In the fall of 1973, the small town of Pascagoula, Mississippi, became the unexpected epicenter of one of the most terrifying and controversial alien abduction cases in American history. During a period of heightened UFO interest across the United States, two shipyard workers claimed they were taken aboard a strange craft by otherworldly beings. What followed was a story filled with fear, public scrutiny, polygraph tests and lifelong trauma.
The Incident: What Happened to Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker
On the night of October 11, 1973, Charles Hickson (42) and Calvin Parker (19) were fishing off the west bank of the Pascagoula River when they suddenly saw a glowing, egg-shaped object hovering above the ground with blue lights flashing. The craft was estimated to be about 30-40 feet (9 to 12 meters) long.
As they stared in disbelief, a hatch opened and three bizarre creatures floated toward them. The beings were described as humanoid, approximately 5 feet tall (1.52 meters), with robotic-like movements, gray wrinkled skin, claw-like hands and pointed carrot-like ears or protrusions. Their faces were blank, with only slits for eyes and mouth.
The men claimed they were paralyzed and floated into the craft, where they underwent examinations. Calvin reported feeling a needle-like object inserted into his body. After about 20 minutes, they were returned to the shore, deeply shaken.
Investigations and Public Reaction
The men immediately went to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, where authorities secretly recorded them to check for signs of deception. Instead of boasting or crafting a lie, the tape revealed two terrified men talking quietly about the event, still in disbelief and shock.
Over the following weeks, the media exploded with interest and UFO researchers flocked to the area. Hickson underwent a polygraph test and passed. Parker, suffering emotional distress, later also took one and passed as well.
Several prominent UFO investigators, including Dr. J. Allen Hynek (former consultant for Project Blue Book), examined the case. While Hynek couldn’t confirm the event definitively, he noted the consistency and sincerity of their accounts. Philip J. Klass, a well-known skeptic, questioned their story but couldn’t fully discredit it.
Skepticism and Analysis
Many skeptics suggested the men may have fabricated the story due to stress or intoxication (despite only having had a beer). Others claimed it was a hallucination or a psychological episode.
However, the audio recordings, polygraph results and emotional trauma experienced by both men made it difficult to dismiss their story entirely. Calvin Parker especially avoided publicity for decades, only speaking openly again in recent years.
Legacy and Cultural Impact
The Pascagoula incident became one of the most well-documented and perplexing abduction cases in UFO lore. It inspired books, documentaries and reinvestigations years later. In fact, in 2018, Calvin Parker published his own detailed account: “Pascagoula – The Closest Encounter”.
In 2021, new witnesses came forward claiming to have seen the UFO that night, giving more credibility to the original account after nearly 50 years.
Today, the Pascagoula abduction remains a cornerstone in UFO history — not because it provides irrefutable proof, but because of its human element: two men forever changed by an experience they never asked for.