EP267: The Yosemite Killer

In EP267, we examine the deeply unsettling case of Cary Stayner, the Yosemite Killer. On the surface, Cary seemed quiet--reserved, even overlooked. But behind that silence was a storm of inner torment, obsession, and darkness. What makes his story even more chilling is the irony: Cary Stayner, was the brother of Steven Stayner (who we discussed in EP266), a national hero who survived a childhood abduction. While the world watched one brother's trauma unfold in the headlines, the other battled invisible demons--ones that would eventually erupt in brutal violence. This is not just the story of a killer- it's the story of unresolved trauma, twisted fantasies, and the shadow legacy of a family marked by tragedy.

SOURCES:
1) Sund details frantic hunt for wife, daughter: Father-husband testifies during Stayner’s preliminary hearing into slayings of 3 Yosemite visitors
2) CBS News: The Yosemite Murders -- in photos
3)Crime Library: Cary Stayner and the Yosemite Murders
4) CBS Sacramento: 25 years later: FBI agent shares how he got Cary Stayner to confess to Yosemite killings
5) SF Gate: Overshadowed All His Life / Low-key Cary Stayner took back seat to kidnapped brother
6) 20/20 Episode: Evil in Eden