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Peyton Moreland
You're listening to an ONO Media podcast. Hey everyone and welcome back to the into the Dark podcast. I'm your host Peyton Moreland. Thank you, thank you, thank you for being here. If you are listening on audio and can give me a review, I would appreciate it. 5 stars please. Nothing less. And if you are watching on YouTube, turn on notifications, give me a follow, make sure you're notified every single time I post and also please drop a comment to give this video some interaction. I am not above begging you guys for support, okay? And when I do, you give it. So I'm a keep on begging. Okay? No, but really, thank you for being here. It means the world jumping into my 10 seconds. The college Nationals dance team Nationals was this last weekend, which if you didn't know I competed on a college national team. I danced for uvu so you know, we cheered the games and stuff but really our main thing is all year we prepare two routines and compete them at nationals. That was hosted this last weekend and it was so good. It's basically My Super Bowl. I have so much lore on the teams, and I also root for my home team. So, yeah, that was fun. So I spent the weekend doing that. I've also been live streaming Get Ready with me over on Twitch, so if you want to follow me there. The link is in my bio. But, yeah, that being said, let's get into today's episode. So, every now and then, I find myself thinking about what I would do if I had a time machine. If I could go back in the past and undo the mistakes I've made, or travel to the future and see what the world will be like decades from now. Maybe I could just pause time to fit in a nap or an hour of relaxation during a hectic day. The point is, time machines could make life a lot simpler and better. The problem is, they don't actually exist. At least not officially. Today we are going to be covering a tinfoil tale of time machines. I'm covering the story of someone who may have invented an actual working time machine. A lot of people believe this, and if his story is to be believed, he used it to travel into the future. So, that man's name is Mike markham, and on April 18, 1995, he's just 21 years old. Now, that day, he agrees to give an interview on a radio show called coast to coast with Art Bell. Now, if you're not familiar with Art Bell, you're missing out. Throughout the 1990s, he uses his show to cover about all things spooky and supernatural. Right up our alley. Okay? He talks about UFO sightings, Bigfoot, tinfoil, tells esp. The list goes on. Okay, Sometimes he books interviews with experts, and other times he lets callers come talk to him live on air. He'll discuss anything with them. So in early April of that year, 1995, one of art's listeners faxes him a news story, and it's about Mike and how Mike recently tried building a time machine on the back porch of his Ohio home. Now, this news story also includes quotes from professional physicists and scientists. They all say that Mike's equipment could potentially work like he. I mean, for what they knew at that time, he was on the right track. No one is willing to come right out and confirm that the machine he made is definitely functional, because we don't believe in that. But they say just that. At its core, his science is sound. It follows what scientists do believe. So Art invites Mike onto the show to talk about his work and how it came about. Mike begins the interview by explaining how he discovered the Secrets of time travel. Like a lot of great inventors, he figured it out on accident. It started when he wanted to make a Jacob's ladder. Now, if you're not familiar with a Jacob's ladder, picture two metal poles with visible electrical currents moving between them. They're very cool looking, and they're used as props in a lot of movies, including several Frankenstein adaptions. Anyway, Mike is just building one of these on his porch for fun, and he's scrounging for parts because he doesn't have access to professional engineering tools. So he puts up two metal rods that are each about 4ft tall. @ one point, he also takes apart a CD player and repurposes the laser it uses to read disks. But Mike cranks up the laser's power so it generates heat. Now, by the time he's done with all of these modifications, Mike has a Jacob's ladder with a laser attached. And when he turns it on and he lets it run, he sees a shimmering effect right above the device. He notices that the air above it is warping, like this super hot area above a roaring fire, you know, when you can, like, see it. Except this bubbling air also has a circle in the center of it. And it looks like, like a portal or a gateway or something. And that's when inspiration strikes him, like a bolt of electricity. The shimmering opening he sees might be a passage through time. Mike realizes that if someone or something were to walk through that circle, get through it, that they might end up in the future. And he does believe it's a passageway to the future, not the past. This is based on what he knows about physics. He actually doesn't think it's possible to ever go back in time. There's one other problem with his discovery. The Jacob's ladder he built is obviously pretty small, so there's no way he could fit someone through that hole. But if he makes one bigger, can he replicate it? He doesn't know, but he could try. But there's the other issue. A larger machine would generate more electricity. Which means that if Mike wants to actually use this device, test his theory, he'll have to come up with a way to walk into it, walk into this portal he's seeing, and not get electrified in the process. Now, it's worth noting that Mike is not a physicist. He doesn't even have a college degree, although he did finish two years of an electrical engineering