The hunt for a missing trio in Yosemite (Part 1/2) | Forensic Files

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case file [Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents
if you feel at any time you need support please contact your local crisis center
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or on our website in early 1998 three finnish tourists were sound asleep at the cedar lodge
hotel near california's yosemite national park the trio consisted of two young girls
and an older woman who was acting as their guardian at around 2am they woke to the sound of
something rattling it wasn't particularly loud but the hotel's remote setting surrounded by acres of woodland meant
that even quiet noises could cut through the silence like a buzzsaw like all of the rooms at
the cedar lodge the women's room opened to an outdoor parking lot that any passerby
could pull into they quickly realized that the rattling was coming from the front door of their room
just a few feet away someone was fiddling with the handle from the outside trying to get in
the women had locked the door earlier but this wasn't deterring the person on the other
side it sounded as though they were trying to gain access with a key as opposed to using a tool or brute
force the older woman cried out in panic before calling the front desk she informed hotel staff that someone
was breaking into their room but by this point the rattling had stopped if someone had indeed tried to break in
they were gone by the time security was notified no one was found loitering in the area
nor seen sprinting away the hotel's maintenance man checked the door the lock appeared untouched and was
still fully functional which put the women at ease their night continued without any further
interruptions and no other suspected break-ins were reported [Music] in december 1998 sylvina peloso
left her home city of cordoba argentina bound for the united states the 16 year old had inherited her
mother's spirit for travel and had signed up to be a foreign exchange student for the next three months sylvina would
be living with the six-member sunder family in the northern californian port city of eureka
the pelosos and sons were long-time friends through mothers recurl and carol the two women
met in the 70s when carol traveled to argentina as an exchange student herself carol revisited the country years later
with her two-year-old daughter juliana better known as julie by this stage the pelosos had two
daughters with sylvina the younger of the pair she and julie sund were similar in age
but opposites in personality sylvina was an introvert unlike a julie who was more outgoing
despite their differences the girls formed a lifelong friendship of their own sylvina was due to return home from the
us in late march 1999 as she was very interested in american culture the suns had endeavoured to give
her a memorable experience of their homeland they had taken sylvina all across the
state to visit landmarks such as disneyland and fisherman's wharf the grand canyon in arizona was annexed
on their list as was yosemite national park it took carol sund a month to meticulously plan the perfect road trip
to yosemite carol's schedule was typically full with family work and other commitments so she made
the most out of every minute of her vacations the yosemite trip revolved around one of
julie's cheerleading competitions and would be taking place over four days that encompassed the long weekend
only carol julie and sylvina would be going it was set to be a unique adventure as
winter had brought snow to the region the trip began on friday february 12th carol julie and sylvina flew to san
francisco from there they hired a car and drove two hours northeast to stockton the city was home to the university of
the pacific where julie's cheerleading competition took place on saturday february 13.
julie was impressed by the campus and considered enrolling there after graduating high school she had
ambitions to become either a chef or an architect while maintaining her passion for violin and
piano julie carroll and sylvina organized to return to the university for a proper
tour in three days time from stockton the trio drove to the small farming town of merced
known as the gateway to yosemite they spent the night at the ramada inn before continuing on to yosemite
national park on the sunday sylvina was particularly excited to see yosemite's granite cliffs
waterfalls lakes meadows and mountains she was an active person by nature who enjoyed ice skating
skiing and roller skating she also loved the outdoors and hoped to study an environmental
field in the future carol julie and sylvina spent their first day at yosemite exploring part of the park's 750
000 acres of rugged wilderness before day's end they drove through the dense and
far-reaching forests along highway 140 to the nearby town of el portal there they checked in at the cedar lodge
an affordable hotel on the banks of the merced river on the evening of monday february 15
yen's son received a phone call from his wife carol she happily spoke of her time away
with the julie and sylvina in yosemite they had spent the previous two days exploring the park
and was settling in for their final night at the hotel jens planned to meet the three women at
san francisco international airport the next day carol and julie would return home to
