By Staff The disappearance of Granger Taylor in 1980 is truly bizarre. Taylor’s disappearance involved extraterrestrial elements, a strange letter and some puzzling discoveries.
Granger’s letter suggested he was boarding an “alien spaceship”, but that he would return after 42 months. However, Granger never did. His disappearance remains unsolved.
This article reviews this case. There is a reader’s poll at the end of the article, which we hope you partake in. We will all be able to see what the consensus is among our readers as to what happened.
Background
Granger Taylor was born in 1948. At the time of his disappearance, Granger was just 32, and lived in British Columbia, Canada with his mother and stepfather.
His father tragically passed away while Granger was still in his formative years. The father died by drowning in a horrible accident. He later had a stepfather who he got on with very well.
Granger was known to be a mechanical genius, having restored a train and rebuilt a Kittyhawk fighter aircraft that had been used in World War II!
He had a keen interest in space. With this in mind, Granger made his own spaceship. Granger was also known to believe that he could communicate with aliens.
The Disappearance
On 29th November 1980, there was a strong thunderstorm. Granger left his house after writing a letter and placing it on the door of his parents’ room.
The next morning, Granger’s parents woke up to find the letter, with Granger nowhere to be seen.
The letter read:
Dear Mother and Father
I have gone away to walk aboard an alien space ship. As reoccurring 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 will require the use of any. Please use the instructions in my will as a guide to help.
Love, Granger
As the day went by, Granger didn’t return. Given that he was an adult, it was initially believed that he would just be on a trip. But he didn’t return in the following few days.
The Investigation
Granger was reported as missing. The Police started an investigation, which unfortunately failed to go anywhere.
The Police also found two wills that Granger had left behind. These wills provided instructions to his parents on what he wanted them to do with his possessions.
After delving into Granger’s life, investigators found that he had been taking acid multiple times per day. This led to them believing that his mental state may have been unstable.
This information, coupled with Granger’s belief that he could communicate with aliens, led investigators to believe there may have been some delusional, and/or suicidal intent from Granger.
Around the time, there were a huge number of reported UFO sightings. While these were looked into by investigators, nothing definitive arose.
As the months flew by, there were very few details on the case. This was difficult for Granger’s family, who were left with very few answers to their questions.
Later Developments
The lack of leads on Granger’s whereabouts was rather baffling to investigators. They were unable to reach any conclusion on what had happened to him.
The biggest development in the case came in 1986, when workers in a forest near where Granger disappeared found a vehicle that had clearly been blown-out. It had the appearance as if dynamite had been used. Interestingly, Granger was very knowledgeable with dynamite due to his mechanical interests.
The police confirmed that the vehicle’s license plate matched a vehicle owned by Granger. A piece of what was believed to be Granger’s t-shirt and some bone fragments were found at the scene. It looked like Granger had been there, and possibly had been in the car at the time of the supposed explosion.
The bone fragments were too small to be confirmed as belonging to Granger. However, this finding was cited by the coroner’s office when deciding to declare Granger dead. Many believe that the bone fragments belonged to Granger.
The main strain of hope came 42 months after the disappearance. In line with Granger’s letter, his family held a degree of hope that he would return. 42 months after his disappearance, they left the door unlocked, in case Granger did return. Unfortunately, he didn’t.
In the subsequent years, there have been no further developments on Granger’s disappearance. It looks unlikely that there will ever be a definitive answer on the case.
In modern years, the disappearance has become well-known. The case of Granger Taylor is a hotly-debated topic on social media.
His disappearance was also the focus of a documentary called Spaceman. In this documentary, his family speak highly of him. It definitely appears he was a well-liked individual that was respected by his peers.
Theories
There are a few different theories that have been put forward to explain what could have happened to Granger.
We take a look at the evidence that supports each one:
Theory One: Granger Taylor blew himself up with dynamite in his car
Arguably the most likely outcome was that Granger unfortunately blew himself up with dynamite in his car. This may have been in an act of delusion or suicide.
