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148: Máscaras de Chumbo (The Lead Masks)
🕑 Added 2023-04-07 19:27:21 +0000 UTCOn August 17, 1966, Paulo Cordeiro Azevedo dos Santos went bird hunting on Morro do Vintém, a hill that overlooked the Santa Rosa neighborhood of Niterói in Rio de Janeiro. Instead of birds, he stumbled upon a horrifying scene: two lifeless bodies, partially covered in vegetation. He rushed to report his disturbing discovery to local radio patrol officer Antônio Guerra, but his story was dismissed as a prank. The following day, 18-year-old Jorge da Costa Alves and his friends went searching for Alves' lost kite and were hit with a putrid odor that led them to the same bodies. Alves immediately reported the discovery to the Niterói police station.
The investigation was postponed until the next day due to the challenging access conditions caused by heavy rain. It took the small team of police officers, firefighters, and journalists approximately two hours to reach the crime scene. When they arrived, they were met with the overpowering smell of decomposing bodies and decaying vegetation. The stench was so intense that an excessive amount of formaldehyde had to be used on the bodies. One of the investigators recounted years later that the crime scene had an eerie, ritualistic atmosphere, with no indications of struggle or physical trauma. The victims appeared to be sleeping.
The bodies of Miguel José Viana (34) and Manoel Pereira da Cruz (32), both electronics technicians, were found lying side by side on a bed of palm leaves. They wore identical raincoats over their formal suits and homemade Máscaras de Chumbo or lead masks that resembled the sunglasses worn by Doc Brown in 'Back to the Future 2.' Surprisingly, the bodies were untouched by scavengers despite being left exposed. The victims' watches were removed from their wrists and placed in their pockets, and an almost empty pack of Continental cigarettes was found with da Cruz. It appeared that they intended to make a short journey, as there was no extra pack of cigarettes. Nearby, investigators discovered an empty water bottle, a laminated paper cup, and a paper package containing two damp towels. Additionally, a handkerchief with the initials AMS was found, but none of the victims' relatives recognized those initials. Other items found included a bag of concrete mix, a notebook containing symbols, reference codes for vacuum tubes, and basic equations such as Ohm's Law.
A cryptic note containing vague instructions was also discovered:
"16:30 - be at the determined place.
18:30 - Ingest capsules after the effect, protect metals wait for mask signal."
While the handwriting on the notebook belonged to Viana, the vocabulary used was more characteristic of a medical professional. In Brazil, individuals with a lower education level, such as the victims, would typically use the term "Engolir" (to swallow) instead of "Ingerir" (to ingest). To add to the mystery, there were multiple reports from witnesses claiming to have seen a UFO in the area a few days prior to the estimated time of the victims' deaths.
Join us as we discuss the bizarre details of the Lead Masks case, including a sneaky dog, criminals with lame nicknames, extraterrestrial revenge, and a man called Pizza.
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Sources:
“The Lead Masks Mystery” by Staff Writers, Flying Saucer Review, V 12 N 6, November-December 1966
“The Mystery of Morro Do Vintem” by Charles Bowen, Flying Saucer Review, V 13 N 2, March-April 1967
“Strange Deaths in Brazil,” The A.P.R.O. Bulletin, September-October 1966
Confrontations: A Scientist's Search for Alien Contact by Jacques Vallee
“The Case of the Lead Masks” by Redação Vigilia, Portal Vigilia, 01/05/1999
“THE LEAD MASKS CASE: MYSTERIOUS DEATHS ON VINTÉM HILL,” True Noir, 3/16/2017
“The Bizarre Lead Mask Deaths of 1966” by Stacy Conradt, Mental Floss, 10/22/2015
“The Lead Masks Case,” The Mask Sign
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