The Kelly, Kentucky Alien Invasion 1955

Summary: Only a year after the bizarre case of a UFO disappearing into thin air, another case that stretches the imagination would occur in the rural setting of Kelly-Hopkinsville, Kentucky. The events in Kentucky would begin on the night of August 21, 1955, and are still being discussed and debated today. A family would have a battle with a group of small alien creatures.

An Immense, Shining Object: Billy Ray Taylor and his wife were visiting the Sutton farm on this particular night. Billy exited the house to go fetch water from the Sutton family well. While drawing water, he witnessed an "immense, shining object" landing about a quarter of a mile from the house. Excited and frightened, he ran back to the house with the news, but no one took him very seriously.

Shoot First, Ask Questions Later: Soon, strange things began to occur. The family dogs began to bark outside. The man of the house, "Lucky" along with Billy Ray went outside to see what the problem was. They were both stunned when they saw a three to four foot tall creature, making its way toward them with its hands up. They two men described the creature as like nothing they had ever seen before. It had large eyes, long thin mouth, thin, short legs, large ears, and its hand ended with claws. Billy Ray fired his .22 caliber rifle, and Lucky fired his shotgun. The barrage of bullets had no effect on the being.

Being Appears at Window: Lucky and Billy both knew that they had hit their target at that close range. But the small creature did a back flip, and then scurried into the woods. The two men went back into the house, but soon another creature was seen looking at them through a window. The two men again blasted away, and ran outside to see if they had killed it, but found nothing. A large hole was later seen through the screen where the shots had been fired.

"Run for Your Lives!": This cat and mouse game continued into the night as the creatures would appear and disappear. Realizing that they were up against something out of the ordinary, the family decided to run from the house, and ask for assistance from the police station in the little city of Hopkinsville. It took two vehicles to hold everyone, but off they went. After hearing their bizarre story, Sheriff Russell Greenwell thought they were joking. Finally the family convinced him that they were not making up their story, and Greenwell decided to go to the Sutton farm house.

The Police Arrive: When the police arrived at the farm house and searched the area around the house no evidence of any creatures was found. However, they did find numerous bullet holes through the windows and walls of the house. Over twenty policeman were involved in the search. The police admitted that the Suttons were not drunk, and genuinely frightened by something or someone. Nearby neighbors did confirm strange "lights in the sky," and "hearing of bullets being fired." The police left at 2:15 AM.

The Aliens Return: After the police were gone, the aliens returned, and the earlier battle was repeated. The gunfire had no effect on the creatures. All together, eleven people were present at the Sutton family farmhouse: widowed family matriarch Glennie Lankford (50 her children, Lonnie (12), Charlton (10), and Mary (7); two sons from her previous marriage, Elmer “Lucky” Sutton (25) and John Charley “J.C.” Sutton (21), and their respective wives, Vera (29) and Alene (27); Alene’s brother, O.P. Baker (30 or 35); and a Pennsylvania couple, Billy Ray Taylor (21) and June Taylor (18). _z_ufos_z_);

The Air Force Arrives: Not all of the eleven witnessed the strange events of the night. June Taylor was too frightened to look, and Lonnie Lankford, and his brother and sister were hidden during the encounter, which still left seven witnesses to the encounter. The police department requested the Air Force to investigate the happenings at the Sutton house. They also did a search of the house and surrounding area, but without any solid evidence being found.

Public Reaction: The morning of the Air Force search, Lucky and Billy Ray had gone to Evansville, Indiana on family business. The five remaining witnesses to the events of the night before were interviewed by Air Force personnel, giving their full account of the night of terror. The story of the small aliens spread quickly, and the Kentucky "New Era" newspaper published a story of the family's encounter on August 22, 1955.

Conclusions: In the beginning, most of the public believed the Suttons were perpetuating a hoax. But, if this was the case, what would be their reason? They made no money from the story, only accruing debt by damaging their house. Could all of their trouble have been to get their name in the local newspaper? All of the witnesses to the strange events of the night of August 21, 1955, made sketches of what the creatures looked like. The drawings were practically identical. Almost a year later, the case was investigated by Isabel Davis. She believed that the Suttons were telling the truth.

Famed UFO investigator Dr. J. Allen Hynek also believed the account of the Kelly aliens, and discussed the case with Davis. This case is still being investigated today, and there have been many books, and television specials made relating to the Kentucky events of 1955.