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[Music]
00:01:49
our episodes deal with serious and often
00:01:51
distressing incidents
00:01:53
if you feel at any time you need support
00:01:55
please contact your local crisis center
00:01:57
for suggested phone numbers for
00:01:59
confidential support please see the show
00:02:01
notes for this episode on your app
00:02:03
or on our website
00:02:09
in early 1998 three finnish tourists
00:02:13
were sound asleep at the cedar lodge
00:02:15
hotel
00:02:16
near california's yosemite national park
00:02:20
the trio consisted of two young girls
00:02:23
and an older woman who was acting as
00:02:25
their guardian
00:02:27
at around 2am they woke to the sound of
00:02:31
something rattling
00:02:33
it wasn't particularly loud but the
00:02:36
hotel's remote setting
00:02:38
surrounded by acres of woodland meant
00:02:40
that even quiet noises could cut through
00:02:43
the silence
00:02:44
like a buzzsaw like all of the rooms at
00:02:48
the cedar lodge
00:02:49
the women's room opened to an outdoor
00:02:51
parking lot that any passerby
00:02:54
could pull into they quickly realized
00:02:58
that the rattling was coming from the
00:03:00
front door of their room
00:03:01
just a few feet away
00:03:05
someone was fiddling with the handle
00:03:07
from the outside
00:03:08
trying to get in
00:03:12
the women had locked the door earlier
00:03:14
but this
00:03:15
wasn't deterring the person on the other
00:03:17
side
00:03:18
it sounded as though they were trying to
00:03:20
gain access with a key
00:03:22
as opposed to using a tool or brute
00:03:24
force
00:03:26
the older woman cried out in panic
00:03:28
before calling the front desk
00:03:32
she informed hotel staff that someone
00:03:34
was breaking into their room
00:03:36
but by this point the rattling had
00:03:39
stopped
00:03:41
if someone had indeed tried to break in
00:03:44
they were gone by the time
00:03:46
security was notified
00:03:49
no one was found loitering in the area
00:03:51
nor
00:03:52
seen sprinting away
00:03:55
the hotel's maintenance man checked the
00:03:57
door
00:03:58
the lock appeared untouched and was
00:04:01
still fully functional
00:04:02
which put the women at ease their night
00:04:06
continued without any further
00:04:07
interruptions
00:04:09
and no other suspected break-ins were
00:04:12
reported
00:04:22
[Music]
00:04:38
in december 1998 sylvina peloso
00:04:42
left her home city of cordoba argentina
00:04:45
bound for the united states
00:04:48
the 16 year old had inherited her
00:04:50
mother's spirit for travel
00:04:52
and had signed up to be a foreign
00:04:54
exchange student
00:04:56
for the next three months sylvina would
00:04:59
be living with the six-member
00:05:00
sunder family in the northern
00:05:02
californian port city of eureka
00:05:06
the pelosos and sons were long-time
00:05:09
friends through
00:05:10
mothers recurl and carol the two women
00:05:13
met in the 70s
00:05:15
when carol traveled to argentina as an
00:05:17
exchange student herself
00:05:20
carol revisited the country years later
00:05:23
with her two-year-old daughter
00:05:25
juliana better known as julie
00:05:29
by this stage the pelosos had two
00:05:32
daughters
00:05:32
with sylvina the younger of the pair
00:05:36
she and julie sund were similar in age
00:05:39
but opposites in personality sylvina was
00:05:43
an introvert
00:05:44
unlike a julie who was more outgoing
00:05:48
despite their differences the girls
00:05:50
formed a lifelong friendship of their
00:05:52
own
00:05:55
sylvina was due to return home from the
00:05:57
us
00:05:58
in late march 1999
00:06:01
as she was very interested in american
00:06:04
culture the suns had endeavoured to give
00:06:06
her a memorable experience of their
00:06:08
homeland
00:06:10
they had taken sylvina all across the
00:06:12
state to visit landmarks such as
00:06:14
disneyland and fisherman's wharf
00:06:18
the grand canyon in arizona was annexed
00:06:20
on their list
00:06:22
as was yosemite national park
00:06:25
it took carol sund a month to
00:06:28
meticulously plan the perfect road trip
00:06:30
to yosemite
00:06:33
carol's schedule was typically full with
00:06:35
family
00:06:36
work and other commitments so she made
00:06:38
the most out of every minute of her
00:06:40
vacations
00:06:42
the yosemite trip revolved around one of
00:06:45
julie's cheerleading competitions
00:06:47
and would be taking place over four days
00:06:49
that encompassed the long weekend
00:06:53
only carol julie and sylvina would be
00:06:56
going
00:06:57
it was set to be a unique adventure as
00:07:00
winter had brought snow to the region
00:07:05
the trip began on friday february 12th
00:07:09
carol julie and sylvina flew to san
00:07:12
francisco
00:07:14
from there they hired a car and drove
00:07:16
two hours northeast to stockton
00:07:20
the city was home to the university of
00:07:22
the pacific
00:07:23
where julie's cheerleading competition
00:07:25
took place on saturday february 13.