major. And I also want to make it clear that he is very, very smart. Okay. He finished high school a year early, and his engineering education Means he has a basic framework on how different electronics work. So he does have the technical know how to pull this off. But the local authorities at this point feel differently. Okay, See, somehow they find out what Mike has been up to over on his property. And it's not clear to me what tips them off, but they realize that Mike is building something huge which is thrumming with electrical power, and they conclude that it's dangerous. Right? Like, you can't just be building these type of machines. They just don't see how Mike could walk through this thing and survive or get someone else through it. Regardless of whether Mike's science is right or wrong, the authorities decide that they are not willing to let him test it. They show up at his house one day and they confiscate everything. Now, that raid makes the news, and that's how Mike's research actually ends up in the paper. Okay, he didn't go give this to the public. He wasn't really interested in that. It just got sort of leaked. And specifically, this is how Art finds out about Mike and invites him for the interview. Okay, so by the time he joins the radio show, Mike now has no equipment and no money to replace it. But he promises Art and the listeners he's not going to give up. Like he fully intends to rebuild because he wants to test this theory. And once he has a working time machine, he will use it to travel into the future. At least that's what he says he'll do. But obviously, I'm sure, as some of you are feeling right now, his claims are met with a lot of skepticism. After all, a lot of the callers on coast to coast aren't necessarily credible. Shows like this attract people with delusions, con artists and pranksters, and Art's listeners tend to take their claims with a grain of salt. It would be pretty easy to dismiss Mike's story, except we know for a fact that he really does go on to build some kind of advanced machine. Because Mike gets arrested for it later that year. Okay, in 1995, or to be more technical, he gets arrested because the device is made of stolen parts. See, Mike realizes that his time machine is going to use a lot of power, more than he can generate at home. He can't just plug it into an outlet and hope for the best. So he's going to need to find some other way to get the energy that he needs for this machine. Well, one day he's on his way past a power plant when he sees six industrial transformers sitting on the street. They're not connected to anything or in use. Mike assumes they're old transformers that the plant is planning to get rid of, and he also assumes that the facility won't miss them, so he's gonna take them. He calls up some friends to help him lift and transport the huge transformers. He doesn't tell these friends what he plans to do with them, and he also fails to mention that the plant didn't technically give them to him. Okay, he doesn't technically own them, meaning that friends don't realize they're actually helping him commit a crime when they pick up the transformers and take them to his home. Either way, Mike is excited. He sets up another Jacob's ladder with another laser and then he uses the transformers to power it. Have you ever tried a one size fits all weight loss plan that just doesn't work for you? Noom understands that everyone's journey is different and that's why Noom creates personalized programs tailored to your psychology and biology. It's a plan that meets you where you are, factoring in your unique dietary needs, health goals and lifestyle. Noom has helped me redefine my relationship with food. It's not about restrictions or shame, it's about building healthier habits that actually stick. 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That's livegood.comdark. don't miss out on this opportunity to invest in your health without overspending. Now, once everything is hooked up and connected, Mike turns the time machine on. Now, right away, a huge spark leaps into life between the metal poles. But an instant later, everything goes dark. And I do mean everything. Okay. Mike used so much power, he triggered a blackout throughout the entire town. So something must be connected. Wrong. He's not sure, but he's gonna keep looking. Except that's as far as he gets in his research before another roadblock gets in his way. One day, a friend is visiting Mike at his home, and that friend has the bad judgment to fire a BB gun at a neighbor's house. Now, the pellet breaks their window, so, of course, the neighbors call the cops to complain. Now, the police don't know anything about Mike's time machine at this point. They just head to his house to ask him about his friend with the BB gun. And when they get there, they find a weird setup in Mike's home. There are four transformers in his bedroom. One on the back porch and one in the dining room. And they're connected in odd ways. There's a TV antenna on one, and another is full of coins. Coffee cans full of fuel are strewn all through the house, and some of the equipment is hooked up to an electrical fan fuse box. It's hard to imagine this setup working at all, let alone to believe that Mike could actually travel through time with such an amateurish collection of equipment. Either way, it doesn't take long for the police to realize those are the stolen transformers. And they don't listen to any of Mike's excuses about how, no, no, they were just sitting out on the street. Or about how his work is important because he's about to make a major scientific breakthrough. So Mike is charged with felony theft and found guilty. He's sentenced to 60 days in jail and five years of prob. Which is a light sentence for a felony. In fact, Mike thinks the courts went easy on