The 2010 Laguna del Monte Case in Argentina – Revisited

 

SAN MIGUEL DEL MONTE is the seat of the district bearing the same name in the province of Buenos Aires, located 107 kilometers distant from Capital Federal. Its extensive lagoon and proximity to our city make it the ideal spot for weekend fishing trips and barbecues by residents of Buenos Aires, a way of getting in touch with nature and re-energize.

 

 

Like many others, Ivan D., the protagonist of this case, visited the spot with his family (a total of 8) in March 2010 to spend the weekend. As is customary with tourists, he took several photographs of one of his young children as he played among the trees.

 

Upon developing them, says Ivan, the figure of a strange being – extremely tall and thin – was visible on the left margin of a photo, very near the edge of the lagoon or even standing on the water. The witness submitted the image to FAO, directed by Luis Burgos, whose technicians analyzed it, determining that it was authentic and was neither edited nor manipulated. The visual press made mention of the case and even today, nearly three years after the event, a number of websites regarding the case can be found.

 

By sheer chance, we had the opportunity to meet the protagonist and speak extensively about his experiences “off the record”, as is customarily said, and we agreed to have a subsequent “formal” meeting. The witness seemed extremely disturbed by the experience and during our initial encounter, declared having never displayed an interest in the UFO phenomenon. He told us, however, that the event had changed his life, making it hard for him to sleep, and bringing about visions of “other worlds”.

 

While we only spoke to the witness twice (the first for a few hours) our impression is that he is a well-adjusted person, uninterested in publicizing his case then or now. Quite the contrary, the case caused him more trouble than anything else: he never had health complaints of any kind, nor was he under the effects of any medication at the time, which is irrelevant in any event. Even if we were to ascribe the case to a hallucination on the part of the witness, it would not have been captured on modern photographic equipment.

 

We agreed to submit the witness to a series of questions, which he accepted. He was rather brief in his replies, unlike our earlier meeting. We have transcribed the brief interview performed on Ivan D. in 2012 in order to posit our conclusions later on.

 

What is your name and how old are you?

 – Ivan L.D., age 40

 What is your family make up? (no names, number of members only)

 – Four members. My wife and two children.

 Your occupation or profession?

 – Employee

 Have you had other similar experiences before this?

 – Never

 What type of camera did you use?

 – Olympus x 15 (photo was taken with 5 megapixels)

 Do you remember the approximate time?

 – Around 14:00 hours (2 p.m.)

 What were you trying to photograph at the time?

 – My younger son, who was resting between the two trees.

 Was this the only photo taken? If there were others, does the entity appear in them as well?

 – The only shot. Later on there were two more which are related.

 Any idea of how many people were at the site?

 – Approximately 8 people (referring to his family group)

 Aside from FAO, did any other organization examine the photo?

 – No, no one else.

 Were you ever interested in the UFO phenomenon?

 – Not before this. I’ve started to analyze the phenomenon now.

 Has any member of your family had similar experience?

 – No, none.

 Could it be possible that there was a person standing at the edge of the lagoon and nobody noticed?

 – I don’t remember anyone standing at the site.

 Through photo analysis, was it possible to determine the entity’s height?

 – 1.80 meters or taller, approximately.

 Did you notice anything unusual in the environment when the photo was taken?

 – The lagoon’s water (witness states the water was somewhat “unsettled” at that section of the edge)

 Did you notice any physical or emotional changes after this experience?

 – Yes (during this second interview, the witness is reluctant to discuss this item and does not provide details about his insomnia)

 How has your family taken the experience?

 – I’ve tried not to involve them.

 

 

 1. According to the FAO analysis, the photo is genuine, which does not necessarily mean that the image of the entity belongs to a non-human being.

 2. Due to distance, it is not possible to determine if the being was at the edge of the lagoon or standing over its waters.

 3. It is possible that he image is that of a fisherman at the edge of the lagoon, distorted by the light. On the other hand, the photo was taken well past noon (around 14:00 hours), and it is therefore not possible to state this with certainty.

 4. It is remarkable that no one else noticed the entity’s presence in such a busy location.

 5. The entity’s height is truly remarkable. To establish it with greater precision, it would be necessary to determine its distance from the trees in the foreground.

 6. The entity’s head seems larger than an average human’s, making it similar to the so-called “grey” or macrocephalic extraterrestrials.

 7. The Laguna del Monte has been the scenario of UFO sightings on other opportunities, researched by our colleagues at FAO at the time, one of them at the end of 2010.

 8. It’s possible that as with other cases, an interdimensional rather than a physical being is involved – invisible to the human eye and captured only the camera.

 9. Over decades of research, it is well-known that a photograph is not conclusive proof, as in many cases (around 90%) they reflect misinterpreted natural phenomena.

 10. The good faith and honesty of the witness are beyond dispute. At no moment did he seek publicity or financial gain as a result of the experience.

 

Photos courtesy of FAO and Luis Burgos http://ciencia-ovni.blogspot.com.ar

 

(Translation © 2013, Scott Corrales, Institute of Hispanic Ufology (IHU). Special thanks to Guillermo D. Giménez, Planeta UFO and Fabio Zerpa, El Quinto Hombre)