Granger was known to believe he could communicate with aliens. Many considered him to be delusional. He was also known to be an avid smoker of Cannabis – which is known to interfere with the brain. This may have contributed to the apparent delusional thinking.
To a sane person, his letter would probably be seen as being delusional – and written by someone who didn’t have a strong grasp on reality.
Then there is also the chance that Granger was struggling with purpose in life, and that he sought a way out of the world. If he did intend on taking his own life – he may have used the letter as a cover story instead in an effort to spare his parents from guilt or pain.
The main evidence for this theory is how a vehicle with a license plate matching a vehicle of Granger’s was found with parts of his own t-shirt and some bone fragments in a forest area near where he vanished from. Moreover, dynamite was missing from the Taylor household. Dynamite or a similar explosive device seemed to have been used.
If this did happen, then it isn’t clear why Granger did it. But the fact he left behind a will may have been a sign of his thinking. Most of the evidence points towards this theory being accurate.
Theory Two: There was extraterrestrial involvement in Granger Taylor’s disappearance
Given the vast nature of our universe, it would be ignorant of us to assume there is no extraterrestrial life. With this in mind, there may have been some extraterrestrial involvement in Granger’s disappearance.
If the bone fragments that were found didn’t belong to Granger, then it leaves the question – where is he? It is possible that he did indeed get abducted by aliens.
Perhaps Granger’s vehicle that exploded was blown up by aliens. They could have feasibly used this as a way of covering up any abduction of Granger.
However, many would argue that this suggestion is unrealistic. While many people have claimed to have been abducted by aliens, these often appear to be incorrect accounts.
Also, Granger appeared to believe he would come back after 42 months – which he didn’t. Many would argue this theory is far-fetched.
Theory Three: There was foul play in Granger Taylor’s disappearance
A third theory that has been given very little credence is the possibility that there was foul play in Granger’s disappearance. He may have been killed or harmed by someone.
As with so many crimes, opportunistic people exist. Granger could feasibly have stumbled across something he wasn’t meant to, or may have been the victim of an accident.
Either way, given that the location of Granger’s body is unknown – it is possible that a crime was committed and that Granger’s body was subsequently disposed of.
However, Granger did appear to be intentionally leaving, so it would be incredibly coincidental for him to fall victim to foul play. This is especially given that he knew the area very well.
Theory Four: Granger Taylor intentionally disappeared
There is also the theory that Granger decided to intentionally disappear. Perhaps the letter that he left was a big hoax that he perpetrated to deflect interest away from him starting a new life.
Granger was old enough to be able to start afresh, and would have had the skillset to get employment in any area. It is plausible that he could have intentionally disappeared. It would explain why he has never been found.
Moreover, in an interview, a long-time friend of Granger’s – Robert Keller – spoke of how Granger had spoken of potentially disappearing. Keller recalled:
“Just before we built the spaceship, Granger had said if he wanted to disappear all he would have to do was grow a beard, and move to another country. No one would know”
It is a possibility that Granger went ahead and planned his disappearance. Perhaps he did grow a beard, moved to another country, and lived a happy life – like he had suggested.
However, such an event requires a lot of preparation and money. Granger’s bank accounts showed no irregular activity before his disappearance. Therefore, it is doubtful that Granger was financially prepared to disappear.
Then there is also the fact that Granger never made contact with his family again. Granger had a loving family and many friends. It seems unlikely that he would never make contact again with them.
Reader Vote
Now that you have read the evidence for the above theories, feel free to vote on the theory that you believe is the most accurate below:
Summary
Granger Taylor’s disappearance is regarded as a very puzzling case. If his life did end in the car, then hopefully he has found peace. Much of the evidence does point in this direction – but it is difficult to know if this was an intentional act or not.
But of course, there is always the possibility that Granger did indeed go on a voyage with extra-terrestrial life. For all we know, this voyage may remain ongoing.
