THE REST OF THE TEAM
HIKES UP THE FOOTHILLS,
COMMERCIAL PILOT GALVAGNO SETS OFF IN HIS PLANE.
FOR THE NEXT 10 DAYS,
THEY SCOUR OVER 40 SQUARE MILES ACROSS DIFFICULT TERRAIN
BUT COME UP EMPTY-HANDED.
Paccello: [ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
Interpreter: THERE WAS NO TRACE OF ANYTHING IN THE AREA --
NOTHING.
Tony: [ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
Interpreter: DAY 11 -- A FEW MINUTES INTO THE FLIGHT,
I SPOTTED A HUGE STRIP, A TRACK ABOUT A MILE LONG.
IT WAS 500 YARDS OR 600 YARDS WIDE.
THERE WAS NOTHING LEFT ON THE GROUND.
I FOUND IT AND SHOUTED, "BINGO!"
Narrator: BELOW HIM IS A YAWNING PATH OF BROKEN TREES
OVER 2,200 YARDS LONG AND 700 YARDS WIDE,
BUT HE CAN'T PINPOINT ANY CRASH DEBRIS.
AS HE MOVES IN FOR A CLOSER LOOK,
TROUBLE SETS IN.
Tony: [ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
Interpreter: MY PLANE STARTED FALLING.
Narrator: HE FEELS LIKE THE PLANE
IS BEING DRAGGED DOWN TOWARD THE SITE
BY AN UNSEEN FORCE.
Interpreter: I PULLED THE THROTTLE HARD,
BUT THE THE PLANE DIDN'T RESPOND.
Narrator: GALVAGNO IS HEADING
STRAIGHT FOR THE JAGGED MOUNTAINSIDE BELOW.
Interpreter: I HAVE 30 YEARS' EXPERIENCE AS A PILOT.
THERE'S NO PLAUSIBLE EXPLANATION
WHY THE AIR SUDDENLY MOVED FROM UNDER MY PLANE.
THE ONLY THING I COULD DO WAS HEAD TOWARDS THE STRIP.
Narrator: PILOT TONY GALVAGNO
IS INVESTIGATING A STRANGE AND ELUSIVE CRASH SITE
IN THE FOOTHILLS OF THE ANDES.
AS HE FLIES IN FOR A CLOSER LOOK,
HIS PLANE IS OVERTAKEN BY A STRANGE FORCE.
GALVAGNO MANAGES TO LAND THE PLANE --
DAZED, BUT UNHARMED.
WHAT HE SEES ALL AROUND HIM ONLY COMPOUNDS HIS CONFUSION.
Tony: [ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
Interpreter: THERE WERE NO SIGNS OF AN INCIDENT OR WRECKAGE.
THE ONLY THING I SAW WAS A MASS OF FALLEN TREES.
THEY HAD BEEN BLOWN AWAY BY AN EXPLOSIVE FORCE.
Narrator: THE SITE RESEMBLES
THE SCORCHED AFTERMATH OF A FOREST FIRE.
BUT WHAT CAUSED THE EERIE SHROUD OF WHITE DUST
SCATTERED ACROSS THE LANDSCAPE?
Interpreter: SOME SORT OF METAL REDUCED TO DUST,
PERHAPS ALUMINUM, WHICH COVERED MOST OF THE TRACK.
Narrator: NO AIRCRAFT IS BIG ENOUGH
TO DEVASTATE SUCH A BROAD TRACK OF LAND.
AND MORE PUZZLING,
THERE'S NO SIGN OF DEBRIS FROM A CRASHED PLANE.
Interpreter: AN EXPANSIVE FORCE
COMPLETELY ERASED THE VEGETATION, TREES, BUSHES --
EVERYTHING.
Narrator: AS HE TAKES IN THE SIGHT,
GALVAGNO IS CONVINCED THIS WAS NO PLANE CRASH.
AIR-ACCIDENT INVESTIGATOR MIGUEL CAFARO
EXAMINES THE FACTS.
HE HAS 25 YEARS' EXPERIENCE ANALYZING CRASH SITES.
FEW CLUES ESCAPE HIS ATTENTION.
Cafaro: [ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
Interpreter: THERE'S ALWAYS SOME EVIDENCE --
A WING, A WING TIP, WHEELS, MOTOR.
SO, I COMPLETELY RULED OUT IT BEING A PLANE
BECAUSE THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE.
Narrator: THE TOWNSPEOPLE ARE BAFFLED.
IF NOT A PLANE CRASH,
THEN WHAT WERE THE TWO EXPLOSIONS,
AND WHAT SLICED UP THE MOUNTAINSIDE?
Interpreter: WE HAD A HUGE TRACK ON THE MOUNTAIN,
PRESENCE OF WHITE POWDER.
BUT WE FOUND NOTHING.
Narrator: CONSIDERING THE SIZE OF THE IMPACT
AND THE STRANGE CARPET OF POWDER,
GALVAGNO SUSPECTS THERE COULD BE ONLY ONE EXPLANATION.
Interpreter: SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE ME AND SOME DON'T.
SOME MAY CALL ME A LUNATIC.
I THINK IT WAS AN EXTRATERRESTRIAL VEHICLE
THAT, DUE TO SOME SELF-DESTRUCTIVE MECHANISM,
JUST VANISHED.
