The
Lead Masks Case was the name given to the events
which led to the death of two Brazilian
electronic technicians: Manoel Pereira da Cruz and
Miguel José Viana. Their bodies were discovered on
August 20 1966.
Sequence of Facts
Discovery
A boy
named Jorge da Costa Alves (who was 18 at that time) was flying a
kite at the Morro do Vintém (Vintém Hill), in
Niterói
, Rio de
Janeiro
, Brazil when he
found two dead men. Immediately, he made his way back home
and called the police. Soon the spot was full of police officers,
firefighters and journalists.
The bodies were next to each other, slightly covered by grass. They
were wearing
suits, and impermeable
coats. There was no sign of violence to the bodies or to the
surrounding area. Next to the bodies, the police found an empty
bottle of water and a packet containing two towels. What really
caught people's attention were the lead masks worn by the men. They
were masks typically used for protection from radiation, and it is
these masks that have given the case its name. To make things more
complicated, the policemen found a small notebook with signs and
numbers, and also a letter in which was written: "16:30 estar no
local determinado. 18:30 ingerir cápsulas, após efeito proteger
metais aguardar sinal máscara" (16:30 be at the agreed place. 18:30
swallow capsules, after effect protect metals wait for the mask
sign).
Reconstruction
After an investigation, the detectives reconstructed a plausible
narrative of the last days of both men.
On August 17, they left their city, Campos dos
Goytacazes
, stating that they intended to buy some material
for use at their work. Some witnesses claimed that they were
carrying
Cr$ 2.300,00, but these
monies were not found.
They took a bus and arrived in Niterói at 14:30. They bought the
impermeable coats at a small shop and the bottle of water at a bar.
The waitress who served them on the bar stated that Miguel seemed
very nervous and looked at his watch frequently. From the bar, they
went directly to the place where they were later found dead.
Gracinda Barbosa Cortino de Souza and her children, who live next
to the hill where the men died, claimed that they had seen a UFO
flying over the spot at the exact moment the detectives believed
the two men must have died.
Conclusion of the Case
No obvious injuries were discovered at
autopsy; however, a search for toxic substances was
impossible as the internal organs of the two victims were not
properly preserved.
The case was mentioned prominently (among other Brazilian cases) in
Jacques Vallée's book
Confrontations.
References
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