00:07:30
julie was impressed by the campus and
00:07:33
considered enrolling there
00:07:34
after graduating high school she had
00:07:38
ambitions to become
00:07:39
either a chef or an architect while
00:07:41
maintaining her passion for violin and
00:07:43
piano
00:07:46
julie carroll and sylvina organized to
00:07:49
return to the university for a proper
00:07:51
tour
00:07:51
in three days time from stockton
00:07:55
the trio drove to the small farming town
00:07:58
of merced
00:07:59
known as the gateway to yosemite
00:08:02
they spent the night at the ramada inn
00:08:05
before continuing on to yosemite
00:08:07
national park
00:08:08
on the sunday sylvina was particularly
00:08:12
excited to see yosemite's granite cliffs
00:08:15
waterfalls lakes meadows and mountains
00:08:19
she was an active person by nature who
00:08:22
enjoyed ice skating
00:08:24
skiing and roller skating she also loved
00:08:27
the outdoors
00:08:29
and hoped to study an environmental
00:08:31
field in the future
00:08:34
carol julie and sylvina spent their
00:08:36
first day at yosemite
00:08:38
exploring part of the park's 750
00:08:41
000 acres of rugged wilderness
00:08:45
before day's end they drove through the
00:08:47
dense and
00:08:48
far-reaching forests along highway 140
00:08:51
to the nearby town of el portal
00:08:55
there they checked in at the cedar lodge
00:08:58
an affordable hotel on the banks of the
00:09:01
merced river
00:09:08
on the evening of monday february 15
00:09:11
yen's son received a phone call from his
00:09:14
wife
00:09:14
carol she happily spoke of her time away
00:09:18
with the julie and
00:09:19
sylvina in yosemite they had spent the
00:09:22
previous two days exploring the park
00:09:25
and was settling in for their final
00:09:27
night at the hotel
00:09:30
jens planned to meet the three women at
00:09:32
san francisco international airport the
00:09:35
next day
00:09:37
carol and julie would return home to
00:09:39
eureka
00:09:40
while salvina would join jens and the
00:09:43
other three sunder children on a flight
00:09:45
to phoenix arizona
00:09:47
to visit the grand canyon
00:09:51
jans and his children flew into san
00:09:53
francisco
00:09:54
at 10 45 pm on tuesday february 16.
