Kelly-Hopkinsville Alien Encounter: Kentucky, 1955

Summary

Sightings: Kelly-Hopkinsville Alien Encounter: Kentucky, 1955
Episode Release Date: September 30, 2024
Hosts: McLeod Andrews & Brian Sigley

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1. Introduction to the Encounter

In the inaugural episode of Sightings, hosts McLeod Andrews and Brian Sigley delve into one of the most intriguing supernatural events in American history: the Kelly-Hopkinsville Alien Encounter of 1955. This case is renowned for being one of the earliest and most detailed reports of a UFO and alien confrontation, setting the stage for future extraterrestrial narratives in popular culture.

2. The Sutton Family's Terrifying Night

The episode begins with a vivid, first-person recounting of the events by Lucky Sutton, a fictionalized member of the real Sutton family who experienced the encounter.

• Setting the Scene (00:51 - 04:08): Lucky Sutton describes a peaceful summer night on their Kentucky farm, highlighting the humble and unremarkable nature of their home:

  "I'd be lying if I said it was nice. I mean, it's decent and all, but it sure as hell's got no bells or whistles..."
  —Lucky Sutton [04:05]

• The First Signs (06:14 - 07:36): At around seven in the evening, Billy Ray, one of the family members, reports seeing a "real live flying saucer," which is initially dismissed by the group. The tension escalates when their dog exhibits unusual aggression, prompting Lucky and Billy Ray to investigate further armed with rifles.

• The Encounter (07:36 - 15:12): As they approach the supposed location of the saucer, a strange silvery glow emerges from the field, revealing a small, luminescent creature with a disproportionately large head and yellowish eyes. The creature's alarming presence leads to a standoff where Lucky and Billy Ray attempt to defend their home by shooting at the entity.

  "And I tell you, it just stood there staring at us with those God forsaken eyes for a good minute or so."
  —Lucky Sutton [07:38]

3. Escalation and Police Involvement

The situation intensifies as more creatures appear, leading to another round of gunfire. The family decides to seek help from the local authorities, resulting in the arrival of multiple police units.

• Police Arrival (15:12 - 20:10): Sergeant Pritchett and Chief Greenwall, alongside other deputies, survey the scene but find minimal physical evidence aside from disrupted windows and empty bullet casings. Notably, a nearby photographer, Harvey Reeder, attempts to capture the event but fails to provide any concrete proof.

  "It must have been about 10:45 when OP grabbed me by the shoulder and pulled me to his side of the house."
  —Lucky Sutton [15:14]

4. Hosts' Analysis and Theories

Following the narrative, hosts McLeod and Brian transition into an analytical discussion, dissecting the plausibility and potential explanations for the encounter.

• Historical Context (25:07 - 27:07): Brian Sigley provides background on the timing of the event, noting its occurrence eight years after the infamous Roswell incident, a period when UFO phenomena were gaining traction in public consciousness.

  "Since you're from Kentucky, McCloud, I have to ask if you've heard of the Kelly Hopkinsville Encounter before."
  —Brian Sigley [25:21]

• Description of Aliens (27:08 - 30:03): The duo examines the physical descriptions of the alleged aliens, highlighting their deviation from the stereotypical "grey aliens." They reveal a composite sketch based on family and public accounts, portraying the entities with oversized heads, large yellow eyes, and clawed fingers.

  "The Kelly Hopkinsville encounter also happened to inspire one more pretty popular thing."
  —Brian Sigley [29:09]

• The "Little Green Men" Phenomenon (29:09 - 31:04): Interestingly, the term "little green men" is traced back to this encounter, despite the family's descriptions not specifying green skin. This misrepresentation fueled public imagination and solidified the phrase in UFO lore.

• Alternative Theories (31:04 - 36:25): McLeod and Brian explore various hypotheses, including misidentified animals—specifically great horned owls—as responsible for the sightings. They debate the likelihood of such explanations, considering the family's familiarity with local wildlife and the nature of the reported aggression.

  "I do have to remark, these had to be the dumbest aliens in the universe."
  —Lucky Sutton [32:18]

• Skepticism and Plausibility (36:34 - 37:21): The hosts ponder the credibility of the Sutton family's account, questioning motivations and the absence of corroborative evidence. They acknowledge the enduring fascination with the case, emphasizing its significance in UFO history.

  "And now, 70 years later, it's kind of irresistible to wonder if it really, truly happened like all these people said it did."
  —Brian Sigley [26:29]

5. Conclusion and Listener Engagement

The episode wraps up with hosts encouraging listeners to share their theories and engage with future episodes, promising to explore more supernatural incidents in subsequent installments.

