Local Group Claims 14 UFO Sightings Near Del Rio

June 16, 2008
By Stacy S. Jensen
Special to LIVE!

They are like a Crime Scene Investigation unit. They have a case – a reported UFO or an unidentified flying object. Their job is to investigate whether it can be identified or not. They sort through facts, photographs, witness statements and through the Internet.

The investigators are people who are interested in the phenomenon of UFOs. They are part of the Del Rio chapter of MUFON or Mutual UFO Network. The group meets monthly to discuss sightings, investigations and the latest news on UFOs.

UFO sightings aren't new to the skies of Del Rio. Sightings here include one in 1950 near Langtry which has been called "the other Roswell" by some – as in Roswell, N.M.

MUFON's meeting on June 10, 2008, was a combination of regulars and visitors. Many of the MUFON members have known each other for years, as they work to investigate UFO sightings and just learn more about the phenomenon. Their curiosity is evident the minute anyone talks about alleged sightings.

Dr. Carman Wiese is a state section director of MUFON and a field investigator. She got involved with the organization while studying simulation work. MUFON did role-playing and she joined the group in San Antonio 18 years ago. Eventually, the drive was too much and the local group formed. Attendance varies from two to 20, Wiese said.

Videos

A recently released video of an alien peeking into a man's home was discussed at length. "It shows a very distinct picture," Wiese said of something going up and down. The video was played on a laptop. Wiese said while the portion aired on CNN's "Larry King Live" may appear to be fake, others report the remainder of the video not yet made public is supposed to make one look at the issue further and question it.

The group immediately began commenting on the "blinking eyes" of the alien caught on camera. The experts and commentators on "Larry King Live" questioned the authenticity of the video and so did the MUFON Del Rio members.

"Can it be validated?" was the number one question. MUFON members discussed the possibilities. Hector Ramirez said videos can be manipulated and may require a frame-by-frame analysis.

The Lights

Ramirez talked about how difficult it is for people to determine what they are seeing at night. "There's no depth perception," he said. "They believe it's close and don't feel like it's moving."

Many resources available on the Internet are used to determine what an alleged sighting could be, Ramirez said. He studies pictures posted of sightings, reviews aircraft schedules, checks witness statements and uses Google Earth to determine locations.

Airplane navigation lights are a common explanation for sightings. People see the bright lights that don't appear to be moving. The lights shortly disappear. They reappear. It could be a UFO or it could be a plane preparing to land.

"To us at night, it's a bright light and it's just sitting there," Ramirez said. He will use runway data and flight information to determine if sightings are linked to landing aircraft.

He gave out information from Wikipedia.com, a free encyclopedia on the Internet, about aviation navigation lights and aircraft landing lights. The group discussed how the lights sometimes disappear when a plane turns for a landing.

"You see weird things at night," Ramirez said. "Your eyes play tricks on you." The skies above Del Rio often are filled with aircraft from Laughlin Air Force Base and from the Del Rio International Airport.

Wiese said it's good to know the signs. By knowing them, she said people can report sightings and they can be investigated.

Recent sightings in Del Rio

Sightings reported to MUFON are confidential, Wiese said. During the meeting, MUFON field investigator Jessie Hernandez reads reports of two separate sightings in Del Rio.

Hernandez shared the details of the reports including the shapes of the objects. One noted it was a hamburger shape while the other said it was like a light bulb. The observers noted "bright lights" in the direction of Eagle Pass.

Wiese said they would look at issues like the time – one sighting was around 10:30 p.m., which coincides with a flight landing in Del Rio. Another was around 1:30 a.m., so the weather for this time will be investigated. Star charts are used to see if they confused the objects with stars, Hernandez said. "We try different things to solve this sighting." Nothing bright was noted at the time of the reports. Ramirez said satellite locations could also be found to determine, if the person spotted a moving satellite.

"If it's flying and you don't know what it is, it's an unidentified flying object," Wiese said.

In a recent news release, Wiese wrote, "Using this nomenclature might make some people nervous. So, if calling what is seen a 'UEP' or unidentified aerial phenomenon, that's OK. Remember a UFO sighting means you have seen a U (unidentified) F (flying) O (object). It does not mean that you have seen an extraterrestrial object or little green men!"

