(NewsNation) — A member of the caucus in Congress responsible for investigating aerial phenomena has asked the FBI and CIA for help in probing an alleged UFO crash in southeast Brazil from three decades ago.

Brazilian witnesses from January 1996 claimed at least one extraterrestrial survived the crash of a cigar-shaped craft and even received medical attention. The incident is sometimes referred to as the “Roswell of Brazil,” a reference to the alleged 1947 crash of a UFO in New Mexico.

In variations of the Varginha, Brazil, narrative, the U.S. government intercedes and takes evidence, which is one entry point for Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo. Last week, the transparency advocate sent letters to the FBI and CIA requesting any records they have about the Brazilian event.

“I have not heard back directly,” Burlison told “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” on Tuesday.

Burlison is member of the House Oversight Committee its Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets. He previously attended a forum in Washington, D.C., where some of the Varginha witnesses told their stories.

Carlos de Souza, witness of an alleged UFO crash in Varginha, Brazil in 1996, speaks at a press conference on UAP and UFO encounters, alongside Filmmaker James Fox (R) and former Senate Intelligence Committee staff member Kirk McConnell, at the National Press Club on January 20, 2026, in Washington, DC. The press conference, organized by Fox and focused on a 1996 alleged UFO crash in Brazil, called for expanded whistleblower protection and greater transparency to the public. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“In general, in this topic, I find that people believe what they experienced — I just am not someone that’s going to believe it until I experience it myself,” Burlison said. “I don’t think people are purposely trying to come forward and lie. I think that their motives are pretty honest.”

Besides providing records, Burlison said the FBI could help run interference on the claim that a Brazilian soldier died from an infection after making contact with the alien craft or the extraterrestrial.

“That’s one of the things that we’ve requested … that the FBI request that they exhume the body, if possible. We have contacts with the Brazilian authorities, and that’s something that we’re exploring,” he said.