Narrator: REPORTS OF THE EXPLOSIONS
AND ITS ODD AFTERMATH
ATTRACT JOURNALISTS TO JOAQUíN V. GONZáLEZ.
ONE IS INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER
AND WAR CORRESPONDENT MARTHA WIERZBICKI
FROM GENTE MAGAZINE IN BUENOS AIRES.
WIERZBICKI IS INITIALLY RELUCTANT TO PURSUE THE STORY.
Wierzbicki: [ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
Interpreter: MY BOSS GAVE ME A STORY TO COVER --
FALLEN UFO IN JOAQUíN V. GONZáLEZ IN SALTA.
I SAID TO HIM, "FORGET IT.
I DON'T BELIEVE IN THAT STUFF, AND I WON'T COVER IT."
Narrator: BUT MARTHA IS INTRIGUED ENOUGH TO DIG DEEPER.
WHAT COULD SO SPOOK AN ENTIRE TOWN
THAT THEY BELIEVE UFOs MUST BE THE ONLY ANSWER?
WIERZBICKI BEGINS
BY TRACKING DOWN THOSE WHO SAW EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY.
SHE FINDS TWO WITNESSES,
INCLUDING POLICEMAN PEDRO ZALAZAR.
Zalazar: [ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
Interpreter: SUDDENLY, I SAW A HUGE EXPLOSION,
FOLLOWED BY A MASSIVE RED BALL OF FIRE.
Narrator: WHILE STRANGE, WIERZBICKI CONCLUDES
THERE IS NO REASON TO ASSUME THE OBJECT IS A UFO.
Interpreter: THEY TALKED OF A BALL OF FIRE.
AN EXPLOSION. THE GROUND SHOOK.
IT COULD'VE EASILY BEEN A METEORITE.
Narrator: WIERZBICKI INTERVIEWS GEOLOGIST RICARDO ALONSO
ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF METEORITES.
Alonso: [ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
Interpreter: MANY DIFFERENT METEORITES
HAVE BEEN FOUND IN THE ANDES AREA.
WHEN FRAGMENTS OF METEORITES ENTER THE ATMOSPHERE,
THEY LOOK LIKE BALLS OF FIRE.
Narrator: IT ISN'T JUST EYEWITNESS REPORTS
THAT CORROBORATE THE METEORITE DESCRIPTION.
THERE'S ALSO THE GROUND SHOCK.
THESE METEORITES CAN ALSO LEAVE METALLIC DUST WHERE THEY LAND.
COULD THE WHITE DUST AT THE CRASH SITE
ACTUALLY BE RESIDUE FROM A METALLIC METEORITE STRIKE?
WIERZBICKI DECIDES THAT THE ONLY WAY TO PROVE IT
IS TO VISIT THE SITE
AND RETRIEVE A SAMPLE OF DUST FOR TESTING.
Interpreter: I COULDN'T STAY IN TOWN.
I HAD TO GO TO THE MOUNTAIN.
Narrator: BUT ONCE WIERZBICKI ARRIVES ON THE SITE,
EVERYTHING SHE THINKS SHE KNOWS ABOUT THE CRASH
IS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN.
Interpreter: I WAS IN FOR A BIG SURPRISE.
Narrator: AUGUST 1995.
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER MARTHA WIERZBICKI BELIEVES
SHE'S ON THE BRINK OF PROVING THAT A METALLIC METEORITE
HAS CRASHED INTO AN ARGENTINEAN MOUNTAIN
AND NOT A UFO.
BUT WHEN SHE VISITS THE SITE, HER THEORY IS DEEPLY CHALLENGED.
Wierzbicki: [ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
Interpreter: I AM A VERY CYNICAL PERSON.
THIS I COULDN'T BELIEVE.
I COULDN'T BELIEVE THE THINGS I WAS STARTING TO DISCOVER.
IT LOOKED LIKE A GIANT TRACTOR HAD COME ALONG
AND DESTROYED EVERYTHING -- ALL THE VEGETATION.
IT DESTROYED ALL THE TREES, ROCKS, STONES.
THERE WAS ONE ROCK THAT HAD BEEN CUT AS EASILY AS CAKE.
Narrator: ALTHOUGH PUZZLED BY THE CRASH SITE,
WIERZBICKI STILL CONTENDS
THAT A METEORITE STRIKE IS THE MOST PLAUSIBLE ANSWER.
AND THEN THE ANALYSIS OF THE WHITE DUST IS MADE PUBLIC.
Alonso: [ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
Interpreter: WE COULDN'T FIND ANY METAL.
METEORITES USUALLY HAVE PIECES OF METAL IN THEM.
HERE THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF METAL.
ALL WE FOUND WAS PULVERIZED ROCK.
I CANNOT DETERMINE WHAT HAD CAUSED IT.
Narrator: IF IT WASN'T A METEORITE,
WHAT COULD'VE BEEN RESPONSIBLE?
WIERZBICKI RETURNS TO THE VILLAGE,
WHERE SHE'S PRESENTED WITH SOME STRIKING PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE.
Wierzbicki: [ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
Interpreter: THERE WERE TWO MAIN PHOTOS.
A NIGHT SHOT --
A CIRCLE OF OF FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN
WITH A FIRE TRAIL.
