Their bodies were found Aug. 18, six days after the incident between Laundrie and Petito. The women's disappearance touched off the most intensive missing-persons search in recent memory, involving six law-enforcement agencies, and their fate has sparked fear among residents of the small, quaint towns in the Sierra Nevada foothills, where the bodies were found, that a killer or killers are among them. Missing woman found alive inside submerged Jeep, For the first time, Yosemite park officials publicly announced the Jane Doe is Patricia Hicks, a woman with ties to a Merced cult leader who disappeared in the 1980s. A little closer to the edge of that mountain. They also wanted to know what Xies mood was like, Horn says. Petito's parents accused Laundrie of leaving Petito "in the wilderness with grizzly bears and wolveswhile he sits in the comfort of his home.". LYON COUNTY, Nev. (KOLO) - 7:05 P.M. UPDATE: Nike Riess has been found alive, the Lyon County Sheriffs Office reported Wednesday. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Guillermo Hechevarria, a criminal investigator with Investigation Services Unlimited in Florida, told Insider he believes Laundrie most likely left Petito alive somewhere in the Tetons. Foul play is not suspected. More than 50 years after her babysitter kidnapped her as a baby in Texas, a US woman has reunited with her family, SF tourists go in droves to In-N-Out. Missing The following day, March 19, investigators arrived to open the car trunk, where they discovered the badly burned bodies of Sund and Pelosso. The fact that she was recovered alive was very lucky.' Hiker may have been the last person to see Alice Yu Xie Careflight helped with the search Tuesday night, while the Washoe County Sheriffs Offices Raven 2 helicopter is searching the area Wednesday. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. Woman After the women were reported missing, police questioned Stayner but didnt believe the clean-cut handyman, who had no history of violence, was involved. Then he actually fell. Across the country, falls accounted for 245 deaths in national parks in the past decade. The most informative, researched, and entertaining true crime stories on the internet. According to NamUs (National Missing and Unidentified Persons System), more than 600,000 persons go missing in the United States every year. They found she left the Target on Jacks Valley Road just south of Carson City at about 7 p.m. Riess took two dogs with her. With the assistance of the wrecker service, fisherman, and Marion county deputies, a female was safely rescued from the submerged Jeep, wrote the sheriffs office. She's been linked to a cult and a serial killer. You won't make it unless you're in decent shape and you've brought enough food and liquid to carry you through a long, hard climb," the site says. A religious group is strangling access to Calif.'s most beautiful waterfalls. The local woman was found on the north side of Roney Rock - a rocky shoreline in north Wexford. His younger brother, Steven, was abducted in Merced when Cary was eleven years old. They shouldn't bother. Police can confirm that the missing woman has been found on Wednesday. They were last seen alive, according to the authorities, on the night of Feb. 15, when they left the restaurant adjacent to the Cedar Lodge in El Portal, a remote outpost at the western entrance to the park. She had been in the water before that. Her cause of death has not been released. I think one of the reasons Yosemite has a lot of rescues and a lot of people getting hurt is that its a really visited park, Torlano says. Juli Sunds body was found thirty miles away a week after the car was found. Police investigating early morning homicide in Porterville, Child among 5 killed by drunk gunman still on loose: TX police, 1 missing, 2 rescued after getting swept away in Kaweah River. Missing Woman Found Alive Inside Sunken Jeep That a Fisherman Spotted on Texas Lake, Police Say The woman likely died "at least several weeks" ago, the LPD said. Authorities are searching for a 41-year-old woman who went missing in Some lost their lives after attempting to swim above the falls, others inadvertently ended up in the water or were posing for photographs when they fell. Falls accounted for 45 deaths at Yosemite. Missing Woman Found Alive Inside Sunken Jeep That a Fisherman Spotted on Texas Lake, Police Say The woman likely died "at least several weeks" ago, the LPD said. Certain areas produce more missing people than others. The reality is that a lot of these falls are from so high up, they hit terminal velocity, he says. The discovery of her body led investigators to Cary Stayner, a thirty-seven-year-old man who worked at the Cedar Lodge motel, where the Sunds were last seen. The fact that she was recovered alive was very lucky.' THE SECRET VANISHINGS IN AMERICAS NATIONAL But big questions still remain in a case that has captured the attention of much of the nation: Who killed these women, where and why? 4. The woman had been reported missing since 5 April by the police department of Longview, Texas, according to a statement from the local Marion county Missing HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. Her next of kin have been notified, the park service said. Following his escape, a television movie, I Know My First Name is Steven, dramatized the incident. Tiera Strand. You can navigate days by using left and right arrows. