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WELCOME TO ISSUE 15 of isle of wéired news – bringing you the weirdest news from around the world.
In this issue: a rumoured recording of a 1952 meeting between the US Air Force and scientists to discuss flying saucers may soon be released; so-called “exorcism retreats” are causing the Catholic Church headaches in Portugal; a Brazilian woman is killed “to expel the demons”; remains found in Utah with the help of a psychic are finally identified; paranormal experts warn that the recent UK heatwave may create a “killer demons” problem; Bigfoot is spotted in South Carolina; Catfoot is spotted in Coventry; graves are desecrated in Sri Lanka as part of an “exorcism rite”; Harry Kane gets cursed; and is Nessie dead – or just shy?
Enjoy!
Secret UFO Tape
In July 1952, there were a number of well documented UFO sightings over Washington DC. Unusual lights and objects were seen in the sky and unidentified targets appeared on radar screens.
Witnesses included air traffic controllers at Washington National Airport, radar operators at Andrews Air Force base, and military and commercial pilots.
At the time, the Soviet Union and aliens were among the prime suspects for the sightings. However, the US Air Force blamed the radar sightings on atmospheric conditions that caused unusual radar returns.
Syracuse Herald-Journal – 22 July 1952
The US Air Force’s explanation was controversial – and not everyone accepted it.
Now, it appears that there is a 1952 recording of Air Force officials and scientists discussing the sightings. And according to Eric Burlinson, a Republican member of the US House of Representatives, the recording will soon be released.
The recording is currently believed to be in the possession of MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory.
But is it just another red herring?
Source(s): New York Post, 28 June 2026
Portugal’s Unofficial Exorcisms
Catholic Church authorities are reportedly becoming increasingly concerned by so-called “exorcism retreats” in Portugal.
The retreats, run by 27-year-old Father Francisco Marques, are held monthly in Fatima, the town made famous by a series of Marian apparitions in 1917.
As part of each event, Fr Marques will lay his hands on the foreheads of the attendees and concentrate. Many will then fall back into the arms of the waiting attendants.
Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary and Chapel of Apparitions in Fatima – maziarz//Shutterstock
“You get a great feeling of peace,” said Lurdes Ramisio, a 56-year-old nurse who attended a recent retreat. “It’s a liberation. I leave here cleansed, with a lighter soul.
“I feel he has a power. His hands transfer a power to me.”
Father Marques says the exorcisms are free – but donations are accepted.
At each event, exorcism salt, holy water and anointing oil are available for purchase.
Bishop Jose Ornelas says that while the Church does not have the power to stop the retreats, it has a responsibility to denounce those that would exploit people’s suffering.
Father Marques, however, believes he is the victim in this current row. “We have been slandered,” he said. “We have been called false priests, false bishops, fraudsters.
“We must defend our dignity.”
Source(s): AFP, accessed 30 June 2026
Woman Killed to “Expel the Demons”
Marceli de Oliveira Gottardo was killed in an apartment in Serra, Brazil, by her friend, Bryan Fernando Gimenez Souza, in what Souza claims was an exorcism.
The police were called after neighbours heard blood-curdling screams coming from the apartment in the Jardim Limoeiro neighbourhood of Serra.
Before the police arrived, Souza approached one of the residents for help. When the resident entered the apartment, they found Marceli lying on the floor, convulsing.
A student nurse who lives in the building was called to provide first-aid. However, by the time the emergency services arrived, Marceli was dead.
Witnesses say Marceli had strangulation marks on her neck, trauma to her face, multiple bruises and was bleeding from her ear.
The post-mortem determined that the cause of death was an intracranial haemorrhage and traumatic brain injury caused by severe blunt-force blows.
Souza told police that he had taken drugs earlier in the day and came to believe that Marceli was “possessed by demons.” He claimed that this belief caused him to assault Marceli in an attempt to “expel the demons.”
Souza has been charged with aggravated homicide.
Source(s): Daily Star, 24 June 2026
Remains Found by Psychic Finally Identified
The body of a man found 28 years ago with the help of a psychic has finally been identified.
In an announcement on 22 June, Garfield County Sheriff’s Office named the man as Pedro Calderon Marioni.
Marioni’s body was found on 2 June 1998 in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Ticaboo, Utah. It was near a drainage ditch and had been partially covered.
Jeff Morgan//Shutterstock
At that time, police were looking for three suspects involved in the murder of Colorado police officer Dale Claxton. A psychic led the investigators to the site where Marioni’s body was found.
So far, a link has not been found between Marioni and the suspects in the Officer Claxton murder.
Source(s): Fox News, 24 June 2026
Scorching Heatwave to Turn Brits Into ‘Killer Demons’
According to paranormal expert Robert Pulme, the recent heatwave across the UK could make people more vulnerable to possession by “killer demons.”
Pulme says demons thrive in this kind of heat. “In folklore and mythology, demons are historically associated with intense heat – specifically the fires of the underworld,” he explained. “And demons draw on what is around them for strength and energy. So the hotter it is, the more powerful they become.”
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Another paranormal expert, Michael Murchie, has some tips for identifying the symptoms of a demonic possession.
“When the demon takes control of its host, there will be certain behaviours that crop up that will distinguish the possession from something else, like mental illness,” he said.
“Signs include showing odd behaviour, reacting negatively to prayer and having night terrors when you are asleep and vulnerable.
