Active case
Pascagoula incident
On the night of October 11, 1973, 45-year-old Charles Hickson and his 17-year-old relative Calvin Parker reported to the Jackson County, Mississippi sheriff's office that they had encountered a UFO while fishing off a pier on the west bank of the Pascagoula River. According to their account, they heard a whirring sound, saw flashing blue lights, and observed an oval-shaped object roughly 30–40 feet across. Hickson claimed three "creatures" with "pincers" took them aboard the craft and examined them before releasing them; Parker reportedly fainted and remained unconscious throughout the alleged examination. The report came amid a wider wave of UFO sightings across the U.S. South in 1973, sometimes called the 1973 UFO flap.
The two men initially went to the Mississippi Press office before proceeding to the sheriff's office. Captain Glenn Ryder, who interviewed them, said he was initially skeptical but came to believe the men were sincere, despite smelling alcohol on Hickson's breath (which Hickson attributed to whiskey consumed after the alleged release). Officers secretly recorded the two men when left alone, hoping to catch inconsistencies, but their accounts remained consistent. The story was picked up by the Associated Press and United Press International on October 12, 1973, and covered nationally. The men were examined at Keesler Air Force Base and cleared of radiation exposure.
Ufologists James Harder and J. Allen Hynek separately interviewed the men under hypnosis and told press the accounts were likely based on fact. Media comparisons were drawn to the earlier Betty and Barney Hill case. A local polygraph examiner concluded in October 1973 that Hickson "told the truth as to what he believed," while cautioning that this did not confirm a spacecraft landing. Parker, through an attorney, declined to take a polygraph unless requested by Hickson, citing a recent hospitalization.
Hickson became a prominent figure in UFO circles, appearing on The Dick Cavett Show, The Mike Douglas Show, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and To Tell the Truth. He later claimed ongoing contact with the beings across multiple additional encounters and authored a self-published book in 1983. Parker later attended UFO conventions and in 1993 started a company called "UFO Investigations." In 2018, Parker published his own account of the events.
Aviation journalist and UFO skeptic Philip J. Klass identified discrepancies in Hickson's story and concluded the case was a hoax, partly because Hickson refused a polygraph exam by an experienced examiner. Skeptical investigator Joe Nickell characterized aspects of Hickson's behavior as "questionable," noted later alterations to his claims, and suggested Hickson may have experienced a hypnagogic "waking dream state," with Parker's corroboration possibly influenced by suggestibility.
Hickson died of a heart attack in September 2011 at age 80. A historical marker was unveiled at the alleged site in June 2019, attended by Parker and Hickson's family. Parker died of kidney cancer in August 2023 at age 68. The City of Pascagoula holds an annual festival marking the incident's anniversary, and the case has continued to receive media coverage, including in a 2024 Netflix documentary series.
Key facts
- Victims
- Calvin Parker, Charles Hickson
- Date
- 1973
- Location
- Pascagoula River, Pascagoula, Mississippi
- Case status
- unsolved
Case timeline
1973-10-11
Larry Booth reports a strange craft to the sheriff around 8 PM; later that night, Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker report to the Jackson County sheriff's office that they were taken aboard a UFO while fishing near Pascagoula, Mississippi.
1973-10-12
The Mississippi Press of Pascagoula reports on the men's claims; the Associated Press and United Press International pick up the story for national distribution.
1973-10-17
Press documents a rise in subsequent UFO reports following nationwide attention on the case.
1973-10-19
An article under Hickson and Parker's names appears in the local paper arguing the creatures were robotic and friendly.
1973-10-20
An artist's conception of one of the alleged creatures is published in Biloxi.
1973-10-24
Press compares the case to the Betty and Barney Hill case; reports note the two men had not been seen at work, prompting speculation they were being paid to tell their story.
1973-10-27
Press confirms an upcoming polygraph examination for Hickson.
1973-10-31
A local polygraph examiner reports that Hickson 'told the truth as to what he believed,' while cautioning this did not confirm a spacecraft landing; Parker declines to take a polygraph absent a request from Hickson.
1973-11-02
Hickson appears on The Dick Cavett Show.
1973-11-08
Local press reports a separate account from a fisherman and his 14-year-old son of an illuminated underwater object in the same river.
1973-11-29
Hickson tapes an appearance on The Mike Douglas Show, which airs in late December.
1974-01
Hickson is arrested for public drunkenness after being found wandering along a highway.
1974-04
Hickson travels to Detroit to address a UFO group and later meets 'ancient astronauts' proponent Erich von Däniken; he tells press he is in ongoing contact with the beings.
1974-10
Hickson is described as a 'UFO celebrity' ahead of an NBC documentary feature.
1983
Hickson self-publishes the book UFO Contact at Pascagoula.
1993
Parker starts a company called 'UFO Investigations' to produce television stories about UFOs.
2011-09
Charles Hickson dies of a heart attack at age 80.
2018
Parker publishes his book, Pascagoula: The Closest Encounter, My Story.
2019-06-22
A historical marker is unveiled at the site of the alleged abduction, attended by Parker and Hickson's family.
2023-08
Calvin Parker dies of kidney cancer at age 68.
2024
Netflix's Files of the Unexplained covers the incident.
Best coverage
No approved coverage links are attached yet.
People
Calvin Parker
VICTIMReported being taken aboard a UFO alongside Charles Hickson in 1973; stated he fainted and remained unconscious during the alleged examination.
Charles Hickson
VICTIMReported being taken aboard a UFO and examined by alleged creatures while fishing near Pascagoula in 1973; later became a public figure discussing the claimed encounter.
Glenn Ryder
LAW ENFORCEMENTJackson County sheriff's captain who interviewed Hickson and Parker, initially skeptical but came to believe they were sincere.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Places
Common questions
- What happened to the victim?
- In October 1973, Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker reported to Jackson County, Mississippi authorities that they had been taken aboard a UFO by strange creatures while fishing near Pascagoula, sparking national media attention and decades of debate over the claim's authenticity.
- Where did the crime happen?
- Pascagoula River, Pascagoula, Mississippi.
- What is the current status of the case?
- Status: unsolved.
Related cases
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Sources
- Pascagoula incidentwikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-07
- Contemporaneous coverage — The Washington Postnews · The Washington Post · 2026-07-07
- Contemporaneous coverage — Reutersnews · Reuters · 2026-07-07