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. The Yosemite Horror. Texas authorities say that they have found the body of Tiera Strand, a 25-year-old woman who has been missing since last Sunday. God is working on this Good Friday, wrote one user, invoking the name for the day which is annually two days before Easter, when Christians commemorate Jesuss crucifixion. Missing woman found alive; taken to Reno by Care Flight This is a carousel. We love California's parks just as much as you do, so we have a newsletter that covers them from top to bottom. But it has also created a deeper, wider fear, especially among women, that no one is safe anywhere when an innocent weekend adventure for three can result in such a horror story. A world-renowned endurance athlete who went missing in California's Yosemite National Park has been found dead. the boy was found alive, entangled in briars a Sign up here. Local authorities arrived to the scene with a recovery crew and managed to pull the Jeep out. Hiker who went missing at Yosemite National Park found Tiera Strand. Petito's family blasted Laundrie on Wednesday, urging him to cooperate with investigators and calling his silence "reprehensible." Police say the photos of her are dated, as she now has medium-length brown hair. A woman was found dead in Yosemite. The women, along with Sunds daughter Juli, had been missing since February when they were last seen alive at the Cedar Lodge near Yosemite National Park. Sign up for notifications from Insider! On Monday, the authorities had identified one of the bodies in the trunk as that of Julie's mother, Carole Sund. This evening, the authorities said that the body found halfway between where the three women were last seen six weeks ago and where their charred rental car was found last week with two bodies in the trunk was that of Julie Sund. Stayner pled guilty to the Armstrong murder in 2001. She is safely reunited with friends," said Western Cape police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm Pojie. Search and Rescue crews discovered her dog and some of her personal belongings inside the car. But he added that Laundrie retaining an attorney suggests to him that police also might want to look within a 1-mile radius of Laundrie's parents' home for a body. Also, its close to the city. Sometimes its hard to know where that limit is.. In 1972, Stayners seven-year-old brother Steven was kidnapped by a child molestor and held captive for more than seven years before he managed to escape. SF tourists go in droves to In-N-Out. Instead, the investigation focused on other employees at the Cedar Lodge as well as suspicious persons in the town of Modesto, where Carol Sunds wallet was found in the street several days after her disappearance. ''It's hard to sit and wait for the answers.''. As soon as I heard that, I knew they found her body, Horn says. Woman missing in Yosemite National Park found dead at Goodness, 38, went missing after leaving her Gardens home. Authorities searching for woman who went missing But PI John Van Steenkiste also said someone with strong survival skills could survive. The Yosemite Horror - Outside Online Authorities announced on Jan. 24 that Xies body had been discovered at the base of Upper Yosemite Fall. missing Cary Stayner, a handyman at the lodge where the women were last seen a month before, later confessed to their murders as well as those of two other women. MARION COUNTY, Texas ( KLTV /Gray News) - Texas authorities said a woman was found alive inside a submerged Jeep Friday morning. Local paramedics treated the woman at the scene before she was taken to an area hospital for further treatment in unknown condition. In Yosemite in 1981, a 14 year-old girl was backpacking on horseback with her parents and a group of people up 9200 feet to Sunrise High Sierra Camp. Yosemite Information Officer Scott Gediman did not respond to requests for an explanation for the delay. But no ransom note was ever found, and the authorities concluded that the women were victims of random foul play. The whole thing really messed with my head.. 6:40 P.M. UPDATE: Nike Riess has been found alive, the Lyon County Sheriffs Office reported. Stayner confessed to the murder of Armstrong and then surprised the detectives by admitting that he was also responsible for the murders of the Sunds and Pelosso. They shouldn't bother. In 1991, Austrian rocket scientist Werner Beinstingl was trying to take a vertical photo down the cliff of the fall when he slipped. Authorities later determined that the woman found in the Jeep was the same woman who was reported missing. The sorrowful mystery of what happened to three tourists who disappeared from Yosemite National Park was in large part answered today when the authorities announced that a body found along a highway leading to the park was