The Lead Masks Case (1966): Brazil’s Strangest Unsolved Deaths | Unsolved-ish A Strange History Podcast

In 1966, two Brazilian electronics technicians were found dead on a remote hill near Rio de Janeiro — lying side by side, wearing crude lead masks, and carrying a notebook filled with cryptic instructions. There were no signs of violence.
No clear cause of death.
And no explanation that made sense. We dive deep into The Lead Masks Case, one of the most unsettling and overlooked mysteries in modern history. We explore who these men were, why they believed they were preparing for “contact,” and how Brazilian spiritualism, Cold War paranoia, early electronics culture, and ritual experimentation all collided in one inexplicable event. Was it a failed spiritual experiment?
A misunderstood scientific ritual?
Accidental poisoning?
Or something that authorities couldn’t — or wouldn’t — investigate fully? This case wasn’t solved.
It wasn’t proven a crime.
It was quietly filed away. And that’s what makes it so disturbing. A strange history story involving unexplained deaths, cryptic notes, altered states, and a mystery that still has no ending — told with deep research, atmospheric storytelling, and the occasional darkly funny fake ad.

Sister podcast to The Strange History Podcast