In the early hours of December 3, 1967, at the junction of Highway 3 and 63 near Ashland, Nebraska, USA, patrolman Herbert Schirmer saw a football-shaped UFO on the ground. It was displaying red lights and was supported on tripod landing gear.

Following the sighting, his log showed 20 minutes of missing time he could not account for. At home a red weal appeared on his neck and he suffered from a headache and a buzzing sound in his ears that kept him awake. According to his testimony under hypnosis, he described encountering 4 ft. tall entities that emerged from the UFO and surrounded his patrol car. He tried to pull out his revolver, but was prevented from doing so by telepathically conveyed command. One of the aliens held a device that covered the car with a green light or gas. Another entity touched his neck, causing him pain. After being questioned by them he was taken aboard the UFO, which he was told worked by ‘reversible electromagnetism’. When he asked his captors if they were responsible for kidnapping people he was told that they had a programme known as ‘breeding analysis’ and that some humans were used in these experiments. This is probably the first overt reference in an abduction case to an alien genetic programme.

According to his testimony the aliens wore close-fitting, hooded, silver-grey uniforms with boots and gloves. The visible portions of their facial skin was grey-white, the nose flat, and the mouth a mere slit. They had slanted eyes with strange pupils that opened and closed like a camera lens.

Linda Cortile.

At the age of 41, Italian-American, Linda Cortile, a New York housewife, claimed that at 3am on November 30, 1989, she was approached by a ‘small grey-skinned alien’ while she lay in bed. She recalled her body becoming paralysed in the creature’s presence, although her recollection of what happened next was vague. She also remembered lying on a table having her back examined.

Under hypnosis, she recalled five entities taking her from her bed, describing them as being short, white and dark, with very intense black eyes that shone. She claimed they lifted her up and carried her to the living room window, where there was a very bright blue-white light outside. The creatures then floated her through the locked twelfthfloor window and levitated her into the belly of a waiting UFO, where there began the examination of her back, and right nostril. Before leaving the examining table she was questioned about her family.

What makes this abduction experience so different from others is the fact that an international diplomat allegedly witnessed it and two US government ‘agents’, who saw both her and her abductors float from the twelfth-floor apartment in a foetal position, bathed in a blue light. They then opened into a standing position, before disappearing into the UFO.

A greater revelation was yet to follow when in 1991 the two ‘agents’ suddenly recalled being on a beach with Cortile, seconds after she was abducted. In subsequent hypnotic regressions Cortile revealed that the aliens were using her to explain to the leading politician that humanity was damaging the environment and that they were also collecting sand samples for analysis.

Bud Hopkins, the case investigator, received a call from Cortile who claimed that around October 20, 1991, she awoke to find her face, bedclothes and pillow covered in blood. Fortunately, one week earlier an X-ray was taken of Cortile’s head that revealed a tiny, cylindrical, radiopaque object lodged up her nose. A second X-ray was taken sometime after her nosebleed and revealed nothing untoward. This led Hopkins to surmise that the aliens had removed it – hence the bloodstains on her bed.

Betty Andreasson Luca.

This case is possibly one of the most important in the annals of the abduction phenomenon, because her experience began in 1944, when she was seven, and have continued ever since. Some of the abductions took place while she was alone, others included members of her family, including her husband and daughter. It is also interesting to note that Betty and Bob Luca’s abduction experiences have taken place in two different states of being. The first is a normal straightforward abduction. The second in an altered state i.e. Out of Body.

At around 7 p.m., on the night of January 25, 1967, Betty’s family home in Ashburnham, Massachusetts, was plunged into darkness and a diffuse pink light shone in from the kitchen window. Betty was already in a state of some anxiety, because her husband was seriously ill in hospital following a car accident.

When her father looked outside he saw small creatures that looked like ‘Halloween freaks’. When one of them turned to look at him, he felt ‘kind of queer’ and blacked out. When the lights came back on Betty saw her seven children and parents were motionless, as if in a trance. She watched, rooted in terror, as four entities, wreathed in a haze, entered through the locked back door. They were approximately 1.3 metres tall, were all dressed in skin-tight blue uniforms and had bulbous heads with almond-shaped eyes. Around 3 hours and forty minutes later, when the family finally ‘awoke’ from their torpor, only Betty and her father had the dimmest recollection of what had happened.

At the age of forty – some ten years later – she underwent a session of hypnotic regression and the full story of her encounter and, it emerged, her abduction was revealed. An astonishing story began to unfold in 1977 when Betty underwent her 14 sessions of hypnotic regression with Henry J. Edelson, and expert in the field. According to her account, and whilst her family were in a trance-like state, the tallest alien asked Betty to accompany them. She was also told they had come to help the human race, because they were in danger of destroying themselves. Then she was floated outside, where an odd looking oval craft with a raised central console was waiting.

