Edith and Rainer Shattles had set up trail cameras in the Mississippi woods hoping to catch a glimpse of bucks and fawns, but the footage they ended up with is certain to send any UFO enthusiast’s heart aflutter.
On February 16, the Shattles’ infrared camera captured mysterious lights in the night sky over the Cumbest Bluff part of Jackson County – a remote area at the southeastern tip of the state bordering Alabama.
The puzzling 30-minute footage shot between 7.24pm and 7.56pm on a clear winter night begins with the appearance of deer in a clearing.
Solved? A trail camera set up by a Mississippi couple in the woods of Jackson County captured a pair of hovering lights trained on a deer. While some have cried UFO, the company that makes the camera says its just light bounding around inside the sensitive infrared camera
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The video shot on the evening of February 16 begins with deer milling about in the woods of Jackson County, Mississippi, before being disturbed by a bright light (right)
Mystery: The deer are seen bathed in light coming from a oddly shaped object in the air. The camera company says the glow is caused byt reflected light
Beam me up: A sharp light slices through the frame, focusing like a laser on one of the deer
Up, up and away: About 30 minutes later, the odd object is seen flying away
A few minutes later, a dim light emerges out of the darkness and gradually grows brighter, eventually materializing into an odd shape in the sky.
The deer are seen bathed in light. Then another sharper beam slices through the frame, focusing like a laser on one of the hoofed animals.
At first glance, the twin lights resemble car headlights, but they are clearly hovering above ground. What’s more, there is no paved road in the woods that could explain the presence of a vehicle.
About 30 minutes after making its first appearance in the frame, the mysterious object with the lights flies away.
While conspiracy theorists would be quick to suggest an extra-terrestrial presence, Mr Shattles has a theory that a government drone may be behind the phenomenon captured by his trail camera .
Candid camera: The video was captured by a trail camera that had been installed to record wildlife in the woods
Close encounters: Rainer and Edith Shattles (pictured) have a theory that the UFO may have been a government drone
‘Well, if it’s alien, I’m not sure about that. But it’s definitely a UFO,’ he told the station WLOX.
The homeowner hopes that one day the mystery of the lights will be solved, but for now, he and his wife are enjoying the attention from their friends and the local media.
‘It’s a puzzle that may never be solved and it’s one that’s kind of fun, adds a little flavor to life,’ Mr Shattles concluded.