Lead masks case
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 🛸 Case
Contents 4
| Type | Case |
|---|---|
| Also known as | lead masks, Morro do Vintém |
The lead masks case concerns the deaths of two Brazilian electronics technicians, Manoel Pereira da Cruz and Miguel José Viana, whose bodies were found in August 1966 on Morro do Vintém, a hill in Niterói, near Rio de Janeiro, wearing crude masks made of lead. The cause of death was never determined, and the case has been linked to UFOs and spiritualism.[1][2]
The discovery
On 20 August 1966 a boy flying a kite found the two bodies lying side by side. They wore formal suits and raincoats, with lead eye masks, and showed no signs of struggle or major injury. Beside them were an empty water bottle, a packet with two towels and a small notebook.[1][2] One note read, in Portuguese, "16:30 be at the agreed place. 18:30 swallow capsules, after effect protect metals, wait for mask signal."[2]
The investigation
The men had left their home town of Campos dos Goytacazes on 17 August, saying they were going to buy equipment. In Niterói they bought the raincoats and a bottle of water; the woman who sold the water said Viana seemed very nervous and kept checking his watch.[1] They were believed to have carried a large sum of money, most of which was never found.[2] The autopsy was delayed because the coroner's office was busy, and by then the organs were too decomposed for toxicology tests.[1][2]
Theories
A friend of the men, Elcio Gomes, told police that the three of them belonged to a group of "scientific spiritualists" who were trying to contact Mars, and that an earlier experiment had ended in an explosion.[2] The most common theory is that the men were trying to contact extraterrestrials or spirits, took some substance, and wore the masks to protect their eyes from an expected bright light; mask-making materials and spiritualist literature were found at their homes.[1] Others have suggested foul play or a UFO connection; podcaster Brian Dunning of Skeptoid concluded that the capsules mentioned in the note were the likeliest cause of death.[2]
References
- Lead masks case — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- Brian Dunning, "Solving the Lead Masks of Vintem Hill", Skeptoid #398 (21 Jan 2014) · skeptoid.com · archived copy
This page was last edited on 31 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
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