eureka while salvina would join jens and the other three sunder children on a flight
to phoenix arizona to visit the grand canyon jans and his children flew into san
francisco at 10 45 pm on tuesday february 16. a storm had delayed their flight by five
hours there was no way to notify carol as she didn't have a mobile phone instead jens paged his wife over the
airport's loudspeaker but there was no sign of her julie or sylvina the connecting flight to phoenix was
departing immediately jans faced the snap decision board without sylvina or wait and to miss the flight
he decided to leave without her his wife was very resourceful and fully capable of booking sylvina on another
flight jens awoke in arizona the next morning and played a round of golf he wasn't concerned about carol julie or
sylvina until midday came and he still hadn't heard from them worried that they might have been in a
car accident he contacted the california highway patrol but no incidents had been reported
jens then called the cedar lodge in el portal he was informed that his wife and the
girls had seemingly left the day before as planned the lodge had carol's credit card details on file
which meant she didn't need to physically check out at the front desk she simply left the hotel case in her
room and her card was charged accordingly jens contacted the rental car company that carol had used
she was supposed to drop the vehicle off in modesto before her flight to san francisco the car hadn't
yet been returned it was out of character for carol not to follow through with plans the 42 year old was diligent
and reliable as a mother of four and co-owner of a real estate company she had to be carol also worked in the
local courts as an advocate for abused children volunteered as a parenting teacher and
pursued other business interests she was known for her charity work including a non-profit she co-founded
that provided care and shelter for the mentally disabled the sons notified the sheriff's
department in yosemite of the trio's disappearance it was initially thought that carol
and the teens were lost or had skidded off the road a large-scale multi-agency search
commenced police officers and park rangers were on the lookout for carol's rental car
a bright red 1998 pontiac grand prix with californian license plates highway patrol drove down highway 120
which runs through yosemite as well as highway 140 which connects the cedar lodge with the
park there was no evidence of a vehicular accident or mishap anywhere records from the cedar lodge confirmed
the women had checked in on the afternoon of sunday february 14. the lodge was at capacity due to it
being both valentine's day and the president's day long weekend they were assigned to room 509
a twin bedroom away from the central reception area and car park by monday afternoon most of the hotel
guests had checked out carol julie and sylvina were the only ones remaining in their block
they rented some movies from the front desk and to that evening julie and sylvina ate at the hotel's
restaurant the pair were halfway through their dinner when carol arrived to pay the
bill at 6 32 pm julie and sylvina left with carol telling their server they would be back
to finish their half-eaten burgers but they never returned [Music] room 509 hadn't been touched since
carol and the teens had a laugh police searched the room and found the rented movies on a table
along with a paper bag containing souvenirs there were also wet towels on the bathroom floor
and an apple and a bottle of tomato juice in the fridge the group's luggage was gone and their
room key had been left behind as per the hotel's checkout policy police contacted the university of the
pacific in stockton the trio had scheduled to tour the campus hours before their flight back to
san francisco on the 16th but they didn't show up their absence wasn't reported as it was assumed they had simply made
other plans [Music] 30 miles southeast of stockton is the inland city of modesto the final destination
on carroll julie and sylvina's road trip on friday february 19 a teen was walking
to school in modesto's northern suburbs near the intersection of main thoroughfares briggsmoor avenue
and tully road she spotted the insert of a wallet containing several cards inside were carol's son's driver's
license and credit cards confirming it belonged to her it was unclear whether the wallet insert
had been lost abandoned or stolen that same day a call came through to the wells fargo
bank helpline from someone claiming to be carol's son this person requested a duplicate atm
card be sent to her but she was unable to provide proof of identity so the call was terminated
two days later the person claiming to be carol called the helpline again wanting to
know her bank balance this time she provided carol's social security number and was given the information
when investigators learned of the wallet insert enter the helpline calls they suspected carol had met with foul
play it seemed likely that the caller seeking her atm card and banking details was an impostor
wells fargo provided details of the 800 000 calls made to their helpline between
february 19 and 21 investigators whittled down the list and looked into over 100 people who
might have placed the call but their efforts were unsuccessful bank records revealed that carol's last
