Update: ‘Madman’ Mike Marcum’s bizarre radio confession

ST. LOUIS – In October, we covered the story of “Madman” Mike Marcum, who seemingly vanished after claiming to have invented a time machine and appearing on the Art Bell “Coast to Coast” radio show.

FOX 2 confirmed that he spent time in jail in 1995 for stealing transformers, which he said were essential for his alleged time-travel device.

Recently, we discovered audio has emerged featuring Marcum on Bell’s other show, “Midnight in the Desert,” several years after he was reported to have “disappeared.”

On the radio show, Marcum recounts his journey, trying to create a ‘time machine.’ He goes into the details of how he created the ‘time machine’, what it looked like, and how a person would enter it.

In reality, in his pursuit of equipment for this ‘time machine’, Marcum stole transformers from the St. Joseph Light and Power generating station in King City, Missouri. A 1995 report from the Stanberry Police Department confirms the theft. He told Bell that he had spent 60 days in jail and five years on probation.

Marcum claimed to have moved to Overland Park, KS, where he continued his goal to make a time machine, but the “legal way.” He dedicated 18 months to significant tests involving live subjects—hamsters and guinea pigs.

He reappeared on Coast-to-Coast in 1996 and stated that he was 30 days away from making his “legal” time machine. After achieving what he deemed “successful” results with the animals, Marcum decided to enter the “time machine” himself.

“Objects disappeared and then reappeared again,” Marcum explained. “If I remember correctly, I tossed in about 200 objects and animals in total, conducting over 200 tests.”

In the audio, Marcum explained how he jumped into the ‘time machine’ and claimed that he woke up 800 miles away, two years and two months later. According to him, the electromagnetic fields took a toll, leading to amnesia.

“In short, it feels like I got hit with a flash bang. I wake up, and I’m 800 miles east of there, two years later,” said Marcum.

Still missing?

Marcum hasn’t made it known to FOX 2 if he is alive and the Missouri Highway State Patrol still doesn’t have him listed as a missing person. There are those who claim to have met him and talked to him about his time-traveling experience. He is the subject of TikToks, YouTube channels, Reddit threads and true-crime podcasts that all have theories about who he was and where he is now.

He has become a Missouri urban legend. It has been 26 years, and the mystery will likely remain a mystery.

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