Cape Girardeau UFO Crash (1941)
The Cape Girardeau UFO crash of 1941 is an incident that occurred in southeast Missouri, preceding the famous Roswell crash by six years and the Battle of Los Angeles by one year. According to the story, Reverend William Huffman was called to deliver last rites for victims of a supposed plane crash. Upon arrival, he discovered not humans, but three small, alien-like beings. The military quickly arrived and took control, swearing all witnesses to secrecy. Allegedly, one of the alien bodies was photographed before the site was cleared. This account primarily comes from the reverend’s granddaughter, Charlette Mann.
Reverend William Huffman found a disc-shaped craft with strange hieroglyphic-like symbols. The bodies at the scene were not human but small, gray-skinned beings with large eyes and no discernible ears or hair. Reverend Huffman performed his duties, praying over the alien bodies, two of which were already deceased while the third was barely alive. Shortly after, military personnel took control of the scene, swearing all witnesses to secrecy, including Huffman. Despite this, upon returning home, he shared the details of the crash with his wife and children. The story remained largely within the family until his granddaughter, Charlette Mann, later revealed it publicly based on what she learned from her grandmother on her deathbed.
One particularly striking element of the story is the existence of a photograph showing two men holding up one of the alien beings, a photo that Reverend Huffman had in his possession for some time.
Following the 1941 Cape Girardeau UFO incident, the next significant UFO encounter in the U.S. occurred in 1942 during the Battle of Los Angeles.
In an interview at the 2019 UFO Congress, Charlette Mann recounted her family’s involvement in the Cape Girardeau UFO crash of 1941. Her grandfather, Reverend William Huffman, was a Baptist minister who was summoned to give last rites at what he initially thought was a plane crash. Upon arrival, he found a strange, saucer-like craft, broken in half, with small beings he referred to as “little people” lying outside. This event predated public knowledge of UFOs, as it occurred six years before Roswell.
Reverend Huffman observed the craft’s interior, which had strange symbols resembling Egyptian hieroglyphics etched around its walls. Inside were small, child-sized chairs, and a round pedestal topped with a gyroscope-like object that Mann later realized was consistent with other UFO reports, particularly those described by Bob Lazar.
Mann’s account describes a photograph that her family possessed for years. The image depicted two men holding one of the alien beings, about four feet tall, by the armpits. Mann remembers seeing the photo from the time she was six, as her father kept it following her grandfather’s stroke. However, the photograph eventually disappeared. The alien in the picture had octopus-like eyes, grayish skin that appeared soft and fleshy, and no visible clothing. Its facial features were minimal, with small dots in place of ears, a pencil-thin line for a mouth, and tiny nostrils instead of a nose.
Mann shared that one of the men who took the photo had used a personal “Brownie” camera, hiding it from the military who arrived shortly after the crash to confiscate evidence. A week later, the photographer, visibly shaken, entrusted Reverend Huffman with the picture, explaining that while it needed to be seen one day, he feared keeping it.
One of the aliens was still breathing when her grandfather arrived. The being had long arms, three fingers, and moist, grayish skin that felt like a “cool fish” to the touch. Huffman, while praying for the creatures, was profoundly changed by the encounter, which deeply impacted him and his family.
Mann reflected on how the UFO phenomenon has shaped her life, stating that despite everything, she continues to share her experiences truthfully, leaving it to others to decide what they believe.
