The Why Files
Episode overview

Parallel Universes Are Real — And People Fall Into Them

The Why Files · 4 Egleze moments
Parallel Universes Are Real — And People Fall Into Them
Episode summary

This episode of The Y-Files, hosted by AJ, presents three campfire-style paranormal stories described as true and unsolved mysteries involving reality shifts and missing identities. The most newsworthy segment covers the case of William Burgess Powell, also known as Benjamin Kyle, who was discovered naked and amnesiac behind a Burger King in Georgia in 2004. For 11 years he could not legally prove his existence until DNA genealogy identified him in 2015. The episode reveals that a 2026 documentary alleged Powell may have faked his amnesia and worked for organized crime or intelligence agencies before vanishing in 1976, evidenced by a forensically wiped computer and searches for Colorado cold case murders. His former associate expressed fear of him, and Powell disappeared again in 2016 after the documentary aired. The episode also covers Lorena García Gordo, a Spanish woman who posted online in 2008 claiming she woke in a parallel universe where her boyfriend and over 100 memories never existed, and Carol McKelvey, who in 2006 reported driving into an empty, alternate version of her California hometown populated by inhuman entities. AJ presents these as unsolved mysteries without debunking or analysis, inviting audience feedback on expanding them into full episodes.

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4 moments from this episode

Source-linked · editorially selected
01
Espionage

Documentary Claims Missing Man Worked for CIA Before Disappearance

A documentary crew investigating the Benjamin Kyle case claimed to have recovered a forensically wiped computer containing searches for Colorado cold case murders under Powell's real name. The series alleges Powell worked for organized crime or a redacted intelligence organization before his 1976 disappearance. His former coworker stated he was afraid of Powell and refused to elaborate.

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02
Crime & Justice

Man Found Behind Burger King Had No Identity for 21 Years

William Burgess Powell, discovered naked and near death behind a Burger King in 2004 with total amnesia, lived 11 years without legal identity before DNA genealogy revealed his name. Investigators later uncovered a suspicious 21-year gap in his records from 1983 to 2004, with no employment, address, or documentation. A 2026 documentary alleged he may have worked for organized crime or intelligence agencies and that his amnesia may have been fabricated.

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03
UFO & Paranormal

Woman Reports Waking in Alternate Reality Where Boyfriend Never Existed

Lorena García Gordo posted online in 2008 that she woke to find her sheets, job, and entire life changed, including no record of her boyfriend Augustine despite months of memories. A private investigator found no birth certificate, license, or witness to his existence. She documented over 100 discrepancies between her memories and reality, leading her to conclude she had jumped into a parallel universe.

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04
UFO & Paranormal

Driver Describes Entering Empty Parallel Version of Hometown in California

Carol McKelvey reported that in 2006, after smelling her deceased grandfather's cigar smoke, she entered a deserted, alternate version of Riverside, California, where her family homes and the historic cemetery were replaced by different structures or empty lots. She encountered humanoid figures with wrong proportions moving in stuttering motion, which she instinctively knew were not human and posed existential danger.

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