Overview of MFM Minisode 485
This minisode is a rapid-fire collection of listener-submitted hometown stories that lean into classic My Favorite Murder territory: weird local legends, true-crime proximity, childhood chaos, family secrets, and humiliating accidents. Karen and Georgia riff on each story with the usual mix of outrage, laughter, and practical paranoia, while the biggest throughline is how often people’s lives are shaped by hidden behavior — from a ferry captain’s terrible flirting to a father-in-law’s secret drug-running past.
Main Stories and Takeaways
The “Sail-by Salute” Ferry Disaster in Washington State
A listener from the San Juan Islands shares a local legend from 1983: a Washington State Ferry captain invited a passenger into the wheelhouse, then jokingly decided to “sail by” her home as a flirtation. The joke went very wrong when he steered the ferry into a reef, causing major damage.
- The ferry sustained roughly $250,000 in damage at the time.
- No one was seriously hurt, but the passenger was unfairly turned into the “siren” of the story.
- The hosts connect this to broader patterns of victim-blaming and how women are often blamed for men’s reckless choices.
A Childhood Home Burglary That May Have Been the Golden State Killer
Another listener believes Joseph James DeAngelo may have been inside her bedroom closet during a 1983 burglary in Woodland Hills, California.
Key details:
- Valuables were left behind, but sentimental items were taken: wedding rings, a $20 bill, and a chef’s knife was left in her closet.
- The family also received hang-up calls and heavy breathing afterward.
- After the burglary, her dad bought a Labrador, which the listener credits with helping deter future attacks.
The story is chilling because it fits DeAngelo’s known habits:
- He targeted homes via freeway corridors.
- He often avoided homes with dogs.
- He was known for psychological terror and stalking behavior.
Kids Pretending One of Them Was a Witch
A listener tells a funny childhood story from the Milwaukee suburbs in the 1960s. Left to entertain themselves, two siblings staged a fake séance in the garage using candles, a tarp, and a homemade crystal ball.
The prank:
- The older sibling dressed her younger brother Greg as a witch with a wig and costume.
- They told neighborhood kids the “witch” could predict the future and summon the dead.
- The witch warned the kids they would die unless they showered at midnight.
Result:
- Eleven phone calls came in from terrified parents after the kids obeyed.
- The pranksters were grounded, likely swatted with a wooden spoon, but clearly proud of themselves.
A Father-in-Law’s Secret Life as a Cocaine Mule
One of the most dramatic stories in the episode involves a listener discovering her father-in-law had lived a double life.
What she found:
- A warning from her wife’s father that if they were ever in the Bahamas, they should claim not to know him.
- Old newspaper clippings revealing he had been arrested in connection with a cocaine operation involving a former Major League Baseball player.
- A hidden file cabinet full of receipts, cash stashes, and documents.
The reveal:
- He had run cocaine from Florida to Massachusetts.
- His typewriter ribbon re-inking business apparently served as cover for drug runs.
- He had even spent a year in prison and mailed his daughter a handmade Christmas card from there.
The hosts joke that:
- The story is wild enough that his family should be proud, not ashamed.
- Boomer-era secrecy often kept these kinds of stories buried for decades.
A Bead Hidden in an Ear for Four Years
A listener’s younger brother had been thought partially deaf until a doctor found the real issue: a wax-covered bead lodged in his ear.
The backstory:
- The brother had hidden the bead there so his sister, Georgia, couldn’t use it.
- It had apparently been stuck there for four years.
This becomes one of the episode’s funniest examples of kid logic and secret hoarding behavior.
Running Over Yourself by Forgetting to Put the Car in Park
A listener shares a painful but relatable teen story: at 16, she got out of her car without putting it in park, and the car rolled backward over her leg.
What happened:
- The car was an old 1986 Subaru GL.
- The car rolled into a tree after running over her.
- Her dog eventually alerted her parents.
Her cover story:
- She told classmates the car’s “park” gear had been stripped out, when really she simply forgot.
The hosts highlight how embarrassment often leads to absurd lies after accidents.
Themes and Running Commentary
Hidden Histories Everywhere
A major thread in the episode is how ordinary people often have bizarre, secret, or criminal pasts that only emerge later:
- A ferry captain’s reckless flirtation
- A father-in-law’s drug-running career
- A suspected Golden State Killer encounter
- Childhood tricks that scar neighbors for life
Victim-Blaming and Public Narrative
Karen and Georgia repeatedly push back on the idea that women get blamed for men’s bad behavior, especially in the ferry story where the passenger was unfairly made into the “siren.”
Kids Are Chaotic Little Mad Scientists
Several stories involve children:
- staging fake séances
- hiding beads in ears
- putting objects in noses
- lying to avoid embarrassment
The hosts treat these as both funny and deeply plausible because kids are constantly testing the limits of reality.
MFM-Style Safety Advice
As always, the episode ends up reinforcing familiar My Favorite Murder mantras:
- check your closets
- check your kids’ ears and noses
- put your car in park
- don’t let men blame you for their mistakes
Overall
Minisode 485 is a classic listener-story episode: a mix of absurd, creepy, and oddly heartwarming tales that show how much of life is shaped by secrets, mistakes, and the stories people tell afterward. The funniest parts are the childhood pranks and petty cover-ups, while the darkest parts involve the Golden State Killer and the ferry captain’s reckless behavior.