Case description
Ronnie Patrick was staying with his grandmother in Quitman, Texas, north of Tyler, while working on a local construction project. According to the investigation published by Dr Richard C. Niemtzow and John F. Schuessler, he awoke at about 4:15 a.m. on January 17, 1979, to a beam entering his room through the window and adjoining wall. He described white light with a blue tint and sparkling points. Dressed only in shorts, he repeatedly put his hand into it. The light seemed to pass through his hand and arm, producing a sensation he compared with static electricity.
His next remembered moment was sitting in a chair, fully dressed, at 7 a.m. He could not account for the intervening period. He went straight to work and completed his working day. No remembered occupants, craft interior or journey accompanied this gap in his account.
Patrick subsequently reported losing approximately 25 pounds and some hair, burning eyes, dryness in his nose and mouth, diarrhea, increased sweating, bleeding and receding gums, memory lapses and nightmares. His parents, Gary and Shirley Patrick, confirmed the reported changes to the investigators. The article places these complaints after the encounter without supplying a medical diagnosis.
The investigators described earlier and later incidents involving Patrick. In May 1977 he reported two dark figures and, the following day, a round metallic object with blue lights entering a lake. On January 30, 1979, he said an ordinary drive from Quitman toward Gilman apparently covered 30 miles in six minutes. He also reported a deep cut through his left sleeve that appeared already closed, followed by weakness, discoloration and sensitivity to water; his father confirmed the aftereffects. Those episodes form part of his wider account and occurred on different dates from the bedroom incident. Patrick and his parents authorized publication under their names.
