Brandt’s son Brian Johnson of Marshalltown said his brother Bruce noticed shingles in their mother’s yard last week and then subsequently found a hole in the roof. On Thursday, they went into the attic and found what he deemed the “space junk” that is believed to be responsible for the hole.

“You can tell it’s been melded. You can tell it’s had a bunch of heat on it,” Brian Johnson said.

At first, they thought it might have been caused by a lightning strike, but nothing was burnt or charred. An employee of Kapaun and Brown determined that lightning was unlikely and that the object was traveling from the west to the east when it hit the roof.

Insurance has already been contacted, and they are waiting on an adjuster to make an assessment. A contractor was hired to put a tarp over the hole to temporarily patch it.

The objects placed a sizable hole in Brandt’s roof.

Brandt’s children would still like to know where the mysterious matter came from and what exactly it is. If anyone has relevant information or speculation, they are encouraged to share it with the T-R, and it will be passed along to Brandt’s family.