On August 7, 1968, one of the earliest and most compelling alien abduction cases in the United States allegedly occurred at Buff Ledge Camp, located on the shores of Lake Champlain, Vermont. This case involved Michael Lapp and Janet Cornell, two teenagers working at the camp during the summer and has intrigued UFO researchers for decades due to the witnesses credibility and the detailed hypnotic recollections that followed.
The Event
Michael and Janet were relaxing on a dock at Buff Ledge Camp after a long day, gazing at the sky during the early evening. Suddenly, they noticed a bright light moving erratically in the sky. As they watched, the light appeared to descend, revealing what they described as a small glowing craft, which hovered silently above the lake.
As the object came closer, the teens could see what looked like two humanoid figures inside. Michael described the beings as having large heads, slim bodies and big, dark eyes similar to what would later become iconic “grey alien” imagery. In a flash of light, both witnesses experienced missing time and disorientation. When they “came to”, the craft had vanished and they felt deeply unsettled.
Hypnosis and Recovered Memories
Years later, in the 1970s, both Michael and Janet underwent regressive hypnosis to recover the missing memories from that night. Through these sessions, Michael recalled being taken aboard the craft, placed on a metallic table and examined by the beings. He described a feeling of intense cold, bright lights and telepathic communication from the entities.
Janet also reported disturbing memories, although hers were less vivid. Both accounts included sensations of paralysis, manipulation and a sense of being observed. Importantly, both witnesses had no history of fabrications or psychological issues, lending some credibility to their claims.
Public Reaction and Investigation
The National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP) and other UFO researchers took an interest in the Buff Ledge case. Investigators noted that both witnesses had no clear motive to fabricate the story and the consistency between their accounts, gathered separately and raised eyebrows even among skeptics.
Some skeptics have suggested the pair might have experienced a shared hallucination, sleep paralysis or dream-like state. However, no definitive explanation has been given to dismiss the experience entirely.
The Buff Ledge Camp Abduction is often cited as one of the earliest missing time cases involving multiple witnesses, years before abductions became a mainstream element of UFO lore. It preceded the more famous Travis Walton and Whitley Strieber cases by several years.
Though lacking physical evidence, the case is regarded as a cornerstone in alien abduction history, illustrating the early formation of common elements now seen in hundreds of similar accounts: lights in the sky, lost time, telepathy and non-human examination aboard a craft.