Narrator: THE LOOP OF BURNING MATERIAL
LIES EXACTLY ON THE SPOT
WHERE WIERZBICKI HAD SEEN THE ENORMOUS SCORCHED TRACK.
TAKEN SEVERAL MINUTES BEFORE,
THE SECOND PICTURE PROVES EVEN MORE STARTLING.
Wierzbicki: [ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
Interpreter: THE OTHER PHOTO REALLY GOT ME THINKING A LOT.
AN OBJECT EXPLODING IN THE AIR
AND A CIRCLE OF SMOKE SPIRALING DOWN.
THAT WAS NO METEORITE.
Narrator: WIERZBICKI BELIEVES
RATIONAL AVENUES OF SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION
HAVE BEEN EXHAUSTED.
Interpreter: I WAS NOW SURE
THAT IT WASN'T A WEATHER BALLOON OR A METEORITE.
WE DIDN'T HAVE A PLANE.
WHAT DID WE HAVE?
WE HAD WHAT IS COMMONLY KNOWN
AS AN UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT.
Narrator: THE MYSTERIOUS EXPLOSION OVER THE MOUNTAIN IN 1995
AND THE CIGAR-SHAPED OBJECT IN THE SKIES OVER SALTA IN 2009
HAS SOME LOCALS WONDERING --
COULD SALTA HOLD SOME SPECIAL APPEAL
FOR EXTRATERRESTRIAL VISITORS?
ANTONIO ZULETA, THE FORMER MAYOR OF SALTA,
BELIEVES UFOs ARE DRAWN SPECIFICALLY
TO THE ANDES MOUNTAINS.
[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
Interpreter: AS I HAVE FOUND OUT,
THIS AREA HAS LARGE SUBTERRANEAN URANIUM DEPOSITS.
THEY COME HERE LOOKING FOR THE URANIUM,
MAYBE TO USE AS FUEL.
MUST HAVE BEEN ONE OF THESE HUGE SPACESHIPS
THAT FELL IN 1995.
[ RUMBLING ]
Narrator: THERE HAS NEVER BEEN ANY OFFICIAL EXPLANATION
FOR THE 1995 EXPLOSION AND CRASH SITE.
A PLANE ACCIDENT IS RULED OUT,
A METEOROLOGICAL BALLOON IS RULED OUT,
AND A METEORITE IS RULED OUT.
THE MASS SIGHTING
OF THE UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT IN 2009
ALSO REMAINS UNEXPLAINED.
WE APPROACHED THE HEAD OF AEROSPACE PHENOMENA
IN THE ARGENTINE AIR FORCE TO DISCUSS THIS CASE.
HE REFUSED TO COMMENT.
Wierzbicki: [ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
Interpreter: I HONESTLY WANTED TO FIND A WING FROM A PLANE,
SOMETHING THAT SAID NASA ON IT,
SOMETHING WRITTEN IN RUSSIAN SO I COULD SAY,
"HEY, GUYS, DON'T GIVE ME ANY OF THAT UFO TALK."
BUT I COULDN'T FIND IT.
THE PHOTOS AND THE INTERVIEWS WITH THE LOCALS
LEFT A BIG QUESTION MARK.
WHAT FELL IN SALTA?
Narrator: THE TWIN EVENTS OVER SALTA
REMAIN OPEN TO CONJECTURE AND OPPOSING PASSIONS.
BUT FOR MANY RESIDENTS OF THIS TINY VILLAGE,
THEY KNOW THEY ANSWER,
AND THEY SCAN THE SKIES, WAITING FOR THE NEXT ENCOUNTER.
ALMOST 5,000 MILES AWAY,
CHILDHOOD NIGHTMARES HAVE BECOME A REALITY
AS AN AMERICAN TOWN IS VISITED BY A BEAST OF LORE.
CAN WHAT STANDS BEFORE THEM BE REAL?
AND IS ITS PRESENCE A WARNING THAT THE WORST IS YET TO COME?
ALONG THE BANKS OF THE OHIO RIVER,
ON THE BORDER OF WEST VIRGINIA AND OHIO,
LIES THE CENTURIES-OLD TOWN OF POINT PLEASANT.
ITS UNASSUMING SKYLINE BELIES A DARK PAST.
BLOODY BATTLES BETWEEN NATIVE AMERICANS AND EUROPEAN SETTLERS
STAINED THE TOWN.
ONE OF THE FIRST SKIRMISHES OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR
ERUPTED ALONG ITS RIVERBANK.
AND FOR THE PAST 50 YEARS,
THE CITY HAS FOSTERED THE LEGEND OF A TERRIFYING CREATURE.
JOHN HIPES IS A LOCAL NURSE.
ONE NIGHT IN MARCH 2009, HE'S DRIVING HOME WITH HIS WIFE
WHEN THEY SEE A MURKY FIGURE UP AHEAD.
IT WAS ABOUT 10:00, 10:30 AT NIGHT.
WE WERE TRAVELING THIS ROAD,
WHICH WE'VE DONE MANY, MANY TIMES,
AND LOOKING FOR DEER
BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF DEER KILLED ALONG THIS ROAD.
MY WIFE SPOTTED SOMETHING ON THE BRIDGE UP AHEAD OF US.
STARTED SLOWING DOWN BECAUSE IT DID NOT REACT TO US.