Discussing reports

MUFON members investigate many issues. During the May meeting something arose about reports of "humanoids" flying over Mexico. Ramirez provided information about a military device designed to fly soldiers around in a barrel-like object. Through an Internet search, he was able to find a video to share with MUFON members.

"Don't believe everything you read, but read a lot," Wiese told the group. She encourages people "to see all sides" and to keep an open mind.

It's common in today's technology-filled society to have reporters provide photos from cell phones and digital cameras. Hernandez recommends people take a picture that provides background or a point of reference for the investigator to use. "When you take a picture of the sky, there is no reference," he said.

The group listened to a segment of George Noory's "Coast to Coast AM" show to hear from two men investigating the crash in Langtry in the 1950s. The book "The Other Roswell: UFO Crash on the Texas-Mexico Border" is written by Noe Torres and Ruben Uriarte. MUFON members stopped the audio several times to discuss the facts and issues surrounding the alleged UFO crash in Mexico. In July, the group will hear an interview with U.S. Air Force Retired Col. Robert B. Willingham, who allegedly witnessed the crash and confronted Mexican officials about the crash.

Wiese said they have not been able to find anyone in Langtry with knowledge of this crash. MUFON will make a Freedom of Information Act requests to seek documents about the crash.

Investigations

The number of UFO investigations completed in Del Rio varies. Wiese, Hernandez and Alfredo "Freddy" Barrientos are investigators. Wiese said she hates to say the group "debunks" sightings, but they investigate and research the issues. Wiese, who retired from SWTJC, said she hasn't seen any UFO.

Hernandez hasn't seen any UFOs, but he's been working with MUFON for three years. "As a skeptic, there are several incidents that have made me re-evaluate the subject of UFOs and literally spark my interest in this phenomenon," he said.

In the Roswell, N.M. crash, Hernandez said the intelligence officer who first saw the debris was no idiot and could not identify the materials "because the materials he held in his hands had remarkable characteristics."

Hernandez also cites the original press release, which states, "The army is in possession of a flying disc." At the time, he said the Army had no protocols in place for an event like the crash, so the information was released "business as usual." He also questions the increased military presence, if it was in fact a "secret research balloon."

Investigations can take anywhere from a couple of days to more than 50 years such as the case of Roswell, N.M. "If there is a sighting that we cannot verify then it is an ongoing investigation," Wiese said.

Barrientos has been an investigator for a month, but has been attending MUFON meetings since 2001. "I've always been fascinated with it," he said of UFOs. He likes the MUFON meetings, because it provides people with an opportunity to discuss ideas, issues and share information. "We sit around and listen to everybody," he said. "We're always open."

Barrientos hasn't seen a UFO himself and hasn't investigated any sightings yet. Investigations are sometimes an elimination process, Barrientos said.

There are no statistics on the number of sightings in Del Rio. Wiese said many sightings go unreported, because people don't know where to report them. Those who do make a report are generally cooperative. "Most are cooperative because they too want to know what they saw," Wiese said. "However, sometimes when assigned a report from the national headquarters of MUFON, we are unable to contact the observer for follow-up."

Hernandez said he has not been able to verify any of the sightings he has investigations. "It is very difficult to prove an actual UFO without physical evidence," he said.

The MUFON investigators work outside of Del Rio. Wiese said she wants to know more about those around Del Rio and in Texas. Hernandez recently worked on a sighting in Crystal City, Texas, which turned out to be the planet Venus. He also worked on information about the 1950s Del Rio crash that remains on going and the 1974 Coyame, Chihuahua Mexico crash.

What do family and friends think about the investigators' work in MUFON?

"Although my family and friends raze me about being an active member of MUFON each and everyone of them support me and I really think they enjoy having someone in the family or a friend that is into something 'out of the norm,'" Wiese said.

Barrientos works in research and development at San Antonio Shoe. He said family, friends and co-workers know about his work with MUFON. "Sometimes you get ridiculed, " he said, "but most of it is good natured." When many find out about MUFON, Barrientos said people are interested to talk about stories they have heard.