"Sightings will be back just after this."
—Brian Sigley [23:07]

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Lucky Sutton on the Alien Appearance:

  "There was a strange glow outside your house... It was kind of silvery like, and damned if I'd ever seen anything like it before."
  —Lucky Sutton [06:15]

• Brian Sigley on the Origin of "Little Green Men":

  "The Kelly Hopkinsville encounter also happened to inspire one more pretty popular thing."
  —Brian Sigley [29:09]

• Lucky Sutton Expressing Frustration:

  "I just keep thinking about these aliens and wondering that of all the things they could come down to Earth to do, these advanced beings, they basically get involved in a bar fight."
  —Lucky Sutton [32:18]

Final Thoughts

The Sightings episode on the Kelly-Hopkinsville Alien Encounter offers a captivating blend of firsthand narrative and analytical discussion. By revisiting this historical event through immersive storytelling and critical examination, McLeod Andrews and Brian Sigley invite listeners to ponder the thin line between myth and reality in the realm of the supernatural.

For those intrigued by unexplained phenomena and the mysteries that continue to baffle humanity, this episode serves as a compelling starting point for the Sightings series.

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Transcript

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[McLeod Andrews]

Imagine you're at home with your family. It's a quiet night, a normal night. Until suddenly it isn't. There's a strange glow outside your house. Shadowy figures move across your windows. Strange sounds echo in the darkness. Something is out there. Something not of this world. And it's coming for you. Welcome to Sightings, the series that takes you inside the world's most mysterious supernatural events. I'm McLeod Andrews.

[Brian Sigley]

And I'm Brian Sigley. We're old friends who live for good stories, especially ones that push the boundaries of the unexplained. So we created this series to highlight the encounters, the abductions and the terrifying bumps in the night that have become legend.

[McLeod Andrews]

So in each episode, we'll dive headfirst into an infamous supernatural incident that will take you anywhere from Roswell to Loch Ness to Amityville and beyond.

[Brian Sigley]

Now, you've probably heard of some of these before, but trust us when we say you've never heard them like this. McLeod happens to be one of the best narrators in the business.

[Lucky Sutton]

Brian, you said we wouldn't do this.

[Brian Sigley]

Well, it's true. You've done some of the biggest audiobooks in the world. And that's why I'm so excited that in each episode of sightings, McLeod is going to bring to life a brand new mind bending story of a supernatural incident that puts you listener at the center of the action. After that, we'll investigate the facts and the legends that inspired the story and figure out just how far down the rabbit hole we're willing to go.

[McLeod Andrews]

For our first episode, we're taking you back to a quiet summer night in 1955 where one family in rural Kentucky encounters terrifying intruders intent on invading their home. Do they run? Do they hide? Or do they stand their ground and fight? Find out on this first episode of Sightings My name is Lucky Sutton. I'm 25 years old, Kentucky born and bred. Not to tell you straight off, I ain't never seen anything like this shit that's gone down here tonight. I'm talking the kind of shit you'll read about in the big papers tomorrow, like Hollywood movies shit like we're lucky to be alive shit. And I mean that, swear to God. Being at detail is likely important, and I'm still trying to work it all out in my head. I suppose I ought to start at the beginning. Set the scene, as they say. And that scene, at least for tonight, is our farm. I'd be lying if I said it was nice. I mean, it's decent and all, but it sure as hell's got no bells or whistles like shutters or even a.

[Lucky Sutton]

Right barn or anything. You can find it in Kelly.

[McLeod Andrews]

Just off old Madisonville Road and a few miles north of Hopkinsville. Three acres of tobacco, some old maple trees, a shitbox house I've been telling Ma to fix for years, but now that JC's in charge, that's a whole nother story. Anyway, speaking of people, there were a bunch of us hunkered down when it all started. There was Ma and me and Vera, of course, and my brother JC and his wife Aline, and Ali's brother Op, plus my friend Billy Ray and his wife June, and then the little ones, Lonnie and Charlton and Mary. That's eight of us adults, plus the.

[Lucky Sutton]

Three kids, which probably sounds like a.

[McLeod Andrews]

Lot for these three rooms. But you know, it's not normally like this.

[Lucky Sutton]

And even if it was, you ought to keep your judgments to yourself.

[McLeod Andrews]

Point is, it's a farm with good fields, plus the house, some pigs, goats, too many cats and a whole lot of people. Otherwise, there ain't a damn thing remarkable about it at all. Which is why it's amazing that of all the farms in Kentucky, all the farms on God's green, this is the one the little space bastards decided to visit. And you know what? Screw them all for doing that. It's probably worth knowing it all started out as a pretty normal evening as far as evenings go. Since it's been hot as hell all week and the skeeter's been thick. We were all inside trying to make the best of it. That meant mostly shooting the shit, sometimes playing cards. And I ought to say that none of us were drinking. At least not more than one beer for me and J.C. and Billy Ray. Now, I emphasize that because the first thing people will say is that we were fully drunk and made this all up or aren't reliable narrators or the like. And they'd be dead wrong, all of them, because I seen this with my own eyes and I guarantee you I wish I had been drunk so I could have better coped with all of it. So, yeah, as I was saying, it must have been about seven when it all started. We were all doing our thing and Billy Ray went out to the well for some water, then came running back with some poppycock story about seeing a real live flying saucer. Of course, we all thought it was.