purchase were the burgers julie and sylvina ordered at the cedar lodge restaurant
the evening before they vanished she had also withdrawn two hundred dollars from an atm in massad
before the group arrived at yosemite the cash was missing but her credit cards hadn't been used
despite some having a thirteen thousand dollar limit the families of carol julie and sylvina
descended on yosemite seeking answers six days into the search have visibly stunned a yen's son to
front at a press conference the national park was a meaningful place for yens as it was where he and carol had
honeymooned he could offer no reason why his family would be targeted in a crime
he described his wife and daughter as fighters who wouldn't easily succumb to an assailant
the eureka community was equally shocked they couldn't understand how someone as
cautious and protective as carol could end up in trouble carol had come from the wealthy
carrington family her parents lived on a sprawling ranch north of eureka partially funded by their successful
real estate business that carol inherited she and ian's ran the business side by side the couple were also
principals in the carrington co which owned several malls across the country yet the suns didn't indulge a lavish
lifestyle they lived in a modest pale green bungalow with their two pet dogs if the perpetrators were targeting
the carrington's wealth they had yet to make any ransom demands carol's parents put their money to use
offering a 250 000 reward for information no questions asked the family also charted a plane to conduct an
aerial search of yosemite but nothing of significance was spotted by now the fbi were involved in the case
over two dozen agents had arrived at yosemite led by special agent james maddock
they set up a command post at a nearby hotel the walls of a conference room were
plastered floor to ceiling with the timeline of a vance it detailed all sightings of the missing
women that had come through to a 24-hour case hotline on the final day of their trip the trio
were allegedly spotted in yosemite valley a 30-minute drive east from the cedar lodge
they reportedly asked for directions to tuolumne grove a riverside meadow just over an hour's
drive away [Music] a sporty red vehicle was also seen parked in a yosemite valley lot between
midday and 2 pm that same day the possibility that the trio had a car accident once again gained momentum and further
searches of the parkland were carried out recent snowstorms hindered efforts but
within two days four thousand miles of roadway had been driven and 50 miles of terrain trudged
on foot as planes and helicopters scanned from above what looked like the burned-out shell of
a car was spotted along a back road it turned out to be a propane tank [Music] special agent matic told reporters
the territory here is huge the territory is rugged and the search is going to take some
time but if the car is out there we'll find it by friday february 26 carol julie and sylvina had been missing for
ten days nine abandoned or stolen cars had been found throughout yosemite but none were
carol's missing rental while the likelihood of a car accident no longer seemed likely it couldn't be ruled out entirely
[Music] carol's car might have plunged into a remote canyon and remained hidden by shrubs or snow
special agent matic urged the public to check their properties and unused barns for the red pontiac
advising it may have been salvaged or dismantled carol's parents offered a further 50
000 reward for any information leading to the pontiac's location this was distinct from their reward for
carol julie and sylvina's whereabouts which they bolstered to three hundred thousand
dollars alleged sightings continued to come in a best western hotel clerk in oakland
believed the three women had approached to the desk inquiring about room rates another person reported seeing them at a
roadside fruit stand in escalon both locations were in close proximity to modesto
but neither siding was confirmed yen's son and others close to the missing women were subjected to
polygraph testing and ruled out as suspects jens was struggling to remain positive
and often broke down he prepared himself for the worst telling his other children that they'd
been lucky so far but their lives were about to get harder carol was yan's high school sweetheart
the couple had created their perfect family starting with the birth of julie in 1983
followed by the adoption of three more children carol was described as a super mom
and dejans wasn't sure how they'd cope without her the son's grief was shared by the peloso
family sylvina's mother raquel had arrived in california from argentina she was later joined by her husband
sylvina's father jose raquel initially thought that her daughter had been in an accident
she told the press the only thing i was afraid of was earthquakes in california i trust the sun family i considered that
they were going to take good care of my daughter and i'm sure that they did according to raquel sylvina had never
expressed concern about her time in america it was her daughter's dream to go to the
states when carol sand made the trip to argentina in the 70s it was during an intense time
of political turmoil rickell said i can't help but think if carol could come to argentina and
