Pascagoula Abduction

The Pascagoula Abduction was an alleged UFO sighting and alien abduction in 1973, in which Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker claimed they were abducted by aliens while fishing near Pascagoula, Mississippi.

Map showing coastal route US 90, connecting Pascagoula with Ocean Springs, Mississippi.
Calvin Parker
Calvin Parker at The 2019 International UFO Congress in Phoenix, Arizona.
Born1954 (age 68–69)
Died(2023-08-24)August 24, 2023
Known forAlleged abduction
Charles Hickson
BornApril 16, 1931[1]
DiedSeptember 9, 2011(2011-09-09) (aged 80)
Known forAlleged abduction
Alleged abduction of Charles Hickson, Calvin Parker
LocationPascagoula River, Mississippi

Alleged abduction

On the evening of October 11, 1973, 42-year-old Charles Hickson and 19-year-old Calvin Parker told the Jackson County, Mississippi Sheriff's office they were fishing off a pier on the west bank of the Pascagoula River in Mississippi when they heard a whirring/whizzing sound, saw two flashing blue lights, and observed an oval shaped object 30–40 feet across and 8–10 feet high. Parker and Hickson claimed they were "conscious but paralyzed" while three "creatures" with "robotic slit-mouths" and "crab-like pincers" took them aboard the object and subjected them to an examination.[2][3][4]

Publicity and later activities

Following the incident, Hickson gave interviews and lectures, appeared on television (including an episode of the game show To Tell The Truth),[5] in 1974 claimed additional encounters with aliens, and in 1983 authored a self-published book UFO Contact at Pascagoula.[6] Parker later attended UFO conventions, and in 1993 started a company called "UFO Investigations" to produce television stories about UFOs.[2][7]

In September 2011, Hickson died of a heart attack.[8]

In 2018, Parker released his book, entitled Pascagoula — The Closest Encounter, My Story, which is "the first full account of the event given by Parker along with how it affected his life."[9][10]

On June 22, 2019, a historical marker was unveiled at the site of the alleged abduction, funded by the historical society and with placement approved by the city. Parker attended the unveiling, as did Hickson's son and family. Parker stated, "It is emotional for me. I can't really describe it because I would break out in tears if I do. I wish when I died I could be buried right here underneath this plaque, that would explain it the best. It is quite an honor."[11][4]

Parker died in August 2023, after battling kidney cancer.[10][12]

Skepticism

Aviation journalist and UFO skeptic Philip J. Klass found "discrepancies" in Hickson's story, noted that Hickson refused to take a polygraph exam conducted by an experienced examiner, and concluded that the case was a hoax. Skeptical investigator Joe Nickell wrote that Hickson's behavior was "questionable" and that Hickson later altered or embellished his claims. Nickell speculated that Hickson may have fantasized the alien encounter during a hypnagogic "waking dream state", and suggested that Parker's corroboration of the tale was likely due to suggestibility because he initially told police he had "passed out at the beginning of the incident and failed to regain consciousness until it was over",[6][7] a claim supported by Hickson during his To Tell the Truth appearance.

See also

References
  1. "Charles e. Hickson Sr. Obituary (2011) Mississippi Press".
  2. Amy, Jeff (October 11, 2013). "Man says 1973 UFO incident turned life upside down". Twin Cities Pioneer Press. Associated Press. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  3. "Mississippian recalls night of abduction on spaceship". Associated Press. August 9, 1987. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  4. Brockell, Gillian (June 26, 2019). "The men claimed they were abducted by aliens. In Mississippi, police believed them". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  5. To Tell the Truth, episode taped November 20th, 1973
  6. Nickell, Joe (May 2012). "Famous Alien Abduction in Pascagoula: Reinvestigating a Cold Case". Csicop.org. Committee For Skeptical Inquiry. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  7. Paul Kurtz (10 September 2013). The Transcendental Temptation: A Critique of Religion and the Paranormal. Prometheus Books. pp. 442–. ISBN 978-1-61614-828-7.
  8. "Mississippi man who said he was abducted by aliens dies". Reuters. September 14, 2011. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  9. Broom, Brian (July 6, 2021). "Alien abduction: 45 years after alleged UFO encounter, Mississippi man breaks his silence". The Clarion Ledger. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  10. Broom, Brian (September 2, 2023). "'It completely changed my life': Calvin Parker, MS man allegedly abducted by aliens, has died". The Clarion Ledger. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  11. "Historical marker unveiled honoring possible alien abduction in Pascagoula". WLOX. June 23, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  12. "Calvin Parker, who claimed he was abducted by aliens in Pascagoula in 1973, has died". WLOX. September 3, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.

30°22′12″N 88°33′52″W

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