[Lucky Sutton]

A load of shit.

[McLeod Andrews]

Billy Ray was known for spinning tails. I guess that's what made him such a charming bastard. But tonight we were having none of it. Even when Billy Ray swore the saucer was sitting in the gully on the far end of our plow, we just laughed it off. Speaking personally, it sounded to me like the fool had seen a shooting star. I even cracked some joke about it which just about threw Billy Ray right off the deep end. He was damn set on getting someone to go check out the gully with him, but none of us budged an inch. And being the hothead he is, he seemed right ready to storm out or throw some kind of tantrum because no one believed him. That's when the dog started barking. And not just barking, mind you, but some kind of infernal fury we never heard the thing make before. I never heard any dog make this sound before. I got up to go see what the trouble was, but Billy Ray thought that was his chance to show me his flying saucer. And before I could even brush him off, he shoved JC's.22 rifle in my hand and grabbed the 20 gauge for himself. In hindsight, that might be the smartest thing Billy Ray's ever done in his life. So now that I was armed and all I figured the least I could do was follow him out and see what all the yapping was about. But the moment we stepped outside, the damn dog came running at us like a bat out of hell. We scanned the horizon to see what spooked her, but hell if we could find the problem.

[Lucky Sutton]

It was pitch black out there, being.

[McLeod Andrews]

A new moon and all, and we can hardly see a thing. So I turned to head back inside when Billy Ray suddenly grabbed my shoulder. He told me to look back out at the fields, and I'm not exaggerating when I say he sounded downright petrified. Then I saw why he was scared, and swear to God, I just about shit myself too. A strange glow was coming from the far end of our field. It was kind of silvery like, and damned if I'd ever seen anything like it before. But it wasn't the glow that scared me. It was the thing walking out of it. At first it looked like a little man, no taller than our fence posts, so maybe three and a half feet on a good day. As it got closer, I could make out a big head, far too big to be human, with yellowish eyes and arms that nearly reached the ground. The whole thing, creature, whatever you want to call it, was wearing some kind of silvery metal that gave off that strange glow. Now, Billy Ray, big dumb brick that he is, up and hollered at the thing, causing it to freeze in place. And I tell you, it just stood there staring at us with those God forsaken eyes for a good minute or so. And maybe because we were too scared, too confused, I don't know, but we stared right back at it. Then it started moving towards us again and it lifted its arms up and that's when I saw its fingers were talons. Actual goddamn talons. So I yanked Billy Ray back into the house and slammed the door. Everyone else was in the living room laughing about something, but Billy Ray and I didn't say a damn word. We just aimed back out the wind at that thing, which was still on the move, claws still reaching for the sky. I told Billy Ray to hold tight until it was closer, because even though we're both pretty good shots, I wanted to make damn sure we hit the bastard. So we waited. And I tell you, it was excruciating because the thing moved weird and kind of slow, but it kept coming, sure and steady. And once it was about 20ft away, we finally fired. And then all hell broke loose. We must have clipped the thing because it screeched like some crazy banshee and scurried away into the darkness. Meanwhile, everyone else in the house went ballistic because there we were, shooting like idiots into the night. We herded everyone back into the living room, shut the doors, and had JC&OP grab their rifles in case we needed to reacquaint ourselves with whatever was out there. We were about to start explaining what the hell was going on when I saw something out of the corner of my eye. Another thing was at the goddamn window right behind little Mary. Ma saw it too, and started screaming, but JC thought quick and shot right through the window screen at the thing. Just like the other one. It screeched something awful and disappeared into the dark Course. Now everyone in the house was screeching just as loud. And I hollered at OP to shut them all up while JC and Billy Ray and I went to finish the thing off for good. But the moment we stepped out into the night, everything went ungodly quiet. Even the crickets picked right then to stop singing. We stepped silent as we could around to the wind that JC shot through, hoping to find a body or the like. But there was nothing. No blood, no tracks, none of it. We even circled the house three times and couldn't find a trace of the damn things we shot at. Truly, it's like they were never even there. And you know what? That didn't make one lick a sense. Once we got back inside, we hunkered down real good. The women and kids were still a mess, of course, but we men knew we weren't going to let anything happen to them. At least that's what we hoped. Problem was, we had no radio or telephone in the house. The damn doors didn't even have locks on them. But we knew our guns did. At least something to keep them at bay. So I suggested we hold our ground until these things found another farm to terrorize. Of course, right then was the time JC found convenient to pick a fight with me cause he thought it was a better idea to pile everyone into our two cars and drive to the sheriff. Problem was, he didn't think about what we'd actually tell the sheriff when we got there. I mean, seriously, would anyone believe spacemen were attacking our farm? Unless we had some shred of physical proof, we'd be the laughing stock of Christian County. JC tried to push back and get his way. Of course, this being his farm and all, he likes to think he's the one in charge. But here's the honest truth. Thinking you're in charge doesn't put you in charge. So everyone's eyes turned to me. And I tell you, I wasn't keen on hiking those women and kids into the night while those things might still be out there. So I looked everyone over and I made my decision. We'd make our stand at the farmhouse. So this is what happened. We turned this place into a fortress. We barricaded what we could, shut off all the lights inside and flipped on the outdoor flood lamps. While the women and kids huddled in the interior, us men posted at windows on each side of the house and aimed out into the dark. And then we waited. Ma always said a full house is a happy house. Turns out that's a bald faced lie. Because I tell you, I don't think this house Ever heard quiet like that before. Even the kids didn't make a peep. There was just the sound of us all breathing, praying. Like I said before, it was strange for that many of us to be at the farm on one night. Usually it was just Ma and the little ones. Plus J.C. and Arlene, of course, because J.C. stayed on to take care of the farm after Pa died. But me, I was never as content as my brother. I wanted to see the world, or at least more of it than these hills I knew like the back of my hand. So I took off with Billy Ray as soon as I hit 18. We bumbled around for a bit, then landed with the traveling carnival. That's where I met Vera, of course, and Billy Ray met June. But good things don't last forever. And eventually we found ourselves back home where we started. We just supposed to be here just a few weeks, but soon enough that turned into a few months. Time has a strange way of slipping away, I guess. Anyway, point is, I'm glad me and Billy Ray were here to protect everyone. I'm even glad Op had decided to crash here, even though he couldn't shoot for shit. Cause frankly, we'd be needing all the help we could get.

