Lead Masks Case

Manoel Pereira da Cruz and Miguel José Viana

The Lead Masks Case (Portuguese: O Caso das Máscaras de Chumbo) was a series of 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.

Events

On the afternoon of August 20, 1966, a young man was flying a kite on the Morro do Vintém (Vintém Hill) in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when he came upon the bodies of two deceased males and reported them to the authorities. The Morro do Vintém had difficult terrain, and the police were unable to reach the bodies until the next day. When a small team of police and firefighters arrived on scene, they noted the bodies' odd conditions: The two males were lying next to each other, slightly covered by grass. Each wore a formal suit, a lead eye mask, and a waterproof coat. There were no signs of trauma and no evidence of a struggle in the surrounding area. Next to the bodies, police found an empty water bottle and a packet containing two wet towels. A small notebook was also identified, in which were written the cryptic instructions "16:30 estar no local determinado. 18:30 ingerir cápsulas, após efeito proteger metais aguardar sinal mascara" ('16:30 be at the specified location. 18:30 ingest capsules, after the effect protect metals await signal mask').[1]

The two men were identified as Manoel Pereira da Cruz and Miguel José Viana, two electronic technicians from Campos dos Goytacazes, a town several kilometers to the northeast of Rio de Janeiro. Following an investigation, police reconstructed a plausible narrative of the last days of both men. On August 17, Cruz and Viana left Campos dos Goytacazes with the stated intent that they needed to purchase some materials for work. The two men then boarded a bus to Niterói, and arrived at 2:30 pm. Evidence shows that the waterproof coats were purchased at a shop there, and one bottle of water from a bar. Upon being interviewed, the waitress from the bar described Miguel as "very nervous," and noticed he frequently checked his watch. That is the last time they were known to have been seen alive; it is presumed they went directly from the bar to the spot at which they were discovered.

No obvious injuries were discovered at the scene, nor later at the autopsy.[2] A search for toxic substances did not occur. The coroner's office was very busy at the time and, when the autopsy was finally conducted, the internal organs of the two victims were too badly decomposed for reliable testing.[3]

Suggested explanations

An episode[4] of the Skeptoid podcast postulated that the lead masks over their eyes may have been used as protection from expected bright lights, as part of a group interested in triggering spiritual experiences on hilltops with psychedelic drugs (from which they may have overdosed).

In the week following the incident, the Jornal do Brasil recorded that a local resident reported having seen an orange, oval-shaped object hovering off the top of the hill, sending out rays in all directions.[1] Folha de São Paulo quoted a "professor of yoga" as speculating that the men had been experimenting with "high-frequency thought waves", using alkaloids such as LSD-25 and mescaline to "step up" the brain.[1]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Bowen, Charles (March 1967). "The Mystery of the Morro do Vintem" (PDF). Flying Saucer Review 13 (2): 11.
  2. ↑ Frater, Jamie (3 July 2009). "10 More Mysteries That Remain Unsolved". Listverse. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
  3. ↑ According to a 2004 TV special: Linha Direta Justiça - Máscaras de Chumbo
  4. ↑ Dunning, Brian (3 January 2014). "Solving the Lead Masks of Vintem Hill". skeptoid. Retrieved 23 March 2015.


External links