Mandi’s Mysteries and Pampering…

Today’s version of unsolved mysteries takes us to the fair land of Brazil. Rio de Janeiro is noted for Carnivale and creepy masks, but nothing is creepier than the unexplained deaths of two young men, Miguel Viana and Manoel Pereira da Cruz. I share this tale to remind you to avoid contact with extraterrestrials, (lol).

These two young men worked as electrical technicians. They may have made a living with tangible wires and scientific theory, but no theory explains their mysterious demise. The story begins in the 1960’s, a time of free love and peace and the Age of Aquarius. 

The year is 1966. The date is August 20. Two dead bodies are seen and subsequently recovered from a rocky hillside. They were dressed in formal suits. And raincoats. Each had his hands behind his neck in a relaxed position. They were lying in a precisely trimmed bed of leaves. At their side was a water bottle, two wet towels and a notebook. Written in the notebook were cryptic lists of supplies and instructions which still remain a mystery. Where did the list of supplies come from, and what was their intended use?

What would you deduce from these entries in the notebook?

• On Sunday, take one capsule after the meal.

• On Monday, take one capsule in the morning on an empty stomach.

• On Tuesday, take one tablet after the meal.

• On Wednesday, take one table before going to bed.

• 16:30 Be at specified location.

• 18:30 Ingest capsules

• “After the effect protect metals await signal mask.” I don’t speak Portugues, but I have to wonder who translated this! I wonder if it should have been translated to say, “Wait to don masks (and) signal (us) until after the effect (has begun).

Did I mention the other perplexing item in their wardrobe? Each was wearing a leaded mask like the Lone Ranger might have worn. It neither covered their faces nor protected their airways. These were not period gas masks, but a sort of “leaded blindfolds” designed to keep the men from seeing anything.

Certain questions arise--at least in my mind, but I must be some sort of super sleuth, because these didn’t get answered by investigating officials:

1.    What was in the ingested capsules?

2.    What were they not supposed to see?

3.    Who gave them the list of instructions?

4.    How could those towels be wet in a tropical climate so near the equator?

5.    Why were their pockets empty?

6.    Who did they expect to meet?

Relatives admit the two men were obsessed with the idea of extraterrestrials. It is known they  left on a bus the day before their disappearance with a sizable amount of cash. An eyewitness says they entered his bar and drank a glass of water. He also says one looked nervous and kept checking his watch. This is the last documented sighting of the two men prior to their demise and discovery three days later.

A minimal autopsy was performed and their bodies were not examined for toxic chemicals. Apparently crime was running rampant right then, because they were given very little attention, and thus their deaths remain a mystery to this very day.

I am not the only intrigued sleuth. The Italians studied this event and reported that the two men set up extensive firework displays, ostensibly as signals. They also report that four days after their bodies were discovered a UFO was sighted, emitting signals very much like the men’s firework displays. Are we being watched by aliens? Are they studying us?

As it turns out, the answer may very well be, “Yes!!” Flying Saucer Review magazine reports a similar death four years earlier in the same location and wearing a very similar leaded mask. Like the two electricians, Hermes Luiz Feitosa was also obsessed with contacting extraterrestrials.

And so, my friends, my advice is simple. Don’t dabble in UFOs. Don’t visit Rio, and if you do, don’t purchase any pills and don’t trek out to a hillside to contact UFO’s. It’s not conducive to good health nor a long life.

And are there extraterrestrials around us? Bank on it!

References:

The Mystery Box: https://medium.com/the-mystery-box/lead-masks-case-the-mysterious-death-of-two-ufo-hunters-e5d71d174292

The Line Up: https://the-line-up.com/lead-masks-case

Why It’s even weirder than you thought: https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/3goalr/lead_masks_case_why_its_even_weirder_than_you/