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

A celebrity of the rock climbing world may be a violent, serial predator.  A survey posted in several outdoor magazines and the special agents of the National Park Service put together a case that showed  just because you can climb so high, doesn't mean you wont go down HARD.

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GET HELP
National Sexual Assault Hotline1-800-656-4673https://www.rainn.org/ 
National Domestic Violence Hotline800-799-7233https://www.thehotline.org/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=domestic_violence 
 
Sources:#SafeOutside Survey
US District Court, Eastern District of California, United States V Charles Barrett, 1:22-cr-00213-ADA-BAM-1, 7-13-23
https://www.justice.gov/usao-edca/pr/professional-rock-climber-convicted-sexual-assaults-yosemite-national-park
https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/climbing/climber-charles-barrett-assault-trial/?scope=anonhttps://www.climbing.com/gym-climbing/sexual-assault/

A woman was found dead below a 140-foot cliff at Miner’s Castle in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore after her husband reported that she had fallen while he was away using the restroom. What initially appeared to be a tragic accident quickly unraveled as investigators uncovered shifting stories, troubling behavior, financial pressure, and a long history of emotional and physical abuse within the marriage. This is a case that highlights how intimate partner violence, coercive control, and deception can hide in plain sight, even in the most breathtaking wilderness settings.

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Sources
https://www.nps.gov/piro/learn/news/richardson-sentenced.htmhttps://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-miwd-1_14-cv-01250/pdf/USCOURTS-miwd-1_14-cv-01250-0.pdfhttps://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna25443664https://www.newspapers.com/article/lansing-state-journal/26563548/

Bringing this one out from the Ranger Vault!  This is one of our favorite early episodes and it was Nancy's debut as a "guest" host! A brutal crime was committed at Ft Eustis Military base in Virginia, and the suspects fled to Shenandoah National Park.  A cool headed ranger lead the chase involving  multiple law enforcement agencies to bring the bizarre criminals to an ending no one could have expected.

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Check out Duane Martinz!
https://www.duanemartinz.com/

Sources:
US v Montowski; US District Court for the Western District of VA, October 9,2009
https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/norfolk/press-releases/2010/nf051710.htmhttps://www.cbsnews.com/news/gunman-dressed-as-the-joker-shot-by-police/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/mar/13/police-shoot-man-dressed-as-jokerhttps://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/03/12/FBI-joins-inquiry-into-soldiers-shooting/44071236879818/https://wfcreport.com/2009/03/13/not-just-a-rumor-iraq-vet-killed-on-skyline-drive-loved-the-joker/