UFO and paranormal investigator Michael Christol of Owensboro, Ky., has another mystery to add to his files: a crop circle discovered last month west of Grayville.
Since 1980, he said, he's investigated everything from odd lights in the sky to the alleged cover-up of a UFO crash at Roswell, N.M.Robert Hortin, 82, of rural Albion, Ill., discovered the circle near Grayville last month at a remote location near the Little Wabash River.
Armed with a bright yellow Geiger counter and a small blue box with an assortment of switches and flashing lights, Christol examined the nearly 1-acre site a couple of weeks ago but came up with little evidence to explain the mashed-down cornfield.
He said he could find no evidence of an extraterrestrial landing. Recent rains, though, could have diluted any residual forces left behind by an unidentified flying object.
"At this time, there is no conclusive evidence that proves or disproves you've had an extraterrestrial visitation," Christol said. He then took soil and cornstalk samples, and videotaped the site.
Christol, a grandfather, says he takes his work very seriously and works with the Mutual UFO Network, an international group that studies the paranormal.
He said his next step will be to turn evidence collected over to fellow UFO investigator Tom Theofanous of Toronto.
Samples will be analyzed at the University of Toronto, Christol says, to determine if there has been any changes in the corn's cellular structure or its chemical makeup.
He said he has his own theory of what causes crop circles.
"These patterns could be produced by microwave energy from a satellite being projected on corn fields," Christol said. "They may be doing it to stir people up as they test the use of microwaves as weapons."
Christol says he has placed clumps of grass in a microwave, turned on the power for about 30 seconds, and duplicated the patterns seen in crop circles.
Theofanous is expected to visit the Grayville site in early December.
Adding to the local mystery is a report from a Grayville oil-field worker who claims he saw eerie lights around the time the crop circle appeared.
John Cox said he was driving west of Grayville and stopped to watch. "It dropped below the clouds and it looked like something falling. Then it just stayed there. I don't know what it was," he said.
Cox also claims he saw the lights of an airplane that appeared to be on a collision course with the object.