that of the last missing person. Missing Woman Found Alive Inside Sunken Jeep That a Fisherman Spotted on Texas Lake, Police Say The woman likely died "at least several weeks" ago, Changing the day will navigate the page to that given day in history. They say a roll of film found near the charred rental car showed that the last date the women were sightseeing was Feb. 15. The missing-persons post states that Xie, a 41-year-old Chinese national living in the United States is believed to have gone on a day hike to the Upper Yosemite Fall overlook on Jan. 14 or the morning of Jan. 15, 2021 She traveled to Yosemite from Mariposa on the YARTS bus on Jan. 14. The post instructed anyone who had taken the trail to the top of Yosemite Falls on Jan. 14 or 15 to call the Yosemite Emergency Communications Center. Authorities said hikers found abandoned gear and supplies belonging to Sandra strewn about her campsite on July 2, 2020, including a tent. The killer or killers could have dumped the one victim before arriving at the spot where the car was set on fire. A private investigator told Insider the chance of finding a missing person alive after 2 weeks in the wild is "minimal." Missing Woman Found And in 2005, a 21-year-old Irishman named Shane Michael Kinsella drank a considerable amount of wine, Ghiglieri says, and posed for a photo as if he were falling into the water. Gabby Petito: Police search for missing NY woman; van Western Cape police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm Pojie confirmed her safety to News24. 25, 2015. He refused to comment on whether they were close to making an arrest, on how investigators had located the third body, and on the cause of death for any of the victims. The Sheriffs Office says her car was found, abandoned on a dirt road approximately two miles from her home at around 1:15 p.m. Tuesday. Sign up here. The find was baffling, given its location, but the discovery of the third party lends some logic to a possible murder scenario. 3:17 UPDATE: The Lyon County Sheriffs Office has searched for Riess for nearly the last 48 hours. All rights reserved. Van Steenkiste did provide a sliver of hope, though, telling Insider that it wouldn't be unlikely for someone to be found alive after weeks missing in a national park if they had strong survival skills. Spots such as Taft Point, Nevada Fall and Half Dome have all seen deaths over the last few years, often when people were trying to capture the perfect photo without being fully aware of the dangers of their surroundings, the website reported. Texas woman found by family 51 years after being All were young men. A WOMAN went missing from a campsite in Utah in November 2020. Steph Curry killed off the Kings with a smile, On an island of resorts, this Hawaii hotel is the budget option, Des Linden unveils new book, shares race day must-haves, In search of vegan food, I found a world-class Mendocino inn, He had one of Yosemite's most unusual jobs. She didnt. I am of the opinion that she fell by accident Breaks my heart.. 9, 2023 at 5:33 PM PDT. Now he's retiring, Why the Pacific Ocean turned pink off an area of the Calif. coast, A trip down the most mysterious road in California, A woman was found dead in Yosemite. Anyone with information is asked to contact the National Park Service. ''Somebody knows the whole story and we want it out,'' Mr. Carrington said today. So tragic: Hiker may have been the last person to see Alice Yu Xie alive in Yosemite, Dubs fans picking apart video of possible Poole-Draymond incident, Bay Area preschool teacher suspected of dumping body along road, Bay Area mom influencer found guilty of lying about kidnapping, 'Horrible': Oakland rapper dumps on Chase Center Warriors fans, More rain, 'unseasonably chilly' temperatures coming to Bay Area, Destructive landslide closes historic California institution, 49ers out in full force at Warriors-Kings Game 7, Sold-out Berkeley crowd gets rowdy at country star's concert, Shock, fear as 2 killings in 3 days rock quiet Davis. Goodness, 38, went missing after leaving her Gardens home. If "she has a good skill set of survival, it's a good possibility," he said. Police and the FBI initially focused their investigation on Eugene Dykes, Michael Larwick, and a group of methamphetamine users in Northern California. Steph Curry killed off the Kings with a smile, On an island of resorts, this Hawaii hotel is the budget option, photo on the National Park Services Instagram account, discovered at the base of Upper Yosemite Fall on Jan. 16, Michael Ghiglieri, co-author of "Off the Wall: Death in Yosemite,", Des Linden unveils new book, shares race day must-haves, In search of vegan food, I found a world-class Mendocino inn, results of a Freedom of Information Act submitted by Outforia, He had one of Yosemite's most unusual jobs. Western Cape police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm Pojie confirmed her safety to News24. People tend to want to get as close as they can to the edges of waterfalls. (Stayner would later confess to dropping the wallet there to mislead police.) They want to get a little closer to that river. It takes