Mummies discovered in the Peruvian desert
In 2017, reports began to surface about strange mummies found in the Peruvian desert. They came in various shapes and sizes, but they all had one thing in common: three fingers and three toes. The bodies are striking in their appearance; they have elongated skulls, skinny bodies, and are covered in a white powdery substance from head to toe. The white powder was determined to be diatomaceous earth, a substance that was likely used as a preservation agent to desiccate and protect the bodies from the elements and various desert bugs. This preparation method worked well, as the mummies are still in incredible shape, considering they are believed to be thousands of years old.
Underneath their powdery exterior, small patches of their dried skin pokes through. A medium to dark brown color. If you look closely you can see wrinkles, the texture of the skin and even fingerprints. They have a very distinct odor; a sweet, sickly smell that is hard to place, but easy to remember. An exotic fruit rotting in the sun mixed with a junior high locker room. The mummies are not heavy, but require great care in transport as they are very fragile. Some have broken their extremities at some point in the preceding millennia.
In September of 2023, two of these mummies were brought before the Mexican Congress by Jaime Maussan for display and testimony. Maussan, a fixture of Mexican television for over 50 years is an accomplished journalist who has worked on programs like 60 Minutes (Mexico), but is maybe more well known as a UFO enthusiast, and the host of several UFO-themed programs . His early involvement in this matter is likely the reason the bodies are often discussed in UFO (or “UAP”) forums, and the words “aliens” and “ETs” are often used. Or maybe it is because of they way they look that lends to speculation of otherworldly origins: the elongated heads, the shape of the eyes, emaciated bodies, and those tridactyl fingers and toes. They look like characters from central casting of sci-fi movies from the last 50 years. In my conversations with Mr. Maussan, he has never referred to them as “alien”, and even when pressed on what he thinks they might be, he shrugs his shoulders and says, “I don’t know. They aren’t human.” Jaime is excitable, affable and earnest, and he believes the Nazca mummies are the greatest discovery of the 21st century. He tells me he wants to get to the truth of what they are, whatever that may be.
Forensic Examination of the Nazca Specimens
On Easter morning of 2024, my father, Dr. John McDowell and I were headed to Peru to examine the tridactyl mummies. We were going with two other renowned forensic specialists, and Max, my wiz-kid teenage camera man. Dr. John McDowell is a forensic odontologist, recently retired professor from the University of Colorado School of Dentistry and School of Medicine. Here is a recent bio prepared for his reception of the Gradwohl medallion, https://www.aafs.org/article/dr-john-mcdowell-named-2024-rbh-gradwohl-laureate
We were fortunate enough to have two of the best forensics experts in the world make the trip with us. Dr. James Caruso, M.D. a forensic pathologist and Chief Medical Examiner of the City and County of Denver, and Dr. William Rodriguez, a forensic anthropologist at the Maryland State Medical Examiner. The doctors came as volunteers, on their own time, to begin the forensic examination of the mummies.
As I learned over meals of alpaca, cuy (look it up), and ceviche, these doctors have handled some of the most noteworthy and complicated forensic cases of the last 30 years. Their stories could fill several best-sellers.
I am a criminal defense lawyer by trade, a former prosecutor with 20 years of experience in criminal law. I wasn’t going to Peru to practice law, but more as a historian to learn all I could from the people who were there at the beginning of the modern story of the tridactyl mummies. I read every book I could find on the subject, studied the history of the ancient Paracas and Nazca people, and spoke to anyone willing to talk about their experience with the mummies. And people LOVE to talk about their experiences with the Nazca mummies.
I’ll be sharing what we learned in a series of posts, and discussing where the investigation might take us. Stay tuned, this gets weirder than you think it is, and there are some bombshells coming up. Revelations from my interview with “Mario”, the local who discovered the bodies, could change the face of the entire investigation. If Mario is to be believed, he’ll prove Mr. Maussan right: this is the biggest discovery of the 21st century.