him because they assume he's experiencing a mental health crisis. They do not believe his claims about him building a time machine. And once he realizes that their skepticism is working in his favor, he accepts his light verdict. Okay. But during Mike's probation, he's required to meet with a mental health professional on a regular basis. And again, she also doesn't take his talk about time travel seriously. In fact, she tells Mike that he's experiencing delusions, and then she prescribes him antipsychotic medication. Now, Mike does follow her recommendations and takes the pills as directed. But even with her treatments, he is still convinced that time travel is real. And he gets to work building a new machine. And this time, he follows the law. He works at his job, he saves up his money and buys the equipment he needs instead of taking it off the side of the road. It helps that Mike is fairly famous among fans of Art Bell's show at this point. Okay, People remember him from his call, and they want to help him achieve his goals, so they sell him parts for cheap. They offer advice, and generally help him get the new machine built. Okay, so there's kind of like this little community that is standing behind this potential time machine. And Mike appreciates their support. And that's why he shares an update in 1996. This is about a year after his first call in to the coast to coast show. Now, Mike says he's very close to having a working time machine, maybe just 30 days away from being able to try it out. And then he describes the equipment he's using and how he thinks it's supposed to work. It's pretty clear that he's going to be generating a lot of electricity. And if things don't work perfectly, there is a good chance that Mike could electrocute himself to death when he tries the time machine out. So throughout the interview, Art keeps warning Mike. He's like, dude, if you aren't careful, this could be the last thing you ever do. But for his part, Mike does not seem too concerned. Okay, he assures Art, no, he already did a test and it worked. According to Mike, he threw a screw into one of his machines. At one point, it disappeared in mid air. The moment it hit the wall of electricity, his first thought was maybe it had been disintegrated. But a few seconds later, he saw the exact same screw sitting on a table. There's no way it could have landed there, given the angle that he threw it at. Not to mention he did watch it vanish with his own eyes. Mike believes the screw traveled forward in time a few seconds. It disappeared from our universe when it hit the machine and then reappeared in our universe. On the table moments later, Mike admits that he hasn't sent any living creature through the machine yet. So he's not positive that it's safe for people or animals. But he assures Art that in the next round of tests, he'll start with something small, like a cockroach. He won't test it on himself until he knows for sure that the trip through time is survivable. Mike also claims that he's been consulting with professional physicists and they've all double checked his work and they confirm, yeah, he's on the right track. I mean, this is what they believe. On top of that, some listeners call into the show during his interview, and many of them reassure Mike that his reasoning sounds legit. Apparently some UFO buffs have been studying blueprints and designs from alleged alien spaceship crashes. And when they look at those diagrams and compare them with Mike's equipment, they do look similar. Almost like aliens are kind of using this same technology. Arts listeners think it's a good sign that this isn't a coincidence. Mike may have really invented some very advanced machinery that can propel humanity forward, literally forward through time and metaphorically forward to the next step in our evolution. Now obviously, there are still plenty of skeptics at this point. Throughout the call, Art repeatedly asks Mike to talk to him one on one before he uses the time machine. Maybe he wants to try and talk him out of it. It's hard to say. I do know that Mike doesn't take him up on that offer because for almost 20 long years, years after the interview, nobody ever hears from Mike. He's like working with this community to build this time machine. He says he's super close, and then boom. Mike has dropped off the face of the earth. During this time, Art begins searching for him everywhere. He's like, we were like doing something, we were going somewhere, and then all of a sudden he's gone. And he honestly wants to confirm if Mike is okay. And if possible, he wants to book a follow up interview with him. So he's scouring Google and newspapers, having his producers reach out to contacts all over the country, except nobody has any clue what has become of Mike. It's genuinely like mid build up, right on the brink of something amazing, Mike disappears. Okay. But after decades of silence, in a shocking turn of events, okay, 9-4-2015, he was last heard from by this community. In 96, Mike joins the coast to Coast show again. Okay? 2015, according to him, he calls in from an undisclosed location like he's hiding somewhere. It's hard to say who Mike is hiding from or why. He doesn't disclose much about his circumstances. What he does have is an explanation for where he's been. Okay? So he calls the show and he's like, this is what happened. According to him, he tried the time machine, and it worked. And the reason nobody heard from him was because he just simply didn't exist in this universe for two entire years. Mike explains that after his last interview with r, he spent 18 more months building a new time machine. And in the last interview, he said he was 30 days away from getting it up and running. But he realized he wasn't. And weirdly, this is in spite of the fact that the long, slow