Ubirajara Franco Rodrigues

Ubirajara Franco Rodrigues was a prominent Brazilian ufologist and independent researcher best known as the chief investigator of the 1996 Varginha UFO incident, often called the 'Roswell of Brazil.' Days after three young women reported seeing a bizarre creature with a heart-shaped head, red eyes, and brownish skin on January 20, 1996, Rodrigues, a local lawyer, interviewed them and affirmed they had encountered an extraterrestrial, not a demon or animal. His work helped propel the case, involving alleged UFO crash, military capture of live ETs, and cover-up claims, into global UFO lore despite official Brazilian Army dismissal as a misidentification[1][2][3].

• Served as independent UFO researcher and chief investigator for the 1996 Varginha UFO crash and ET sightings[2].
• Interviewed three young witnesses shortly after their sighting on January 20, 1996, confirming they saw an extraterrestrial being[1].
• Convinced by evidence that a UFO crashed near Varginha, with surviving occupants captured by the military[2].
• Local lawyer and ufologist from Varginha, Minas Gerais, Brazil[1].
• Contributed to the case gaining international attention among ufologists[1][2][3]

Rodrigues' investigations validated eyewitness accounts in the Varginha case, challenging military denials and sustaining its status as a cornerstone of UFO research with claims of crashed craft and captured beings[1][2].