In this episode of Until the End of Crime, Cameron and Hayden travel back to 1966 Brazil to investigate the baffling "Lead Masks Case." On the rough terrain of Vintém Hill, two electronics technicians—Manoel Pereira da Cruz and Miguel José Viana—were discovered dead, dressed in formal suits and raincoats, with crude lead masks covering their eyes. With no signs of struggle and a cryptic note instructing them to "ingest capsules" and "await the signal," the scene sits at the bizarre intersection of Scientific Spiritualism, UFO mania, and potential foul play. We dissect the botched police investigation, the missing money, and the strange radioactive theories to determine if these men were victims of a confidence game or something far more otherworldly.

Sources

Lead masks case - Wikipedia, accessed December 27, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_masks_case
The Bizarre Lead Mask Deaths of 1966 - Mental Floss, accessed December 27, 2025, https://www.mentalfloss.com/crime/bizarre-lead-mask-deaths-1966
The Lead Masks Case: Unexplained Deaths and Alleged Extraterrestrial Contact | Medium, accessed December 28, 2025, https://medium.com/@dantecastelo/the-lead-masks-case-unexplained-deaths-and-alleged-extraterrestrial-contact-952f8ab49cb4
Ep. 12 - The Lead Masks Case by History's Great Mysteries - Spotify for Creators, accessed December 27, 2025, https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/hystorysgreatmysteries/episodes/Ep--12---The-Lead-Masks-Case-efu1ol
ische 29 - International Standing Conference for the History of Education, accessed December 27, 2025, https://www.ische.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/ISCHE-29-Hamburg-Abstract-Book.pdf
TIB DEVELOPMENT OF RELIGIOUS PLURALISM IN BRAZIL Latin American Institute Mary Griffiths University of Glasgow M.Litto, accessed December 27, 2025, https://theses.gla.ac.uk/78761/1/13804124.pdf
The Unsolved Mystery of The Lead Masks Case — Heart Starts Pounding, accessed December 28, 2025, https://www.heartstartspounding.com/episodes/leadmasks
Jacques Vallee - Confrontations - A Scientist's Search for Alien Contact (1990) - Calaméo, accessed December 28, 2025, https://www.calameo.com/books/0005840376cfa97053a4a
UFO sightings in Brazil - Wikipedia, accessed December 28, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFO_sightings_in_Brazil
The Lead Masks of Vintem Hill, an unsolved mystery from brazil - Reddit, accessed December 28, 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/1ouluy0/the_lead_masks_of_vintem_hill_an_unsolved_mystery/
The Lead Masks Case - pmig96 - WordPress.com, accessed December 28, 2025, https://pmig96.wordpress.com/2021/05/10/the-lead-masks-case/
The Lead Masks Case : r/UnresolvedMysteries - Reddit, accessed December 28, 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/2cj17c/the_lead_masks_case/
List of reported UFO sightings - Wikipedia, accessed December 27, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_reported_UFO_sightings
Případ olověných masek - záhadná smrt dvou mužů v Brazílii - Buzzsprout, accessed December 27, 2025, https://www.buzzsprout.com/2040127/episodes/12869944-pripad-olovenych-masek-zahadna-smrt-dvou-muzu-v-brazilii

15. 41.1 Feature: An Interview with Simeon Berry | BWR - Black Warrior Review, accessed December 27, 2025, https://bwr.ua.edu/an-interview-with-poet-simeon-berry-from-issue-41-1/