High StrangenessS


Camcorder

Drone films site of mysterious death of Russian hikers 60 years ago as probe reopened

The demise of nine hikers who died while crossing the Ural Mountains in 1959 remains a big mystery. It even inspired a recent Hollywood thriller, 'The Devil's Pass'. See the site in new drone footage.

The group led by Igor Dyatlov went into the mountains and did not survive the night, freezing to death. The circumstances of the tragedy, like the fact that the group apparently chose to separate amid a fierce blizzard, sparked much speculation over what actually happened. Was it Soviet military assassins covering up their secrets? Could it have been an attack by a group of convicts that escaped from prison, the local population, or even something extraterrestrial? Did the authorities cover it up?

Comment: See also: Russia's Prosecutor-General's Office reopens mysterious 1959 Dyatlov Pass case - UPDATE




UFO

Helicopter pilot sees UFO through his night vision goggles over Las Vegas

UFO Over Vegas
© Pixabay
Flying some 15 miles west over central Las Vegas over the weekend, the pilot of an air ambulance helicopter caught sight of a strange object that he was only able to detect after strapping on his night vision goggles.

The curious event was described to an air traffic controller by the pilot of an Agusta A109 chopper owned by Colorado-based company Air Methods, The Drive reported. The eyebrow-raising conversation unfolded on Sunday at roughly 9 p.m. local time.

"Just to advise. It looks like I have some sort of object over the southern hills area. It looks to be about 7,000 feet. It could be a balloon or something along those lines," the pilot informs the controller. "It's unlit, so... just advise."


Seconds later, the pilot is told that nothing is showing up on the controller's radar, but that the lack of confirmation doesn't necessarily mean that something isn't out and about trying to spook the concerned flyer.

"Yeah... I got night vision goggles," the pilot told the air traffic controller. "I can only see it through the goggles."

And with that, the air traffic official was amazed. "Oh, that's awesome," was his response.

Archaeology

Oldest pyramid on Earth is hidden in Antarctica, claims researcher

Pyramid in Antarctica
© Google MapsNew Pyramid in Antarctica? Not Quite, Say Geologists
This Antarctic mountain bears a striking resemblance to a pyramid.
Ancient alien theorists who are certain secret pyramids are concealed all around the globe, think some may be hidden on Antarctica. Conspiracy theorists, in particular, point to a vaguely pyramid-like structure near the Shackleton mountain range on the icy continent. The "pyramid" in question, when viewed on satellite imagery, does appear to have four steep sides much like the Great Pyramid of Giza. This incredibly bizarre theory was presented on the History Channel's TV series Ancient Aliens, which investigates various extraterrestrial theories.

Episode one of season 11 of Ancient Aliens, explored the remote possibility such pyramids were left behind by ancient alien visitors or human civilisations.

Conspiracy theory author David Childress told Ancient Aliens there is a distinct possibility the Shackleton pyramid is the oldest of its kind on Earth.

He said: "If this gigantic pyramid in Antarctica is an artificial structure, it would probably be the oldest pyramid on the planet and in fact it might be the master pyramid that all the other pyramids on planet Earth were designed to look like."

Comment: Whether or not there are pyramids in Antarctica, the speculation isn't entirely without scientific support, see:


Question

DNA testing needed to help identify mystery animal that attacked and killed North Carolina teacher

brenda hamilton
© Pungo Christian AcademyBrenda Hamilton
A 77-year-old North Carolina teacher has died of injuries suffered in a mysterious animal attack Friday in the small Beaufort County town of Pantego, according to a Monday Facebook post from the school where she worked.

Investigators with the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office are still trying to determine what kind of animal was involved in the attack.

Beaufort County is home to bears, alligators and coyotes, but "preliminary DNA testing facilitated by NC Wildlife Biologist has eliminated any wild animals indigenous to the area," said a statement issued by the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office.

The victim was identified by the sheriff's office as Brenda Hamilton, a high school teacher at Pungo Christian Academy in Bellhaven.

School officials announced in a Facebook post at 11 a.m. Monday that Hamilton died of her injuries at Vidant Pitt Hospital.

A 911 call at 5:47 a.m. Friday reported someone had been attacked by an animal on Indian Run Road in Pantego, said the sheriff's office. The town of about 200 people is not far from the Pamlico Sound in coastal North Carolina.

"Beaufort County EMS and Paramedics arrived to find 77-year-old Brenda Hamilton of Pantego suffering from severe injuries as a result of the attack," said a sheriff's office release.