Hernandez, who works in the high tech electronics/computer field, said his family and friends are supportive. "My family is OK with it because they know that ignorance is what makes a skeptic function. If a skeptic would sit down and study this phenomenon with an open mind, they would come to the same conclusions as mine. I want to believe, so I must investigate!"

Alleged UFO sightings and crashes in Del Rio:

If it is in the air, flying and has a distinguished shape or light and you cannot classify it to any known aircraft, it can be classified as a UFO or unidentified flying object. People may also want to call it a UEP or unidentified aerial phenomenon,

Del Rio has had a history of UFO sighting reports, said Dr. Carman Wiese, a state section director of MUFON and a field investigator. Many of these incidents need to be revisited in order to determine if there are any similar reports and if so, can further research be done, she said. The term "alleged" is used because corroboration for each event is needed.

Most of the information provided was obtained from the Internet, Wiese said.

If you know anything about the following alleged sightings/crashes (observed, heard about or family history about), Wiese asks people to call (830) 719-2109 and leave a message or e-mail admin@mufondelrio.org All dates are approximate. These sightings were provided by MUFON Del Rio:

1. Dec. 5, 1950: crash of alleged UFO somewhere between Laredo and Del Rio or possibly area near El Indio-Guerrero.

2. Dec. 8, 1950: sighting by R.B.W. crash of UFO in Coyame, Mexico and retrieval by U.S. military. Allegedly crashed into sand bank on Mexican side across from Langtry.

In regards to these two alleged sightings and crashes, Wiese said she viewed all the November and December 1950 microfilms of the Del Rio News-Herald as well as 1951, and found no mention of either.

3. Nov. 23, 1953: sighting involved 1st Lt. John W. Schmidt controlling an F-89C. This is the only one in this list who is from Del Rio, but the sighting/crash did not happed in or near Del Rio.

4. July 1, 1957: cigar shaped object with oscillating multicolored lights that hovered over a newly purchased vehicle. This took place east of Del Rio but not in Brackettville. The driver reported to the hospital for treatment of burns, reported to the Del Rio Police Dept. and returned his new car to the Ford dealership because of extensive rusting. Wiese contacted the local hospital and police department, but neither have records going back this far.

5. Oct. 27, 1968: sighting by private pilot Jim Mulgannon

6. June 30, 1978: sighting took place near Hwy. 90 entrance to Laughlin AFB. Huge, quiet, and took off rapidly from a hovering position heading toward Mexico.

7. Aug. 16, 1986: sighting of triangle that lasted approximately 20 seconds. Took place approximately 9 p.m. between 11th and 12th Streets.

8. July 13, 2003: 15-30 seconds of bright light dead stop than moved and disappeared at "warp" speed.

9. Dec. 2, 2004: sighting lasting three minutes traveling northeast going southwest near Sheriff's office.

10. April 14, 2005: sighting took place while this person was waiting for a bus. It was oval shaped, silent and disappeared quickly. Seen by person who reported this as well as a neighbor.

11. Sept. 17, 2006: sighting took place about 35 miles outside of Del Rio on the Devil's River. Four witnesses saw a craft that looked like a spinning prism at about a distance of 800 yards when it took off, it was like a "shooting star." Witnessed for two nights.

12. Jan. 28, 2007: sighting took place with object moving toward Rock Springs and sighting lasted about 15-20 minutes.

13. March 1, 2007: sighting was a cluster of multicolored lights shaped similar to a hat that merged into one light.

14. Unknown date: a Texan whose wife had been at a dude ranch when a UFO crashed happened. She wrote to her husband about it.

MUFON has a meeting from 7 to 9 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month in the Sunblossom Room at the Ramada Inn. There is no charge for attendance and it is open to the public. In addition to Wiese, there are two more MUFON field investigators in Del Rio actively involved in MUFON research.

"There are numerous others who are interested in this phenomenon, do research and verification of sightings on their own, attend to learn more about the subject or tell about their sightings. Come join us and bring your curiosity and a friend," Wiese said.