Global UFO Archive
English中文日本語PortuguêsFrançaisEspañol

United States / 1973 / DISPUTED

Pascagoula abduction

The Pascagoula case centers on Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker, who said they were taken aboard a craft while fishing in Mississippi in 1973. It remains a major abduction narrative because of prompt police involvement and later audio-recording interest.

Pascagoula abduction low-confidence research dossier cover
Low-confidence or disputed-case cover prepared for Pascagoula abduction. The selected Hinds Community College Library / Clarion Ledger source was checked, but no reliable reusable event image or video frame was selected. This cover is not presented as event evidence.
CredibilityC
StatusDISPUTED
Evidence types3
Official sources0
Last reviewed2026
Archive assessment

This case is disputed. The archive preserves the claims while separating evidence from interpretation.

Documentation
Moderate documentation
Primary location
Pascagoula, Mississippi
Source base
3 linked records
Research use
Comparison case

Case dossier

What happened: On October 11, 1973, Hickson and Parker reported that a strange craft approached them near the Pascagoula River and that beings took them aboard. They contacted authorities soon afterward, and police interviewed them during a period when the men appeared distressed.

Why it matters: Pascagoula is one of the most searched U.S. abduction cases because it combines named witnesses, a specific waterfront location, police involvement, and later public attention to recordings and interviews. It is stronger than anonymous abduction folklore, but weaker than a case with photographs, medical documentation, or instrument data.

Evidence boundary: The strongest layer is the immediate reporting and police context. The weakest layer is the extraordinary onboard experience, which remains entirely dependent on testimony and later memory.

Timeline

  • Pascagoula abduction is reported in Pascagoula, Mississippi.
  • The case enters public UFO/UAP discussion through reports, archives, or later summaries.
  • The case is indexed with sources, evidence notes, and skeptical context.

Evidence matrix

Reported evidencewitness testimony
Reported evidencepolice recording
Reported evidenceabduction claim

Evidence assessment

Reported evidence includes witness testimony, police interviews, and later discussion of recordings. These materials help document the claim and the witnesses' emotional state, but they cannot independently verify a craft, beings, or a physical abduction. The case should be read as a high-profile testimony file rather than a proved event.

witness testimonypolice recordingabduction claim

Official context

The official context is local law enforcement, not a government confirmation of the claim. Police involvement matters because it anchors the timeline and preserves an early response, but it does not convert the narrative into established physical evidence.

Skeptical notes

Possible explanations include hoax, stress, altered perception, memory development, or a sincere but mistaken interpretation of an unusual experience. The archive keeps Pascagoula because it is historically influential and source-linked, while clearly separating testimony from verification.

Sources