The Pascagoula Abduction

On October 11, 1973, Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker claimed to have been abducted by unusual beings while fishing on the Pascagoula River in Mississippi. Their description of the creatures, robotic entities with claw-like hands, made the case one of the strangest in UFO literature.

The Encounter

Hickson (42) and Parker (19) were fishing from an old pier when they heard a whirring sound. A glowing blue oval object descended and hovered nearby. Three beings emerged, floating toward the men.

The creatures were described as about five feet tall, with gray wrinkled skin, no discernible eyes, slit mouths, and claw-like hands. They moved stiffly, almost robotically.

The Abduction

The beings paralyzed both men and floated them aboard the craft. Hickson reported being examined by an eye-like device while immobilized. Parker apparently fainted and remembered little.

Both were returned to the pier and the craft departed.

Investigation

The men went to the sheriff’s office, clearly distressed. Sheriff Fred Diamond secretly recorded their conversation when left alone. Instead of planning a hoax, the men appeared genuinely terrified.

Hickson passed a polygraph test. The men became reluctant celebrities.

Assessment

The Pascagoula case is notable for the witnesses’ apparent sincerity and the strange description of the beings, unlike typical “gray aliens.” Parker, who had largely avoided publicity, finally told his full story in a 2018 book.