A man known as a ‘genius’ who had claimed to be in contact with extraterrestrial beings mysteriously disappeared more than 40 years ago.
The unexplained vanishing of Granger Taylor occurred on a stormy night, November 29, 1980, in the Canadian town of Duncan. Despite the passage of time, the truth about what happened to the 32-year-old remains a mystery.
Prior to his disappearance, Taylor had reportedly left a note for his family, stating that he was about to embark on a journey on an alien spaceship, with a promise of his return.
Taylor’s family described him as a mechanical prodigy. According to CBC, he had successfully restored a car, a bulldozer, an abandoned train, and even a World War Two jet.
From a young age, Taylor left school to focus on his passion for mechanics, where he showed an extraordinary aptitude for repairing machinery.
He also claimed to have the ability to communicate with aliens, which led him to construct a life-size model of a spaceship using parts he collected from a local dump.
Taylor’s sister revealed to Vice that he was known to consume LSD frequently and was also known to smoke cannabis in the period leading up to his disappearance.
Then, without a trace, he vanished, leaving behind a note and all his belongings to his family.
In his note, Taylor mentioned he was embarking on a 42-month interstellar adventure but never returned from his supposed voyage.
His letter stated: “Dear Mother and Father, I have gone away to walk aboard an alien spaceship, as recurring dreams assured a 42-month interstellar voyage to explore the vast universe, then return.
“I am leaving behind all my possessions to you as I will no longer require the use of any. Please use the instructions in my will as a guide to help. Love, Granger.”
For months, his family and friends searched tirelessly, but no sign of Taylor was found.
Years later, in March 1986, forestry workers discovered a blast site near Mount Prevost, not far from the Taylor residence. The wreckage included a vehicle destroyed by an explosion.
Authorities confirmed that the registration of the vehicle matched Taylor’s Datsun pickup truck.
Small human bone fragments and a piece of clothing, thought to be from one of Taylor’s shirts, were uncovered at the scene, though a complete body was never found.
A coroner’s inquest concluded that Taylor likely perished in the explosion that obliterated his vehicle. It was determined that he had been carrying dynamite in the truck, which is believed to have detonated.
The inquest did not determine whether the explosion was accidental or intentional, given Taylor’s familiarity with using dynamite for tasks like removing tree stumps.