True Crime/Paranormal/Conspiracy Theories Part VII (Wattys2025)

Travis Walton Incident/Abduction

The Travis Walton incident was an alleged alien abduction of American forestry worker Travis Walton on November 5, 1975, in the Apache–Sitgreaves National Forests near Heber, Arizona. It is widely regarded as a hoax, even by believers of UFOs and alien abductions.

Walton was employed by future brother-in-law Mike Rogers on a federal contract. On October 20, Rogers acknowledged in writing that the job had fallen seriously behind schedule and might not be completed by the deadline. That night, Walton and Rogers watched The UFO Incident, a movie about the alleged abduction of Barney and Betty Hill. After the broadcast, Walton reportedly discussed the possibility of being taken aboard a flying saucer.

On November 5, the crew reported Walton missing. They recalled driving back after sunset when Rogers stopped the truck and Walton walked into the forest towards an overhead light. Walton was illuminated by a beam of light, and Rogers drove away with the others. Police organized search parties that were called off at the insistence of Travis's mother. After five days and six hours, Walton called his sister from a phone booth in Heber. Walton sold his story to the tabloid The National Enquirer, which published the account and awarded the crew a $5,000 prize. In 1978, he wrote The Walton Experience, which was adapted into the 1993 film Fire in the Sky.

Science writers Philip J. Klass and Michael Shermer highlight a potential motive for the hoax was to provide an "Act of God" that would allow the crew to avoid a steep financial penalty from the Forestry Service for failing to complete their contract by the deadline. In 2021, Mike Rogers said the incident had been staged but later retracted his statement. After 2021 interviews with Rogers, researchers proposed that a nearby fire lookout tower and its spotlight were used to create the illusion of a flying saucer shining a beam of light on Walton.

Background

In the Spring of 1972, the National Enquirer tabloid began advertising a $50,000 prize for proof of extraterrestrial visitors. By 1975, the prize had been raised to $100,000.

Travis Walton and the Turkey Springs forestry job

Turkey Springs, about 12 miles south of Heber, was the site of the forestry contract and reported abduction. Travis and the rest of the crew lived 30 miles away in Snowflake. Travis was picked up days later at a phone booth in Heber. After his return, Travis traveled with his brother Duane to Phoenix.

Travis Walton was born around 1953 to Mary Walton (later Mary Walton Kellott). On May 5, 1971, Travis Walton and associate Carl Rogers pleaded guilty to breaking into the offices of the Western Molding Company, stealing company checks, forging and then cashing them. The pair was placed on probation for two years, after which they were allowed to plead not guilty and "cleanse their records".

In 1975, Travis, age 22, was a member of a seven-person forestry crew led by Carl's older brother Michael H. Rogers, age 28. The year prior, Rogers won a bid for a federal contract to thin out small trees from an area known as Turkey Springs in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest when he underbid two other contractors. The Turkey Springs job called for the thinning of 1,277 acres by August 1975. Rogers requested and was granted, an extension until November 10. On October 16, a Forestry Service inspector visited the site and concluded the job could not possibly be completed by the deadline. Failure to complete the job could lead to a $2,500 penalty and a disqualification from bidding on future Forestry Service contracts.

On October 20, Rogers wrote to his Forestry Service contracting officer: "I cannot honestly say whether or not we will finish on time. However, we are working every day with as much manpower as I can hire. I will not stop working until the job is finished or until I am asked to stop. I have had considerable trouble keeping a full crew on the job. The area is very thick and the guys have poor morale because of this... We will keep working and trying hard."