The Department of Defense (DOD) released a new batch of documents related to unidentified flying objects (UFO) on Friday, which includes witness reports and drawings of alleged alien sightings, referred to as "Skinwalkers" that were seen in Utah in 2010.
The most recent release is the seventh since the first tranche of documents was made public in May. Announcing the release earlier this year, President Donald Trump said he had directed relevant departments to release the material "based on the tremendous interest shown." While the files offer a glimpse into the government's investigations, intelligence assessments and internal discussions surrounding UFOs, aliens and unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs), they have done little to settle long-running questions, instead fueling fresh speculation and renewed calls for transparency.
“President Trump directed the Department of War to identify and release government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena, and unidentified flying objects because he is the most transparent president in history," White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told Newsweek on Friday. "While past administrations have sought to discredit or dissuade the American people, the President is focused on providing maximum disclosure to the public, who can ultimately make up their own minds about the information contained in these files. The American people asked, and President Trump delivered—enjoy!”
While UFO and UAP sightings have been featured prominently across the releases, the most recent one also includes witness statements and drawings after alleged Skinwalker sightings on a ranch in Utah, which prompted a Utah Task Force investigation and two Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies (BAASS) visits in March and April 2010. BAASS was a research company established by aerospace entrepreneur Robert Bigelow that conducted government-contracted studies of UAP.
While the files detail the investigation and the allegations that prompted it, they do not offer definitive proof of the reported phenomena. An overview of the investigation, which was included within the tranche of DOD files released on Friday, mentioned several hair samples from a reported Skinwalker sighting on the property, as well as drawings from witnesses revealing what the creatures allegedly looked like.
The report described the effort as an ongoing investigation aimed not only at collecting photographic evidence of the unusual activity reported at the ranch, but also at deploying sensors and transgenic plants as potential "biosensors" for radiation and magnetic fields. One of the report's more unusual proposals called for the use of games and puzzles in an attempt to establish communication with what it described as the anomalous source on the property.
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What Is a Skinwalker?
A Skinwalker is a figure from traditional Navajo folklore. The creatures are often described as malicious and have the ability to transform into animals.
Utah Ranch Skinwalker Sightings: What the Documents Reveal
While the ranch's name was redacted in the report, investigators said BAASS personnel visited a site near Fort Duchesne in northeastern Utah. Skinwalker Ranch, a privately owned property near Fort Duchesne that has become one of the country's best-known UFO and paranormal hotspots, is not identified by name in the documents.
Strange, unidentified creatures and lights were frequently seen around the property, which prompted the investigation. Over the course of the investigation, 25 witnesses who allegedly had first-hand encounters with either the lights, the creatures, or both were interviewed. These witnesses included life-long residents of the area, multiple police officers, 15 members of the Mormon Church, 11 Native Americans including a shaman, and the director of the local Fish and Wildlife Office, among others.
"Witnesses have reported unidentified balls of light at close range, daytime sightings of "dog-like" creatures running on two legs, unnatural animalistic howling/screaming, "little people," prehistoric-like birds and a maggot which measured about 8-feet long and 2 to 3-feet in diameter," the report said.
The primary focus of the investigation was to locate evidence of the sightings, interview new witnesses, and establish cameras on the property and surrounding area.
One of the witnesses claimed to have witnessed a Skinwalker just days before BAASS personnel arrived at the property, and he claimed his dogs chased the creature through a barb-wire fence. Four hair samples were collected over the course of the investigation, and while the samples matched the description the witness gave of the Skinwalker, DNA analysis determined that three of the samples were from a dog, while the fourth was identified as belonging to a raccoon.
The witness's family corroborated the statement, claiming they also had encounters with a "black shadowy figure" on the same day. Multiple witnesses described the "dog-like" creature, which could "run at speed on two legs" and stood 7 feet tall. Other witness accounts included descriptions of "small, hairy, three-foot tall 'troll' like creatures with long arms which appear to run in a similar way to chimpanzees or orangutan."
What Happens Next
The DOD stresses that documents included within the release are "unresolved cases" and that the government cannot "make a definitive determination on the nature of the observed phenomena." Additional releases are expected in the coming months.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Anthony Murray and Anna Skinner.