Once aboard they began their examination of her and noticed that some of her body parts were missing; an observation she presumed referred to a hysterectomy she had undergone. A curious machine, like a cross between a camera and an eye, then began to examine her and a needle was inserted into her navel. She became acutely distressed. The tall alien apparently laid his hand upon her forehead and the pain was relieved. A device was then used to remove a tiny spiked ball from her nostril. It later emerged under hypnosis that Betty had, in fact, been abducted on several previous occasions and that the object was some kind of implant.

Following her examination she was removed to a ‘cylindrical room’ where she was put into one of eight seats resembling armchairs. Tubes were inserted into her mouth and nostrils and a translucent canopy was lowered over her. A grey liquid then flooded the capsule and she felt a spoonful of thick, sweet liquid being injected into her mouth, which had a tranquilising effect on her. She then experienced a series of pleasant vibrations and a temporary heaviness, as if the vessel was accelerating.  

When she emerged from the capsule a short while later, two hooded humanoids took control of her and floated her along a black track through a series of dark interconnecting tunnels. They eventually came to a mirrored wall and Betty, thinking they were about to collide with it, braced herself for the impact. Incredibly, however, there was no collision. When she opened her eyes she discovered the ambient air was ‘vibrating red’, as if she was being bathed in infrared radiation. Her journey took her passed strange looking buildings, across which clambered thin, ape-like creatures with suckers for fingers and two large eyes atop stalks rather than heads.

Soon after, she was taken into a place that she described as beautiful and green, like Earth. In the distance she could see cities with mighty domes. As bizarre as her encounters had thus far been, they were nothing in comparison to what next befell her.

Directly ahead a large object came into view, which was silhouetted against a bright light. As it drew closer she realised it was a 4.5 meter tall statue of an eagle, which suddenly burst into flames. From the ashes arose not a fledgling phoenix but a thick, grey worm that communicated telepathically with her, saying, “You have seen and you have heard. Do you understand?” She replied that she could make no sense of it all. Again the voice spoke in her head; “I have chosen you … I have chosen you to show the world.”  

Another witness emerged in the early investigative stages of the affair. It was Betty’s daughter, Becky, who claimed that when the aliens arrived at their home she had briefly managed to shake off her trance and had glimpsed the visitors. She described them as being hairless, with pear-shaped heads, almond eyes, orifices rather than external nose and ears, and a slit-like ‘mouth’ typical of the Grey. Other features however did not fit this stereotype; the creature’s skin was clay-like, not scaly and instead of four long fingers they had three thick ones that were attached to club-like hands. They differed from Greys in other respects too. Betty’s physical examination, for example, was conducted without the disregard for pain, traditionally shown by Greys.

Listed below are just a few examples of the amazing account recalled by Betty and Bob Luca.

1949:

Five years after her first encounter, Betty experiences meeting an alien in some woods. The ball of light she experienced in 1944 was also present in the encounter.

1950:

Here, she was abducted from a field and taken to an underground area, where her eye was examined and removed. Eleven years later, 1961, she was drawn to some woods where she met an alien with a message.

1967:

See above detailed account.

1973:

During this abduction Betty witnesses alien technology and the birth of a foetus.Four years later an alien warns her of the impending death of two of her sons.

1978:

Both Bob and Betty are abducted from their car via an out-of-body experience, in which Betty is turned into a being of light and Bob is given information on life and death.

1984-89:

Further out-of-body and physical abductions take place. In the latter state is taken by a UFO to a place described as the ‘crystal forest’. From this place she is taken to a huge UFO above the Earth. Aboard this craft she witnesses, among other things, an operation to replace a Grey’s eyes. There are also Nordic-type aliens aboard the craft for whom, it is explained, the Greys work.

During a further OBE abduction she sees her daughter aboard the alien craft. She is apparently under instruction. Bob is abducted and is put on a table. A device is fitted to his head and he sees symbols in his mind.

1992:

Bob sees an alien Grey in their house.

Carlos Manuel Mercado.

In his home in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, Carlos Manuel Mercado claimed to have been visited by three aliens he described as being like the traditional ‘Greys’, except they had bumps on their facial skin. They wore one piece, tightly fitting, sandy coloured fitting suits and communicated with him via telepathy. The year was 1988.