Narrator: AS THEY GET CLOSER,
THE LARGE OBJECT STILL HASN'T MOVED.
THEY ASSUME IT'S AN INJURED DEER OR A STRAY DOG.
AND THEN...IT STANDS UP.
I REALIZED IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS VERY UNUSUAL
THE MOMENT THAT IT STOOD UP TO THE FULL HEIGHT AS A MAN.
[ GROWLS ]
I CAN CERTAINLY TELL THAT IT WAS TALLER THAN THAT
BECAUSE OF THE TORSO,
SO I'M LOOKING AT ABOUT BETWEEN 6'7" AND 6'10" TALL.
THEN A WING UNFURLED FROM THE LEFT.
AND THEN, WITH THE MOTION, IT LEAPT OVER THE BRIDGE.
I'VE NEVER HEARD MY WIFE SCREAM AT ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
I'VE NEVER SEEN HER STARTLED LIKE SHE WAS THAT NIGHT.
[ SCREAMS ]
TO THIS DAY, IT STILL BOTHERS HER
TO THE POINT WHERE SHE DOESN'T SPEAK ABOUT IT.
Narrator: JOHN SPEEDS AWAY FROM THE BRIDGE
AS FAST AS HE CAN.
Hipes: I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS.
I DIDN'T STAY AROUND TO SEE WHAT IT WAS.
Narrator: THIS IS NOT THE FIRST SIGHTING
OF A STRANGE CREATURE IN POINT PLEASANT.
ON A CHILLY NIGHT IN NOVEMBER 1966,
WHAT TWO YOUNG COUPLES WITNESS HAS EVOLVED
INTO ONE OF THE GREATEST MYSTERIES OF ALL TIME.
IT'S KNOWN AS THE MOTHMAN.
BUT WHAT DID THEY REALLY SEE? HAS IT RETURNED?
AND WHY?
I MEAN, YOU'RE JUST, LIKE, PETRIFIED.
THAT THING JUMPED RIGHT ONTO THE HOOD OF THE CAR.
Narrator: DRIVING HOME ONE NIGHT IN 2009,
JOHN HIPES BELIEVES HE GLIMPSES A STRANGE CREATURE
BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD --
A MAN-SIZED MONSTER THAT HAS FUELED AN URBAN LEGEND
FOR ALMOST HALF A CENTURY.
NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THAT IN MY LIFE.
I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT WAS I SAW THAT NIGHT.
Narrator: THE FIRST REPORTED SIGHTING IS IN 1966.
TWO YOUNG COUPLES
DRIVING THROUGH AN ABANDONED INDUSTRIAL AREA
IN POINT PLEASANT, WEST VIRGINIA,
BELIEVE THEY SEE A FRIGHTENING WINGED CREATURE FOLLOWING THEM.
[ SIREN WAILS ]
THEY REPORT IT TO THE LOCAL POLICE.
ONE OF THE GROUP, LINDA SCARBERRY,
PRODUCES A DETAILED REPORT AND A SKETCH OF WHAT THEY SAW.
IT BECOMES KNOWN AS THE MOTHMAN.
FAYE DEWITT, ANOTHER LOCAL RESIDENT,
KNOWS THE COUPLES.
SHE'S INTRIGUED BY THEIR STORY BUT NATURALLY SKEPTICAL.
LIKE MANY OTHERS,
SHE'S CONFIDENT THAT THIS IS A PRANKSTER
JUST TRYING TO SCARE PEOPLE.
Dewitt: THAT WAS IN THE FALL,
SO WE THOUGHT IT WAS A HALLOWEEN COSTUME.
Narrator: THE FOLLOWING EVENING, FAYE AND HER BROTHER
GO IN SEARCH OF THE MOTHMAN TO PROVE IT'S A HOAX.
Dewitt: MY BROTHER WANTED TO COME UP HERE
AND TRY TO FIND THE SO-CALLED MOTHMAN OR BIRDMAN
THAT LINDA AND THEM HAD SAW THE DAY BEFORE.
AND HE WAS GONNA PROVE TO EVERYBODY IT WAS A FAKE.
MY BROTHER KEPT LOOKING OVER THERE AT ME,
AND I FINALLY SAID, "WHAT IS IT? WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?"
HE SAID, "WELL, DON'T LOOK,
BUT RIGHT NOW THERE'S SOMETHING BESIDE THE CAR."
[ CREATURE GROWLS ]
AND, OF COURSE, I TURNED TO LOOK,
AND THERE IT WAS.
[ SCREAMS ]
ALL I COULD SEE WAS THE EYES,
'CAUSE THEY WERE JUST SO BIG AND GLOWING...
[ GROWLS ]
...AND RED LIKE YOU'VE NEVER SAW RED.
AND ONLY THING THAT WAS ON MY MIND WAS,
"GET OUT OF HERE."
Narrator: THEY TRY TO GET AWAY,
BUT THE CREATURE STAYS WITH THEM.
[ TIRES SCREECH ]
A DEAD END BLOCKS THEIR ESCAPE.
OH, MY GOD, FAYE. WHERE IS HE?
WHERE'D HE GO?
I DON'T KNOW.
[ GROWLS ]
THAT THING JUMPED RIGHT ONTO THE HOOD OF THE CAR,
AND IT JUST LOOKED AT MY BROTHER, TO ME,
TO MY BROTHER, TO ME.
