Travis Walton

Travis Walton ( born April 20, 1957) asserts, on November 5 1975 met a UFO and being abducted by aliens while he was working in Arizona in the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest.

Case Description

A group of forest workers, consisting of seven persons, claims to have seen a bright object in the shape of a flat disc, which hovered over a wood pile near the trucks. According to the testimony of his work colleagues Walton had left the truck and approached the object, where he was then hit by a bright beam of light or flash. The workers fled for fear of the place. The head of the group, Mike Rogers, ostensibly looked back during the run and saw the object rise from the forest and fly off at great speed. Later she went back to see what had happened to Walton, but they could not even find him the UFO.

As Walton was initially disappeared, was determined against his colleagues because of possible murder, to Walton reappeared after five days. Under hypnosis, he reported an alien abduction. He and his colleagues have also been repeatedly subjected to polygraph tests, the results were judged inconsistent.

Walton later wrote books in which he explained his statements in more detail. The case was dealt with in detail in all the standard works of ufology and several documentaries and filmed in 1993.

Assessment

The case of Travis Walton gained broad attention from the facts that it had come for the first time to a longer disappearance in connection with an alleged alien abduction as well as by the use of lie detectors.

The case was initially reacted favorably of ufologists and cited as evidence for the existence of aliens, but doubts and criticism of the reality of the experience were soon loud. From various sides was noted that the members of the Walton family has long been fascinated by unidentified flying objects and also on several occasions reported sightings. Moreover, they sold their story to the National Enquirer, who had offered a prize to the best evidence of the existence of aliens. Furthermore prevented the alleged kidnapping that forest workers group had to pay a high penalty because she had not complied with the agreed Abholzvolumen. Multiple was also pointed out that just two weeks before the alleged kidnapping a television movie was aired about the case of Betty and Barney Hill, which some of the participants - including Walton - had seen.

Some scientists consider the case of either fraud or theorize that it is misrepresentation of a real observation, either a misinterpretation of cognitive processes, ie to mental illusions, or to Optical Illusions. Others believe that the descriptions obtained under hypnosis are false memories. It was also pointed out aspects such as escapism, hallucinations and masochistic fantasies.