Varginha: the "ET de Varginha" and the Army inquiry
In January 1996, three young women in Varginha said they saw a strange creature crouched by a wall in the Jardim Andere district. Local ufologists, chiefly the lawyer Ubirajara Franco Rodrigues and Vitório Pacaccini, then said the fire brigade and the Army had captured one or two live creatures. They said the creatures were taken by Army trucks from the Escola de Sargentos das Armas (EsSA) in Três Corações, and that a military police soldier, Marco Eli Chereze, died after handling one. The Army opened an internal inquiry (sindicância) in May 1996. In early 1997 it opened a formal military police inquiry (Inquérito Policial Militar, IPM) at EsSA, prompted by Pacaccini and Maxs Portes's publication "Incidente em Varginha". The IPM took depositions from soldiers and officers. They explained the trucks' movements as routine maintenance at a Mercedes-Benz dealer, and denied any capture. The military court archived the IPM in July 1997. The official file records denials. It does not settle what the women saw, and it was an Army inquiry into its own personnel.
Evidence, in date order (3)
- 1996Unnamed firemen and soldiers (via Rodrigues and Pacaccini)witnesssaid a creature was captured and taken away by Army trucks Arquivo Nacional, "Os OVNIs no Arquivo Nacional"
- May 1996Brazilian Armyofficialearlier internal inquiry (sindicância) on the truck movements IPM Volume 01 (mirror of Internet Archive scan)
- 1997Brazilian Armyofficialmilitary police inquiry (IPM) at EsSA taking depositions on the claims IPM Volume 01 (mirror of Internet Archive scan)
How plausible · High
Named civilian witnesses and an Army inquiry on file; the inquiry recorded denials and the military sources are anonymous.
- ●●Access They saw it.
- ●●Cost of speaking Named, ridiculed.
- ●●Consistent over time Decades.
- ●●Fits secrecy practice Military denials.
- ●○No gain sought Little gain.
- ●○Independent convergence Several witnesses.
- −Story grew Later stories added deaths and more creatures.
Plausibility weighs how well an account fits where secrecy hides the documents by design, so missing records never count against it. Strength measures what is documented. Assessed 2026-10-23.
On the record
- Purpose of the IPM. It was opened to investigate the publication "Incidente em Varginha" by Vitório Pacaccini and Maxs Portes, which is listed as the "indiciado" (Vol. 01). The inquiry concerned the claims about Army involvement, not the creature as such.
- Witnesses summoned for 10-14 March 1997 included PM Lt. Col. Maurício and Fire Brigade Major Maciel (Vol. 01). Their depositions were not located in the pages read.
- Sindicância depositions (May 1996) (firsthand, sworn statements by Army personnel, Vol. 01), including Ten. Cel. Olímpio Vanderlei Santos: EsSA trucks went to AUTOMACO, the Mercedes-Benz dealer in Varginha, on 25 Jan 1996 for routine maintenance. Times: left 08:34, back 15:41; out again 15:41-18:00. The deponents deny knowing Ubirajara Rodrigues or Pacaccini. Note: the dates given for the truck movements (25 Jan) differ from the dates of the alleged captures (20-22 Jan) in the ufological accounts.
- Volume 07 includes clippings and depositions. On p. 17 it refers to the death of PM soldier Marco Eli Chereze. There is a despacho dated 14 March 1997.
- Archiving (Migalhas, quoting the autos; secondhand). The case was archived on 4 July 1997 by the Auditoria da 4ª CJM, Juiz de Fora (substitute judge Telma Queiroz, art. 397 CPPM), at the request of military prosecutor (MPM promotor) Antonio Antero dos Santos. Quoted findings: "nenhuma das testemunhas confirmou a existência de operação destinada à captura ou transporte de criatura não humana"; "Não foram identificadas condutas típicas…"; the young women "possivelmente viram… um homem com transtornos mentais", identified as Luís Antônio de Paula, known as "Mudinho".
- In 2010 the Army said its only documents are the 1996 sindicância and the 1997 military police inquiry (IPM), held at the 4th Military Judicial District court.