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On May 19, 2023, the Spanish language version of the History Channel broadcast a curious episode of the show “Los Expedientes Secretos” or in English, “The Secret Files,” hosted by Jaime Maussan, the grandfather of Mexican UFO and paranormal research. Slightly hunched over, the tireless researcher turned History Channel host, gave his captivated audience the background story of one of the most interesting cases of a series of close encounters in the annals of Mexican UFO history. Maussan had first investigated this case 24 years earlier, in 1999, and had touched on the events outside of La Rumorosa, Baja California many times throughout his career. The History Channel episode of “The Secret Files” was the most notoriety that this series of strange happenings had ever received.
The case began on May 17, 1997. Three friends in their late teens – Raúl Fabrizio, Lamony González and Salvador Villanueva – set off on a camping trip in the backcountry some 10 miles or so southwest of the city of La Rumorosa in the far north of the Mexican state of Baja California. La Rumorosa is located on the road between Mexicali and Tecate and this road curves through harsh deserts and beautiful mountain terrain. The destination of the three young men was a remote area near Ejido Guadalajara Dos where rocky hills are covered with pine trees and large oaks. They wanted to camp near a stream where there was a small waterfall. The three decided to make camp near a gigantic oak tree that stood close to three stories tall and was supported by a strong, thick trunk. At around 8:00 at night Raúl, Lamony and Salvador heard whirring noises and then strange lights appeared. Their campsite was far away from anywhere so the three were surprised that they had any sort of company. They looked up in the sky and saw several classic flying saucers with windows on the slightly domed parts on the tops of the crafts. The windows emitted lights that flashed various colors from red to green to purple. The teenagers got the impression that the metallic discs were 
communicating with each other or sending signals to the ground. The three climbed into the gigantic oak tree to see if they could get a better view. They looked toward the sky and saw 12 to 14 UFOs hovering about 3,000 feet above the earth’s surface. Each craft had distinctive markings in its underbelly: geometric shapes and what looked like alphabetic symbols. They hovered from side to side and slowly moved across the sky to the southwest. The three got the impression that the crafts were headed either for the Sea of Cortez or the Pacific Ocean. In later interviews Raúl Fabrizio would claim that they also saw beings on the ground during this time, in the underbrush around the large oak tree. The beings looked like the classic greys of UFO lore: Creatures short in stature with spindly arms and legs attached to skinny bodies along with huge heads. Their heads had no noses. Their mouths were small slits, and they had the typical big black eyes. The beings were white in appearance and gave off a glow that was a little more intense than an aura. The three did not feel threatened by them and after that fateful night both Lamony Gonzalez and Salvador Villanueva had no recollection of seeing any strange beings. More UFOs appeared and moved on that night, and this went on for many hours until the last craft disappeared from view at around 5:00 in the morning on May 18, 1997.
In an interview connected with the Global UFO Meeting held in early July 2023 in Mexico City, Raúl Fabrizio discussed what has happened before and since the UFO sightings near La Rumorosa in May of 1997. He explained that he had the feeling that he and his two friends were abducted that night and suspected he had an implant in his head but could not substantiate either of these things. He did feel certain that all three of them suffered from a slight “missing time” episode while they were sitting in the gigantic oak tree. Fabrizio had a medical examination a few weeks after the encounter and the doctor could not find anything “alien” inside his body. His blood work and other tests came back perfect. Fabrizio said to the interviewer that the experience on that May night 
was not only good for his physical health, but it also served as a sort of spiritual cleansing. Although no implants were found in his body during any scans performed on him, Fabrizio believed that the implant was made of some sort of plastic or other undetectable material and served as a homing device. Why a homing device? Because, the experiencer explained, he had more encounters in the area over the ensuing decades. As is the case with other abductees or people with recurring UFO sightings, the interviewer asked if Raúl had a history in his family of strange encounters with the otherworldly or the paranormal. Although no one in his immediate family had ever seen a UFO or had an alien encounter, when Fabrizio was a little boy, he repeatedly saw what he called “The woman in white” whom he assumed was a ghost. No one else in his family ever saw this apparition that supposedly appeared in and around his boyhood home. Could this have been an extraterrestrial or a premonition of what was to come?
As mentioned earlier, UFO researcher Jaimie Maussan became interested in this case back in 1999 and he visited the site of the gigantic oak tree with Raúl Fabrizio and a camera crew. In connection with this investigation, Fabrizio underwent hypnosis and recounted the evening of May 17, 1997. Fabrizio’s two friends – Gonzalez and Villanueva – refused to undergo hypnosis for this television 
special. Unfortunately, there was no additional information that was uncovered when Fabrizio underwent this procedure, although it did make for a dramatic scene in Maussan’s show. Since 1999, Fabrizio has refused all offers to undergo hypnosis for his encounters because he says that it seems too invasive, and if more information needs to be released from his subconscious, it will come out when the time is right. During the 1999 investigation at La Rumorosa, the crew of the Jaime Maussan show did see some strange lights in the sky, but they were not fast enough to capture any images on camera.
In this UFO encounter, or series of encounters, Raúl Fabrizio is the most vocal of the three friends and has been the public face for these strange incidents. He has appeared at UFO conferences and on TV specials. He has done countless radio and podcast interviews and has even written a book titled La noche en el árbol, or, in English, “The Night in the Tree”, available only in Spanish in both print and electronic forms. Some skeptics consider Fabrizio a mere grifter trying to make a living off a questionable story that seems to have gotten more embellished and detailed with time. Other investigators see this as a classic UFO case that can hold up to the harshest scrutiny.
The counter-debunkers – the serious UFO researchers – have cited other encounters and stories of sightings in the area to try to back up the claims of the three young men regarding their 1997 experiences in the Baja California wilderness. They cite the legends of the indigenous Kumeyaay people, the original inhabitants of the area, who believed that small luminous beings were the caretakers of the surrounding lands, and were assigned to watch over certain geographical features such as mineral deposits and specific rock outcrops. Researchers like to point out that there have been numerous other encounters and sightings in the area. Many believe that UFOs are drawn to this part of Baja because it is rich in quartz and a light-colored type of mica called muscovite, going so far as to say that the area is a place for extraterrestrial crafts to refuel, thus tapping into the abundant minerals of the area to use in their propulsion systems. Some eyewitnesses have stated that when they have seen UFOs appear at night, the ground sparkles like diamonds, as if the UFOs are drawing energy from the minerals found on the ground and a few inches below the earth’s surface. Researchers who have compiled stories of encounters around La Rumorosa claim that up to 20 different alien races have been visiting the area over many decades. Some claim that alien beings can either make themselves invisible or shape-shift into humans as the need arises. None of these claims have been documented in video or audio format, however. And besides using the area as a possible refueling station, what other reasons would the extraterrestrials have for encountering humans? Some cite the usual reasons of warning us of environmental catastrophe or to help humans ascend to a higher level of consciousness. Raúl Fabrizio believes that the real reason for these encounters will be revealed soon but humanity is just not ready yet.
In the meantime, Fabrizio conducts “UFO camps” in the area, taking curious visitors to the place of the large oak tree to stay overnight in hopes of seeing UFOs or having encounters with strange creatures. Some of these campers bring along with them serious equipment. Perhaps one day La Rumorosa will yield the hard evidence that would satisfy the skeptics and non-skeptics alike.
REFERENCES
Yohanan Diaz Vargas website, Insolita Experiencia.
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