Quick Info
January 20, 1996. A quiet Saturday morning in Varginha, a modest city of about 130,000 people in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Three teenage girls walking to school see something that should not exist... a bipedal creature, oily-skinned, red-eyed, three-horned, crouched beside a wall and reeking of ammonia. Within hours the city is alive with military trucks, firefighters, police cordons, roadblocks, strange smells, rumors of captured beings, and whispers of a hospital death.
For the next three decades the witnesses the girls now grown women, soldiers, nurses, truck drivers, mothers have all stood by their accounts. The Brazilian military denies everything, obviously. The case has become known worldwide as “Brazil’s Roswell”. It's raw, terrifying, deeply human, and still completely unexplained.
7:30–8:00 a.m. – The Girls Walk Into History
It was a warm, ordinary summer morning. Liliane Silva (14), her sister Valquíria Silva (16), and their friend Kátia Xavier (14) were taking their usual shortcut through a vacant lot on Rua Suécia in the Jardim Andere neighborhood. They were laughing, talking about school, when they suddenly stopped dead.
About 15 meters away, crouched beside a low wall near some bushes, was a creature.
The girls later described it with remarkable consistency:
- Roughly 1.5–1.6 meters tall when standing
- Brown, oily, shiny skin , “like it was covered in oil or grease”
- Large, bulging red eyes , no visible pupils, glowing faintly
- Three small, fleshy horn-like protrusions on the head (two on the sides, one in the center)
- Long, thin arms ending in three-fingered hands
- V-shaped feet (some accounts say three long toes)
- No clothing, no visible genitals or hair
- Strong ammonia smell mixed with something rotten
- Appeared wet or slick; moved slowly, almost painfully
"It looked at us with those huge red eyes. It seemed scared, like it was hurt or lost. We just screamed and ran home."
– Liliane Silva (1996 interview, repeated in 2020s interviews)
They sprinted the rest of the way home, hysterical. Their mother, Luiza Helena, saw the terror on their faces and believed them immediately. The girls refused to go to school. Word spread quickly through the tight-knit neighborhood. By late morning, local firefighters and police had been called to investigate the sighting area. They found nothing. No tracks, no marks, nothing, but the girls were visibly shaken and their stories have never wavered. But then...
Midday: Military Trucks, Firefighters & the Smell
By 1:00–2:00 p.m. the city was buzzing. Carlos de Souza, a local mechanic, was driving his truck near the Escola Estadual Domingos Sávio when he saw a convoy of military trucks and soldiers cordoning off streets. He stopped to watch. Soldiers were loading something heavy and covered into a truck. He noticed a powerful ammonia-like smell and saw what he believed was a body bag or stretcher being carried with care. The object inside appeared to move slightly.
"I saw them put something in a body bag. It was moving a little. The smell was horrible , ammonia and rotten eggs mixed together. I knew it wasn't human."
– Carlos de Souza (1996 testimony, repeated in James Fox's Moment of Contact)
Simultaneously, several witnesses reported a second creature sighting near the same school. Military policemen Marco Eli Chereze and another officer allegedly captured a being that was injured or weakened. Chereze reportedly touched the creature bare-handed. He later developed severe infection symptoms (high fever, black lesions, organ failure) and died on February 15, 1996. His death certificate listed "general infection," but family members and ufologists claim it was related to contact with the creature. The hospital staff reportedly refused to perform an autopsy.
Late Afternoon: The Hospital & the Transfer
Between 5:00 and 6:00 p.m., multiple witnesses claim at least one creature (possibly two) was taken to the Humanitas Hospital in Varginha. Nurses and staff reported seeing a military convoy arrive with a covered stretcher. One nurse (later identified in anonymous testimony) saw a living creature on a gurney being rushed to an isolation room. Doctors and military personnel were present. The creature reportedly died shortly after arrival.
"They brought something in on a stretcher. It was covered, but I saw the feet , they were V-shaped. The smell was unbearable. The military told us to stay quiet."