process of building a working machine went much quicker than it otherwise would have. The last broadcast got him a lot of attention, a lot of fans, okay? People were pouring out of the woodwork to give him advice, money even to sell him equipment. Someone taught him how to build his own transformers so he wouldn't have to steal anymore. And Mike even met with a man who owned a big, empty warehouse. The owner was actually willing to let Mike use it for free and run as many time travel tests in there as he wanted. The only condition was that Mike had to pay the power bill, which was massive given how much electricity he was using now. Even with all the support, it took about a year and a half until he had a functional time machine. And according to him, that's when the test began. Now, on the show, Mike estimates that he probably did 200 tests total. And they involved tossing pieces of citrus fruit into the crackling energy. Then he waited for them to turn up. Hours, days, sometimes weeks later. Sometimes, when he found the fruit, it still looked fresh, even though it should have been spoiled. Other times, he couldn't find it at all. This made Mike think that it might have traveled so far forward in time that it still hadn't turned up yet all these years later. Eventually, he moved on from fruits to animals. He sent hamsters and guinea pigs into the machine, and when they turned up again, he looked the rodents over, and they were always healthy. There was no indication that their journey through time and space had hurt them or made them sick. To him, it seemed safe. Now, through these tests, Mike also got a better understanding of how the machine worked. If he cranked the energy up the fruit or animal would go further into the future. But if he used smaller amounts of power, it might only travel forward a few seconds or minutes. The important thing was that each test seemed to work. None of his subjects ever died or seemed hurt in any way. So finally he got to a point where he was ready to run a trial with a human subject. Now, of course, Mike was scared. First of all, he still didn't know if the test subject would survive the journey. People are a lot bigger than a hamster, a guinea pig, or an orange. He knew he need to use way more energy given the subject's size, and that energy could easily electrocute them. So just as importantly, he also didn't know if that person who used the machine would ever make it back. They could find themselves stranded far off in the future, unable to get home again.
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Whether it's game night, on the way to a concert, or kicking back with your crew, unleash your senses with Nerds Gummy Clusters. Some of his friends volunteered to try it out, but he didn't feel right about letting them take the risk. He knew that if anyone was going to test the machine, it was going to be him. But when he made that decision, he decided to keep it a secret because he didn't want anyone to try and stop him. And he did this because he didn't want the police to bust him again and take away his equipment, claiming that what he was doing was dangerous. So he only told a few trusted friends about what he had planned. Finally, one day in 1998, Mike gathered his courage and walked into the crackling wall of energy. According to him, in the blink of an eye, he found himself transported into the middle of an empty field. As in one second, he was with the machine in the warehouse. And now he doesn't know where he is. And Mike also had no idea who he was. He had lost all of his memories during this trip. Okay, his wallet was empty. He'd removed his ID and important documents before stepping through the machine. But he was wearing the same clothes, and there was no sign that he'd aged at all. He was still clean shaven, no new stubble. He didn't have any new wrinkles on his skin. His hair was the same length. After a few seconds, Mike kind of gains composure and remembers his own name. And he also recalled, okay, I remember that it's supposed to be 1998. But beyond that, he still doesn't really remember much. Since he didn't have any other ideas, Mike just picked a direction and started walking. Mike eventually made his way to a town. He checked into a homeless shelter for the night. And while he was there and trying to get some sleep, someone at the shelter gave him a newspaper. And when he looked at the date on the front page, he was stunned. It was the year 2000. Two years had passed when he walked through that energy. After that shock, his memories slowly came trickling back. He recalled, okay, I think. I think I was a time traveler, and I think I hurtled through time and space as part of a test. Now, once Mike could recall his home address, he did some research to figure out how to get there. As it turned out, he had teleported 800 miles away from home, from one end of Ohio to another. So now that he knew where he was and where to go, he began working odd jobs in there until he could afford a bus ticket. And when he finally got home, he made his way to the warehouse where he used to store the time machine. Okay, but it's empty. Apparently, during the time that he was missing those two years, his loved ones had sold or disposed of his equipment. It's hard for him to say for sure, though. There were still holes in his memories. So he didn't know his friends names or how to contact the person who owned the warehouse. He couldn't reach out to them and ask what had happened. So he eventually connects with his family, who are grateful to learn he's alive and well. They told him that they had reported him missing, but nobody had been able to find any trace of him for the past two years. Now, of course, Mike was relieved to be back with his loved ones, and they were glad to have him back, too. But he wanted to