Quick Info
Jade Ekström, a well-connected Swedish woman born in 1920, had several extraordinary experiences during her life. The most famous occurred in 1958 in Guatemala, where a mysterious man named Ben Austin revealed intimate knowledge of her past and casually offered her a trip to Venus. Combined with an earlier group sighting in Sweden, her story stands out as one of the most elegant and unsettling contact cases on record.
Who Was Jade Ekström?
Jade lived a remarkable life surrounded by diplomats, royalty, and international business elites. She moved in high society circles and was known for her intelligence and poise. Because of her social standing, she kept most of her strange experiences private for many years.
The Vindö Sighting – Late 1940s
One warm summer evening at the family summer house on Vindö in the Stockholm archipelago, Jade and around twelve guests witnessed something extraordinary. A bright luminous object came rushing over Kanholm Bay, stopped above the treetops, hovered for a moment, and then shot straight up into the sky at incredible speed.
The group was stunned. Jade later described the object as completely silent and unlike anything she had ever seen. This event stayed with her for years, but she rarely spoke about it publicly.
The Guatemala Dinner – 1958
While traveling in Mexico with her husband Frank, Jade was invited to visit one of Frank’s colleagues, a man named Ben Austin, who lived in a remote part of Guatemala. The evening started normally until Ben suddenly turned to Jade and said something that shocked her.
“You are interested in UFOs, aren’t you? You have even seen one.”
- Ben Austin
Jade denied it at first, but Ben continued and accurately described the Vindö sighting in detail, including the direction the object came from (“we flew in from the east”). Jade had never told anyone outside her close circle about that night.
The Offer to Visit Venus
Later that evening, Ben calmly asked Jade if she would like to take a trip... to Venus. He spoke as if it were the most normal invitation in the world. Jade felt a deep sense of unease. Her husband Frank, who had stepped outside, returned around 6 a.m. the next morning looking visibly changed and exhausted.
“Would you like to take a trip… to Venus?”
- Ben Austin
The encounter left Jade with a lasting sense of dread and the strong feeling that she had been in the presence of someone (or something) not from this world.
Later Reflections and Legacy
Jade kept most of these experiences private for decades. In her later years she shared more details with researchers like Håkan Blomqvist. She always came across as credible, composed, and reluctant to seek attention. Her story is now considered one of the most intriguing Swedish contact cases of the 20th century.
Timeline of Jade Ekström’s Encounters
- Late 1940s - Group UFO sighting at Vindö, Stockholm archipelago.
- 1958 - Dinner with Ben Austin in Guatemala and the Venus invitation.
- Decades later - Jade shares her story with ufologists.
Why Jade’s Story Still Fascinates
What makes Jade Ekström’s experiences so compelling is the combination of her high social credibility, the accurate prediction of her private memory, and the eerie calmness with which Ben Austin operated. Whether it was an elaborate hoax, a genuine contact, or something in between, her story remains one of the most elegant and unsettling in the annals of high-strangeness contact cases.
Great video on this event from @storieslost on YouTube
More videos from @storieslost on YouTube
What Do You Think?
After reading about Jade’s elegant yet deeply unsettling encounters, the green mist-like precision of Ben Austin’s knowledge and the casual invitation to Venus, what’s your reaction? Do you think Ben was exactly who (or what) he claimed to be? Would you have accepted the invitation? This sophisticated Swedish contact case continues to intrigue researchers. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