– Anonymous nurse (1996 anonymous testimony, featured in Moment of Contact)
Later that night or early the next morning, the body (or bodies) was allegedly transferred by military aircraft to a larger facility in São Paulo or Campinas , some claim to the University of Campinas or a military hospital. Witnesses at Santa Casa de Misericórdia hospital also reported seeing military trucks and unusual activity that night.
The UFO Crash / Landing – The Morning Connection
Many researchers believe the creatures were occupants of a crashed or disabled craft. Farmers and truck drivers reported seeing a cigar-shaped or cone-shaped object with fire or smoke trailing, descending or crashing in the countryside near Varginha in the early morning hours of January 20 (around 6:00–7:00 a.m.). Military trucks were seen in the area shortly after. No debris photos or public wreckage have ever surfaced, but the timeline aligns perfectly with the creature sightings later in the day.
"I saw something burning in the sky. It came down fast, trailing smoke. Then the trucks arrived."
– Anonymous farmer (early 1996 report)
James Fox’s Documentaries – Bringing Varginha to the World
American filmmaker James Fox has been instrumental in keeping the Varginha case alive for international audiences. He visited Brazil multiple times, interviewed dozens of witnesses, and featured the case prominently in two major documentaries.
The Phenomenon (2020)
Fox’s first major film includes a substantial segment on Varginha. He interviews the three girls (now adults), their mother, Carlos de Souza, military police officers, and other witnesses. The film shows never-before-seen photos and recreations. It emphasizes the consistency of the testimonies over 24 years and the physical/medical consequences (Chereze’s death, radiation-like symptoms reported by some). Fox presents Varginha as one of the strongest close encounter cases in modern history.
Moment of Contact (2022)
Fox’s follow-up is almost entirely dedicated to Varginha , the most comprehensive English-language documentary on the case. He returns to Brazil, re-interviews the original witnesses, speaks with doctors, nurses, firefighters, and former military personnel. New testimony includes:
- A doctor who claims he saw a living creature in the hospital morgue
- A military truck driver who says he transported a sealed container to another city
- Family members of Marco Eli Chereze detailing his rapid decline and death
- Additional witnesses who saw military activity and smelled ammonia
Moment of Contact: New Revelations of Alien Encounters (2025) – The Expanded Edition
In late 2025, James Fox released an expanded and updated version of his landmark film, now titled Moment of Contact: New Revelations of Alien Encounters. This revised edition , nearly 2 hours and 2 minutes long , builds directly on the 2022 original, incorporating extraordinary new developments that emerged in the wake of U.S. congressional hearings on UAP (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena). Fox returned to Brazil once more, armed with fresh leads and a determination to push the Varginha story even further into the light.
The centerpiece of the new cut is the first-ever public testimony from a neurosurgeon who claims direct, face-to-face communication with a living, captured non-human being during the 1996 events. The doctor (identity protected in the film, voice and face altered) describes being summoned under secrecy to a secure medical facility in the days following January 20. He recounts entering a sealed room where a small, injured entity lay on a table , still breathing, skin slick and brown, large eyes closed but alive. According to his account, the being communicated telepathically, conveying distress, fear, and a sense of urgency about humanity’s path.
The neurosurgeon says the interaction lasted only minutes before military personnel intervened and removed the entity. He kept silent for nearly 30 years out of fear for his career and safety, but came forward after the congressional momentum made him believe the time was right.
"It wasn’t words , it was pure knowing. It showed me images of a dying world, pollution, war, imbalance. It was sad… like it was pleading with us to change."
– Neurosurgeon (Moment of Contact: New Revelations, 2025)
Fox also revisits and expands on earlier witnesses with deeper interviews:
- Liliane, Valquíria, and Kátia return to the vacant lot on Rua Suécia, visibly moved as they relive the moment. Liliane describes the creature’s red eyes locking onto hers: “It wasn’t angry. It was afraid, like a child lost in the woods.”
- Family members of Marco Eli Chereze provide more intimate details of his final days , the sudden high fever, black lesions spreading across his body, doctors refusing to explain the cause. His widow says: “He told me he touched something that wasn’t human. Then he got sick so fast… he was gone in weeks.”