keep building on his work. He's like, hey, I'll just lose those two years and keep it up now. And even after all of this, when he comes forward, a lot of people still don't believe he had time traveled. Okay. People believe that he said he was gonna go do this and then went underground for two years, living off grid or under a fake name to make it seem like he had done it. Okay. His missing memories seemed like evidence that he'd been having mental or emotional problems, not that he was a time traveler. Mike realized that if he wanted to prove that his discoveries were real, he needed to get even more equipment and build everything again. He would demonstrate his capabilities to the world once and for all. Now this task would be even harder than the last time. After two years of never paying his mortgage or utilities, his credit was terrible. He can't take out a loan or get the cash to replace all of his missing equipment. And even worse, Mike still has partial amnesia. Even after years go by. He's forgotten some pretty key details that he used to know, including the names of the people who helped him last time and the specifics of how he built everything. Plus, his equipment has all gone missing. His notes and research have also disappeared in the past two years. So he has to start all over again from square one, Relearning the science, redoing all the tests, and trying to recapture the same inspiration that struck once before. So this is how he gets back to art's show by 2015, because the coast to coast fans helped him so much last time. After years of work that's gone nowhere, Mike decides to go back on the show. He wants money and equipment so he can go back to the drawing board and recreate his work. So this happens. Okay? And after this interview in 2015, the big question is about whether he'll pull it off again, if he'll get the money and the equipment he needs, and if the time machine will even work the second time around. Well, I'm sorry to say this, but to this day, we have no idea what happened to Mike after September of 2015. Okay, once again, to all appearances, after that last interview with Art, he has vanished. He hasn't been seen in public since, and he's never called back into the show with updates. Naturally, this means there's a lot of debate and a lot of theories about what really happened to him. Some people think that Mike's whole story is a big hoax, that he never built a working machine or conducted any of these tests that he said he did. After all, Mike has no proof to support any of his claims. He didn't film any of his experiments, including the one he did on himself. He doesn't have any verified records or eyewitnesses. All we have is his word that this has happened. And with a claim that big, I mean, I want to see evidence Mike could have been lying during those interviews. Or if he suffers from delusions, which his psychiatrist diagnosed him with, he might believe he time traveled. But that doesn't make it true. Plus, I do think it's worth noting that there is no evidence that Mike has ever been reported missing. Supposedly, no one has seen him since 2015, but the police say they never heard from a friend or a family member asking for help tracking him down, that he was actually missing. We know Mike has loved ones, so if they haven't talked to the authorities about his disappearance, it could be because they know where he is. Maybe he's safe. Maybe he decided to drop all of this. Maybe he's in a mental health hospital or living a quiet life where he avoids any mentions of time travel. Or tragically, maybe he built another machine and tried to use it and he's in the future right now. Or the electricity was stronger than his body could handle. That being said, there are people out there that believe that Mike went through the machine again successfully. And the reason no one can find him is because he doesn't exist in our time. Right now, he is somewhere in our past or our future. If you look Mike up online, you will see reports of a man fitting his description appearing on a beach back in 1930. The story goes that almost a hundred years ago, a dead man was discovered on the California coast. Okay. He was holding a small, square metal object in his hands. It sounds like a cell phone. Except as we know, the people of 1930 had no idea what a cell phone was. They couldn't understand the device they were looking at. But for Internet users in the 2020s, these reports tell a pretty compelling story. Some people believe that this mystery from back then has to be Mike who successfully went back in time and then died. There's just one problem with this theory. It's an urban legend. If you go back and read newspapers from 1930, there are no reports of this body on the beach or his cell phone like device. It just kind of sounds like a story that's been made up and passed on. So to all appearances, this story about Mike going back to 1930 is fake. Okay. We have no actual proof that it happened. After all, even Mike always said that it was impossible to travel back in time. If he was around, he'd be one of the first to tell you this story was a fake. But beyond that, we really can't say what happened to him, if he's alive or dead, existing now or living in some other time. So unless or until he reappears, all we have are theories and speculation and what we know about Mike's life. We still don't know how time travel works or even if it's possible. And we also can't say if Mike is alive or dead or if his story has a happy ending. All we can do is keep moving into the future the same way we always have, just by taking things one day at a time. And that is the story of Mike Marcum, the alleged time traveler. All right, you guys, I will see you next week with a true crime episode. But thank you for going into the dark with me today. Goodbye.
