We've got new claims that the "alien mummies" that were discovered last year could actually not be from this planet...
The small, mysterious specimens have sparked global debate since September when veteran journalist and UFO researcher Jaime Maussan presented two alleged "alien" corpses to Mexico's congress.
Now, the Daily Mail reports that a former Colorado prosecutor, Joshua McDowell, has examined one of the over half-a-dozen "alien" specimens with the help of three independent forensic medical examiners from the United States.
"These were not traditional human fingerprint patterns," McDowell told the outlet, after examining a specimen known as Maria.
More than half a dozen of these so-called "alien mummies" were brought to light by José Jaime Maussan, a controversial Mexican journalist and UFO enthusiast, who presented his findings to Mexico’s congress.
McDowell and the U.S. medical examiners traveled with Maussan to Peru last April to study the bodies.
While the absence of typical human fingerprints is intriguing, McDowell cautioned that it is “extremely premature” to draw any conclusions about the mummies' origins.
One possible explanation for the unusually straight fingerprints could be related to the preservation method, he noted, although it remains “very odd.”
Maria's body is covered in diatomaceous earth, a white powder made from the sediment of fossilized algae.
“However, on the fingers that were exposed, the epidermal ridges I saw appeared to be in mostly straight lines,” McDowell added.
No official determination has been made regarding the nature of the humanoid bodies, but McDowell continues to dedicate considerable time to the case.
He brought a city coroner from Denver and a forensic anthropologist from Maryland’s state Medical Examiner’s Office to Peru for the investigation, per the New York Post.
The 4-foot-tall "aliens," dubbed "the Nazca mummies" after the region in Peru where they were discovered, gained international attention for their elongated heads and three-fingered hands, reminiscent of science fiction characters.
Despite Maussan's firm stance that the specimens are extraterrestrial, scientists and government officials have dismissed them as a man-made hoax.
In January, Peruvian authorities labeled them "dolls" made from paper, glue, metal, and human and animal bones.
“They are not extraterrestrials; they are not aliens,” forensic archaeologist Flavio Estrada stated.
Critics like Latin American historian Christopher Heaney have argued that the mummies could be human remains, pointing to pre-Columbian head-shaping practices in Peru.
However, Maria’s fingerprint analysis suggests some of the mummies may not be dolls or could be constructed from unusual materials.
