The Lead Masks Mystery

The Lead Masks Mystery


May 5, 2025 | Allison Robertson

The Lead Masks Mystery


The Mystery Of The Lead Masks

The Mystery of the Lead Masks is certainly an intriguing one. It follows a series of mysterious events that led up to the unfortunate discovery of two lifeless bodies found in Brazil—and the disturbing scene that surrounded them.

Lead Masks Msn

Discovering The Bodies

On the afternoon of August 20, 1966, authorities got a strange call from a young boy who claimed to have come across two bodies while flying his kite in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro.

Boy hiker with stick looks at the lake shore from the top of the mountainBrazilian government, Wikimedia Commons

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A Treacherous Terrain

The authorities immediately responded, sending crews to the location that the boy had described, but the uphill terrain proved too difficult to traverse, and they had to turn back.

File:Rio de Janeiro tomado de Niterói (0072137cx016-06).jpgNucleo de digitalizacao / IMS, Wikimedia Commons

The Disturbing Scene

The next day, a small crew of firefighters and officers made the trek up the hill to investigate—and what they found was more disturbing than they had ever imagined.

Crime scene - surrounded by blue police lineBaby-Spider, Shutterstock

Identifying The Bodies

The bodies were identified as two Brazilian men, Manoel Pereira da Cruz and Miguel José Viana. And while there were no initial signs of trauma or evidence of a struggle, the scene was littered with strange items that filled authorities with more questions than answers.

File:Manoel Pereira da Cruz e Miguel José Viana.jpgBrazilian government, Wikimedia Commons

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They Were Dressed To Impress

It’s unfortunate that it was a young child who happened upon this scene, because it wasn’t just odd, it was terrifying. According to authorities, the bodies were lying next to each other and were partially covered in grass. They were dressed in formal attire—with some strange added accessories. 

Two men wearing suits and looking at the cameraYassine Benmoussa, Pexels

DIY Eye Masks

Both bodies were wearing suits and ties with a waterproof coat over top, along with handmade eye masks made of lead—which is where we get the name “lead masks case”. But that wasn’t all. 

File:Blindfolds.jpgUser:Henna, Wikimedia Commons

More Strange Items

While the lead masks were at the center of the investigation, they weren’t the only bizarre thing found at the scene. Beside the bodies, authorities also discovered an empty water bottle and a package containing two wet towels. If this isn’t weird enough already—there’s more.

glass bottle on sea shoreVova Drozdey, Unsplash

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A Cryptic Message

Not far from the bodies, a small notebook was found with a seriously cryptic message written inside: "16:30 be at the specified location. 18:30 ingest capsules, after the effect protect metals await mask signal".

Now, it appears the men were certainly up to something. But what?

White envelope with message slipped under wooden door.courtyardpix, Shutterstock

The Victims

Manoel and Miguel were electronic technicians from Campos dos Goytacazes, a town several kilometers northeast of Rio de Janeiro. Their families had apparently not seen them since August 17th. Authorities started piecing together the two men’s last days— and what they uncovered was unbelievable.

A view to Campos dos Goytacazes CityVladhillrj, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Piecing Together The Puzzle

According to authorities, they believe the men had left home on August 17th, after telling their families that they had to go purchase materials for work. They took a bus to Niterói, arriving around 2:30 pm, and found a shop that would have what they needed.

cottonbro studiocottonbro studio, Pexels

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They Went Shopping

A receipt found shows the men purchased their raincoats from a local shop, and one bottle of water from a local bar—where a waitress told authorities of her strange interaction with the men.

A male customer in a grocery store selects goodsxiaoke chen, Getty Images

They Stopped At A Bar

The waitress at the bar claimed that Miguel appeared to be “very nervous” and was “frequently checking his watch”. Authorities believe they then went directly from the bar to the spot where their bodies were later discovered. But how did they get there?

KoolShootersKoolShooters, Pexels

They Hitched A Ride

The waitress at the bar was the last person to speak to the men. But she was not the last person to see them. Sources claim the men hitched a ride to the top of the hill in a jeep with two other men—however no one has been able to identify the vehicle, or the occupants. And that’s not all they were unable to identify.

Vika_GlitterVika_Glitter, Pixabay

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The Autopsies

Unfortunately, it took several weeks for autopsies to be conducted as the coroner’s office was apparently “very busy” at the time. And while no injuries were reported—what they found was equally as unhelpful.

autopsyElnur, Shutterstock

They Couldn’t Test The Bodies

Because the autopsies were so late, the bodies were terribly decomposed—which meant testing for toxic substances was not reliable, and therefore was not carried out at all.

This meant authorities had to dig a little deeper into other forms of evidence instead.

An old wooden coffin with a cross on top.Jarp2, Shutterstock

They Had A Fat Stack Of Cash

In addition to the water bottle, the towels, the coats, and the notebook, the men were also believed to have left home with enough cash on them to buy a cheap car—around 3,000,000 cruzeiros. However, most of this money was unaccounted for.

Authorities also took a deeper look into the notebook.

File:100-cruzeiros-1990-reverso.pngCentral Bank of Brazil, Wikimedia Commons

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The Notebook

In addition to the cryptic plan, the notebook also had a list of electronics part numbers, which was originally presumed to pertain to their repair business. Some people believed those numbers had a hidden message, but no one was able to decipher what it was.

But when authorities interviewed friends of the two men, they found something of much better value.

File:Cuaderno de notas minería Pachuca Hidalgo 1845-1846 01.jpgCorreogsk, Wikimedia Commons

Relying On Theories

Because the autopsies were done too late, they hindered the investigation quite a bit. Authorities were not able to figure out if the men had actually injected anything, and no capsules were found at the scene. Basically, there was no way to tell how these men died.

The only thing we have now are theories—and the closest one to the truth is utterly bizarre. 

group of police in the middle of the roadAJ Colores, Unsplash

They Belonged To A Group

While some people still believe foul play had to have been involved, the most widely believed theory involves UFOs. In fact, one family friend claimed the men were members of a very intriguing group of “scientific spiritualists”—who sought to contact extraterrestrials. 

UFOjdeeringdavis from San Francisco, CA, USA, Wikimedia Commons

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An Otherworldly Experience

It is possible that the men were attempting to contact aliens or spirits using psychedelic drugs. In doing so, they may have believed that their encounter with the otherworldly subjects would be accompanied by a blinding light—hence the need for metal masks to shield their eyes.

Alien ContactShutterstock

The Most Likely Answer

It’s likely that during their efforts, the men died of a simultaneous overdose. This theory is backed by the strange message in the notebook, the lead masks, as well as some literature found in their homes pertaining to spirits and extraterrestrials.

Actually, there’s one last detail that makes all of this come together.

Constantine The Great FactsShutterstock

Someone Saw Something

While this information is nearly impossible to fact check, some sources claim that at least two respectable newspapers in Rio reported that a local resident believed she saw a “round orange UFO going up and down above Vintém Hill” on the night that the two men were up there.

Perhaps the men were successful in their attempt after all.

File:Supposed UFO, Passaic, New Jersey.jpgGeorge Stock, Wikimedia Commons

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An Unsolved Mystery

It should be noted, this theory is exactly that: a theory. Nothing has been proven. To this day, the “mystery of the lead masks” remains unsolved.

Confused, hands-up, unsure, perplexed ladyRobinHiggins, Pixabay

You May Also Like:

40 UFO Sightings in America
History's Most Mysterious Disappearances
Unraveling The Mystery Of The Loretto Chapel Staircase

Sources:  12


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