MUFON Investigation

This is a summary of the findings of an investigation conducted by James Carrion, International Director of the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON), into the claims made by Adam Jimenez and the Great Lakes Dive Company. I am providing this information here as to my knowledge, it has not been posted to the MUFON Internet site. I understand that MUFON has published James Carrion's investigation report in their monthly publication. Since the claims of Adam Jimenez of Great Lakes Dive Company have been widely publicized on the Internet this is a natural place to post Carrion's findings.

Who is the Great Lakes Dive Company (GLDC) ?

James Carrion found no documentation to support the existence of a company named "Great Lakes Dive Company". Adam Jimenez had claimed the company was a Michigan-based LLC (Limited Liability Company). His inquiry to the Michigan Division of Corporations revealed they had no record of any company with that name.

In addition, Adam Jimenez refused to provide James Carrion with the names of the principals of the company.

Who is Adam Jimenez?

All of those persons I have communicated with who had contact with Adam Jimenez never met him in person. All contact with him was through his cell phone or an email account. To my knowledge, no one has actually determined any key personal information about this Adam Jimenez, such as his age, address or place of employment. Back in October, 2006, Adam changed his cell phone number after he complained that he was being harassed by a group of film producers for the Discovery Channel. Since this time he has been unreachable from phone or email.

During an interview by Linda Moulton Howe which was played on Coast to Coast radio hosted by George Noory, Linda Moulton Howe stated that Adam Jimenez graduated from Kettering Technical School in 1990. When James Carrion checked with the registrar's office, he was told by Becky Ibbotson, the Registrar Assistant that no one by the name of Adam Jimenez had ever attended the institution.

Does GLDC operate as shipwreck searchers in the Great Lakes?

Besides the search for the F-89, Adam Jimenez made cl;aims that GLDC has been involved in other shipwreck searches and filming projects in Lake Superior. Indeed, they claimed the F-89 was just undertaken when bad weather was affecting their other searches. Despite this claim, Tom Farnquist, CEO of  Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society indicated he had never heard any mention of their other work. He had read of the GLDC's claims to discovery of the F-89 in a local newspaper article.

Has GLDC requested access to the F-89 site from the Ontario government?

Adam Jimenez stated on a number of occasions that GLDC was unable to obtain further access to the site of the F-89 wreckage due to conditions placed upon their access request by the Canadian government. James Carrion determined it was the Heritage Operations Unit of the Ontario Ministry of Culture who issues work permits for survey or exploration work in the Canadian waters of Lake Superior. When asked about the claims made by Adam Jimenez, Mr. Michael Johnson, the manager of the unit stated that no one had requested a permit for exploring or surveying either the F-89 or the "mystery object".

Was the first report a hoax?

Tracing the source for the original account of the GLDC claims of the F-89 shows the earliest mention of the discovery was in an August 22, 2006 posting to the UFO Updates mailing list. An email authored by a "Preston Miller" was forwarded through Francis Ridge. The mail contained an account of the discovery which was posted as an Associated Press (AP) news article originating from Port Huron, Michigan. Carrion contacted the "Port Huron Times Herald" an authorized AP news source in Port Huron. "The managing editor Judith Maclean told MUFON that her newspaper did not originate the article."

James Carrion also contacted Joe Altman at the Associated Press Michigan Bureau in Detroit. After viewing a copy of the purported article online, he told James that "it was not written in the characteristic style of an AP press report, as it lacked any date references."

James Carrion's Conclusions

"In summary, MUFON, after many hours of investigation by a number of our dedicated field investigators, has not been able to substantiate any of GLDC's claims."

He further goes on to note that their claims will remain doubtful until those making them come forward with more information and definitive proof of their purported discovery.

I couldn't agree more.