On February 24, 1978, five friends from Yuba City vanished after attending a basketball game in Chico, California. Months later, four of them were found dead under chilling and bizarre circumstances in the Plumas National Forest. One, Gary Mathias, was never found. This case—often dubbed the “American Dyatlov Pass”—remains one of the most confounding unsolved mysteries in U.S. history. In this episode, we unravel the timeline, explore the haunting discoveries, and dig into the theories that attempt to explain why five young men drove 70 miles off course into the snowbound Sierra Nevada, only to meet such a tragic and mysterious fate.

Key Talking Points:

The “Gateway Gators”: Who the five men were (Jack Madruga, Bill Sterling, Ted Weiher, Jackie Huett, and Gary Mathias).

The Night of February 24, 1978: Basketball game in Chico, snack stop at Behr’s Market, and the puzzling detour into the mountains.

Joseph Shones’ Testimony: The heart attack victim who saw strange figures and a car that night.

Discovery of the Montego: Why was the car found operable but abandoned at 4,400 feet in the forest?

The Search: The blizzards, false leads, and the strange Brownsville store sighting.

The Trailer Paradox: Ted Weiher’s prolonged survival, food rations, unused propane, and the eerie bedsheet shroud.

Theories:

Foul play or coercion

Gary Mathias’ potential role and missing fate

Accident/misadventure and the “Snowcat trail” hypothesis

Failed rescue attempts

Dyatlov comparisons and fringe theories (UFOs, paranormal)

Aftermath and Legacy: The grief of the families, investigators’ frustrations, and why the case endures as folklore and mystery.

Contextual Deep Dive:

Witness Account: Shones’ claim of seeing a group—including what looked like a woman with a baby—adds an almost supernatural layer. Was it a hallucination caused by his heart attack, or did he truly encounter the boys that night?

Car Clues: No signs of damage on the undercarriage despite the rough road; windows down, keys missing, snacks and programs left behind. Investigators called the scene “bizarre as hell.”

The Trailer: Ted lived for up to 13 weeks, losing nearly 100 pounds. Shoes swapped with Gary. Matches and wood available, yet no fire. Propane tank untouched. Army rations opened, but a locker with a year’s worth of meals left sealed. Why?

The Brownsville Lead: A credible store clerk insisted four of the men bought snacks the next day with an unknown driver. If accurate, it suggests the boys were alive longer than thought and possibly under someone else’s influence.

Missing Forever: Gary Mathias’ sneakers left behind, but no trace of him. His disappearance fuels theories from foul play to survival to institutionalization under another identity.

Parallels to Dyatlov Pass: Both groups abandoned safety for the elements and perished mysteriously, but Yuba’s case has distinctly human decisions at its core rather than unknown forces.

Summary:

On a humid August evening in 1966, two Brazilian technicians set out on a secretive trip that ended with their lifeless bodies on Vintém Hill—dressed in suits, wearing homemade lead eye masks, and carrying a cryptic note that spoke of “swallowing capsules” and “awaiting a signal.” Nearly six decades later, the Lead Masks Case remains one of the most chilling and confounding unsolved mysteries in true crime and paranormal history.

In this solo episode, Jesus takes listeners through the haunting timeline of Manoel Pereira da Cruz and Miguel José Viana: their strange detour to Niterói, the last purchases they ever made, and the bizarre instructions that led them up the hill. Along the way, we dive into the tangled web of theories—UFO encounters, spiritualist experiments, drug overdoses, and possible foul play—that have kept this case alive in headlines and conspiracy circles for decades.

Key Talking Points:

Discovery of the bodies on Vintém Hill by a young boy.

The eerie crime scene: lead masks, raincoats, wet towels, and a cryptic note.

Timeline of the men’s final days, including their strange purchases and lies to their families.

Witness accounts of UFOs in the skies over Niterói that same evening.

Theories explored:

A failed “scientific spiritualist” experiment to contact aliens or spirits.

