Pat McGuire Contact Case
Pat McGuire Contact Case
The Pat McGuire Contact Case is one of the most extensively documented long-duration UFO contact and abduction cases in American history, spanning from approximately 1970 to 2009. It is distinguished by the witness's rural isolation, the sustained nature of the encounters, verifiable physical evidence (the discovery of water at an improbable location), national media coverage, and the devastating personal cost the contact ultimately exacted from the witness.
Patrick McGuire was a Wyoming rancher who operated a five-thousand-acre spread near Bosler, Wyoming — a hamlet in Albany County with a population of fewer than ten people. He was born and raised in Wyoming, came from a ranching family, and was by all accounts a practical, grounded, and community-respected individual. He had political ambitions (he ran for Governor of Wyoming) and was described by friends as charismatic, funny, and intelligent — with what his friend later described as "sparks that jumped from his bright Irish eyes when he laughed."
Between 1970 and 2009, McGuire reported repeated contact with extraterrestrial beings he called the Star People, culminating in between twenty-five and thirty craft landings on his property. He was hypnotically regressed sixteen times under the supervision of Dr. Leo Sprinkle of the University of Wyoming. He appeared on ABC Eyewitness News in 1980, NBC's That's Incredible in 1981, and in the National Enquirer in 1981. The contact experience ultimately cost him his ranch, his marriage, his political career, and his health.
He died of cancer on May 14, 2009, in a Colorado hospital.
Case Summary Table
| Parameter | Detail |
|---|---|
| Primary Witness | Patrick "Pat" McGuire |
| Location | Bosler, Wyoming (Laramie Plains, Albany County) |
| Ranch Size | Approximately 5,000 acres |
| Elevation | ~7,000 feet above sea level |
| First Known Contact | 1970 (pre-ranch purchase; recovered under hypnosis) |
| First Reported Incident | October 1973 (Teton Mountains hunting trip) |
| First Hypnotic Regression | 1978, Dr. Leo Sprinkle, University of Wyoming |
| Total Regressions | 24 sessions with Dr. Sprinkle |
| Total Abductions Recalled | 16 (recovered under hypnosis going back to 1970) |
| Total Craft Landings Claimed | 25–30 (stated on ABC News, March 5, 1980) |
| Primary Contact Entity | "Michael" (leader among the Star People) |
| Physical Evidence | Water well drilled at Star People-designated location; water found where geologists said none existed |
| National Media | ABC Eyewitness News (March 5, 1980); NBC That's Incredible (1981); National Enquirer (March 1981) |
| Corroborating Witnesses | Multiple witnesses confirmed craft landings; investigative reporter Greg Bean (Casper Star-Tribune) |
| Personal Cost | Ranch lost; marriage ended; political career destroyed; health destroyed; died May 14, 2009 |
| Son/Heir | David Riedel (wrote about the case in 2023) |
Significance in UFO Research
The McGuire case is notable within UFOlogy for several reasons:
- Long duration: The contact period spans nearly four decades from first reported event to death of the witness.
- Physical verification: The water well — drilled exactly where the Star People directed, in a basin geologists considered waterless — provides a uniquely verifiable data point independent of hypnotic testimony.
- Institutional engagement: Dr. Leo Sprinkle, a credentialed psychologist at the University of Wyoming, conducted twenty-four formal hypnotic regression sessions and publicly supported the case.
- Media documentation: The case was documented on national television, in national print media, and in local investigative journalism — all contemporaneous to the events.
- Personal cost: Unlike many contactee cases, the McGuire case documents the systematic destruction of the witness's life following public disclosure — providing a cautionary case study in the social and institutional consequences of UFO disclosure.