anywhere from six to 10 hours to complete a roundtrip, and the Yosemite Hikes site cautions the steep hike is the equivalent of taking the stairs up the Empire State Building twice. She's been linked to a cult and a serial killer, A religious group is strangling access to Calif.'s most beautiful waterfalls, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). Sandra Johnsen-Hughes, 54, has been missing since July 4, 2020. Park officials say she was a 41-year-old who went to Yosemite from A religious group is strangling access to Calif.'s most beautiful waterfalls. "Police can confirm that the missing woman has been found on Wednesday. Witnesses who saw her at the crash scene said she refused help. What happened to Xie next isnt clear, and the Park Service has not revealed where her backpack was found. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Since the last known sightings of Johnsen-Hughes, her sleeping bag and campsite were found abandoned. The missing-persons post states that Xie, a 41-year-old Chinese national living in the United States is believed to have gone on a day hike to the Upper Yosemite My theory is she crossed over to Yosemite Point to get away from the crowd, says Horn, who remained at the top of the waterfall with about 10 other hikers. The 53-year-old woman has been missing since April 8, 2020. He had one of Yosemite's most unusual jobs. Bodies found in Yosemite serial killer case - History The mysterious disappearance of the three women had drawn national attention and landed them on the cover of People magazine. Published on April 24, 2023 02:08 PM. Stay up to date with what you want to know. He cited dangerous terrain, starvation, and extreme weather as possible threats. Articles with the HISTORY.com Editors byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan and Matt Mullen. She is safely reunited with friends, he said. However, all these leads went up in smoke in July when Joie Ruth Armstrong, a twenty-six-year-old Yosemite Park worker, was brutally killed and decapitated near her cabin in the park. We strive for accuracy and fairness. Goodness, 38, went missing after leaving her Gardens home. Enter a date in the format M/D (e.g., 1/1), Bodies found in Yosemite serial killer case, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/bodies-found-in-yosemite-serial-killer-case, Texas Western defeats Kentucky in NCAA final, Elvis Presley puts a down payment on Graceland. Cape Town central community policing forum chairperson Marc Truss said Goodness had been found unharmed. Xie was a Chinese citizen living in the United States. Exclusive shows & extensions. While the car and everything near it was burned, the roll of film found among other items strewn near the charred car, was intact. She is safely reunited with friends, he said. Missing Woman had been reported missing since 5 April but on 7 April a local fisher spotted a black Jeep almost completely underwater. Anyone with information is asked to call 209-372-0216 or 209-379-1992. Petito's stepfather, James Schmidt, and a family friend left for Wyoming's Jackson Hole valley on Tuesday to search for the missing woman. Park officials say Xie arrived in Yosemite from Mariposa. The authorities kept most of the developed roll as evidence, but on Monday they released seven snapshots to the victims' families. Steven Stayner died in a tragic motorcycle accident when he was twenty-four. Woman According to the results of a Freedom of Information Act submitted by Outforia, an outdoors website based in Oslo, Norway, Yosemite is the second-deadliest national park in the United States, with 126 deaths recorded from 2010 to 2020. Xie is described as having neck-length black hair. Now he's retiring. Three women are murdered at Yosemite - History "Police can confirm that the missing woman has been found on Wednesday. I am pretty sure I was the last person to interact with her, Horn says. Stayner had been on the other end of another high-profile crime years earlier. She took a Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS) bus to get to the park on January 14. "Alice" Yu Xie, 41, traveled from Mariposa to Yosemite on a YARTS bus on Jan. 14. Its just so tragic.. (LCSO) 6:40 P.M. UPDATE: Nike Riess has been found alive, the Lyon County Sheriffs Office reported. Until last week, the only concrete clue as to what might have happened to the women was Mrs. Sund's wallet, found intact off a highway in Modesto, two hours from El Portal, four days after the trio disappeared. "Police can confirm that the missing woman has been found on Wednesday. Cary Stayner was convicted in all four murders and sentenced to death. Xie was found dead at the base of Upper Yosemite Fall on Saturday, January 16. She seemed happy that day to me, Horn wrote in a Facebook post. Why the Pacific Ocean turned pink off an area of the Calif. coast, A trip down the most mysterious road in California. The woman's cause of death has not been released. missing Missing woman found dead at base of Upper Yosemite The National Park Service said "Alice" Yu Xie was hiking to the Upper Yosemite Fall overlook when she went missing last week.