UFOs & Alien Abductions / Haunting of Ashmore Estates

About the show

Researcher and experiencer Whitley Strieber joined George Knapp to discuss the alien abduction enigma and historic UFO cases. He touched on the Fatima incident in Portugal in 1917, and how a Jesuit priest told him that he was a witness that day, and what he saw was an enormous UFO. In that regard, Fatima could be considered the most witnessed UFO event in history (with perhaps 50,000 observers), and also the first of the modern era, he remarked. Strieber also recalled a conversation with metallurgist Robert Sarbacher in the 1980s about the metals recovered at Roswell. He told him that he could see a molecular grid under an electron microscope. "In other words, the molecules were arrayed in an artificially designed grid, which was what gave the metal its incredible tensile strength," Strieber explained.

Another scientist he spoke with in the 1980s indicated that the government knew about alien abductions that were happening to thousands of people. Entities were coming into people's homes in the dead of night, taking them out, and then acquiring sexual material from their bodies like eggs and embryos, Strieber stated, adding that this is one reason disclosure has not taken place because the public would be too appalled. He noted that he and his late wife Anne received thousands of letters after publishing his book "Communion," in which people shared their similar alien abduction experiences. But the reports began to trail off in the 1990s, perhaps because the abductions are no longer happening or the visitors have closed off people's memories, he said. Whitley (as well as George Knapp and George Noory) will be appearing at this year's Contact In the Desert.

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Stories swirl around the former "poor farm," Ashmore Estates in Illinois, including ghosts and various hauntings. In the latter half, paranormal researcher Richard Estep revealed how he and a team of dedicated researchers explored the mysteries of the infamous location and what they uncovered. He highlighted the importance of respectful investigation at paranormal sites, and specifically at Ashmore, which was set up as a farm until the 1950s, where the poor lived and worked. In contrast to other haunted locations, Estep characterized Ashmore as a family-oriented place where many residents had good memories. The estate was purchased by Robbin & Norma Terry in 2014, who restored the building and developed it for tours and investigations.

And while there were happy times at Ashmore, the place was also imbued with tragedy and trauma, he pointed out. For instance, a girl named Elva Skinner was said to suffer fatal burns when a candle accidentally caught fire to her dress, and a beloved handyman named Joe Bloxom was killed by a train-- and "those are two of the better-known spirits that are said to haunt Ashmore Estates to this day," he reported. Joe is thought to be a "tall shadowed figure" many have seen, while Elva is considered more "mobile," visiting a neighbor's young daughter and warning her that her mother's candle needed to be put out. Estep also covered some of his investigation methods, such as using "spirit boxes," which capture audio of possible ghost voices, as well as recording EVPs on both digital devices and older tape recorders.

KNAPP'S NEWS:

George Knapp shared recent items of interest including articles about how neurotechnology companies collect sensitive data about our thoughts, and the consciousness of insects:

Guests