A Social Media Sleuth Is Determined to Find out What's Going on With Neuralink Patient 4

When it comes to bringing sci-fi ideas to fruition, Elon Musk seems determined to make life imitate art. Like numerous books, and one great movie starring Arnold Schwarzenneger, Musk has long been obsessed with colonizing Mars. He has also teased out the kind of flying cars we've seen in films like Back to the Future 2. Similar to fiction, none of this is possible yet.

One of the more hopeful technologies Musk is involved in is happening at his company Neuralink. According to their 2022 "Show and Tell," their ultimate goal is to "create a generalized input/output platform capable of interfacing with every aspect of the human brain." They are focusing on individuals with spinal cord injuries or, as is the case with Patient 4, diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Unfortunately, Patient 4 has kind of disappeared. What is going on?

According to Audrey Henson, the woman behind The Drey Dossier Substack, something is going on with Patient 4. Henson's Substack is focused on "investigating how technology quietly rewires power, politics, and public life." What better story to sink one's teeth into than a missing clinical trial patient?

As of September 2025, 12 patients have received Neuralink implants. Of those 12, only Patient 4 has no social media presence, per Henson's research. The others started X (formerly Twitter) accounts either on or around the day of their surgeries. They have consistently posted positive updates about the surgery while praising the "amazing technology." Henson also noticed that the Neuralink patients repost things from Tesla and SpaceX, Musk's other companies.

While assembling the list of Neuralink recipients, Patient 4, whose real name is Michael Melgarejo, stood out to Henson. He is an advanced ALS patient who had his surgery in early 2025. Melgarajo is a survey technician who appears to have no social media footprint. Henson dismissed the idea that Melgarajo was a private person after she discovered that Neuralink often involves him in their big events. In one clip, Melgarajo can't stop gushing about how happy he is now.

Henson grew more suspicious after realizing that when she Googles "Patient 4" and "Neuralink" she is told there is "no publicly known Patient 4." She also points out that for every other patient, at least one article pops up. The only thing that she has been able to find is a GoFundMe for Melgarejo, the content of which is pretty concerning.

The GoFundMe was created by Ryan Biggs in June 2025. As of November 2025, it is nearly halfway to its goal of $45,000. Biggs mentions Melgarejo's Neuralink implant, then says he is in a "not in a good place, mentally, financially, physically, or emotionally." It goes on to say Melgarejo is "ready to give life up, people." There are no updates regarding his mental state, just a screenshot about Melgarajo needing money for rent.

Henson did a little digging into Biggs and found his LinkedIn. It was basically dormant until he started repeatedly sharing the GoFundMe. It's worth noting that his last known job was with an insurance company. She then looked at the donor list on the GoFundMe and found that Shivon Zilis, Director of Operations and Special Projects at Neuralink, donated $3,000. She is also one of Musk's many baby mamas.