Biologists with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission have joined the investigation, officials said.

"Beaufort County Sheriff's Investigators are continuing to investigate to determine which, if any domestic canines in the area may have attacked Hamilton," said a release.

Hamilton was an East Carolina University grad who had been a teacher at Pungo Christian Academy since 1968, according to the school's website. She taught high school English and literature classes, said the school.

"We continue to discover how devastating Mrs. Hamilton's injuries are. Please keep praying for Mrs. Hamilton and her family as they make difficult decisions in the coming days," said a Sunday Facebook post by the school.


Camcorder

Australian police post video of strange light emerging from thunderstorm

Strange light over AUS
© Broome Police Dept
Broome Police in Western Australian shared the spooky CCTV footage on Twitter yesterday - which quickly gained global attention.

The 15-second video begins with flashes of lightning bursting through the skies during a thunderstorm.

Suddenly, a spark of lightning reveals an unidentified object appearing out of the clouds.

The circular-UFO swiftly floats in mid-air before gliding off screen, leaving an almost transparent trail


UFO

Possible Big Foot sighting: Young boy lost in the woods says he made friends with a "bear"

big foot
When 3 year-old toddler Casey Hathaway was found by police three days after he disappeared from his grandmother's backyard in North Carolina, he told his family that he had "made friends with a bear."

While the kid has no reason to make up such a story, what's interesting is that temperatures dipped into the 20's - well below freezing - suggesting that something most definitely helped him to survive in the vast wilderness. According to the family, the boy is medically fine, showing no serious signs of exposure.

Most news agencies and reports ultimately ran with the "bear" story and some concluded that the story was a figment of the boy's imagination, but could there be another explanation?

Comment: See also:


Sherlock

Russia's Prosecutor-General's Office reopens mysterious 1959 Dyatlov Pass case - UPDATE

Dyatlov Pass
© Public domainA Dyatlov group tent, as it was discovered on February 26, 1959
The Russian Prosecutor-General's Office has reopened the investigation into the mysterious deaths of nine young hikers in the Ural Mountains some 60 years ago.

Prosecutor-General's Office spokesman Aleksandr Kurennoi said on February 1 that investigators were looking into the notorious Dyatlov Pass deaths and hope to establish the truth of how the hikers died.

He said that although some 75 theories have been put forward, prosecutors believe the most likely cause of the deaths was either an avalanche or a heavy storm.

Comment: According to the article Researcher claims Dyatlov pass mystery victims could have been on KGB mission:
In the researcher's opinion, the version of the group's having ties with the KGB is also supported by the fact that only four of the ten rolls of film from all the cameras have remained and it is unknown what happened to the rest.

"One film captures the trace of a technology-induced phenomenon - a glowing ball. Besides, each member of the Dyatlov group kept a diary but only three or four of them have survived. All these factors confirm ties with the KGB: they were not simply hikers: they had been sent to the mountain pass on a special mission. This can be confirmed by authorized ID held by the group's head," Kuntsevich said.
and going further in New film retells story of Soviet hikers meeting mysterious death it says:
The real-life case was investigated by the military who came to the mysterious conclusion that the group had died from "a natural force they were unable to overcome." They closed the file and classified it as secret.
See also: UPDATE 4th February 2018 at 12:18

RT provides a bit more detail of the investigation:
Army test, UFO or deadly blizzard? Russia reopens 60yo probe of mysterious Soviet hiker deaths
Dyatlov Pass
© perevaldyatlova.ruDyatlov Pass
Russian investigators are set to re-examine the chilling mystery of a deadly hiking trip made by group of Soviet students in 1959. The story spurred more than 70 theories and even inspired Hollywood thriller, 'The Devil's Pass'.

Known as the Dyatlov Pass incident the deaths of a Soviet student hiking group in a remote area in the Urals six decades ago remains one of Russia's most chilling unsolved mysteries. It shocked and bewildered investigators right from the start. After the original probe failed to produce any results, the case was shelved and, by some accounts, even classified.

The eerie story inspired Hollywood director Renny Harlin to make the thriller Devil's Pass in 2013. Now the authorities are determined to finally uncover what happened.

Investigators are officially reopening the probe, spokesperson for the Prosecutor General's Office, Aleksandr Kurennoy, announced on Friday. The victims' "relatives, media and the public want to know the truth," he said.

Dyatlov Pass
© perevaldyatlova.ru
A group, led by Igor Dyatlov, embarked on their last hiking trip in February 1959. They were mostly in their 20s, graduate students at a local technical university. All were well-equipped, experienced hikers. The plan was to trek 350km (217 miles) through extremely harsh terrain in the northern Urals.

