Monsters Among Us Podcast – S20 Ep26: The King, the Sandman, and Taxidermied Humans
Host: Derek Hayes | Date: January 8, 2026

Overview

In this chilling and nostalgia-rich episode, Derek Hayes curates and discusses a collection of first-hand paranormal stories featuring seances, guardian angels, human taxidermy, UFOs, mysterious roadside lights, and even tales with connections to the King of Rock and Roll. The episode weaves witness calls with Hayes’ atmospheric narration, connecting themes of family, unexplained phenomena, and the unknown, offering insight and validation to the experiencers’ stories.

Key Stories & Discussion

1. Puerto Rican Seances & Possible Possession (03:35)

Caller: Maddie from North Texas

• Maddie recounts her grandmother's childhood in 1940s Puerto Rico, where her family held popular neighborhood seances.
• Maddie’s great-grandfather would act as the medium, apparently becoming possessed and speaking in another voice during a séance.
• Maddie’s grandmother, then a child, was stopped by her mother from interacting with her possessed father, who appeared contorted and "not there".
• The family’s reluctance to discuss these events emphasized their mysterious and impactful nature.

Notable Quote:

"She did say that he was kind of contorted and smiling back at her. And... she could tell just in his face that he was not there and that this was someone else that had overtaken her father's body." — Maddie (05:15)

Derek’s Thoughts:
Derek expresses skepticism about séances, but finds Maddie’s story compelling:

"As much difficulty as I have suspending my disbelief... stories like Maddie's do a great job of making me second guess myself." (06:57)

2. The Silent, Colourful UFO in Morgan Hill (08:08)

Caller: Emily, Morgan Hill, CA

• Emily describes a close nighttime encounter with a silent, hovering object displaying pastel, pulsating lights outside her window.
• The encounter left her frozen in terror, feeling like the object was "deciding whether it wanted to take me or not."
• The lack of sound ruled out common explanations, profoundly impacting her view of UFO reports.

Notable Quote:

"It was absolutely silent... I’ve never felt that scared and shocked in my life." — Emily (09:03)

Host Commentary:
Derek suggests and dismisses the drone theory, validating Emily's fears due to the silence (10:36).

3. Parsonage Shadow Figure & Aftermath (13:20)

Caller: Mimi, Central Illinois

• Mimi recounts seeing a tall, black shadow in a parsonage as a child.
• The next resident, a skeptical pastor, later reported unexplained noises, furniture moved, and faucets turned on—hinting at haunting validation across occupants.

Notable Quote:

"She came home once after service to the kitchen faucet on and all of the... chairs on the table and the faucet on." — Mimi (15:15)

Derek’s Response:
"How's that for confirmation?... the next inhabitant... began to report activity." (16:30)

4. Funeral Home Ghosts and Poltergeist Upstairs (17:25)

Caller: Nick, Central Kentucky (formerly Illinois)

• As a child in a funeral home parsonage, Nick hears a disembodied woman's voice emanate from his (unplugged) cassette recorder.
• Nick's parents’ previous home had unexplained, loud noises upstairs until his father conducted a prayer to remove the spirit, which seemingly worked.

Notable Quote:

"It just sounded like an old kind of crony lady... And I mean, it was totally off. It was not on at all." — Nick (18:10)

Host Reflection:
Derek notes the synchronicity: both recent stories were from clergymen’s children in Illinois and involve electronics. (20:54)

5. Roadside Phantom Lights—Personal Story & Documentary Tie-In (22:58)

Caller: Alex, Detroit, MI

• Reports seeing two extremely fast-approaching lights on a highway, bracing for impact—only for them to vanish.
• References Derek’s documentary (“Shadows in the Desert”), where a similar experience was recounted by Ken Layne.
• Derek plays the documentary clip for comparison: both stories recount lights behaving in unexplainable ways, mistaken for cars, but vanishing without trace.

Notable Quote:

"This thing looks like it’s going 130, 140 miles an hour... All I remember is, like, bracing, closing my eyes and wincing—then nothing happened." — Alex (23:36)

"That wasn’t a car. There was no car." — Ken Layne, film excerpt (26:38)

6. Child Sees Ghostly Father in South Georgia (29:48)

Caller: Victoria, Georgia

• Victoria’s 4-year-old son reports seeing a man in the bathroom matching the description of his deceased grandfather, Jimmy, whom he never met.
• When shown a photo, the boy confirms it’s the man he saw and is frightened.
• Victoria later experiences nightly unexplained bed-shaking and door-slamming events after her husband leaves for work.

Notable Quote:

"He started crying. He says, 'Mama, Mama, that's the man. That's the man.'... He actually passed away before I found out I was pregnant with my son." — Victoria (32:27)

7. Guardian Angel Saves Car from Disaster (33:96)

Caller: Kelly, Washington (incident in Montana)

• Kelly shares a multi-witness account: her mother-in-law and sister-in-law veered off a Montana road to avoid a truck, certain of impending death.
• Both suddenly find themselves inexplicably back on the road, undamaged; the child saw an “angel pick up the front of our car and put us back on the road.”