[Lucky Sutton]

All right.

[McLeod Andrews]

It must have been about 10:45 when OP grabbed me by the shoulder and pulled me to his side of the house. Without a word, he pointed up at the ceiling. I listened and heard it, too. One of those bastards was creeping around on the roof. You could just make out the tapping sound on the corrugated metal. We followed it across the kitchen, where it suddenly stopped in place. We waited. Listen. Wham. The thing pounded on the roof so hard the glasses in the cupboard rattled round. And after that there was this ungodly scraping sound, almost like it was trying to claw its way inside. Then it suddenly went silent and didn't seem to move an inch. Op aimed to fire his rifle right through the ceiling, but I stopped him and pulled him, J.C. and Billy Ray towards the back door. We were going to surround the thing, and this time we were going to take it out. We opened the front door as quiet as we could. I was first out, then JC And OP and finally Billy Ray. We were all huddled on the porch beneath the awning to keep the thing up there from seeing us. I motioned for Op to go left and JC to go right, and I had just turned to tell Billy Ray to follow me when I saw it. A clawed hand was reaching down from above Billy Ray. The goddamn thing was on the awning right over us. It's Taloned fingers. We're just about to reach Billy Ray's mind when I did the only thing I could think of. I jumped out from under the awning and fired at the bastard. But just as that was happening, JC and OP started hollering, and I turned to see another one of the things in the maple tree by the fence. We all opened fire and it fell from the tree. Or rather, it floated from the tree and landed on its feet, looking totally unharmed. So we fired at it again. This time we must have hit it because it screeched something wicked and disappeared into the weeds. I was about to run after it when Billy Ray pulled me back just as another one of the things rounded the corner of the house. So I aimed right quick and shot that bastard point blank in the middle of its goddamn body. For a moment it sounded like I shot a metal bucket, the clang that impact made. But there was no blood, no holes, no wound at all that I could see. So I figured my best bet was to shoot the thing square between its yellow eyes. But it was the damnedest thing. Before I could pull the trigger, it retreated faster than I've seen anything live and ever move before. And even though Billy Ray and OP and JC Got some more shots off at it, it disappeared into the darkness. That's when I knew guns were doing nothing but spookin them. And surely they'd soon enough wise up to that fact and push their way inside the house and find the women and kids. All of them. Of course, I wasn't about to let that happen. So I made the only choice I thought we had left and ordered everyone to retreat to the cars. So there we were, doing one big terrified migration, with Billy Ray and JC and OP and I keeping a lookout as the women and kids made a run for the cars. And as soon as we were all inside, we sped into the night. It took us all of 5 minutes to reach the police office in Hopkinsville. Whole way, Billy Ray kept yammering about how we should have believed him. He was right, and it was my bad. I'd put the entire family in danger, and I'm not sure I'll ever forget myself. At the station, we found Sergeant Pritchett sitting at the lobby desk. He's a chubby fellow who usually looks like he's bored out of his mind, so I don't think I'll ever forget the look on his face as all 11 of us come running in, pale as ghosts. And since everyone around town knows we aren't the type to run to the police for help. We didn't have to say a word before Pritchett picked up the phone and dialed Chief Greenwall. Soon enough we were all heading back to the farm. I know what you're thinking. We'd be crazy to go back there. But now we have four police cruisers behind us. There was Pritchett and Chief Greenwall, of course, plus Deputy Batts from the county sheriff and Trooper Ferguson from the stateies also came along. There was even another statey waiting at the farm when we arrived. He said he heard the hullabaloo on the radio and thought we'd like to know. He saw some pretty weird stuff at Shady Oaks down the road. Stuff like flashes in the sky, he said. Like meteors heading in the direction of our farm. Of course, that made me feel a bit less like I'd been losing my.

