Extraterrestrial beings, the third kind, ET, and aliens are just some of the terms used to define visitors from outer space. But are they even real? Well, a lot of people believe so! In fact, an incident that occurred in Kentucky has created the widespread belief in the existence of a group of “little green men” who terrorized a family farmhouse on the night of August 21, 1955.
The event is said to have occurred in the rural area of Christian County, Kentucky. At the center of it all was the Sutton family, who lived long enough to recount what truly happened that terrifying night.
The Little Green Men of Kelly-Hopkinsville
It started out as a typical Sunday evening at the Sutton farmhouse at Kelly, Kentucky. The house was occupied by five adults: widowed family matriarch Glennie Lanford, her sons Elmer “Lucky” Sutton, John Carley “J.C” Sutton, along with their respective wives Vera and Alene. Accompanying them were Elmer and John’s half-siblings Lonnie, Charlton, and Mary as well as a traveling couple named Billy Ray Taylor and his wife, June.
What supposed to be a normal evening turned into a nightmare when they were allegedly attacked by a battalion of “little green men.” At around seven o’ clock, Billy Ray Taylor had been drawing water from a nearby well when a bright streak appeared across the sky. It later faded beyond a short distance from the house.
Shortly after spotting the strange lights, the family dog began to bark furiously. The men quickly sprung into action. Lucky and Billy grabbed their guns and headed outside with the intent to execute the unwanted trespassers. They clearly were in for a shock as soon as they found out that the visitors weren’t human at all! Billy described the creatures he saw as having “large eyes, a long thin mouth, large ears, thin short legs, and hands ending in claws.”
Frightened by the sight, Billy Ray shot the creature at close range but missed, it then disappeared into the woods in fright. The men retreated back into the house only to find even more little green men appearing at the windows. It seemed like their weapons were ineffective against these creatures, but they managed to hold them off with gunfire for a total of four hours. Amidst all the commotion, Glennie hid the younger children under the bed.
The Aftermath
After the attack, the Sutton family finally got help from Hopkinsville Police Station. They reported their terrifying yet strange ordeal to authorities who returned with them to inspect the area. The investigation was led by Sheriff Russell Greenwell, who took with him four city police, five state troopers, three deputy sheriffs, and four military police from the nearby Fort Campbell. Speaking about the incident, Greenwell indicated that the family had a look of fear in their eyes and were in no way under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
But despite sweeping the entire property, there were no signs of little green men in the Sutton farmhouse. The only things recovered from the scene were evidence of gunfire and holes in the windows and door screens made by the firearms.
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But was it true?
The Kelly-Hopkinsville drew a lot of media attention when it happened. One year later, a researcher by the name of Isabel Davis investigated the Sutton case. In her book, she described Billy Ray Taylor as “different” from the other eyewitnesses. She cited that he had always been considered as an outsider by the family, who even ignored him when he reported the UFO sighting. Interestingly enough, when Davis interviewed the rest of the family, they told the same story over and over again.
Though UFOlogists have called the incident one of the most extraordinary encounters with the third kind, skeptics have remained unconvinced. Prominent skeptic Joe Nickell has noted that the family could have mistaken great horned owls for the little green men. This type of owls are known to be nocturnal, have yellow eyes, and could be aggressive toward humans. Nickell added that the meteor sightings could explain the bright streak Billy saw shoot across the sky.
Conclusion
Naturally, a majority of the public has expressed disbelief with the story. But think about it, why would the Sutton family create such an elaborate story? They were not exactly paid for the publicity. And why would they want to put the young children through all the trauma that came along with the whole experience?
Over the years, the living members of the Sutton family have stood firm with their story. In retrospect, the Kelly-Hopkinsville incident imprinted itself as part of popular culture, becoming one of the most important UFO events of all time.