survive that experience the guerrilla fighting the shootings how could my daughter not come to america
and survive here i have hope i believe someone has seen something in this world you can do few things
without a witness as the end of february neared 50 fbi agents were working the case 7 000
miles of terrain had been covered and to 900 tips generating 233 leads had been followed
up but authorities had yet to find any concrete evidence that a crime had even occurred
special agent maddox stated that while the fbi held hopes of a miracle they now believed
that carol and julie's sund and sylvina peloso were no longer alive by march investigators were growing
frustrated it was unusual for them to work so hard on a case without making a single
breakthrough television program america's most wanted did a feature on the disappearance
this garnered national attention for the case but no further breakthroughs victimology the study of victim behavior
was used to determine how the women might have reacted to various scenarios child abduction experts devised suspect
profiles and the background checks were carried out on those who raised suspicion
persons of interest were interviewed and polygraphed but they were all eliminated from the
investigation [Music] that month the fbi set about interviewing employees of the cedar lodge and two
suspects emerged one was a staff member who had given carol her room care as it turned out he was a registered sex
offender he had also visited modesto two days before carol's wallet insert was found there
the other suspect was a janitor named billy joe strange his history included domestic
violence and battery when investigators sought strange for questioning in relation to the sunned peloso case he
attempted to run he was promptly captured and claimed that he'd fled because he didn't want to be hassled by
the fbi it was determined that strange didn't have an alibi for the night that trio were last seen
he professed his innocence but a polygraph test indicated that he wasn't being truthful
an associate claimed that strange had talked about killing and raping women before hiding their bodies
strange was interviewed several times but there was no evidence linking him to the disappearance
and he was free to go locals who knew strange were more inclined to believe that an outsider was responsible
in contrast stranger's former mother-in-law described him as a violent man with a strong temper she was suspicious
of him from the moment news of the sunned peloso disappearance hit days later investigators searched billy
joe strange's cabin in el portal near the cedar lodge and found cannabis this breached stranger's parole
conditions which forbade him from using illicit drugs he was placed under arrest
and a search was carried out on his janitorial shed at the hotel inside a water logged a laundry bag was
found that appeared to have a blood stain stranger's girlfriend's car was also seized and another blood-like stain was
spotted on the carpet analysis of the substance concluded it was rust as the one month anniversary of carol
julie and sylvina's disappearance approached a vigil for hope was held in modesto
it highlighted multiple missing person cases with many attendees carrying photos of
loved ones whose whereabouts were unknown yen sund didn't appear at the event citing emotional exhaustion
a poem written by his 13 year old daughter regina was read out to the 600 strong crowd
it said at a time when i need my mother's touch most all i see of her are pictures nailed to a post
when it is time for bed i rock myself to sleep i try to stay strong because i know
that's what you'd want your baby to be but mummy i don't want you to leave me on the afternoon of thursday march 18
retired carpenter jim powers was out target shooting near dodge ridge ski resort
located approximately 110 miles south of the cedar lodge the area in tuolumne county
is part of the stanislaus national forest the forest spans almost nine hundred thousand acres of woodland
rivers and streams as jim shuffled down a slope in some rugged terrain off highway 180 something caught his eye
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dense forest and came across the wreckage of a burned-out car the intense fire had stripped the paint
off of all but one of the door handles all that remained was the rusting metal shell
with the interior soggy from recent rain jim examined at the license plate at red 4 bmv 025
his adrenaline surged he recognized it from the missing person flyers that had been circulating the local community
with his stomach in knots jim took it back to his car and drove home to contact the
authorities fbi agents descended on the forest immediately with the help of the highway patrol they
identified the destroyed vehicle as the pontiac rented by carol sund it had been missed during aerial
searches due to the density of the forest ceiling above it as a result of his discovery jim powers
was granted the fifty thousand dollar reward from carol's parents they called jim their
hero as without the crucial find the investigation would still be at a standstill
jim said he would use the money to send his children to college arson investigators confirmed that the
pontiac's interior had been doused with gasoline before being deliberately torched
the heat from the flames had been so extreme that tree branches 25 feet above were scorched this would have likely
