New documentary recalls bravery of North Bay mom taken hostage in 1973, backlash that followed

SONOMA COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) -- In the North Bay, a new documentary film is recalling a scary manhunt and hostage situation that gripped Sonoma County more than 50 years ago.

"Bad Hostage" tells the story of a Sebastopol mother and her five kids, and how they survived being held captive by several armed men who shot and wounded two Sonoma County sheriff's deputies, along with what happened after.

"This was a family story I heard my whole life," said Mimi Wilcox.

Documentary filmmaker Wilcox grew up hearing how her grandmother Michaela Garloff was at the center of a true crime story back in 1973 in Sebastopol but never knew if it was real.

"Family mythology is pretty wild, is this true? Did it really happen like this," Wilcox said.

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Turns out, it did.

Two men on the run, suspected of shooting and wounding to Sonoma County sheriff's deputies, knocked on Michaela Madden's door, now Michaela Garloff. Back then, she was a young widow with five small kids.

"One was bleeding clutching his leg. They needed to use the phone, and they did. I went back to my bedroom and the radio was on, probably KGO. There was a news story about a shootout several miles from where I lived where two men escaped, one shot. I realized I was in deep trouble," Garloff said.

"These two people who shot two deputies were running through the orchards of Sebastopol. We were like, 'Oh no, it's these guys,'" said Bill Madden, Garloff's son.

Law enforcement quickly swarmed the house.

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"The police were all over, shouting, calling names, which made the fellow with the gun very excited. It went on for a while," Garloff said

Garloff says she kept her cool and was never threatened, eventually helping to negotiate the safe release of her kids, and then herself after six hours. The two suspects were later apprehended. But she had criticism for how law enforcement handled the case, which explains the title of the documentary, "Bad Hostage."

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"The sheriff's department certainly thought so," Garloff said. "The sheriff's department was angry at me. I didn't thank them for saving my life. They could have cost me my life. I wasn't pleased about that."

The film traces the backlash that followed.

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"When she was let out, wandering around looking for her kids, a cop said to her, 'It's ignorant sluts like you that make our job so hard,'" said daughter Sally Madden.

Granddaughter Mimi said the film pays tribute to the bravery of a young mom back in the day facing an unthinkable situation.

"I think it's a huge testament to her bravery and emotional intelligence, calmness and patience," Wilcox said.

"See what a great granddaughter she is," Garloff said.

"Bad Hostage" makes its West Coast premiere on Saturday, March 29 at the Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival. Grandmother and granddaughter will be there.