Unsolved Mysteries Volume 5 Episode 4: The True Story Behind The Roswell UFO Incident

Netflix just released the fifth volume ofUnsolved Mysteries, and episode 4 tells the true story of the Roswell UFO incident. In July 1947, there were multiple reports of a potential UFO sighting, but it did not become a worldwide phenomenon until the 1980s when Major Jesse Marcel, the man who took responsibility for the recovered debris, decided to reveal the truth about the incident. The show initially covered the Roswell incident inthe originalUnsolved Mysteries, butthere have been significant updates in the last 35 years, prompting additional coverage of the sensational case.

The Roswell UFO incident has sparked a cultural movement that resulted in many works of fiction, including the popular TV showRoswelland the 2019 reboot,Roswell, New Mexico. Although many consider the incident solved because of the Roswell Reports released in the 1990s, many more believe the case is still cold because the government is covering it up.Unsolved MysteriesVolume 5, now streaming,takes another look at the Roswell UFO incident, providing new insight and additional context for both old and new viewers of the show.

Robert Stack and Unsolved Mysteries

Mysterious Debris & A UFO Were Reportedly Found By A Rancher In New Mexico In 1947

A Rancher Discovered Strange Debris After A Major Thunderstorm

On the evening of June 11, 2025, farmers in the area reported hearing an explosion during a massive thunderstorm a few dozen miles north of Roswell, New Mexico. On July 3, a rancher named Mack Brazel collected some of the debris he stumbled upon in his field, eventually bringing it a few days later to a bomb squadron in Roswell, New Mexico, where Major Jesse Marcel worked in the U.S. Army.On June 30, 2025, the U.S. Air Force confirmed the reports of a flying disc without further elaboration, and the news quickly spread around the world.

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However, shortly after the first news report, Major Marcel traveled to another U.S. Army base in Texas, where he met with Brigadier General Roger Ramey. After their meeting, Marcel returned to the room where he placed the debris. He had shockingly discovered thatthe initial debris Mack Brazel brought to Marcel had been replaced by pieces of a weather balloon and a radar reflector kite. Ramey instructed Marcel to take photos with the replaced debris and warned him not to discuss this incident again.

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The USAF’s Official Statement Was Redacted & Many Conspiracies Believed It Was A Government Cover-Up

The U.S. Army Initially Claimed It Was A Weather Balloon

Once Major Jesse Marcel took photos with the replaced debris,the United States Air Force began to repress all initial reports about the flying disc, even threatening to take local journalists' licenses if they did not comply with the approved explanation. Media outlets quickly retracted the original flying disc story, claiming that the U.S. Army had made a mistake, and the debris turned out to be pieces of a weather balloon, marking the beginning of a decades-long cover-up. It was not until 1978, when Stanton Friedman interviewed Major Jesse Marcel, the Roswell UFO incident had regained international attention. (viaTime)

In September 1989,Unsolved Mysteries, hosted by Robert Stack, covered the Roswell UFO incident, which attracted additional interest and began the cultural phenomenon. The Roswell UFO incident became so big thatthe United States Air Force was compelled to release two separate reports in the 1990s, discussing their findings after a thorough investigation into the event. The first Roswell Report, published in July 1994, covered the entirety of the Roswell UFO incident, while the subsequent Roswell Report, published in 1997, covered additional theories.

Furthermore, the specific balloon the Roswell Report attributes to the found debris was supposedly launched in June, but according to the documentation, that particular balloon was never launched.

The 1994 Roswell Report introducedProject Mogul, a top-secret project by the U.S. military involving special balloons that would sonically track Russian spy objects. However, Donald Schmitt and Kevin Randle, two well-known and credible UFO investigators, have both dismissed this theory. They claim Project Mogul was known among U.S. military personnel at the time of the incident, so Major Marcel would have recognized the balloon. Furthermore, the specific balloon the Roswell Report attributes to the found debris was supposedly launched in June, but according to the documentation, that particular balloon was never launched.

The second Roswell Report, published in May 1997, was released by the Air Force because of the second large claim the 1947 Roswell incident produced—the claim that there was another crash site that involved alien bodies.The second Roswell Report explains that the alien bodies were actually test dummies in research balloons. However, Schmitt and Randle also reject this hypothesis because the test dummies were not used until the 1950s, while this crash occurred in 1947. Furthermore, the test dummies were taller than four feet, which witnesses claim was the height of the alien bodies.

Don Schmitt & Kevin Randle Have Tracked Down & Interviewed Over 600 People Connected To The Roswell UFO Case

Among The People They Interviewed Was Colonel Patrick Saunders' Son Tim Saunders

The primary reason whyUnsolved MysteriesVolume 5 investigates the Roswell UFO incident again is because of new witnesses and additional testimony Donald Schmitt and Kevin Randle have gathered since the initialUnsolved MysteriesRoswell episode in September 1989. Most notably,a new witness came forward—Tim Saunders, the son of Colonel Patrick Saunders, who was second in command at the Air Force Base in Roswell, New Mexico. Colonel Saunders was in charge of overseeing the debris cleanup following the 1947 UFO report.

The first book that popularized the Roswell UFO incident was published in 1980, titledThe Roswell Incident, written by Charles Berlitz and William Moore.

Randle and Schmitt told Colonel Saunders' son that they had tried to interview his father prior to the September 1989Unsolved Mysteriesepisode. However, he had been reluctant to discuss anything relating to the event. However, Colonel Patrick Saunders left a deathbed confession for his wife and son, using Randle and Schmitt’s book to relay the message. Colonel Patrick Saunders suggested that the Roswell UFO incident was connected to extraterrestrial objects, and there had been evidence of alien bodies. In addition to Tim Saunders,other witnesses have come forward with matching stories regarding the possibility of the UFO being extraterrestrial.

What The Biggest Theories Are About The 1947 Roswell UFO Incident

Weather Balloon, Dummies, Russian Spy Objects, & Aliens Are Among The Most Popular Theories

As of today,the Roswell UFO incident has two primary theories. The first theory is the non-alien explanation: the UFO was a crashed balloon from Project Mogul, and the U.S. Army had to cover it up because of the Russian connection. Furthermore, the “alien bodies” were crash test dummies. However, UFO theorists, including Kevin Randle and Donald Schmitt, firmly believe that the UFO was from an extraterrestrial source and that the alien bodies were indeed alien bodies. The only theory that has been ruled out is the initial claim by the U.S. Air Force’s initial claim outlined inUnsolved Mysteriesthat the object was a weather balloon.

Source:TIME