[Lucky Sutton]

Ever loving mind, even if it put.

[McLeod Andrews]

All the cops on edge. So everyone drew their flashlights and guns and were about to start searching the farm when one more set of headlights pulled up. It was Harvey Reeder, an asshole photographer from the Kentucky New Era. Everyone in town hated him since he was as cocky a bastard as he looked. Without so much as a hello, he says. All right, let's see the little green men already. So off we went in search of them. Flashlights were waving all over our fields while Chief Greenwall ventured inside the house. I bet he half expected to find loads of open liquor, but Ma set him straight about that real fast. We showed them all the windows we shot through, but I'd be damned if there was any more evidence of the buggers than some blasted out screens and spent shells. There weren't even any footprints or markings down in the gully where Billy Ray said the saucer landed. There was one thing, though. Out by the fence where one of the creatures was shot at and scampered away, an officer said he saw a bright patch on the ground loom. Luminous, almost like an oil slick. But as we got up close, we couldn't see nothing at all. Just some kind of cruel trick of the eye, I guess. Still, most everyone seemed to feel in their bones that something strange happened here. Even the chief pulled me aside to tell me the whole place gave him the shivers. Of course, that prick Harvey Reader wasn't impressed by none of it and just blurted out what I figure everyone was thinking. So, you gonna show us some goddamn proof or what? I was about to clock the bastard in the face when he accidentally stepped on a cat's tail and it screamed something wicked. You never saw so many pistols unholstered so fast in your life. And I'm pretty sure Reader pissed himself good. He deserved it. Every last bit. So yeah, right now it's 4am the cops and them all took off by 2, leaving the 11 of us alone in the dark. Since we didn't dare turn on the lights in the house, it wasn't too hard for most everyone to drift off despite their nerves. But not me. I've been staying up to guard the place, you know, in case they come back. So here I am, staring out the window with my shotgun in hand. I hope that if we can just make it till morning, then maybe we'll be in the clear for good. Because these creatures, aliens, whatever you want to call them, would have to be numbskulled idiots to think it bright to mess with us in broad daylight. But that still leaves three hours till sunrise. And I'm counting every minute.

[Lucky Sutton]

Of course.

[McLeod Andrews]

I think I just heard something. A familiar tapping on the corrugated metal on the roof. Goddamn bastards must have learned nothing at all. So here's what's gonna happen. I'm gonna nudge Billy Ray awake and put the.22 in his hands. We'll cock our guns and aim for the sky. And this time, we're going to get our proof.

[Brian Sigley]

Sightings will be back just after this.

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[Lucky Sutton]

Okay, welcome back to Sightings, where we dig into that wild story I just narrated for you. Taking off my narrator hat, putting on my human man person hat. Not made of any actual people, just an identity and investigate the facts and legends to figure out what's believable, at least what we believe and what's straight up wackadoo. And here to help me do that is my co host Brian, who actually wrote that incredible story.

[Brian Sigley]

Well, I'm glad you liked McCloud, but I can tell from your face that you don't know quite what to think about it.

[Lucky Sutton]

Can you blame me? There was an all out war between these People and some terrifying, albeit tiny aliens.

[Brian Sigley]

That's right. They were very, very tiny. And since you're from Kentucky, McCloud, I have to ask if you've heard of the Kelly Hopkinsville Encounter before.

[Lucky Sutton]

I've never heard of it, no. And that's why I assumed you made it up.

[Brian Sigley]

Okay, that's fair enough. But I did get my start writing movies and TV shows. But the truth of the matter here is that I did not make a single thing up for this story.

[Lucky Sutton]

All of that happened. The gunfight, the aliens, even the dog. Brian.

[Brian Sigley]

Even the dog. Yep. All 11 of the family members, the UFO, the aliens, the police, all of them are based on or. Well, not based on. They are taken from the written first or secondhand accounts of this incident from 1955.