One student had to drop the hike due to leg pains, returning home early. That decision saved his life. Others went on. They took pictures along the way and kept journals, describing the trip's joyful atmosphere and other fairly mundane things hikers do. All seemed like a typical trip to the mountains.

The hikers failed to send a signal from the scheduled endpoint however and a rescue team was dispatched to find them. The scene the rescuers stumbled onto was gruesome and puzzling at the same time.

The tent was found on a slope, which translates to 'The Mountain of the Dead' in the local dialect. It was empty, cut open from the inside by a sharp object. All belongings, including shoes, had been left there, intact. This led many to believe the students were forced to flee in terror, desperately trying to get out as quickly as they could.

The first two shoeless hikers, dressed only in their underwear, were found lying under a pine tree about 1.3km away from the tent. Three more bodies were then located on the way out from the tent. The last four victims were found several months later - buried under meters of snow in a creek nearby.

Dyatlov Pass
© Wikipedia
Four hikers sustained massive internal injuries, skull fractures and chest damage. One woman had her eyes, tongue and part of her lips missing.

The Soviet criminal probe could never establish why the hikers suddenly left the tent half-naked or explain their conditions. The notes and photos, made by the victims, offered no clues. The final report only stated that everyone was killed by "an unknown overwhelming force."

The case sparked more than 70 theories on what caused the hikers' deaths, ranging from secret military tests and radiation, to UFOs and paranormal activity. The prosecutors are aiming to sort through them to find a plausible explanation.


The crime-related scenarios have already been discarded due to lack of evidence, prosecutors say. They plan to start by examining if the hikers could have killed by an avalanche or a snow storm. Kurennoy said a group of investigators and forensics experts will visit Dyatlov Pass in March to determine the details of the tragedy.



UFO

Strange 'pill-shaped' object seen pulsing in NC sky

pill shaped UFO over NC
Video of a "random flashing" object in the sky outside Greensboro, North Carolina, has ignited an ongoing debate on social media, including claims others have seen the same mystery object.

In the 5-minute video -- which is magnified and slowed down -- the "pill-shaped" object is seen soaring through the sky and producing a series of flashes.

The video was posted Saturday and has been viewed thousands of times since being picked up by YouTube channels devoted to UFOs and unsolved mysteries, including the Hidden Underbelly 2.0.

It is credited to Bret Jones, known as SpaceBret on YouTube, who explains in the video that the "weird thing" was spotted Friday, Jan. 25, while he was trying to film birds outside Greensboro.

Airplane

MH370 sighting claimed to be spotted on NASA satellite photo

Malaysia Airlines Bejing
© AP Photo / Ng Han Guan, File
Although the 5-year anniversary of the disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 that vanished with 239 people aboard en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing is on the horizon, the mystery remains unsolved. Despite the country's government having halted the search, enthusiasts continue to look for clues using everything at their disposal.

A video has been posted on YouTube pinning a possible sighting of the MH370 that went off radars on 8 March 2014. The user with the handle Darren Bailey, who uploaded the clip, claims to have used NASA Satellite Data provided by Zoom Earth. The screen capture coincides with the day of the plane's mysterious disappearance.

On the photo, the creator of the clip ringed a plane-shaped object, which could easily be a cloud, in the area of the Indian Ocean west of Malaysia and Indonesia. The coordinates of the possible MH370 sighting are 3'00.549'S and 86'21.943'E.

Comment: See also:


Sherlock

Missing 411? 3 y.o. boy found alive two days after vanishing from family home

Casey Hathaway
Casey Hathaway, the 3-year-old boy who went missing earlier this week from his grandmother's yard in North Carolina, has been found alive.

Hathaway was found on Thursday night by a professional search and rescue team in Craven County, Shelley Lynch, a spokesperson for the FBI Charlotte field office, said in a news release.

The toddler was reportedly in good health but was being treated at Carolina East Medical Center, and has since reunited with his family, Lynch explained.

Breanna Hathaway, who identified herself in a Facebook post as Hathaway's aunt, also confirmed the discovery of her nephew on the social media site.

"Casey is healthy, smiling, and talking. He said he hung out with a bear for two days God sent him a friend to keep him safe," she wrote. "God is good God. Miracles do happen"

Comment: For more on why this is a very strange case, as if hanging out with a 'bear' for two days isn't strange enough, see also: