Carter Roy

And yet, most scientists also agree we don't have any actual evidence of their existence.

That apparent contradiction is known as the Fermi Paradox, after physicist Enrico Fermi.

You might have heard of it before.

We've covered it on this show and one of my favorite episodes.

But the thing about the Fermi Paradox is its premise operates under the assumption that evidence doesn't already exist.

that mankind hasn't encountered aliens, that every person who has ever claimed otherwise is either mistaken, a liar, a fool, or a con artist.

Today, I am talking about three people whose names have been added to that list despite never claiming to see an alien, just a UFO.

and despite having enough corroborating evidence to sue the United States government.

Their story begins in the Lone Star State, Texas, about 30 miles outside of Houston.

It's December 29th, 1980.

Betty, Cash, and Vicki Landrum are driving home after a night out.

Betty was once Vicki's boss at a small cafe in Dayton.

Betty owned the place, Vicki waited tables, but now they're just good friends.

The two middle-aged women spent the evening playing bingo, along with Vicki's seven-year-old grandson, Colby.

Vicki and her husband, Ernest, won custody of Colby a few years back, so she's more like a mother to him than anything.

It's a cold and cloudy night.

Betty is behind the wheel.

Vicki rides shotgun, and Colby sits quietly in the back.

Nothing unusual happens until they reach an uninhabited stretch of the highway about 15 miles northwest of Dayton.

That's when they notice a bright light above the treetops ahead.