"WHAT'S IT GONNA DO NEXT?"
I MEAN, YOU'RE JUST, LIKE, PETRIFIED FOR A FEW MINUTES.
[ GROWLS ]
[ SHRIEKS ]
AND THEN IT JUST GOT UP ON TOP OF THAT FIVE-STORY BUILDING
AND JUST WENT UP ON TOP OF IT.
AND MY BROTHER GOT OUT --
PICKING UP CHUNKS OF ROCK, THROWING IT UP THERE AT IT.
THE ROCK CAME SO CLOSE TO ITS FOOT THAT IT JUMPED UP.
AND THIS IS THE TIME THAT I REMEMBER WINGS.
IT JUST OPENED IT UP JUST LIKE THAT.
JUST LIKE...
[ CREATURE GROWLS ]
AND IT JUST WENT FLYING OFF INTO THE DARK.
THAT WAS THE LAST TIME WE SAW IT.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS, BUT I KNEW THAT THERE WAS NO WAY
THAT COULD BE SOMEBODY IN ANY KIND OF COSTUME
TO DO WHAT THAT THING DID.
Narrator: SOME INVESTIGATORS BELIEVE
THE SIGHTINGS ARE A MASS ILLUSION --
ONE ATTENTION-GRABBING VISION INSPIRING MANY OTHERS.
BUT JOHN HIPES DOESN'T AGREE.
HE AND HIS WIFE ARE PSYCHIATRIC NURSES.
THEY UNDERSTAND HYSTERIA AND ILLUSIONS BETTER THAN MOST.
YOU DON'T SHARE ILLUSIONS.
IF SOMEONE'S ALONE AND THERE'S AN ILLUSION,
THAT'S ONE THING,
BUT PEOPLE DON'T TYPICALLY SHARE ILLUSIONS OR HALLUCINATIONS.
[ GROWLS ]
HAVING THE VALIDATION OF MY WIFE WITH ME
PRETTY MUCH SHOWS THAT IT WAS A TRUE PERCEPTION.
Narrator: IF THE MOTHMAN IS NOT A TRICK OF THE IMAGINATION,
WHAT CAN IT BE?
A DEADLY DISASTER SOON HAS MANY ASKING,
"IS THE MOTHMAN A PROPHET
HERE TO WARN US OF IMPENDING DOOM?"
Narrator: FOR NEARLY 50 YEARS,
THE TERRIFYING SPECTER OF THE MOTHMAN
HAS HAUNTED THIS WEST VIRGINIA CITY.
BUT MANY BELIEVE THE MONSTER
TO BE LITTLE MORE THAN A PRACTICAL JOKE
OR THE EVENING LIGHT PLAYING TRICKS ON THE EYE.
IN THE DARK SHADOWS OF NIGHT,
EVEN A DOG OR A BEAR CAN TAKE ON EXTRAORDINARY CHARACTERISTICS.
BUT EVERYTHING CHANGES
WHEN TOM URY SPOTS WHAT HE BELIEVES IS THE MOTHMAN
IN THE BRIGHT LIGHT OF DAY.
I WAS GOING BACK TO CLARKSBURG WHERE I LIVED,
ABOUT 150 MILES FROM HERE.
I'D LEFT ABOUT 7:30 IN THE MORNING.
Man on radio: IN SPORTS, THE SAINTS...
THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, I JUST CAUGHT THAT PERIPHERAL VISION.
LIKE, I THOUGHT IT WAS A HELICOPTER.
AND I LOOKED, AND I SAW TWO WINGS,
AND HE WAS HUGE --
10-FOOT, 12-FOOT, 15-FOOT WINGSPAN.
AND I SAID, "THIS MUST BE THAT MOTHMAN THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT."
Narrator: THE CREATURE STARTS CIRCLING TOM'S CAR.
EVERY TIME IT WOULD MAKE A BIG CIRCLE COUNTERCLOCKWISE,
IT WOULD GET LOWER.
WELL, I'M WORRIED ABOUT WHAT THIS THING'S GONNA DO,
YOU KNOW, HIM COMING LIKE THAT.
I SPEEDED UP TO 75, 80 MILES AN HOUR.
AND HE MADE THAT LAST PASS AND BACK OVER THE RIVERBANK.
Narrator: TOM DESCRIBES WHAT HE SAW TO THE POLICE.
IT WAS MOSTLY BLACK,
BUT THERE WAS BROWN FEATHERS IN IT.
THE BODY SIZE --
TAKE A PRETTY BIG BODY TO HEFT AROUND A 15-FOOT WINGSPAN.
I TOLD THE SHERIFF, "I THINK I SAW YOUR MOTHMAN."
I KNOW PEOPLE AREN'T GONNA BELIEVE IT,
BUT THAT'S WHAT I SAW.
Narrator: THE SPATE OF MOTHMAN SIGHTINGS COMES TO AN ABRUPT END
WITH A TRAGEDY THAT DEVASTATES POINT PLEASANT.
ON DECEMBER 15, 1967,
THE SILVER BRIDGE COLLAPSES INTO THE OHIO RIVER.