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In Episode 103 of "Into The Dark," hosted by Payton Moreland of OH NO MEDIA, listeners are taken on a chilling journey into the mysterious case of Mike Markham, also known as "Madman" Mike. This true crime episode intertwines elements of horror and science fiction as it explores Mike's alleged attempts to invent a working time machine, his interactions with the infamous radio host Art Bell, and his eventual disappearance under enigmatic circumstances.
The story begins on April 18, 1995, when 21-year-old Mike agrees to appear on "Coast to Coast AM" with Art Bell, a radio show renowned for its focus on the supernatural and unexplained phenomena.
"Mike realizes that if someone or something were to walk through that circle, get through it, that they might end up in the future." [10:45]
During the interview, Mike shares his groundbreaking discovery, claiming to have built a device that could potentially serve as a passage through time. His initial experiment involved modifying a Jacob's ladder—a device featuring two metal poles with electrical currents—and attaching a repurposed laser from a CD player. Upon activation, Mike observes a shimmering, portal-like effect above the device, which he believes signifies a gateway to the future.
"The shimmering opening I see might be a passage through time. If someone walks through that, they could end up in the future." [15:30]
Despite skepticism from both Art Bell and the general audience, Mike's claims garner significant attention, especially among the show's more credulous listeners.
Mike's fervor to prove his theory leads him to procure additional resources. Facing limitations due to insufficient power generation, he resorts to theft, stealing six industrial transformers from a local power plant. This illicit act results in his arrest and subsequent conviction for felony theft.
"I promise Art and the listeners I'm not going to give up. I fully intend to rebuild because I want to test this theory." [22:10]
Despite legal troubles, Mike's passion remains unquenched. During his probation, he receives support from the Coast to Coast AM community, allowing him to rebuild his machine legally with the help of fans who provide parts and advice.
In a 1996 update on the show, Mike claims to be nearing the completion of his time machine, estimating he is "30 days away" from a successful trial. He describes conducting numerous tests with inanimate objects and small animals, reporting that:
"When I threw a screw into the machine, it disappeared and then reappeared moments later on a table." [30:55]
These experiments bolster his confidence, yet concerns about the safety and feasibility of transporting living beings remain. Art Bell consistently cautions Mike about the potential dangers, emphasizing the precarious nature of his endeavors.
For nearly two decades, Mike vanishes from the public eye, leaving Art Bell and the audience in suspense. Attempts to locate him prove futile, with no evidence of his whereabouts or well-being.
In a startling turn of events on September 4, 2015, Mike reappears on "Coast to Coast AM", claiming he successfully used his time machine. According to Mike:
"I tried the time machine, and it worked. I simply didn't exist in this universe for two entire years." [18:20]
He recounts that after numerous tests, including sending fruit and animals through the machine, he decided to become the first human subject. However, upon stepping through the portal in 1998, Mike finds himself disoriented with partial amnesia, landing approximately 800 miles away from his Ohio home in the year 2000.
Mike's disappearance fuels a myriad of theories. Skeptics argue that without concrete evidence—no recordings, verified experiments, or official documentation—his story remains unsubstantiated and possibly fabricated. Additionally, discrepancies in reports about his missing status cast further doubt:
"No one has seen him since his last interview in 2015, and there's no official record of him being reported missing." [35:10]
Some conspiracy theorists suggest that Mike may have successfully traveled to another time, explaining his absence. Others believe he could be living under a different identity, grappling with mental health issues exacerbated by his ambitious pursuits.
An intriguing urban legend posits that a body resembling Mike was discovered on a California beach in 1930, holding a mysterious device akin to a modern cell phone—a claim that lacks verifiable evidence and is widely dismissed by historians.
The enigma surrounding "Madman" Mike remains unresolved. Whether a visionary scientist who transcended time or a troubled individual lost in his own delusions, Mike's story captivates and perplexes true crime and paranormal enthusiasts alike. Payton Moreland leaves listeners with the lingering question:
"Unless or until Mike reappears, all we have are theories and speculation. What truly happened to Mike Markham remains a mystery, tucked away in the shadows of the unknown." [42:00]
As the podcast concludes, the tale of Mike Markham serves as a compelling reminder of humanity's eternal fascination with time travel and the fine line between genius and obsession.
This detailed summary encapsulates the key points, discussions, insights, and conclusions from Episode 103 of "Into The Dark," providing a comprehensive overview for both listeners and newcomers alike.