caused the forest fire had the surrounding woods not been covered with ice and snow
finding a burned-out item wasn't unusual for the area it was known to be a dumping ground for
old appliances and other junk which locals often set on fire however a local man who lived across the
road from where the car was found had noted a peculiar odor two to three weeks earlier
it was the smell of something burning but was different to fireplace smoke a woman's hiking boot and an intact can
of coca-cola were found near the burned-out car as darkness fell a full forensic
examination of the scene was postponed until morning special agent james maddock told
reporters that although there were no bodies found in their car they now had incontrovertible evidence
that carol julie and sylvana had fallen victim to a violent crime with her daughter and companions still
missing richarl peloso told the press i just hope they are kept somewhere and alive
the following morning of friday march 19 the pontiac's trunk was opened for the first time
inside were the remains of two badly burnt bodies it couldn't be ascertained whether they
were male or female but investigators were certain they had found either carol julie or sylvaina
it would take time to compare the remains with dna and dental records before they would know for sure
the damage to both bodies was so immense that a cause of death could not be established
due to the wintry conditions a perimeter search of the forest surrounding the pontiac was difficult
recent snowfall had also masked any footprints or other evidence that might have been left by those responsible
the bad weather led to a temporary suspension of the search the sun and peloso families were in
mutual shock carol's mother told the media no one is strong enough to cope with something like this
i can't imagine what kind of monster would do something like this special agent james maddock expressed
his hope that the third victim would be found alive the fbi faced criticism in the aftermath
of the discovery the day after the women were last seen at the cedar lodge they were allegedly spotted at a
tuolumne county gas station and at a gift shop both locations weren't far from where the pontiac was
found these sightings were reported to the tip line but were never followed up the fbi defended this decision with
special agent maddox stating that all the reported sightings they received couldn't logically be true
the tuolumne county community consisted mostly of retirees and small business owners
but a number of methamphetamine labs were also known to operate in the area the possibility that the crime was drug
related was just one of many scenarios considered special agent matic thought the women had been carjacked he
believed multiple perpetrators were involved as it would have been difficult for one individual to wrangle all three
women the perpetrators were likely local to the area as the location where the vehicle was
destroyed wasn't a place outsiders would be familiar with within 24 hours of the vehicle being
recovered approximately 300 calls were placed to the fbi tip line although the fbi would remain involved
to some degree the case was officially handed over to the tuolumne county sheriff's department
on sunday march 21 a change in the weather allowed the search of the scorched forest to recommence
not far from the dumping site investigators came across several items of interest the keys to
the pontiac a handheld compact cd player and an undamaged role of camera film the film was
developed revealing images of carol julie and sylvina taken between february 13 and 15.
the pitches depicted the trio's time in yosemite posing in front of spectacular landscapes playing in the snow
and ice skating on a frozen lake one photo was taken the night before the women disappeared
presumably by julie it captured carol and sylvina in their hotel room at cedar lodge sitting on the edge of
their beds it was a candid shot with carol in the midst of rummaging through her handbag
yet both women were acknowledging the camera with a smile seven of the photos recovered from the
camera roll were given to the sun family with carol's mother telling the press i didn't want to look at the photos at
first once i saw them i was really delighted these are beautiful pictures of our
girls and to most likely the last pictures we'll ever get jose peloso sobbed when shown the images
the rest of the photographs were taken into evidence by the fbi who refused to comment on what they showed
on march 21 a white cross and a vas of wildflowers were placed at the pontiac dumping site
by members of carol julie and sylvina's families carol's mother told the press carol was such a caring person i just
can't imagine the fear when she knew these girls were in trouble and couldn't do anything about it
the next day dental records confirmed that one of the two bodies found in the vehicle belonged to carol
sand further dna testing was required to verify the identity of the second victim
two days later on wednesday march 24 a letter arrived at the modesto police department
its envelope was postmarked march 16 and should have been delivered much earlier but a mix-up at the post office
delayed its arrival inside was a handwritten note in black ink on white lined paper the writing was
untidy and was accompanied by a crudely drawn map it directed police to the vista point
