Case description
At about noon on March 24, 1978, sixteen-year-old Luís Carlos Serra was gathering guavas near Penalva, Maranhão. In the account he later gave investigator Bob Pratt, a loud noise made him look above the palm trees, where he saw a brilliant light. He fell onto his back and found that he could not move. Still horizontal, he rose toward a round craft with a dome and windows, then passed through an opening into its interior.
Three small occupants wore metallic clothing, helmets and face coverings. Their speech was unintelligible to him. Serra said the craft subsequently stopped at an unfamiliar place. He was lowered onto a flat stone, with tall grass nearby and darkness overhead. The account preserved from São Luís newspaper O Jornal describes a yellow liquid being given to him and a metal chair resembling a dentist’s chair. He then lost consciousness.
A fisherman, José Ribamar dos Santos, found him back near Penalva after an absence reported as three days and seven hours. He was taken for medical attention and subsequently transferred to São Luís. The contemporary report identifies his mother as Maria Domingas Serra and describes his difficulty speaking and eating. At first he communicated his account in writing, then repeated it to the reporter in the presence of his mother and hospital staff.
Dental examination became a prominent part of the reported aftermath. The newspaper account described suspected attempts to remove molars, while radiographs still showed roots. Penalva dentist Raimundo Balby recalled observing a healing area and remaining roots. Pratt’s later account described broken molars and other physical changes, followed by further days of hospitalization before Serra recovered his ordinary responsiveness.
The Atlas date follows the March 24 chronology used in the case catalogues. A later local retelling labels the incident April while reproducing a newspaper report dated April 4, 1978. Serra’s reported eighty-one-hour absence and his subsequent hospital stay are distinct periods.
