Attack of the Drones
2020 forgot about the aliens…
Mystery Mob!
Happy Holidays! The only thing the Mystery Nibs team wants this year is for you to share cheer and kindness…and share Mystery Nibbles with your friends :)
But enough holiday cheer! It’s drone time.
From December 2019 to January 2020, a series of widely sighted unidentified drones were observed in the skies of Colorado, Nebraska, and Kansas. The FBI, the Federal Aviation Administration, and local law enforcement all investigated the sightings but have never determined the origins of the drones…
But before we put on our tinfoil hats and start investigating the corn fields, here’s the answer to this week’s riddle:
You are in a room and need to escape. There are three doors to choose from.
The 1st door contains a lens that magnifies sun rays so much that even opening the door will burn you completely.
The 2nd door contains acid which will burn someone immediately after the door is opened.
The 3rd door there are live wild animals which will eat you, the moment door is opened.
How do you escape alive?
Answer: Door number 1. You just have to leave at night!
Now, come along my young padawans, for us to investigate the attack of the drones.
The Sightings
New Year’s Eve, 2020, Placido Montoya from Fort Morgan, Colorado was on his way to work when he noticed blinking lights in the sky. There had been rumors of mysterious drones, UFOs, floating around the local community but it was a whole different thing to see them in person. Montoya decided to give chase, pushing his truck to 120 mph to try and keep up.
“They were creepy, really creepy,” Montoya said, “I don’t know how to describe it, but it’s almost as if they were watching us.”
That night, the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office received more than thirty calls from locals reporting more drones.
At the same time, neighbouring Nebraska and Kansas were dealing with their own mysterious sightings. One Nebraska deputy reported seeing 30 to 50 drones in the sky. All reports shared similar details: always multiple drones between 6pm and 10pm, flying in grid formations, with wingspans of up to 6 feet (which is quite large for a drone.)
These sightings caught national attention, with multiple agencies and political figures addressing the issue. Senator of Colorado, Cory Gardner tweeted:
“I’ve been in contact with the FAA regarding the heavy drone activity in Eastern Colorado and I’m encouraged that they’ve opened a full investigation to learn the source and purpose of the drones. I will continue to closely monitor the situation.”
Spoiler alert: They found nothing.
An interagency meeting was held in Colorado involving more than 70 federal, state, and local agencies (including the FBI & the US Air Force.) They had a grand total of zero findings.
So what’s it all about, Alfie?
Here are the most popular theories:
The drones are military and the military are denying it
The drones were being used as a tool for mapping (though there are strict rules for flying at night… also they wouldn’t be able to see much at night)
Criminal activity of either the drug or espionage variety
Mass hysteria (according to this Vice article)
Aliens (always)
Okay guys so… what did we learn?
The answer unfortunately is… not much. However, as more and more sightings and concerns over public safety come into popular discussion, it’s hard to deny that drone technology & UFO’s are going to gain more attention.
This past December, a provision buried deep in the $770 BILLION (holy moly) defense bill that the US Senate passed calls for the creation of a new agency to investigate reports of UFO sightings. And in June of this year, a government report on UFO sightings said there was no “single explanation” for over 140 incidents reported by military personnel that were deemed a threat to both flight/public safety and a potential threat to national security.
The Pentagon also quietly announced that it had formed the Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group to oversee this new agency… which critics attacked as an attempt to limit transparency on the subject.
All this to say, when the government forms a new legislature to investigate something, and then creates more legislature on top to hide the discoveries of those investigations… there may be more to the story than just “mass hysteria.”
Well? What do you think?
Did this nibble hook you? Feel free to take a deeper dive and let us know your theories on what the heck’s going on. Check out the resources below:
Guinness World Records (Biggest Drone Display of all time)
As always,
Stay ‘spicious
-Andy & Mark
Pssst. Hey! You. Yeah, you, the one still reading. Question: are you a true fan of Mystery and Crime? If so, join our officialSubReddit. We discuss all the goods: mysteries, crime, and anything ‘spicious.