• Home Page
  • UFO Topics
  • UFO Photos
  • UFO Cases
  • Sighting Reports
  • Report a Sighting

UFO Case Report:

UFO Crash and Retrieval in Missouri, 1941

Date: April, 1941
Location: Cape Girardeau, Missouri, United States

One of the most mysterious stories of a crashed UFO with alien bodies preceded the well know Roswell events by some six years. Reverend William Huffman was summoned to pray over alien crash victims outside of Cape Girardeau, Missouri in the spring of 1941. He was shown three victims, not human as expected, but small alien bodies with large eyes, hardly a mouth or ears, and hairless.

1999 Drawings by Charlette Mann Based on Her Memory of the 1941 Photograph. Drawings © 1999 by Charlette Mann. (credit: Genealogical Research)

Southern Baptist Reverend William Huffman, witness to the crash in Missouri, began his ministry in Cape Girardeau, Missouri in 1941. Photograph courtesy Reverend Huffman's granddaughter, Charlette Mann, and Majestic-12 documents researcher, Ryan Wood. (credit: Genealogical Research)


Classification & Features

Type of Case/Report: MajorCase
Hynek Classification: CE3
Special Features/Characteristics: Crash/Retrieval, Humanoid/Occupant, Clergy, Witness Photo, Witness Sketch

More Articles on this Case

Interview with Charlette Mann (granddaughter of Reverand William Huffman)

Reprinted by Genealogical Research

Interview with Charlette Mann, granddaughter of Reverand William Huffman who was called in 1941 to pray over the bodies of alien crash victims. Charlette recounts the experience as told by her grandmother before her grandmother's death in 1984. R

The First Roswell: Evidence For A Crash Retrieval In Cape Girardeau Missouri In 1941 (PDF format)

Ryan S. Wood, MUFON Symposium Proceedings 2001

This paper will review the primary and secondary sources and evidence for the reality of an extraterrestrial spacecraft crash-retrieval in Cape Girardeau, Missouri in the spring of 1941. Close attention is paid to the primary witness, Reverend Huffman, and related testimony of granddaughter Charlette Mann.

Charlette Mann's testimony for TV documentary

BJ Booth

Charlette Mann gave, in her own words, an account of what she knew for a television documentary. Some of that account is given here. R

Press article: 'Local UFO probe Researcher seeks answers to report of crash in 1941'

Peggy O'Farrel, Southeast Missourian (credit: CSETI)

A Virginia man is investigating the possibility that a UFO crashed near Cape Girardeau in 1941. "That would be six years before Roswell," said James Westwood of Centreville, Va., referring to the 1947 incident in which the government allegedly recovered and then covered up a UFO crash in New Mexico. "That would put Cape Girardeau County on the UFO map." he said.  R

Genealogical Research: 1941 Alleged UFO Crash Retrieval and The Missouri Institute of Aeronautics

Genealogical research uncovered unexpected coincidences between family history and a Missouri legend of an alleged 1941 UFO crash retrieval. In an attempt to dismiss this connection, I chose to investigate the incident further. Personal investigation only adds to the intrigue. Did an object of unknown origin, an alleged UFO, crash in the countryside of Southeast Missouri in 1941?

Full Report / Article

Source: Excerpt from UFO Casebook (BJ Booth)
[go to original source]

[excerpt from article by BJ Booth]

One of the most mysterious stories of a crashed UFO with alien bodies preceded the well know Roswell events by some six years. This case was first brought to investigators by Leo Stringfield in his book "UFO Crash / Retrievals: The Inner Sanctum." He opened a tantalizing account of a military controlled UFO crash retrieval which is still being researched today. The details of the case were sent to him in a letter from one Charlette Mann, who related her minister-grandfather's deathbed confession of being summoned to pray over alien crash victims outside of Cape Girardeau, Missouri in the spring of 1941. Reverend William Huffman had been an evangelist for many years, but had taken the resident minister reigns of the Red Star Baptist Church in early 1941. Church records corroborate his employment there during the period in question.

After receiving this call to duty, he was immediately driven the 10-15 mile journey to some woods outside of town. Upon arriving at the scene of the crash, he saw policemen, fire department personnel, FBI agents, and photographers already mulling through the wreckage. He was soon asked to pray over three dead bodies. As he began to take in the activity around the area, his curiosity was first struck by the sight of the craft itself.

Expecting a small plane of some type, he was shocked to see that the craft was disc-shaped, and upon looking inside he saw hieroglyphic-like symbols, indecipherable to him. He then was shown the three victims, not human as expected, but small alien bodies with large eyes, hardly a mouth or ears, and hairless. Immediately after performing his duties, he was sworn to secrecy by military personnel who had taken charge of the crash area. He witnessed these warnings being given to others at the scene also.

As he arrived back at his home at 1530 Main Street, he was still in a state of mild shock, and could not keep his story from his wife Floy, and his sons. This late night family discussion would spawn the story that Charlette Mann would hear from her grandmother in 1984, as she lay dying of cancer at Charlette's home while undergoing radiation therapy. Charlette was told the story over the span of several days, and although Charlette had heard bits and pieces of this story before, she now demanded the full details.

As her grandmother tolerated her last few days on this Earth, Charlette knew it was now or never to find out everything she could before this intriguing story was lost with the death of her grandmother. She also learned that one of the members of her grandfather's congregation, thought to be Garland D. Fronabarger, had given him a photograph taken on the night of the crash. This picture was of one of the dead aliens being help up by two men.

(...)


Case ID: 858 edit: 858

FAIR USE NOTICE: This page may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This website distributes this material without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for scientific, research and educational purposes. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C § 107.