Mums Mysteries & Murder · Marti & Cheryl

The Catfishing Murder of Carly Ryan

·1 hr 5 min·10 clips

Marty and Cheryl open at full tilt. They thank listeners for the kind messages about Effie’s last episode and the announcement. Cheryl is welcomed in as the new voice. Marty asks how she got into true crime. Cheryl points to The Staircase on Netflix as her first big hook. She says she watched it several times, and the extended episodes only deepened the obsession. The conversation then turns to Carly Ryan. Carly loved MySpace and spent so much time on it. The hosts treat that as the exciting new world it was. Back then, families were less wary of social media, and the internet was still something people were figuring out as they went. The setting matters because it feels like a place where people know the butcher, the fishmonger, and the co-op. Carly’s mum kept an eye on things, but it mostly looked like ordinary teen online life: favorite bands, chatting to friends, not much to worry about. The mood changes when Carly is introduced to Corrupt Koala. The name gets a laugh because it sounds absurd, and the hosts even pause for a joke about koalas being aggressive. The alias is linked to Brandon Kane. The episode uses that shift to show how fast something that starts online can turn serious. It ends with thanks, follow and subscribe reminders, and a promise to be back soon.

As heard by us

A chatty, empathetic look at Carly, MySpace, and the early internet.

Mums Mysteries & Murder keeps the Carly Ryan story conversational and grounded. The hosts move through the MySpace and early internet material at an easy pace, and the back and forth with Cheryl gives the episode a relaxed, human feel without losing the thread of the case.

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Why you'd press play

You get a warm, chatty route into the Carly Ryan case and the early-MySpace era.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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