Foul play or a deadly scam tied to missing money.

Accidental overdose or misadventure with unknown capsules.

The curious involvement of their friend Élcio Gomes.

The confession of Hamilton Bezani and why investigators dismissed it.

Why the lack of autopsy and toxicology doomed the case from the start.

How this mystery lingers as a modern myth—blurring the line between science, faith, and the unexplained.

Contextual Deep Dive:

Background on Spiritism in Brazil during the 1960s and how it shaped beliefs about extraterrestrial contact.

Cultural fascination with UFOs during the Space Race era and how that influenced local narratives.

Investigative failures: how delays, decomposition, and bureaucratic backlog erased crucial forensic evidence.

Parallels to other unexplained “lead mask” deaths in Brazil, including a similar case from 1962.

The enduring legacy of the case in books, podcasts, and UFO literature.

Listener Prompts:

Do you think Manoel and Miguel died as a result of their own experiment gone wrong—or were they tricked by someone else?

How much weight do you give to the UFO witness sightings? Coincidence, embellishment, or genuine phenomenon?

If you were an investigator in 1966, which theory would you have pursued first?

Part of Hosts Jesus' story Arc #1 series

In 2013, 21-year-old Elisa Lam vanished from the infamous Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Weeks later, her body was discovered floating inside a rooftop water tank. The only clue? A haunting piece of elevator footage that went viral, triggering global conspiracy theories, ghost stories, and internet sleuth hysteria.

In this eerie deep dive, Jesus breaks down the disturbing timeline, chilling theories, and tragic truth behind one of the internet’s most enduring mysteries. We explore the real Elisa — her mental health struggles, her vulnerable writings — and the cursed legacy of the Cecil Hotel, where death and darkness have long checked in.

• Elisa Lam’s solo journey down the West Coast
• Her final days inside the Cecil Hotel
• The viral elevator footage: frame-by-frame breakdown
• Discovery of her body and the hotel’s disturbing water issue
• Autopsy report and inconsistencies

• Deep dive into theories:
• The Elevator Game
• LAM-ELISA TB test connection
• Cover-up and missing elevator footage
• Supernatural claims tied to the hotel
• The internet’s obsession and the harassment of Pablo Vergara (Morbid)
• The modern-day Cecil Hotel: supportive housing or still haunted?
• Final reflections: trauma, spectacle, and remembering Elisa as a person

• The Cecil Hotel has a long and bloody history, including ties to serial killers Richard Ramirez and Jack Unterweger.
• Elisa’s Tumblr (nouvelle-nouveau) gave the world insight into her inner world — from poetic quotes to cries for help.
• Her death sparked a cultural phenomenon that blurred lines between true crime, horror, and viral content, raising questions about mental health, media ethics, and the internet’s thirst for darkness.
• The Netflix documentary (2021) introduced new witnesses and controversies — including hotel staff perspectives and accusations of mishandled footage.
• The LAM-ELISA tuberculosis test, real and active during a nearby outbreak, added fuel to biowarfare conspiracies.
• Morbid (Pablo Vergara) was falsely accused by internet sleuths, leading to real psychological harm.
• As of 2024–2025, the Cecil Hotel is partially reopened as supportive housing, but much of it remains sealed off and vacant — its haunted reputation far from gone.

• Do you think Elisa Lam’s death was purely accidental… or something more sinister?
• What do you believe happened in the elevator?
• Should internet sleuths be held accountable when real lives are affected?
• Have you ever stayed somewhere with a dark history? Would you stay at the Cecil Hotel today?

https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a35480838/elisa-lam-tumblr-nouvelle-nouveau-blog-crime-scene-online/

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2021-02-10/netflix-the-vanishing-at-the-cecil-hotel-crime-scene-elisa-lam

https://www.oxygen.com/true-crime-buzz/elisa-lam-elevator-video-at-cecil-hotel-spawned-wild-theories