Podcast Summary: Into The Dark – Episode 111: "The Man In The Ceiling"

Release Date: March 19, 2025
Host: Payton Moreland
Platform: OH NO MEDIA

Introduction

In episode 111 of Into The Dark, host Payton Moreland delves into a perplexing series of mysterious disappearances within South African hospitals. Blending elements of true crime with enigmatic theories ranging from serial killers to teleportation, Payton unravels the chilling cases that have left families and authorities baffled.

The Disappearance of Tetet Gokwanse

Tetet Gokwanse, a 61-year-old father of six, checks into Stellenbosch Hospital in South Africa on October 5, 2017, for routine abdominal surgery. Post-operation, Tetet was expected to recover for about a week—a standard recovery period for such procedures.

• October 7, 2017 [09:30]: The operation is deemed a success, and Tetet begins his recovery.

• October 8, 2017, 5:15 am [15:42]: A nurse enters Tetet's room to change his linens. Upon her return, Tetet has vanished. Given his recent surgery, Tetet “couldn't walk” or “access the ceiling”, making his disappearance inexplicable.

Despite a thorough search of the secure hospital premises, including restricted areas under construction, Tetet remains missing. The only clue arises 13 days later when a construction crew discovers a decomposed body in the hospital's ceiling crawl space on October 20, 2017. The body’s identity remains uncertain due to extensive deterioration, although authorities suspect it might be Tetet.

The Case of Stephen Macan

Payton compares Tetet's disappearance to a similar incident from 2001 involving Stephen Macan, a 44-year-old man who vanished under nearly identical circumstances.

• April 2001: Stephen checks into a different South African hospital for chest pains. After three days, he disappears without a trace, unable to walk out on his own.

• September 2001: Five months later, during a controlled fire in the hospital's lawn, a charred body is uncovered. Recognizable by his distinct sneakers, the body is “likely Stephen”, but DNA tests fail due to advanced decomposition, leaving his death undetermined.

The similarities between Tetet and Stephen's cases have fueled suspicions of a potential serial killer targeting hospital patients, although no concrete evidence supports this theory.

Sandile Sibaya's Vanishing Act

Adding to the eerie pattern, Sandile Sibaya disappears in 2019 from Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital, nearly a thousand miles from Stellenbosch.

• May 10, 2019: Sandile checks into the hospital for treatment of a broken leg. Shortly before his scheduled transfer to a specialized facility, he vanishes from his room where he “couldn't walk”.

• Late May 2019: A foul odor leads to the discovery of Sandile's decomposed body in the hospital's ceiling crawl space, mirroring the fates of Tetet and Stephen.

Theories and Speculations

The baffling nature of these disappearances has sparked various theories:

1. Serial Killer Hypothesis:

   • Payton Moreland [22:10]: “If a medical professional like a doctor or a nurse was kidnapping patients, killing them and stashing the bodies around the hospitals, that could explain this pattern.”
   • Given the secure environments and the patients' incapacitated states, the idea of a staff member being responsible gained traction among the public.

2. Teleportation Theory:

   • Drawing parallels to historical accounts, Payton explores the possibility of teleportation as an explanation.
   • Payton Moreland [35:50]: “If you can teleport tiny subatomic particles, you might be able to do that billions of times. Enough times to teleport every single part of a person's body from one spot to another.”
   • Citing the 1593 account of Gil Perez, who allegedly teleported from the Philippines to Mexico, Payton suggests that such phenomena, while unverified, offer a fantastical explanation for the inexplicable vanishings.

3. Government Experiments or Cover-ups:

   • Speculation arises about top-secret government experiments testing teleportation technology on hospital patients.
   • Alternatively, some believe the hospitals might be covering up the involvement of a staff member or external entity to avoid legal repercussions and protect their institutions’ reputations.

4. Supernatural and Paranormal Activities:

   • With no logical explanation, some listeners consider aliens, magic, or other paranormal forces as potential culprits behind the mysterious deaths.

Hospital and Family Reactions

The families of the missing patients have expressed profound frustration and suspicion towards hospital authorities and law enforcement agencies.

• Tetet's Family:

  • Payton Moreland [48:25]: “They think they're getting the run around. They believe the officials at the hospital know more than what they've been saying.”
  • Allegations include withholding information, potential involvement of staff in foul play, and ineffective law enforcement responses.

• Hospital Officials:

  • Payton Moreland [55:10]: The hospital denies any wrongdoing, asserting that Tetet died of natural causes unrelated to his surgery. They maintain transparency with families but admit the lack of concrete explanations for the peculiar circumstances of Tetet's death.

Conclusion

The episodes surrounding Tetet, Stephen, and Sandile present a baffling mystery that challenges conventional understandings of safety within medical facilities. With each case exhibiting unnerving similarities—such as patients unable to walk vanishing and later being found deceased in hospital ceilings—theories ranging from the plausible to the fantastical emerge:

• Is there a hidden serial killer within these hospitals?
• Could teleportation, a phenomenon not yet fully understood or verified, be at play?
• Are there undisclosed government experiments or deliberate cover-ups orchestrated by the institutions themselves?

Payton Moreland leaves listeners contemplating the thin veil between reality and the inexplicable, highlighting the unsettling possibility that some truths may lie beyond our current comprehension.

Notable Quotes:

• Payton Moreland [09:30]: “Tetet couldn’t walk or access the ceiling, making his disappearance inexplicable.”

• Payton Moreland [22:10]: “If a medical professional like a doctor or a nurse was kidnapping patients, killing them and stashing the bodies around the hospitals, that could explain this pattern.”

• Payton Moreland [35:50]: “If you can teleport tiny subatomic particles, you might be able to do that billions of times. Enough times to teleport every single part of a person's body from one spot to another.”

• Payton Moreland [48:25]: “They think they're getting the run around. They believe the officials at the hospital know more than what they've been saying.”

• Payton Moreland [55:10]: “It's a strange situation that nobody can explain. A patient who couldn't walk somehow got up into the hospital ceiling and just peacefully died in his sleep in the hospital ceiling.”

Reflections

Episode 111 of Into The Dark masterfully intertwines factual accounts with speculative theories, engaging listeners in a thought-provoking exploration of unexplained phenomena within the healthcare system. Payton Moreland's narrative invites us to question the boundaries of reality and the potential for mysteries that defy logical explanation.

Stay tuned for next week's episode as Payton Moreland continues to journey further Into The Dark.