Notable Quote:

"Mama, Mama, an angel picked up the front of our car and put us back on the road again." — Sister-in-law (36:23)

Derek’s Take:
Not the first “highway angel” story—such rescues are commonly reported among listeners (37:45).

8. Name Chosen by a Divine Dream (38:35)

Caller: Anonymous

• Caller’s mother has a dream shortly before her birth: a blinding white light and a disembodied voice instruct her to change the planned name.
• Caller's mother feels peaceful and protected by what she believes was a guardian angel.

Notable Quote:

"A strong white light come up to her... there was a voice that told her to name me my first name... It was a very peaceful feeling." — Caller (39:21)

Host Connection:
Derek links this story to Elvis Presley’s alleged birth miracle: Vernon Presley reported a strange blue light at Elvis’s birth (40:47).

9. The Ghost Named Fred (45:35)

Caller: Abby, Flagstaff, AZ

• Abby describes living in a haunted house with poltergeist-like activity.
• Her family named the entity “Fred,” attributing harmless trickster-like events (lights turning off, toy dog activating by itself, open cabinets) to him.
• The family took his presence in stride and the haunting did not follow them when they moved.

Notable Quotes:

"My dad's like, 'Well, you know, ghosts come after the ones that don't believe.' And no sooner does he get done saying that than the lamp... shuts off." — Abby (47:00)
"That is my haunted house story. We moved out of that home. Thought Fred would follow us, but he didn't." (49:08)

10. Human Taxidermy: Unsettling Visions & Real-Life Cases (50:34)

Caller: Gary D., Ontario, Canada

• As a child, Gary routinely peeked into a local taxidermist's shop, fascinated by the animals and the presence of the taxidermist's parents, always watching.
• Later, a neighbor informs him the parents died 15 years earlier.
• Derek explores real human taxidermy, citing English philosopher Jeremy Bentham (whose dressed skeleton is still displayed at University College London), and a dark recent case in Penrose, Colorado, where a funeral home mishandled bodies and cited taxidermy as a pretext.

Notable Quote:

"They said, no, his mom and dad died like 15 years ago. So he's been living there alone all this time. And I'm thinking, wait a minute, I saw them sitting there... never moved." — Gary (57:15)

Host’s Deep Dive:
Derek provides both a historical (Bentham, 18th-century preservation) and true crime angle (Penrose funeral home, 2024) into real-life human taxidermy (57:36–61:32).

Bonus: Secret Entry — The Sandman Encounter (67:08)

Caller: JW, Alabama

• As a child, JW awakens to a dark figure resembling a classic “Sandman” silhouette hovering over his face. After JW screams, the figure produces a “poof” and throws material at his eyes, instantly sending him into deep sleep.
• Parents dismiss it as imagination and “eye crust”; JW is still convinced it was real.

Notable Quote:

"As soon as I screamed, I hear a sound like a poof. And I feel a type of material literally hit my eyes. And I immediately fall asleep..." — JW (68:09)

Notable Quotes and Moments

• Derek’s self-awareness:
  "These synchronicities happen all the time. But despite that, they still impress me each time that we stumble upon them." (20:54)
• On human taxidermy:
  "Has any other human ever been taxidermied? Well, the answer is likely to surprise you, because the answer is yes." (57:36)
• Humor in haunting:
  "A ghost named Fred. I always get a kick out of people naming their ghosts." (49:18)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Opening/Atmosphere & Preface: 01:57–03:35
• Maddie’s Puerto Rican Séance Story: 03:35–06:57
• Emily’s Silent UFO: 08:08–10:36
• Mimi’s Parsonage Shadow Figure: 13:20–16:30
• Nick’s Funeral Home Haunting: 17:25–20:54
• Alex’s Phantom Headlights: 22:58–24:43
• Ken Layne Documentary Clip: 25:13–27:01
• Victoria’s Child Sees Ghost: 29:48–33:13
• Kelly’s Guardian Angel Car Rescue: 33:96–37:45
• Anonymous: Name from a Dream: 38:35–40:47
• Elvis's Blue Light Birth Story: 40:47–43:38
• Abby's Ghost 'Fred': 45:35–49:18
• Gary's Human Taxidermy: 50:34–57:36
• Human Taxidermy: Fact & True Crime: 57:36–61:37
• Secret Entry: JW’s Sandman: 67:08–70:09

Episode Tone & Style

Keeps a spooky, informal, and sometimes playful tone with genuine empathy for callers. Derek’s responses blend skepticism and wonder, enhancing the chilling atmosphere and rapport with listeners (“keep it spooky!”).

Conclusion

This episode of Monsters Among Us skillfully blends eerie first-hand stories with thoughtful commentary, historical context, and cultural references—ranging from séance possession to unexplained roadside encounters, guardian angels, and the unsettling reality (and legend) of human taxidermy. The podcast maintains its signature community-driven, campfire vibe, fostering validation and companionship for those facing the unknown.