- A retired military truck driver speaks on camera for the first time about transporting a sealed, refrigerated container from Varginha to Campinas under armed guard. He claims the container was marked “biological material – do not open” and that he was threatened with severe consequences if he ever spoke.
- A nurse from Humanitas Hospital recounts seeing a creature rushed past on a gurney: “It was small, dark, breathing hard. The smell was like chemical cleaner mixed with something dead. The military cleared the corridor , no one was allowed near.”
The expanded film weaves in newly declassified Brazilian military documents (obtained through persistent FOIA-style requests), expert commentary from ufologists Ubirajara Franco Rodrigues and Ademar José Gevaerd, and analysis of the ammonia odor reported by nearly every close witness , a detail that matches other global close encounter cases. Fox also addresses the cultural impact: Varginha now has a small museum with a creature statue, annual festivals, and locals who proudly call it “the day the aliens came to town.”
"Thirty years later, I still smell that ammonia. I still see those eyes. This isn’t a story we made up. This is what happened to us."
– Valquíria Silva (Moment of Contact: New Revelations, 2025)
Moment of Contact: New Revelations of Alien Encounters is not just a simple update, it is the culmination of James’s decade-long commitment to Varginha. By giving voice to a neurosurgeon willing to risk everything, and letting the original witnesses speak with unflinching honesty, Fox has elevated the case from local legend to a powerful, human-centered mystery that demands to be taken seriously. For anyone who has ever wondered what really happened in that quiet Brazilian town on January 20, 1996, this film is as close as we’ve come to the truth.
Fox also includes archival footage, leaked military documents, and expert commentary. The film ends with the girls (now in their 40s) reaffirming their story: “We saw what we saw. It was real.” Moment of Contact is widely regarded as the definitive visual record of the case.
Official Response & Denials
The Brazilian military, Air Force, and government have consistently denied any UFO or creature incident. The official line: “Nothing unusual happened in Varginha.” In 1997, the Air Force released a statement claiming the sightings were misidentifications of a local dwarf couple (the sisters' mother denied this), and the "captured creature" was a mentally disabled man or animal.
Despite denials, leaked military documents, witness testimonies, and the death of Officer Chereze fueled belief in a cover-up. Ufologists Ubirajara Franco Rodrigues and Ademar José Gevaerd were among the first to investigate and compile hundreds of testimonies.
Great video on the 1996 Varginha Event
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Key Witnesses & Their Stories
- The Three Girls (Liliane, Valquíria, Kátia) , Main witnesses to the first creature. Remained consistent for decades. Liliane and Valquíria's mother confirmed their terror and consistency.
- Carlos de Souza , Mechanic who saw military trucks and a covered object being loaded.
- Marco Eli Chereze , Military policeman who allegedly captured a creature. Died February 15, 1996, from infection. Family claims contact-related illness.
- Nurses & Hospital Staff , Multiple anonymous accounts of creature(s) brought to Humanitas Hospital, isolation room activity, military presence.
- Firefighters , Called to initial sighting area; some later spoke of military takeover and strange smell.
- Truck Drivers & Farmers , Early morning reports of a burning object crashing or landing in rural areas.
Legacy in 2026
Thirty years later, Varginha remains Brazil's most famous UFO/alien case. It has inspired books, documentaries (especially James Fox’s Moment of Contact), a museum in Varginha (with creature statue), annual festivals, and endless debate. Witnesses (now adults) still maintain their stories. The case is frequently cited in global UFO discussions as one of the most dramatic close encounters of the third kind , with alleged living beings, military capture, hospital involvement, and death of a participant.
Despite official denials, the sheer number of witnesses, consistency of details, and physical/medical consequences keep the mystery alive. In 2026, it continues to fascinate as a powerful reminder that some encounters may be far more than misidentification. I'd go so far as to say the Varginha event is more important today than Roswell, and if James does manage to get his hands on the rumored video of the Alien it will without doubt break the internet.