“You may start talking in a different voice or suddenly have new skills and abilities you never had before, such as being skilful with weapons or other technical skills.
“If someone you know starts showing these behaviours, they probably need help,” he warned, “and quickly.”
Source(s): Daily Star, 23 June 2026
Bigfoot in South Carolina
Two men – known only as Chris and Ethan – claim to have seen Bigfoot while they were driving on a rural road in South Carolina on the night of 31 May 2026.
According to the report they submitted to the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organisation, they were driving on Highway 292 – between Inman and Lyman – when the lights of their car picked out “a very large creature” at the side of the road.
The creature was between six and seven feet tall. It ran back into the woods on two legs.
“My initial thought was a bear but bears do not move that fluid on 2 feet,” reported Chris. “It was very dark so I couldn’t make out any features. I stopped my car in the middle of the road and my passenger confirmed what I saw.”
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According to Ethan, the creature appeared to be so large that he thought it looked like “a horse standing on its hind legs.”
He also said it was dark in colour and appeared to be covered in hair.
An investigator for the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organisation travelled to the site. Though he was unable to find any evidence to support the men’s story, he found them to be credible witnesses.
“The lack of physical evidence does not mean the witnesses did not observe something unusual,” he said. “It only means that no identifiable sign was located during the follow-up investigation several days later …”
“Based on the interviews and my observations of both witnesses, I believe they were sincere in describing what they observed that evening. Neither appeared to be exaggerating the event, and both readily acknowledged how unusual their account sounded.
“Their statements remained consistent over multiple conversations and correspondences conducted across a period of several days.”
Source(s): Female First, 23 June 2026
Catfoot in Coventry
In June, there were a number of sightings of a big cat in Coventry, England.
The initial sightings appear to have been made near Binley Woods, on the outskirts of Coventry, where the cat has been named “Catfoot.”
MSaadrao//Shutterstock
In an email to CoventryLive, one witness described his encounter.
“I have seen the legend that is Catfoot. While walking through Binley Woods with the dog around two months ago, my dog suddenly spooked and started yanking on the lead as if he had seen a squirrel and was going for it.
“I presumed the normal badger, squirrel or fox but something much larger appeared. IT WAS WALKING ON TWO LEGS!
“I couldn’t believe my eyes and physically jumped back. The strange creature is what I can only describe as a big cat on hind legs. Strongly built with a large tail. Like something you would see in an Attenborough documentary, like a panther or a leopard, but on two legs.
“It lingered in front of me for a matter of seconds before scuttling off further into the woods off the path.
“Of course when this initially happened I posted it on the local Facebook and had a few responses saying they had seen a similar creature.”
Source(s): CoventryLive, 10, 21 & 27 June 2026
Graves Desecrated in “Exorcism Rite”
In April, two teenagers drowned while swimming in the Thawalgoda canal in Kosgama, Sri Lanka.
Both young men were buried in Pranayama cemetery.
In June, their graves were “dug up by a group of exorcists to perform demonic rites to cure a patient possessed by an evil spirit.”
Using CCTV, police were able to trace a lorry and a motorbike used in the incident to a house in Kosgama Vidmala Maratha.
Under interrogation, the homeowner admitted his involvement in the desecration of the graves.
He said that “a group of exorcists from Mahiyangana had performed exorcism rites to cast out an evil spirit possessing his wife.”
Police have not yet arrested the exorcists.
Source(s): Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka), 18 June 2026
Harry Kane Cursed?
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Ahead of England’s World Cup game against Ghana, self-proclaimed witch doctor Nana Kwaku Bonsam claimed he had put a curse on England’s Harry Kane to stop him scoring.
He told the Daily Star newspaper: “I am working on Harry Kane. I have shown what I am capable of before, so I know what work I must do to stop him. I am very famous for my predictions. I am not wishing him serious injury. It will be just enough to stop him against my country. I will do my work so that I can help Ghana.”
Bonsam’s curse appears to have been successful: the game ended in a scoreless draw.
Source(s): Eswatini Times, 25 June 2026
RIP Nessie?
Despite a number of reported sightings earlier this year, some Nessie experts believe that she may be dead – or just scared-off by “cold water wellness folks.”
The experts say that Nessie may have been using “underwater caves” to avoid people swimming in the loch’s freezing waters – and that she may be gone for good.
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“There is a real fear for her as it normally is not this long that we go without a single glimpse,” said Rob Long of Loch Ness Exploration. “Normally people from our team will see her but so far, none of us have. Others have claimed to but we have not seen waters this quiet.
“The viewings have gotten less over the years, but never this scarce for us. Despite the lack of viewings, 2024 was the year we got the most definitive proof that Nessie exists – with the sonar recordings among the best we have ever got.
“So although the viewings were scarce, they were of better quality. Now there’s nothing.
“Nessie has been there, we all know it, but she is clearly getting wise to people looking for her. We also think she is being put off from additional activity in the loch, such as people wanting to try cold water swimming.”
Rob believes that efforts to find Nessie need to be stepped up.
“We want to send a submarine to investigate the evidence,” he said. “We believe the loch is actually deeper than first thought and she is living deep in the trenches.
“We haven’t really pushed to go deep to find her in the last 10 years and with new technology now available, it could be exciting.
“We just hope she is ok.”
Source(s): Daily Star, 25 June 2026
Great articles and love the variety. Look forward to you next post.
Thanks Debbie!