lookout at don pedro reservoir in tuolumne county a line was marked to represent highway
120 above the map were the words we had fun with this one analysis of the note failed to uncover
anything significant dna found on the stamp and the envelope seal was run through the criminal database to no
result investigators followed the map the next day arriving at the don pedro reservoir on
the western edge of yosemite national park it was around halfway between where carroll julie and sylvina were last seen
and the location where their burned-out vehicle was found located just off highway 120 vista point
provided a scenic stop-off for visitors wanting to soak in the views of the expensive waterfront
and its bordering tree-lined hillsides it didn't contain much beyond a parking lot and a small hiking trail to the top
of the hill there were no direct access points to the water a cadaver dog was taken down the steep
grassy hill that led to the reservoir within minutes the canine made a discovery
lying partly covered by a poison oak bush was the body of 15 year old julie sund her throat had been
cut her ankles were duct taped together and her arms had been folded neatly across her chest
[Music] upon the identification of both carol and julie's son's remains it was determined that the second body
found in the pontiac's trunk was that of sixteen-year-old sylvina peloso dark pink fibres were found on julie's
body this prompted fbi agents to revisit the cedar lodge in search of manchester that
the fibres might have originated from a maintenance worker took agents through each room
where they stripped bedding and removed it from the premises to undergo analysis
the triple homicide would come to be known as the yosemite sightseer murders jen's son
had no mercy for those responsible and hoped they would face capital punishment quote the senseless waste of these
precious lives is so incomprehensible i can't even begin to understand why it happened
julie sunder was laid to rest in a private ceremony at her maternal grandparents californian ranch
carol's body had yet to be released by the fbi but a place was reserved for her to be
buried alongside her daughter the next day a public memorial service was held at eureka's sacred heart
church julie's violin and carol's gardening hat were placed at the altar daisies carol's favorite flower were
handed to the 1000 plus mourners in attendance reverend thomas keyes called upon the perpetrator
of the crime to free the sun family by coming forward so that the tragedy could be put to rest
carol's family launched the carol sund carrington memorial reward foundation which facilitated rewards for
information to help families find missing loved ones before long the foundation experienced
its first success story the offer of a ten thousand dollar reward led to the arrest of a
suspect who shot and killed a young man named robert ibarra the foundation also offered a reward to help solve the
murder of eighteen-year-old britney phillips as covered in episode 146 of case file
the fbi released carol and sylvina's remains 37 days after they were discovered jose and raquel peloso had since
returned home to argentina to await the arrival of sylvanas remains body was transported to raquel's
hometown of las verisas residents lined to the streets and threw roses at the earth as it made its
journey local factories and shops along the route were closed as a sign of respect
over one thousand mourners gathered for sylvina's funeral her father said we're at the end of a
very painful story for us all but finally sylvina is going to be able to rest in peace
having sylvina here is a huge relief yosemite national park was federal property
given that the murders were carried out there a federal grand jury was pulled to
assist authorities with the case although no arrests were imminent this would give authorities more power to
obtain documents and subpoena reluctant or interstate witnesses the criminal records of local men were
poured over to identify suspects and to those who had been convicted of violent crimes were
spotlighted one such person was cedar lodge janitor billy joe strange who was still in
custody for violating his probation 38 year old car thief terry ray also caught investigators attention
he was a known associate of persons of interest in the sun peloso case on april 6
terry's heavily decomposed body was found in the tuolumne river it appeared as though he had been in the
water for up to three weeks terry's brother dennis was certain terry had met with fair play
according to dennis terry had been at a house in modesto several weeks earlier where he witnessed
the julie's son to being assaulted dennis believed that his brother had been drugged and
dumped in the river to stop him from speaking out about the crime he said terry was a strong swimmer who
wouldn't have drowned accidentally yet an autopsy failed to uncover any evidence that implicated
anyone else in terry ray's death another man who made the suspect list in the sun peloso case
was 42 year old michael larwick larwick was a convicted rapist who had also served
time for manslaughter assault drug possession and attempted prison escape in 1975 he brutally raped a relative
while her children cowered in a nearby car two days prior to the discovery of the
