By Tim Binnall
Unidentified submerged objects, paranormal tales from the American South, and life extension through technology were among the fascinating topics explored this past week on Coast to Coast AM. Meanwhile, here at the C2C website, we told you about a wondrous dual-witness UFO sighting in Japan, a possible Bigfoot encounter in California, and a Brazilian movie buff who took his horror film fandom a bit too far. Check out our round-up of highlights from the past week ... In Coast You Missed It.
Strange and spooky stories from the American South took center stage on Sunday night's program as author Sherry Malaver Parada discussed the region's rich history of paranormal and unexplained events. She recounted the tale of the Fouke Monster, a Bigfoot-like creature that once menaced a family in Arkansas and left a man hospitalized. Another eerie account that she shared during the evening was the Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp, which is said to have terrified a group of South Carolina teens and left a monstrous scratch across their car. Other chilling stories included an Alabama woman's mystifying disappearance wherein she seemingly vanished into thin air and the still-unsolved "Phantom Killer" murders that unfolded in Texarkana back in 1946.
A pair of curious creature sightings caught our attention this past week. First, in California, a woman dropping her grandson off at his job at a summer camp in the Sierra National Forest spotted what appeared to be an eight-foot-tall creature covered in "brownish red hair" and sporting inordinately long arms. As one has likely surmised, the astonished witness believes that the unusual figure may have been Bigfoot. Meanwhile, a doctor in Argentina came forward with a jaw-dropping tale told to him by a patient who claimed to have hunted down and killed the county's version of Sasquatch, known as an Ucumar.
While oddities in sky may get the lion's share of attention from UFO buffs, students of the phenomenon know that some of the most tantalizing cases involve unidentified submerged objects (USOs). On Wednesday night's program, author Richard Dolan talked about the rich history of aquatic anomalies that have been spotted for centuries. He noted that USOs often behave in a manner strikingly similar to their aerial counterparts in that they seem to be particularly interested in observing human craft. During his appearance, Dolan detailed several compelling accounts that he has collected over the years, including a 1982 incident at an Argentine lake and a wild case near Washington's Lummi Island in 1984.
Two particularly compelling UFO cases made headlines this past week, beginning with a sighting in Japan that had two separate witnesses. Occurring on Monday evening, the incident featured multiple mysterious orbs that were observed floating over the Pacific Ocean for more than 20 minutes. Remarkably, the wondrous sight was filmed by two different individuals who caught glimpses of the uncanny orbs from their respective communities. Later in the week, a family in Mexico captured footage of what appeared to be an illuminated flying saucer seen cruising through the sky over a mountain. Quickly going viral on social media in the country, some suggested the video showed an alien craft, but others argued the UFO was likely a drone or an AI creation.
Humanity's longstanding quest for immortality was explored on Sunday night's program by filmmaker David Donnelly and psychiatrist Thomas Lewis, who talked about how technology may someday make the concept a reality. Noting that the idea of living forever has captivated humans for millennia, including being a key part of the ancient Epic of Gilgamesh, they marveled at the advances being made in the science of aging. The pair specifically pointed to genetic manipulation and AI-driven drug development as two technological feats that could ultimately allow people to not only live longer, but also be healthier in their later years.
By far the weirdest story of the week came by way of Brazil, where an overzealous horror movie fan sparked something of a panic when he dressed up as the film's unsettling villain and roamed the streets. After he was seen on several occasions wandering around with his face covered and wearing a long black coat, a wide-brimmed hat, and monstrous-looking clawed gloves, Elivaldo Ribeiro de Sales was finally unmasked when police caught the mysterious stranger who had been menacing the community. When questioned about his strange reign of terror, the man insisted that it was all an homage to his favorite movie, Jeepers Creepers. Unfortunately for him, authorities were not amused and charged Ribeiro de Sales with disturbing the peace.
Coast Insiders can check out all this week's shows as well as the last seven years of C2C programs in our enormous archive. Not a Coast Insider yet? Sign up today.