Betty and Barney Hill — The Missing Time Episode

Betty and Barney Hill — The Missing Time Episode

Incident Name:	Betty and Barney Hill Abduction Case
Incident Date:	September 19, 1961
Location:	White Mountains section of U.S. Route 3
State/Provence:	New Hampshire
City/Town :	south of Lancaster and Colebrook
Country :	USA
Shape :	Disc Shape
Alien Race :	Greys
Longitude :	September 19, 1961
Case Files :	Betty and Barney Hill Case File

Betty and Barney Hill — The Missing Time Episode

Overview

The missing time element of the Betty and Barney Hill case is the most objectively verifiable anomaly of the incident and the element that most compelled the Hills to seek professional help. The term "missing time" — referring to a period during which witnesses have no conscious memory despite evidence of continued activity — was not yet in common use in 1961; the Hill case is among the incidents that gave rise to its widespread usage in UFO literature.

The Timeline Discrepancy

The Hills departed a diner in Colebrook, Vermont, at approximately 10:00 PM on September 19, 1961, planning to reach their home in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, by approximately 2:00 to 3:00 AM — a normal drive time for the approximately 190-mile route.

They arrived home at approximately 5:15 AM on September 20 — roughly 2 to 3 hours later than the journey should have taken, even accounting for their stops to observe the object.

The Hills were unable to account for approximately 35 miles of driving*** and approximately 2 hours of time between their last clear memory (the beeping sounds near Indian Head) and their next clear memory (regaining consciousness near Ashland, New Hampshire, approximately 35 miles south).

The Two Sets of Beeping Sounds

The Hills described two distinct sets of beeping or buzzing sounds that served as the bookmarks of the missing time episode:

• First set: Occurred shortly after Barney's panicked retreat to the car and their rapid departure from Indian Head; described as a series of rhythmic metallic tones; the car vibrated; both Hills felt suddenly drowsy
• Second set: Occurred approximately 35 miles south, near Ashland; brought them back to normal consciousness; the road was unfamiliar; neither could explain how they had traveled that distance

The period between the two beeping sequences is the missing time — approximately 2 hours during which the Hills have no conscious recollection.

Fragmentary Memories

While the Hills had no coherent memory of the missing period, both reported fragmentary and confusing recollections:

• A dirt road that turned off from the main highway
• Some kind of obstruction or roadblock
• A glowing orb
• A vague sense of moving without understanding how or where

These fragments — which neither Hill could organize into a coherent narrative at the time — would later, under hypnosis, be incorporated into the larger abduction account. Whether they represent genuine fragmentary memory of the abduction, confabulation, or post-hoc reconstruction from the dream material remains contested.

The Arrival Home

When the Hills arrived home at 5:15 AM, both were unusually exhausted, confused, and unable to account for the journey time. Barney noticed circular marks around his eyes*** consistent with having pressed binoculars against them. Betty noticed a pink powdery substance*** on her torn dress. Both noted that their watches had stopped working. The trunk of the car had acquired several polished circular patches*** that caused a compass needle to swing erratically when brought near them.

Significance in Abduction Research

The Hill case introduced missing time as a defining characteristic of the alien abduction phenomenon. Subsequent researchers — most notably Budd Hopkins and David Jacobs — would use missing time as the primary diagnostic criterion for identifying potential abductees and selecting candidates for hypnotic regression. The Hill case established the template for how this criterion would be applied.