burnt out pontiac larwick was involved in a 14-hour standoff with police he had been caught driving with expired
license plates during negotiations larwick fired a rifle at a police car and to the standoff concluded with his
arrest larwick's half-brother 32-year-old eugene dykes also raised suspicions he too
had a long criminal history that included unlawful sexual intercourse and false imprisonment
dikes had been in custody since march 5 for parole violations with his parole officer labelling him a danger to the
community both larwick and dykes were known to hang around a group of methamphetamine
addicts who supported their habit via male theft and forgery this raised the question of whether
they'd been involved with the fraudulent calls to wells fargo to gain access to carol's son's bank
cards and accounts the half-brothers quickly became the likely suspects in the yosemite
sightseer murders as it was thought that the crime was carried out by more than one perpetrator
in addition the pair were familiar with the local area and larwick regularly spent time at a
home in modesto 10 blocks from where carol's wallet insert was found by early april the grand jury began
interviewing witnesses to build a compelling case against michael larwick and eugene dykes
by now attention had fully shifted from the cedar lodge in el portal to the modesto neighborhoods and trailer
parks where the methamphetamine trade thrived special agent james maddock expressed confidence over the new
direction the investigation was taking after months of inactivity progress was now being made
he told the press it's remarkable when you look at it all the pieces we've been able to fill in
every day we get information that helps us refine our working theory eugene dykes's girlfriend was among
those interviewed she said that she knew in her heart that her boyfriend was involved in the murders she then
recalled the day dice was arrested for violating parole he had arrived at her house high on
methamphetamine after ordering her to close all the doors and windows he handed her a knife and a gun and told
her to hide them the police arrived at the house to arrest the dykes and seized both weapons
they asked his girlfriend if she had ever seen dykes with an axe or saw blades she said
no but explained that he usually carried another blade in addition to the gun another associate of the suspects was 41
year old methamphetamine dealer larry utley in late may he held a man captive at his home in
modesto he planned to drug the man in order to steal his bank cards three days later the man told utley he
needed fresh air newtley obliged and the man took the opportunity to escape utley was arrested for kidnapping and
criminal conspiracy he underwent polygraph testing during which he denied having anything to do
with the yosemite sightseer murders results revealed he was being truthful twelve days later police arrested 24
year old modesto local kenneth stewart for stabbing and attempting to shoot an ex-con he had served time with
stewart was a known associate of eugene dykes police hoped that a resting steward
would pressure him into disclosing anything he might know about the yosemite murders
but he remained tight-lipped yet another suspect on the fbi's radar was 46 year old tuolumne county man
paul candler jr he owned a house in the yosemite area that had burned down around the time carroll julie and
sylvina went missing candler had since fled to alabama to evade authorities after threatening to kill his mother
the fbi went to extreme lengths to extradite him back to california to face questioning over the yosemite sightseer
murders to the fbi the investigation into michael larwick and eugene dykes had been a success
special agent matic stated that although they weren't close to announcing any arrests in relation to the sun
peloso case the fbi believed that those responsible were in custody for unrelated crimes
they had yet to conclusively link any of the aforementioned suspects to the murders
due to what medic described as a cranksta circle of dopers who can't remember what they did
yesterday much less weeks ago complicating matters was the lack of emotive or physical evidence
with yosemite's summer tourist season underway an fbi spokesperson clarified that the
public had no reasons to be concerned as quote this case is not a manhunt for serial killers
still on the loose in mid-june eugene dykes made a confession to police he revealed that he and his half-brother
michael larwick had participated in the abduction and murder of carol and julie sund and sylvina peloso
he said he hadn't killed them but had been involved in giving away their personal belongings
including checks and jewelry he had another associate discard carol's wallet insert in modesto
dikes later changed this story this time he claimed he had cut carol's throat with a knife at a remote mountain
location he also said he had helped dispose of the bodies dikes were strapped to a polygraph and
asked if he had harmed sylvana he answered no the test indicated he was being deceptive
an acquaintance of dykes agreed to wear a covert listening device while speaking
to a teenage girl dykes had been sexually involved with during the conversation the teen said
that dykes had admitted to her that he and another man had slit the throats of three women she also revealed that she
