Kathleen May

Kathleen May (1921–2009) was a West Virginia woman who served as the primary adult witness in the Flatwoods Monster encounter. Born in 1921 and a lifelong resident of West Virginia, she passed away in 2009.

On September 12, 1952, May led a group of children up a hillside in Flatwoods, Braxton County, after the children reported seeing a bright object land. The group encountered a tall entity with a glowing face that was described as having a dark body and a head shaped like an ace of spades, and the encounter involved the entity emitting a pungent mist.

May was the key adult figure in one of the most famous incidents of the 1952 UFO wave, having guided the children to investigate the landing site, and her account contributed to national attention on the event. The Flatwoods Monster case became one of the most famous close encounter reports and remains iconic in UAP/UFO history as part of the 1952 UFO wave.