From the Pine Flats Campground of the Boise National Forest... Listen to Ranger Paul share a cautionary tale that emphasizes the saying, "watch out for the company you keep."  A con man swindler made his way into the inner circle of the rangers and stole the heart of a camper, among other things...

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Top stories in this episode: A man pled guilty to assaulting rangers with his vehicle in Glen Canyon NRA, a manhunt ensued in the Black Hills of South Dakota, a reckless driver with illegal weapons caught in Yellowstone, 2 bodies found in Bryce Canyon NP, a multi-agency poaching operation successfully ended in Idaho, and a trickster coyote in Yellowstone is still at it.


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We return to Yellowstone National Park, where a park employee seeks help after being stalked and threatened by her ex-boyfriend. What begins as a report quickly escalates into an assault and a multi-park manhunt, exposing how coercive control and intimate partner violence can follow victims even into America’s most remote workplaces—and how rangers respond when danger shows up.

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Resources: To learn more about stalking: https://www.stalkingawareness.org/


Sources:
U.S. District Court
District of Wyoming (Casper)
CRIMINAL DOCKET FOR CASE #: 1:25-cr-00122-ABJ-1
https://www.justice.gov/usao-wy/pr/activity-us-attorneys-office-64

On an ordinary workday at Chiricahua National Monument, a routine maintenance assignment turns into a life-or-death crime. When a park employee is found brutally injured in a remote restroom and her government vehicle vanishes, rangers and local authorities quickly realize this is no accident—it’s an attempted murder.

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Sources:
https://npshistory.com/publications/ranger/isb-ann-rpt/2017.pdf https://arizonadailyindependent.com/2017/04/22/chiricahua-national-monument-employee-attacker/
https://www.nps.gov/chir/learn/news/gaxiola-sentenced-to-76-years.htm
https://arizonadailyindependent.com/2017/04/22/chiricahua-national-monument-employee-attacker/

Park Ranger Gary Moses shares the story of a father and daughter's hike in Glacier National Park that becomes a hike from hell when a bear attacks the two of them. Ranger Gary responds as the medic and recounts the incident and the rescue on the ledge of a cliff at 7,000' elevation. 

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Park Ranger John is a 20 year veteran as a park ranger in the Washington State Park system.  He joins Tara and Nancy and shares some funny stories (the kind you can't make up) from his time as a state park ranger.  You can learn more abou Park Ranger John by checking out his website - parkrangerjohn.com.

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In June 2004, a 22-year-old college student was murdered by her ex-boyfriend, who had been stalking her for months. The suspect fled the state and triggered a multi-agency manhunt that stretched across the Southeast and ended with a high-risk pursuit in the rugged terrain of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

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Sources:
https://www.starnewsonline.com/story/news/2004/06/10/murder-suspect-killed-himself/30552840007/ https://www.wect.com/story/1925156/john-peck-killed-after-chase-shootout/ https://www.carolinajournal.com/killings-shock-wilmington-campus/ https://www.stalkingawareness.org/about-sparc/ https://www.wral.com/story/111447/ https://npshistory.com/morningreport/incidents/grsm.htm

From the newsroom this episode… a body from a murder was dumped in a popular southern National Park, 2 bodies were discovered by rangers in a Utah National Park, a mass murder attack on a popular ski area was thwarted, and…quicksand is REAL!

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Sources:
https://www.sltrib.com/news/2026/01/09/2-people-found-dead-canyonlands/ https://people.com/colorado-mom-and-son-6-dead-suspected-murder-suicide-11883722 https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/crime/article313975656.html https://www.wsmv.com/2026/01/09/man-pulls-gun-great-smoky-mountains-visitor-fires-shots-park-service-says/?fbclid=IwY2xjawPXR_NleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFIUXh3Qk1tV1pjYkg5ckNUc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHrn7vIXMmyGvrCbi0eYbPc8E7pitT8tpQd7CTPCRfJ_kBRIJ4YPHOw9c2Gb9_aem_dLDKv4mYvVJUd8iXUNGZLg https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article314265634.html https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/snow-sports/colorado-ski-mass-shooting-threat/

In this episode, Tara and Nancy examine the brutal murders of two Arizona teenagers who set out on what was supposed to be a simple Memorial Day camping trip and never returned.The two disappeared while camping near Mount Ord in the Tonto National Forest, a rugged and remote area of central Arizona. When deputies located their vehicle, disturbing evidence quickly turned a missing-persons case into a homicide investigation.

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Helpful Resources:  Parents of Murdered Children https://www.pomc.org/

Source Material
https://abcnews.go.com/US/suspect-arrested-months-after-2-teens-found-murdered/story?id=126183418#:~:text=The%20sheriff's%20office%20said%20Thomas,%2Dyear%2Dold%20Evan%20Clark.

https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/former-national-guard-member-charged-murder-arizona-campers/

 https://abcnews.go.com/US/suspect-arrested-months-after-2-teens-found-murdered/story?id=126183418#:~:text=The%20sheriff's%20office%20said%20Thomas,remote%20hiking%20and%20camping%20area.

Suspect indicted for deaths of Valley teenagers at Mount Ord | 12news.com

A hidden treasure. A cryptic poem. And a decade-long search that pulled thousands of people deep into the wilderness—sometimes with fatal consequences. Tara and Nancy unravel the full story of the Forrest Fenn treasure hunt, and the obsession it inspired across the Rocky Mountains.  these clues sent people into some of the most dangerous terrain on public land, and the tragic deaths, rescues, and criminal cases tied to the hunt—Drawing on firsthand ranger experience and rarely discussed details, this episode explores how a quest meant to inspire adventure quietly became one of the deadliest games ever played on public land—and what it reveals about risk, obsession, and the unforgiving nature of the wilderness.

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https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/a-treasure-hunter-got-lost-in-yellowstone-looking-for-a-millionaires-hidden-trove-he-must-repay-the-rescue-costs/#:~:text=He%20did%2C%20thanks%20to%20a,entering%20Yellowstone%20for%20five%20years.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9118491/Utah-man-dug-Forrest-Fenns-hidden-treasure-Yellowstone-faces-years-prison.html

https://www.justice.gov/usao-wy/pr/forrest-fenn-treasure-hunter-indicted-damage-yellowstone-national-park

https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/foia/upload/ForrestFenn_Emails_Incidents_forWeb.pdf