[McLeod Andrews]

Wow.

[Lucky Sutton]

What was the dog's name?

[Brian Sigley]

Gonna put me on the spot, aren't you?

[Lucky Sutton]

But that's wild. All firsthand accounts.

[Brian Sigley]

Yeah. And that's exactly why I chose it for the first episode of this series, because it really speaks to why the supernatural can be so weird and cat captivating.

[Lucky Sutton]

Absolutely. I mean, it's really easy to imagine yourself in these people's shoes or, you know, imagine the terror that they're all seeing. At least the way you've written it for me, it put me right there. Or I guess not written it, because it'sthat's the story that is.

[Brian Sigley]

And now, 70 years later, it's kind of irresistible to wonder if it really, truly happened like all these people said it did.

[Lucky Sutton]

I do wonder that. So let's dive in. It's 1955 in this tiny corner of Kentucky.

[Brian Sigley]

Right. And that's eight years after Roswell happened, just for a little bit of context. So UFOs were still kind of creeping into public consciousness around this time.

[Lucky Sutton]

Right.

[Brian Sigley]

But the whole idea of alien abductions or actual encounters with alien beings wasn't really a big thing yet. Which makes this one of the first personal encounter reports with creatures from another world.

[Lucky Sutton]

More like the first shootout with creatures from another world.

[Brian Sigley]

Very true. And this was a rural area, so who knows what could have actually happened there? I mean, all we have to go on are some newspaper articles and the written accounts of the Sutton family themselves.

[McLeod Andrews]

The whole Sutton brood.

[Lucky Sutton]

How many of them were there again?

[Brian Sigley]

There were 11 of them.

[McLeod Andrews]

Oh, wow. Okay.

[Lucky Sutton]

Big family.

[Brian Sigley]

At that rate, they basically made up a good chunk of the town population. And they're all crammed into this tiny, tiny house. They just had two rooms. It's 700 square feet.

[Lucky Sutton]

That's like a New York city apartment.

[Brian Sigley]

It's is. And imagine you got 11 people crammed in there and they're being attacked, and there's nowhere to hide. It had to have been completely terrifying because these aliens were coming at them, and they're weird and tiny and creepy and stupid.

[Lucky Sutton]

I do have to remark, these had to be the dumbest aliens in the universe.

[Brian Sigley]

Yeah. Not the universe's best and brightest. True. And what's weird about them, too, is that they don't fit the standard. You know, kind of the gray alien cliche that we all know from popular culture, from movies, from tv.

[Lucky Sutton]

Yeah, I'm trying to picture what they looked like.

[Brian Sigley]

Well, I can actually help you out with that, because there is a composite sketch made from the descriptions provided by members of the Sutton family and listeners. If you want to check out our socials, citing tytingspod, you can see this for yourself. So here it is, McCloud.

[Lucky Sutton]

Oh, I don't know if that's what I was expecting to see. Yeah, it looks like it has a bee head with these wide spaced, bulging eyes. But the crazy thing that, ah, is really throwing me off here, you know, the head kind of does look like a guitar pick, but it's got these blade like ears that are massive. It's like. It looks like shards of glass were shoved into the back of its head or like bat ears or something. Super long arms, claws. So it looks a little bit like a kid Druid, if I'm being honest. But it's adorable. It's kind of adorable.

[Brian Sigley]

Yeah. It's worth noting that these little guys, or rather the whole Kelly Hopkinsville encounter, inspired the phrase little green men.

[Lucky Sutton]

Really? This was the first time?

[Brian Sigley]

This was the first time. And that's kind of weird because no one in the Sutton family actually said that these things were green, but it was all over the newspaper, and it rocketed into public consciousness. The whole idea that this random family in Kentucky came face to face with little green men.

[McLeod Andrews]

Wow.

[Brian Sigley]

Yeah. The Kelly Hopkinsville encounter also happened to inspire one more pretty popular thing. So I got one more picture for you, McCloud.

[Lucky Sutton]

Okay.

[Brian Sigley]

Yeah. So.

[Lucky Sutton]

Oh, that's adorable. Look at that cute little guy. I mean, it just keeps getting cuter and cuter. He's like this little purple gremlin man with diamonds for eyes and a ruby chest and little, like, lightning bolt, bladey ears. Looks like a Pokemon.

[Brian Sigley]

Oh, that's because it is a Pokemon.

[McLeod Andrews]

What?

[Brian Sigley]

Yeah.

[Lucky Sutton]

Okay, wait. So how did we get from Kelly Hopkinsville to Pokemon?

[Brian Sigley]

Well, there's this Pokemon called Sableye. I Don't even know.

[Lucky Sutton]

Sounds delicious.

[Brian Sigley]

It sounds. I don't play Pokemon. I don't know how to say its name, so I'm just going to call it Sabley. And in the games, this Pokemon is depicted as having the same kind of like, weird, swaying gait that the aliens had in this story.