He was abducted from his home onto a domed, disk-shaped craft in which he saw more smaller beings and a taller entity, approximately 5 ft. 9 inches tall. This entity was dressed in a white robe and looked a little more human than the others. After he assured Carlos that he would come to no harm, the craft took off and headed toward Sierra Bermeja, a few miles distant. As he watched through the portholes he saw they were approaching the El Cayul Mountain. He then saw a brilliant light when something opened up and the craft went inside through a kind of tunnel and into a large cavern that was brightly lit and appeared to be constructed of aluminium.

After disembarking from the UFO, Carlos was told by the tall alien that he was going to show them how advanced they were. He saw a barrack-like structure, hundreds of aliens assembling machines, and many crafts of varying design. “As you can see”, the tall entity told him, “We have a base here for the maintenance of our crafts’ systems. We have been here for a long time and don’t intend to leave.” Carlos was also told that they meant no harm to Earth people and that they were not here as conquerors. They merely wanted to reach out to establish a direct relationship that would be beneficial to both parties.

 Carlos could not understand why he had been chosen, as he was a simple man, whom no one would believe. The tall alien replied, “People will hear you, as well as many others we are contacting and bringing here to show them the same. When (educated) people hear what simple people – as you call yourself – are saying they will know that you are telling the truth.” He was then returned home.

Author, Timothy Good also relates a story of someone taken to the alien facility. In this instance he was a high-ranking military officer. Interestingly, everything the officer said corroborated the details given by Mercado.

Common Themes and Differences of Purported ET Abductions.

 Alien Types:

In seeking to categorize the phenomenon, Thomas Bullard’s classification scheme (1995) shows a divergence in the descriptions offered by abductees of their non-human captors, who range from short grey (standard) humanoids to apes, robots, Nordic-types, and other assorted oddities. These we find in abundance in the previously cited cases. Some, as in the Luca case, are exotic in the extreme and do not even appear in Bullard’s classification.

Even the traditional Greys appear to display disparate features. Some are reported as having intense, black eyes that shine. Others posses almond-shaped eyes (Luca), whilst others have slanted eyes with odd pupils that open and close like a camera lens (Schirmer). Becky Luca, we may recall, also described features that did not fit the Greys’ stereotype; their skin texture and the numbers of hand digits being appreciably different.

In a later abduction her mother, Betty, also reported seeing Nordic – type aliens.

The so-called Greys in the Mercado case were also unusual in that they had bumps on their facial skin. He also reported seeing a taller entity dressed in a white robe. A Nordic type perhaps?

Antonio Villas Boas was unable to offer a detailed description of his captors, because they wore helmeted ‘space suits’ with breathing apparatus, suggesting an inability to breathe our atmosphere. Yet, the naked female he encountered wore no such breathing apparatus. Nor did the Schirmer, Cortile, Luca and Mercado entities, though they did wear similar outfits. Of the five cited cases, only Boas describes a robotic alien.         

Abduction Methodology.

In 1995, 57% of abduction cases reportedly took place from bedrooms, whereas reports of abductions from vehicles were 26%. Whatever the location, the transference methods employed suggest different technological skills and capabilities.  In the case of Betty Andreasson Luca, a beam floated her to the waiting craft. This also happened to Linda Cortile who, like Luca, also experienced the nullification of the nuclear repulsive forces when she was physically passed through a locked window. Villas Boas was physically manhandled into a UFO and it can be reasonably assumed – given Schirmer’s description of an open hatchway – which he too entered in a similar fashion.

The use of such disparate technologies and alternate abduction methodologies can hardly be described as typical; especially the Out of Body (OOB) abductions experienced by Betty Luca.

Bullard’s classification table shows telepathy to be the favoured method of communication, showing little deviation over an eight-year period from 1987 – 95. This is certainly true in the Schirmer, Luca, and Mercado encounters. In the case of Villas Boas, however, who claimed to have had a sexual encounter with an alien female, communication allegedly took place via hand gestures, barks and yelps. 

A further distinction is evidenced in the manner abductees are treated by their non-human abductees. Some report them as being warm and considerate, as in the Mercado and Luca abductions, whereas Boas – who was frog marched into the craft experienced a military-like protocol. They were also cold and, as with Linda Cortile, behaved in a business like way towards him. Schirmer found them to be coercive and controlling and believed them to be insincere and uncaring, one of his captors going so far as to cause physical pain and injury to him.

A common theme that runs through many abduction cases is that of memory loss. The Luca family’s conscious memories of the events were fragmented and made little sense until they underwent regression hypnosis and began to recall in greater detail their abductions. The same appears to be true of Linda Cortile, Herbert Schirmer and Villas Boas. Had they all been given instructions by their captors to forget?