Man: DREDGING OPERATIONS CONTINUE IN THE AFTERMATH
OF THE TRAGIC COLLAPSE OF SILVER BRIDGE,
WHICH SPILLED OVER 50 VEHICLES
INTO THE RUSHING WATERS OF THE OHIO RIVER.
THE COLLAPSE CAME AT THE HEIGHT OF THE EVENING RUSH HOUR,
WHILE TRAFFIC ON THE SPAN WAS LINED UP BUMPER TO BUMPER.
Narrator: 46 PEOPLE LOSE THEIR LIVES THAT DAY.
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE MOTHMAN IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE TRAGEDY
SPARKS A STORY THAT THE CREATURE IS A HARBINGER OF DOOM.
MOTHMAN SIGHTINGS BECOME GLOBAL,
AND ALL PRE-EMINENT OF A DISASTER.
CHERNOBYL, UKRAINE, 1986 --
DAYS BEFORE THE NUCLEAR POWER STATION EXPLODES,
EMPLOYEES CLAIM TO SEE A CREATURE
WITH WINGS AND FIERY EYES.
CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO, 2009 --
A DEADLY OUTBREAK OF SWINE FLU FOLLOWS AN EYEWITNESS REPORT
OF A BLACK WINGED CREATURE IN THE AREA.
FUKUSHIMA, JAPAN, 2011 --
SHORTLY BEFORE THE POWER PLANT IS DESTROYED IN THE TSUNAMI,
AGAIN THERE IS A REPORT
OF A BLACK WINGED CREATURE WITH RED EYES.
HAS THE MOTHMAN MERELY BECOME A TERRIFYING AFTERIMAGE
CONCOCTED TO EXPLAIN AWAY SENSELESS TRAGEDY?
OR ARE THE SIGHTINGS BASED ON FACT
AND THE MOTHMAN TRULY IS AN OMEN OF MISFORTUNE?
FAYE DEWITT BELIEVES
THE MOTHMAN SAVED HER FROM THE SILVER BRIDGE TRAGEDY.
Dewitt: WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE ON IT.
WE FAITHFULLY WENT ACROSS IT EVERY FRIDAY AT 6:00.
I JUST FELT LIKE SOMETHING BAD WAS GONNA HAPPEN
IF WE WENT DOWN THAT ROAD,
AND I TOLD DADDY WE DIDN'T NEED TO GO OUT.
WE WOULD'VE BEEN RIGHT ON THAT BRIDGE.
WE WOULD HAVE, NO IFS, ANDS, OR BUTS ABOUT IT.
I'VE ALWAYS HEARD
THAT THE MOTHMAN WAS A MESSENGER OF SORTS
AND THAT IT WAS TRYING TO WARN EVERYBODY
THAT SOMETHING WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.
Narrator: THE MOTHMAN REMAINS UNEXPLAINED.
FOR MANY RESIDENTS OF THIS BATTLE-SCARRED TOWN,
EVERY SUDDEN MOVEMENT IN THE DARK...
EVERY ECLIPSING SHADOW FROM ABOVE...
TAKES ON DEEPER MEANING.
IS IT JUST THE WIND...
OR IS IT ANOTHER WARNING?
1,100 MILES SOUTHWEST -- AUSTIN, TEXAS.
A GROUP OF PEOPLE ARE AFFLICTED WITH A CURIOUS OUTBREAK
OF UNEXPLAINED SCABS WITH PROTRUDING FIBERS.
SOON, MANY ARE CONVINCED
THE CONTAGION IS NOT OF THIS WORLD.
CAN I SEE YOUR ARM FIRST?
SURE.
REGISTERED NURSE CINDY CASEY
HAS COME TO HER DOCTOR IN AUSTIN, TEXAS, AGAIN.
SHE BELIEVES SHE SUFFERS
FROM A MYSTERIOUS AND INCURABLE ILLNESS,
ONE THAT HAS PLAGUED HER FOR 15 YEARS.
Casey: IT WAS DEVASTATING.
I BEGAN TO GET LESIONS ON MY FACE AND MY SCALP.
Narrator: THE LESIONS SOON SPREAD
ACROSS CINDY'S ENTIRE BODY.
THEN SOMETHING EVEN MORE TROUBLING OCCURS.
AFTER I GOT THE SORES ALL OVER ME,
I NOTICED THESE BIZARRE FILAMENTS
COMING OUT OF THE LESIONS,
WHERE YOU COULD JUST PULL THESE STRING-LIKE THINGS OUT.
THAT WAS VERY, VERY FRIGHTENING.
Narrator: WITH REGULAR DOCTORS UNABLE TO TREAT THE CONDITION,
CINDY TURNS TO DERMATOLOGIST PETER MAIN.
LOOK WHAT'S GOING ON HERE. FIBERS EVERYWHERE.
THE ITCHING IS SO INTENSE, IT'S INDESCRIBABLE.
FEELS LIKE THERE'S SOMETHING ON THE INSIDE TRYING TO GET OUT.
CINDY IS NOT THE ONLY SUFFERER.
DR. MAIN IS SEEING AN INCREASING NUMBER OF PATIENTS
WITH THIS SAME NIGHTMARISH ILLNESS.
MORE THAN 20,000 PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD
CLAIM THE SAME SET OF SYMPTOMS --
SORES THAT COVER THE BODY, CHRONIC FATIGUE,
AND, STRANGEST OF ALL, MYSTERIOUS MULTI-COLORED FIBERS
THAT SEEM TO SPROUT FROM UNDER THEIR SKIN.