[McLeod Andrews]

Huh.

[Lucky Sutton]

I mean, that just makes me all the more surprised that I hadn't heard of it.

[Brian Sigley]

Yeah, exactly. So we got these little Pokemon running around, and this family's, you know, trying to fight them off, and they managed to do it.

[Lucky Sutton]

But, I mean, they came back, didn't they? Right at the end of the story.

[Brian Sigley]

They allegedly did. And the family allegedly fought them off again. And the next day, this was huge news in Kentucky. It was on the front page of the Kentucky New Era newspaper.

[McLeod Andrews]

Wow.

[Brian Sigley]

So, yeah, I think it's difficult to say that this family didn't encounter something, you know, on the farm that night.

[Lucky Sutton]

So, I mean, were there any corroborating stories or physical evidence?

[Brian Sigley]

Sort of, maybe.

[Lucky Sutton]

Sort of maybe. That's not terribly reassuring.

[Brian Sigley]

Well, that night, there were allegedly strange phenomena, I'll put it that way, reported in the skies all over southeast Kentucky. Maybe it was a meteor, Maybe it was something else altogether. But there are written reports of this happening in the skies, even from police officers and on the farm itself. The police did find a bunch of empty bullet boxes in the house, but.

[Lucky Sutton]

Oh, no, there's always a but.

[Brian Sigley]

Yeah, but there was no mention of any spent shells all over the place or bullet holes anywhere, you know, in any of the reports that would be indicative of what you would see if this place had turned into an actual war zone.

[Lucky Sutton]

Okay, the plot thickens.

[Brian Sigley]

Yeah.

[McLeod Andrews]

Or thins.

[Brian Sigley]

There you go. Maybe the most damning thing of all, though, is the fact that there were allegedly neighbors who were probably close enough to have heard gunfire if it was actually happening. And of all of those people, only one reported hearing anything at all. And he mistook the four bangs that he heard for being firecrackers. So, I don't know. What do you think?

[Lucky Sutton]

I just keep thinking about these aliens and wondering that of all the things they could come down to Earth to do, these advanced beings, they basically get involved in a bar fight.

[Brian Sigley]

Yeah.

[Lucky Sutton]

I mean, there doesn't seem to be any intelligence at all there.

[Brian Sigley]

Yeah. And this family's unloading an entire arsenal on them, theoretically. And these little creatures are just screeching and not blinking. You know, they just keep coming back and peeping over all the awnings and, you know, trying to, you know, Just touch people's hair and with my claws. With my claws.

[Lucky Sutton]

So, I mean, from where I'm sitting, I just have to wonder if what these people saw were even aliens at all, because it just doesn't make any sense.

[Brian Sigley]

Exactly. So if they weren't aliens, what do you think they could have possibly have seen?

[Lucky Sutton]

First place my mind goes is people. Okay, like, neighbors dressing up, fabricating aliens to try and, I don't know, settle some property dispute. Get them off their land. Get their land.

[Brian Sigley]

Okay. That's the Scooby Doo theory. I like that. I'm intrigued.

[Lucky Sutton]

It is the Scooby Doo theory.

[Brian Sigley]

Oh, I have to say, this would be the most violent episode of Scooby Doo in history.

[Lucky Sutton]

Oh, my gosh. My childhood is ruined. I never thought about this. Scooby Doo would be a bloodbath.

[Brian Sigley]

And he got Shaggy getting, like, tattoos of his running kill cat.

[Lucky Sutton]

Are you kidding me? The Scooby Snacks are people.

[Brian Sigley]

Okay, on a more serious note, you know, I don't know if that Scooby Doo theory works for me in this case. McLeod.

[McLeod Andrews]

Why?

[Brian Sigley]

Well, unless those neighbors were in head to toe, bulletproof body armor, I just don't think it would have worked.

[Lucky Sutton]

Right. They. They'd be slaughtered. They'd be dead.

[Brian Sigley]

I guess so, yeah. All right, but we need a. We need an actual culprit. If it wasn't the neighbors and it wasn't the aliens, what else do you think it could have possibly been?

[McLeod Andrews]

Mineral, plant, animal?

[Lucky Sutton]

Some kind of animal? I don't know, like a bear. Like little bear cubs? The care bears.

[Brian Sigley]

Tiny little bears with big ears and giant claws.

[Lucky Sutton]

Ah, yeah, big ears.

[Brian Sigley]

I guess so. I do like this animal theory, though, because it turns out there are some prominent ufologists who think they figured out what the family might have actually encountered.

[Lucky Sutton]

Oh, really? So there's a theory?

[Brian Sigley]

There is a theory. And at first glance, it seems at least somewhat plausible, I suppose. All right, I'm not gonna tell you what it is, though. I want you to guess on this one. Cause this one's Bears.