It is worth noting at this juncture that many ufologists distrust hypnotic regression as a tool for eliciting memory because of the highly suggestible state the patient is placed in. What may have been a dream or a temporary mental aberration can become a subjectively real occurrence in the mind of the patient in their altered state. It is of vital importance that the practitioner be fully qualified in this discipline when dealing in cases of supposed abduction so as not to create a ‘false memory’.           

In 1995 it was reported that 68% of abductees undergo a ‘standard’ medical examination which may or may not involve blood being taken; samples of genetic material being removed; a reproductive examination; and the removal or insertion of implants. Given that these procedures do occur, they are by no means a guaranteed feature as the Boas, Schirmer, and Mercado contactee cases demonstrate, although Boas and Schirmer do seem to have been involved in some kind of breeding and ‘breeding analysis’ programmes.

Conversely, Linda Cortile and Betty Luca do undergo medical examinations. In Cortiles case her back and right nostril is examined. This was done manually, as reported by 42% of abductees in 1995. In line with 24% of reported medical examinations done by aliens, Luca is given a reproductive examination and, as with Cortile, a probe is inserted up her nose. Seventeen years previously her eye was also examined and removed.

In 1987 Bullard’s classification table reported that 49% of abductees were examined by an eye-like device, a procedure also experienced by Luca. However, it was in 1989 that Betty witnessed the most unusual medical procedure. It was performed not on herself but on a Grey, who had its eye replaced.

We can only speculate as to why diverse and intrusive medical procedures are being performed. However, it is worth noting that reproductive function and development is of particular interest to these creatures. Why else would they extract sperm and ova or retrieve developing foetal material?

According to Joe Nyman this is the most variable of all abduction stages. Of the above-cited cases only one, Cortile, isn’t given a tour. Boas and Schirmer tour their captors’ ships and witness various technological devices. Similar events were likewise reported by 28% of abductees in 1995. Carlos Manuel Mercado visits an underground alien facility where he sees hundreds of aliens maintaining crafts of various design.

The Betty Andreasson Luca case is, however, the most intriguing of all. Over several alleged abductions she has witnessed alien technology and the birth of a foetus, claims to have gone on two otherworldly journeys in 1967 and 1989; and even alleges abduction in an Out-of-Body state. The latter notwithstanding, the tours in themselves are a relatively common theme. But it is in their content and the messages they purportedly convey that disquieting differentiations are to be found. These might or might not be the result of wholly separate extraterrestrial agendas.

In 1987, 71% of abductees reported experiencing after-effects on a short-term, intermediate-term, and long-term basis. Interestingly, Mercado and Boas did not. Although a medical examination of the latter did show that he had been exposed to radiation, he merely told his story and retreated to his daily life.

Herbert Schirmer showed both short and long-term after-effects, the latter taking the form of severe headaches.

Linda Cortile was suspected as having undergone a further abduction to remove an implant when she awoke one morning to discover dry blood on her face and bedclothes.

Betty Andreasson Luca is experiencing on-going abductions and has developed physical scars, thought by some to be due to cell sampling carried out by her abductors. She continues to regard the abductions as spiritual experiences.

Whether such abductions are real, imagined or are the product of mental aberrations, it is still hotly contested in ufological circles and will continue to be so in the foreseeable future. One thing they are certainly not is typical.

 References.

Evans, Hilary & Spencer, John (1989): Phenomenon Futura Publications.

OCN Ufology (2000): Unit 4: Alien Abduction.

The Contactee Era. Brookesmith, Peter (1995):

UFO The Complete Sightings Catalogue: Abductions and Absurdities. BCA.

OCN Ufology (2000): Unit 4: Alien Abduction: The Abduction Phenomenon in the 1960s.

The X Factor, issue 47 (1997): Abduction at Brooklyn Bridge. Marshall Cavendish Ltd.

OCN Ufology (2000): Unit 4: Alien Abduction.

The 1980s: Part 2. OCN Ufology (2000): Unit 4: Alien Abductions. The Andreasson Case.

The X Factor, Macdonald, Andrew, Issue 47 (1998): The Emissaries of God?

Good, Timothy (1998): Alien Base. Century.

Bullard, Thomas (1995): OCN Ufology: Unit 4: Alien Abduction. Characteristics of the Phenomenon.

Butler, Richard D (1997): Abduction Experience [AE 4] Classifications.

OCN Ufology. Unit 4: Alien Abduction.

Brookesmith, Peter (1995): Contact. The Complete Sightings Catalogue.

Nyman, Joe (2000): Stage 4: Reassurance, Positive Feelings, A Sense of Source and Purpose Given.

OCN Ufology. Unit 4 (2000): Alien Abduction.

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