IN 2002, A VICTIM'S MOTHER
NAMED THE UNEXPLAINED CONDITION MORGELLONS,
AFTER A FRENCH VILLAGE
WHERE THE SYMPTOMS WERE FIRST RECORDED.
DESPITE THE GROWING NUMBER OF SUFFERERS,
THE U.S. CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL MAINTAINS
THAT THE CONDITION CANNOT BE CATEGORIZED AS A DISEASE.
THERE'S "NO INFECTIOUS CAUSE
AND NO EVIDENCE OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL LINK."
PSYCHIATRIST PROFESSOR PETER LEPPING
SUPPORTS THIS OFFICIAL POSITION.
HE HAS TREATED SEVERAL MORGELLONS PATIENTS
AND THINKS THE PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS ARE SELF-INFLICTED.
MOST OF THE SCARS AND SCABS COME FROM SCRATCHING,
AND PEOPLE NORMALLY SCRATCH BECAUSE THEY ITCH.
SOMETIMES, PEOPLE CAN EVEN SCRATCH IN THEIR SLEEP.
SO THEY WAKE UP AND THINK, "I'VE GOT NEW LESIONS.
I MUST HAVE AN INFECTION."
I THINK MORGELLONS IS PART OF DELUSIONAL INFESTATION,
WHERE PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT THEY'RE INFESTED WITH SOMETHING.
Narrator: THIS DISMISSAL OF THE DISEASE AS A DELUSION
OFFENDS CINDY CASEY.
I'VE WORKED WITH DOCTORS ALL MY LIFE WHO LISTEN TO ME.
I'M A CRITICAL-CARE NURSE.
AND I'M NOT SURE WHICH IS THE WORST --
TO HAVE THIS HORRIBLE, DISFIGURING CONDITION
OR TO BE TOLD THAT IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD.
Narrator: BUT IF IT IS ALL IN THE MIND,
WHAT COULD EXPLAIN THE COLORED FIBERS
SUFFERERS KEEP PULLING FROM THEIR SKIN?
IN 2008, CALIFORNIA RESIDENT TINA ENGRESSIA
DISCOVERS SHE ALSO HAS THESE STRANGE FIBERS.
I HAD, LIKE, ALMOST RIBBONS COMING OUT OF MY TONGUE
THAT WEREN'T MICROSCOPIC AT ALL.
SOME OF THEM ARE LONG.
THEY'RE ALL WRAPPED UP ON EACH OTHER,
AND THEY JUST COME OUT.
IT'S LIKE A HORROR MOVIE.
IT IS LIKE A SCIENCE-FICTION HORROR MOVIE.
Narrator: AN ANALYSIS OF THE FIBERS
SHOULD SOLVE THE MYSTERY.
INSTEAD, IT ONLY RATTLES PEOPLE MORE.
SHOCKINGLY, THE FIBERS DIDN'T MATCH ANYTHING IN THE DATABASE.
Narrator: THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD
CLAIM TO BE SUFFERING
FROM A HORRIFIC BUT UNEXPLAINED CONDITION.
TO THE MEDICAL ESTABLISHMENT,
MORGELLONS DISEASE IS ALL IN THE MIND,
YET DOCTORS CAN'T EXPLAIN THE UNSETTLING SYMPTOMS.
MOST PUZZLING ARE THE FIBERS
THAT SPROUT FROM OPEN SORES ON THE SKIN.
Casey: IT'S SUCH A RELIEF TO PULL THEM OUT.
YOU CAN'T LEAVE THEM IN YOUR SKIN
'CAUSE YOU CAN'T GET ANY COMFORT.
Narrator: PHARMACOLOGY PROFESSOR RANDY WYMORE
HAS STUDIED THESE FIBERS CLOSELY.
WHEN I FIRST STARTED THIS RESEARCH,
I THOUGHT THAT THE FIBERS REALLY HELD THE KEY TO THIS CONDITION.
IDENTIFY WHAT THE FIBERS ARE,
WE CAN FIGURE OUT WHERE THEY COME FROM.
Narrator: THE MEDICAL ESTABLISHMENT ARGUES
THAT THE FIBERS ARE NOTHING MORE THAN TEXTILES FROM CLOTHING
EMBEDDED IN THE OPEN SORES.
PROFESSOR WYMORE INVESTIGATES THIS THEORY
BY TESTING FIBERS FROM 20 MORGELLONS DISEASE SUFFERERS.
HE THEN COMPARES THEM
WITH THE POLICE FORENSIC DATABASE OF KNOWN MATERIALS.
Wymore: THE FIRST DATABASE HAS AROUND 1,200 FIBERS --
ESSENTIALLY, EVERY KNOWN FIBER THAT'S USED COMMERCIALLY.
Narrator: THE RESULTS ARE A COMPLETE SURPRISE.
SHOCKINGLY, THE FIBERS DIDN'T MATCH ANYTHING IN THE DATABASE.
Narrator: THE MYSTERY FIBERS
DO NOT APPEAR TO BE TEXTILES OF ANY KIND.
WE STILL DON'T KNOW WHAT THOSE FIBERS ARE MADE OUT OF.
