7:15 p.m.

September 12th, 1952

Flatwoods, WV

Three boys (Neil Nunley - age 14, Eddie May - age 13, and Freddie May - age 14) were playing football in their school’s playground. In the middle of the game, they saw a bright red light flash across the sky, soar low, and land on a distant hilltop; the disc-shaped object was sputtering sparks as it descended. Curious and a bit afraid, the boys ran to the nearby home of Eddie and Freddie. Their mom—Kathleen May, a beautician—listened to the boys but was skeptical of their account; yet, after looking out her door and seeing a pulsating, red light, she believed something odd sat on that hill too. Kathleen sent her sons to get Gene Lemon (age 17, member of the National Guard), who led the group with a small flashlight and his dog. The boys’ friend Neil also accompanied them along with two other boys—Ronnie Shaver and Tommy Hyer (both age 10)—who saw the light from their yards.

The object appeared to land on the Bailey Fisher Farm, which was not too far away from the group’s residential area. Halfway up the hill, Gene’s dog ran ahead and began barking; soon after, it returned with its tail tucked. cowering and whining behind its master. Despite the scare, the troop continued up the hill with Gene and Neil leading by 50 ft.

A faint, pungent mist hung low to the ground; as they trekked, the smell grew stronger and more irritating to their senses, causing them to feel nauseous. Then, they saw a blinking, fiery red light 75 ft away on their right. The object was about 25 ft in diameter and 6 ft tall. The dog, however, was growling at something else; Gene turned and illuminated the area under an oak tree: two large, glowing, greenish-orange eyes reflected at him like a wild animal’s. The orbs were set into a helmet-like face that was rotund and blood red. The creature stood 6 ft tall in its green-gray body that seemed to be made of rubberized silk arranged in drape-like folds; clawed hands rested in front of its shimmering chest. At a glance, it appeared human-like, but around its head was a crest shaped like an ace of spades or a pointed hood. Suddenly, it moved towards them—hovering, hissing, and spewing more noxious fog. With a yelp, the dog fled; Gene screamed and dropped his flashlight. One of the young boys fainted; the group drug him down the hill as they fled blindly.

Calling the police station in Sutton, the group explained what they saw to local authorities. However, the sheriff and deputy were miles away on another call—one of a plane crash, which turned out to be nonexistent; Lee Stuart Jr., the editor for the Braxton newspaper, arrived at the residence 30 minutes after the call. There, he found a hysterical Kathleen and a bunch of petrified boys. While Stuart interviewed the boys, Gene led a second, armed group to the hilltop—but the creature and glowing red light were nowhere to be found. Yet, the sickening smell remained, as well as a thick black substance, matted grass, and burn marks in the soil. These remnants gave the witnesses peace of mind that they did see something, though they never received confirmation or a satisfactory explanation as to what it was.

Tape-recorded interviews of the witnesses were created by Gray Barker, an author most known for his books on UFOs and paranormal encounters. He published an article about the event in Fate Magazine detailing the witnesses’ memories and the police department’s findings. Gray wrote that the sheriff and deputy searched the site the day after the sighting; they did not smell any fumes but did discover a strange, dark deposit and burn marks. He also noted that several other people within a 20 mi radius saw bright lights in the sky (which could have been the same object or multiple objects). Gray believed the Flatwoods incident was consistent with previous accounts of UFO encounters and that the entity landed for observational purposes or out of necessity.