had helped the dykes create a fake id using carol's son's driver's license it was a compelling conversation but
investigators were unable to find any evidence to support it they did uncover a ring that dyches
claimed to have stolen from julie's sonde it was shown to her sister regina who said
she was 90 sure it was julie's the fbi felt the ring supported dyke's confession
they searched a jeep wagoneer that dyke said he'd been driving at the time of the abductions
they also examined a corvette that belonged to his half-brother both vehicles contained dark pink fibres
akin to those found on julie's body the same fibers were also found on one of dyke's jackets
the evidence was beginning to stack up however darks kept changing his story his statements were inconsistent and he
was unwilling or unable to prove his involvement an fbi agent said these guys are pathologically incapable
of telling a straight story in dijkstra's own warped mind he's trying to shift the ultimate responsibility to someone
else another agent said dikes has made statements that are very self-incriminating
as well as statements that are incriminating of others it's impossible at this time to say what
part is true and what isn't dyches is talking to get the onus off him and on to his brother
he's trying to confuse people trying to save himself retribution in prison from his jail cell dikes agreed to an
interview with the associated press he denied having anything to do with the murders
adding if i was involved it wasn't through my knowledge by the five-month anniversary of the
murders no arrests had been made twenty-six-year-old joey armstrong worked as a naturalist for the yosemite
institute a not-for-profit organisation that ran education programs through a partnership with the park her
job was to teach children about the animals plants environment and ecosystem of yosemite
joey cared deeply for the environment she was a vegetarian who would inform her friends and family about how to
recycle one of her superiors said joey was one of the finest naturalists and science teachers i ever
met joey had recently moved in with her boyfriend michael and another co-worker to a cabin in
firestar the remote unincorporated community was on the western edge of yosemite
joey's cabin was surrounded by woods and meadows she loved her home and her lifestyle
telling a friend it was straight out of a dream although the recent murders had unnerved
her joey told her mother that she felt safe knowing that the people responsible were in custody in her diary
she wrote the monsters are gone in late july 1999 joey was preparing to visit a friend in sausalito
a small seaside town 180 miles west of yosemite she had packed her car and was ready to leave by the afternoon
of thursday july 22 at 3am the next morning a call was placed to the yosemite national park
authorities joey's friend had phoned in worried as joey never showed up to their place
as planned officials headed to joey's cabin to conduct a welfare check music was playing inside but nobody was
home joey's bed was in disarray a pair of sunglasses were broken on the floor and a bright red rag appeared to be out
of place her car was still parked outside packed and ready for her trip to sausalito
given it was dark outside park officials waited until first to light to carry out
a search of the immediate area when the search commenced hours passed without any discoveries
at 1 pm park rangers ventured to a stream just a few hundred yards from joey's cabin
among an area of trampled vegetation they stumbled across the decapitated body of a young woman
to be continued next week [Music] you

Case 161: The Yosemite Sightseer Murders (Part 1)

[Part 1 of 2] In early 1998, three tourists were sound asleep at the Cedar Lodge hotel near California’s Yosemite National Park. At around 2 am, they woke to the sound of something rattling...

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research – Jessica Forsayeth Writing – Elsha McGill Creative direction – Milly Raso Production, scoring – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn

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RESOURCES

For all credits and sources please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-161-the-yosemite-sightseer-murders-part-1

Brief Summary

The episode covers the 1999 murders of Carol Sund, Julie Sund, and Sylvina Peloso near Yosemite National Park.

Key points

FightCamp: The Ultimate Boxing Experience. FightCamp brings the boxing gym to your living room, making workouts engaging and fun.
The Mysterious Disappearance. In February 1998, three women vanished from a hotel near Yosemite National Park, sparking a massive search.
Emotional Vigil for Missing Women. A vigil is held for the missing women, highlighting the community's grief and hope.
Discovery of the Burned Pontiac. Jim Powers finds a burned-out car in the forest, leading to a major breakthrough in the case.
Bodies Found in the Trunk. The remains of two bodies are discovered in the trunk of the Pontiac, confirming the worst fears.
Sylvina's Funeral. Over a thousand mourners gathered to pay their respects to Sylvina Peloso.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Train like a fighter and turn your sweat into results.

1:21WatchOct 31, 2020

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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