[McLeod Andrews]

Bears.

[Brian Sigley]

No, it's not a bear. I'm sorry.

[Lucky Sutton]

Boo.

[Brian Sigley]

Okay, so here we go. We have this animal, and it is 25 inches tall.

[Lucky Sutton]

Okay.

[Brian Sigley]

It has large yellow eyes.

[Lucky Sutton]

Okay.

[Brian Sigley]

A large head, light gray underside, which I suppose could be construed as the kind of silvery sheen that the family describes seeing on these aliens. Plus, they have spindly legs and clawed talons. Based on that, do you have any guesses so far?

[Lucky Sutton]

I'm leaning towards, like, a lizard.

[Brian Sigley]

Lizard.

[McLeod Andrews]

Okay.

[Lucky Sutton]

A fat lizard. A really big lizard, Brian.

[Brian Sigley]

Let me clarify, then. This. This thing only has two legs, and most importantly, it has wings that, when seen on edge, could be mistaken for very long arms.

[Lucky Sutton]

No. An owl.

[Brian Sigley]

You got it. What? All right, so there's this.

[Lucky Sutton]

I mean, owl. It's just an owl. Like, they're from the country, They've seen owls before.

[Brian Sigley]

I mean, but in the owls and this theory's defense, great horned owls can be very aggressive in defending their nest. They're also nocturnal, and they happen to be native to this part of Kentucky. So I don't think it would be a stretch to have seen one of these huge great horned owls in the area.

[Lucky Sutton]

Okay. But that does raise a pretty big question. Namely, wouldn't this rural family know what one of these owls looked like and not, you know, not mistaking them for, I don't know, creatures from another planet?

[Brian Sigley]

That is a valid point, and that is my thinking on the whole thing. I mean, the fact that they supposedly shot them point blank and that they didn't die.

[Lucky Sutton]

Bulletproof owls.

[Brian Sigley]

Bulletproof owls. Yes. The new species that has yet to be discovered.

[Lucky Sutton]

Okay, so if it's not little baby bears and it's not Scooby Doo neighbors and it's not owls, then who could it be?

[Brian Sigley]

McLeod, you're killing me.

[Lucky Sutton]

I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

[McLeod Andrews]

I'm fired.

[Lucky Sutton]

I'm firing myself. First episode and I'm gone. No, but where my mind keeps going is just sort of human nature and storytelling and just these people and whether or not their account can be trusted, especially, I mean, since this guy worked at a carnival, you know, that raises flags right there. But I can imagine this guy who lives in a small town in Kentucky, who's left, who's seeking a more interesting life and returns and is sucked in by the boredom and spun a tall tale to make life more interesting.

[Brian Sigley]

Yeah, and this is a hell of a story. And I think that's what makes these so interesting, is that after all these years, we're still sitting here debating what might have happened on that night.

[Lucky Sutton]

I mean, part of me wants to believe. Still wants to believe, even despite all those more plausible explanations.

[Brian Sigley]

Exactly. And maybe over the course of, you know, this series, we'll find one that we really think happened. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Lucky Sutton]

That blows our minds. I mean, I think that's what's appealing about all these stories.

[Brian Sigley]

Exactly. Exactly.

[Lucky Sutton]

But you listeners, we want to hear what you think I've been blabbing on here. So if you have any theories for what might have happened here, send us an [e-mail] or you can hit our socials citing tytingspod. And guess what? Our second episode is out right now. So if you want to go inside another infamous Supernatural incident, just stick around and smash that download button.

[Brian Sigley]

And if you like the show, also hit the subscribe button as well because you're going to be the first to hear new episodes every week.

[Lucky Sutton]

But Brian, I still want to know.

[McLeod Andrews]

Where'S this next episode taking us.

[Brian Sigley]

We are heading to Los Angeles for a spooky story that I guarantee is going to blow your mind.

[Lucky Sutton]

Ooh, I love spooky stories. So listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify.

[McLeod Andrews]

Or wherever you get your podcasts and.

[Brian Sigley]

See you next week same time, same place with another exciting episode of Sightings. But in the meantime, keep an eye out for those owls next time you.

[Lucky Sutton]

Hear a who run.

[Brian Sigley]

Thanks for listening everyone. See you all next time. Sightings is hosted by McLeod Andrews and Brian Sigley Produced by Brian Sigley, chase Kinzer and McLeod Andrews written by Brian Sigley music by Mitch Bain sound design, audio editing and mixing by mcubbin Owens artwork by Nuno Sarnatus. For a list of this episode's sources, check out our [e-mail] Sightings is presented by Reverb and Q Code. If you like the show, be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so your first to hear new episodes every week. And if you know other Supernatural fans, tell them about us. We'd really appreciate it.