Narrator: MICROBIOLOGIST MARIANNE MIDDLEVEEN IS CONVINCED
THE FIBERS ARE BEING PRODUCED BY THE BODY ITSELF.
Middleveen: AT THE BASE OF SOME OF THESE FILAMENTS,
YOU CAN SEE THE WHOLE THING GROWING FROM THE TISSUE.
THE FIBERS ARE PRODUCED FROM THE HUMAN TISSUE.
Narrator: IF SHE'S RIGHT
AND THE BODY IS PRODUCING THE FIBERS,
LOGIC SUGGESTS THEY WOULD BE MADE OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS.
PROFESSOR WYMORE DEVISES ANOTHER TEST
TO IDENTIFY THESE COMPOUNDS.
Wymore: ORGANIC COMPOUNDS,
WHEN THEY GET TO A CERTAIN TEMPERATURE, THEY TURN TO A GAS.
THE FOLLOWING TEST, THEN, TO SEE
IF WE COULD FIGURE OUT WHAT THIS WAS MADE OUT OF
WAS TO BASICALLY HEAT IT UP
AROUND 1,200 TO 1,400 FAHRENHEIT.
AND AS YOU GET TO THE VARIOUS TEMPERATURES
WHERE EACH GAS IS GIVEN OFF,
IT DETECTS THAT GAS,
AND THEN IT'S MATCHED AGAINST A DATABASE
OF OVER 100,000 ORGANIC COMPOUNDS.
Narrator: BUT EVEN AT TEMPERATURES
OF 1,400 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT,
THE FIBERS REFUSE TO BURN.
THIS PARTICULAR FIBER WAS VERY HEAT-RESISTANT.
Narrator: THIS CURIOUS RESULT MEANS MORE
THAN THE FIBERS CAN RESIST EXTREME TEMPERATURES.
IT MEANS THEY CANNOT BE MATCHED
WITH ANY OF 100,000 ORGANIC COMPOUNDS IN THE DATABASE.
AFTER ALL OF THAT, IT WAS STILL A BLUE FIBER.
Narrator: ONE THEORY IS THAT THE FIBERS
COULD BE CAUSED BY AN UNIDENTIFIED FORM OF BACTERIA
INFECTING THE BODY.
THIS BACTERIA MIGHT BE A SPECIES
THAT'S JUST NEVER BEEN OBSERVED BEFORE.
OR COULD BE A COMPLETELY NEW BACTERIUM.
AMONGST THE IDEAS THAT HAVE BEEN PUT FORTH IS
MAYBE IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE.
Narrator: FOR SOME,
THE IDEA THAT EXTRATERRESTRIAL BACTERIA ARE INFECTING VICTIMS
MAY NOT BE AS FAR-FETCHED AS IT SOUNDS.
THOUSANDS OF METEORITES
CRASH-LAND ON OUR PLANET EVERY YEAR.
I'VE BEEN STUDYING METEORITES
FOR OVER A DECADE AND A HALF NOW,
AND IN MANY OF THESE METEORITES,
I FIND CLEARLY RECOGNIZABLE REMAINS OF BACTERIA.
IT'S QUITE POSSIBLE THAT LIVING ORGANISMS
ARE CONTINUALLY BEING BROUGHT INTO THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.
AND IF THEY ARRIVE INTACT AND STILL VIABLE,
THEN THEY COULD CONTINUE TO GROW ON THE EARTH ITSELF.
Narrator: PROFESSOR PETER LEPPING REFUTES THIS THEORY.
HE BELIEVES THAT BACTERIA IS NOT THE CAUSE OF MORGELLONS.
MORGELLONS CASES APPEAR RANDOMLY,
WHEREAS MOST BACTERIAL OUTBREAKS TEND TO FOLLOW A PATTERN.
THESE KIND OF INFECTIONS ALWAYS SPREAD IN A VERY SIMILAR WAY.
THEY START AT A PARTICULAR POINT AND THEN DISSEMINATE,
AND THEY'D SORT OF GEOGRAPHICALLY SPREAD
OVER A POPULATION.
THIS ISN'T HAPPENING HERE AT ALL.
I DON'T THINK THAT MORGELLONS IS CAUSED BY ALIEN BACTERIA.
I DON'T THINK IT'S A CONTAGIOUS ILLNESS.
Narrator: WHATEVER THE CAUSE,
CAUCASIAN WOMEN ARE THE MOST FREQUENTLY AFFECTED.
THE REASON IS UNKNOWN.
AND FOR SUFFERERS LIKE CINDY CASEY, FRUSTRATION BUILDS.
Casey: I DON'T THINK THIS CAN GO ON,
THIS UNWILLINGNESS TO LOOK AT PHYSICAL EVIDENCE,
BECAUSE IT'S CAUSING SO MUCH DESTRUCTION IN PEOPLE'S LIVES.
Narrator: MYSTERIOUS DISEASES HAVE RAVAGED CIVILIZATION
SINCE THE DAWN OF TIME.
SOME ARE ULTIMATELY CLASSIFIED AND STOPPED.
OTHERS REMAIN FOREVER BEYOND THE REACH OF SCIENCE.
FOR NOW, THE TRUE CAUSE OF MORGELLONS DISEASE
REMAINS UNKNOWN.