UFO enthusiasts, ghost hunters, and bigfoot researchers gathered in Cripple Creek this weekend for the first Pikes Peak Paranormal Conference. Founded by cryptozoologist and monster hunter David Eller and paranormal author Jeanne Gripp, the Pikes Peak Paranormal Conference brought together representatives from a wide array of paranormal disciplines, including experts like Chuck Zukowski and Katie Paige, the director of Colorado’s chapter of the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON).
Zukowski, the host of the Travel Channel’s Alien Highway, discussed the ins and outs of paranormal investigations, sharing his experience with ghosts, UFOs, and cattle mutilations. As a former volunteer El Paso County Sheriff’s deputy, Zukowski attempts to apply forensic methods to his investigations, using tools like Gieger counters and EMF Meters.
“We’re circuits and EMF meters can pick us up,” said Zukowski during his Saturday presentation. “They also pick up ghosts — spirits — because the spirit is an electromagnetic field, and it can pick up that. It also works on your UFOs, and we’ve been using it for years because there’s energy associated with a UFO event.”
Zukowski’s methods have turned up anomalies near mutilation cases, where animals–usually cows–are found dead, with tongues, eyes, or sexual organs missing with no signs of blood or any other forensic evidence. During the 1970s, Colorado was ground zero for cattle mutilation cases, with hundreds of reported mutilations, peaking in the 1970s and waning throughout the 80s and 90s. Investigations by the FBI and Colorado Bureau of Investigation determined that the mutilations were the result of natural predator activity, but researchers like Zukowski doubt the official explanation, citing anomalies in the injuries and noting that scavengers actively avoid mutilated remains. Outside of normal predator activity, theories about the origins of the animal mutilations include satanic cults, secret government projects, or UFOs.
“Some of my animal mutilation cases, the animal was lying in a round ground depression, not a crop circle, but a ground depression anywhere from 16 to 25 feet in diameter,” he explained. “When I’ve taken soil from the ground depression and compared to the soil [outside of the depression], every time I’ve done that, no matter if it was Colorado, Kansas City, Missouri or Georgia, I got the same results. The nutrients in the soil near the animal have been altered, and what I mean by altered is they’re less water soluble.”
Mutilations continue to occur. Last month, six cows were found mutilated in Texas. The Associated Press reported that the mutilations featured “a ‘straight, clean cut, with apparent precision’ removing the hide around one side of the animal’s mouth, authorities said. The tongue was also removed, with no blood spill. Ranchers reported no predators or birds had scavenged the remains, the Sheriff’s office said.”
Last year mutilations were reported in Alaska, and there was a spate of mutilations reported in Oregon from 2019 through 2021. In 2019 Zukowski investigated an incident in Teller County where four goats were found dead, drained of blood, with puncture wounds in their necks.
Colorado MUFON Director Katie Paige’s presentation at the Pikes Peak Paranormal Conference focused on a series of incidents that took place on an Elbert County ranch in the 1970s. The case was documented by the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO), a forerunner of MUFON, in 1978, and features a unique mix of paranormal phenomenon — UFOs, bigfoot, cattle mutilations, strange humanoid sightings, disappearing boxes, and a number of other bizarre occurrences. Paige also discussed the case of Sean Bartok, who claimed to experience similar incidents at his ranch in Franktown during the 1980s.
In addition to discussions of UFO phenomena, the Pikes Peak Paranormal Conference also included speakers like The Undertaker, who discussed the historic ghosts of Cripple Creek, and a footprint casting class from Colorado sasquatch experiencer Jason Frank.
The truth, as they say, is out there.