00:09:59
a storm had delayed their flight by five
00:10:02
hours there was no way to notify
00:10:05
carol as she didn't have a mobile phone
00:10:09
instead jens paged his wife over the
00:10:11
airport's loudspeaker
00:10:14
but there was no sign of her julie or
00:10:16
sylvina
00:10:19
the connecting flight to phoenix was
00:10:21
departing immediately
00:10:24
jans faced the snap decision board
00:10:27
without sylvina
00:10:29
or wait and to miss the flight
00:10:32
he decided to leave without her
00:10:36
his wife was very resourceful and fully
00:10:38
capable of booking sylvina on another
00:10:41
flight
00:10:43
jens awoke in arizona the next morning
00:10:46
and played a round of golf
00:10:48
he wasn't concerned about carol julie or
00:10:51
sylvina
00:10:52
until midday came and he still hadn't
00:10:54
heard from them
00:10:56
worried that they might have been in a
00:10:58
car accident he contacted the california
00:11:01
highway patrol
00:11:02
but no incidents had been reported
00:11:07
jens then called the cedar lodge in el
00:11:10
portal
00:11:12
he was informed that his wife and the
00:11:14
girls had seemingly left the day before
00:11:17
as planned the lodge had carol's credit
00:11:20
card details on file
00:11:22
which meant she didn't need to
00:11:23
physically check out at the front desk
00:11:26
she simply left the hotel case in her
00:11:28
room and her card was charged
00:11:31
accordingly
00:11:33
jens contacted the rental car company
00:11:36
that carol had used
00:11:38
she was supposed to drop the vehicle off
00:11:40
in modesto before her
00:11:42
flight to san francisco the car hadn't
00:11:45
yet been returned
00:11:51
it was out of character for carol not to
00:11:54
follow through
00:11:55
with plans the 42 year old was diligent
00:11:58
and reliable
00:12:00
as a mother of four and co-owner of a
00:12:03
real estate company
00:12:04
she had to be carol also worked in the
00:12:08
local courts as an advocate for abused
00:12:10
children
00:12:11
volunteered as a parenting teacher and
00:12:14
pursued other business
00:12:15
interests she was known for her charity
00:12:19
work
00:12:19
including a non-profit she co-founded
00:12:22
that provided care and
00:12:23
shelter for the mentally disabled
00:12:27
the sons notified the sheriff's
00:12:29
department in yosemite
00:12:31
of the trio's disappearance it was
00:12:34
initially thought that carol
00:12:36
and the teens were lost or had skidded
00:12:39
off the road
00:12:41
a large-scale multi-agency search
00:12:43
commenced
00:12:45
police officers and park rangers were on
00:12:48
the lookout for carol's rental car
00:12:50
a bright red 1998 pontiac
00:12:53
grand prix with californian license
00:12:56
plates
00:12:58
highway patrol drove down highway 120
00:13:01
which runs through yosemite as well as
00:13:04
highway 140
00:13:05
which connects the cedar lodge with the
00:13:07
park
00:13:09
there was no evidence of a vehicular
00:13:11
accident or mishap
00:13:13
anywhere
00:13:16
records from the cedar lodge confirmed
00:13:18
the women had checked in
00:13:20
on the afternoon of sunday february 14.
00:13:24
the lodge was at capacity due to it
00:13:26
being both
00:13:27
valentine's day and the president's day
00:13:29
long weekend
00:13:32
they were assigned to room 509
00:13:36
a twin bedroom away from the central
00:13:38
reception area and car park
00:13:42
by monday afternoon most of the hotel
00:13:45
guests had checked out carol
00:13:48
julie and sylvina were the only ones
00:13:50
remaining in their block
00:13:54
they rented some movies from the front
00:13:56
desk and to that evening
00:13:58
julie and sylvina ate at the hotel's
00:14:01
restaurant
00:14:03
the pair were halfway through their
00:14:04
dinner when carol arrived to pay the
00:14:07
bill
00:14:07
at 6 32 pm
00:14:11
julie and sylvina left with carol
00:14:14
telling their server they would be back
00:14:16
to finish their half-eaten burgers
00:14:19
but they never returned
00:14:22
[Music]
00:14:25
room 509 hadn't been touched since
00:14:28
carol and the teens had a laugh
00:14:31
police searched the room and found the
00:14:34
rented movies on a table
00:14:36
along with a paper bag containing
00:14:38
souvenirs
00:14:40
there were also wet towels on the
00:14:42
bathroom floor
00:14:44
and an apple and a bottle of tomato
00:14:46
juice in the fridge
00:14:49
the group's luggage was gone and their
00:14:51
room key had been left behind
00:14:54
as per the hotel's checkout policy
00:14:59
police contacted the university of the
00:15:01
pacific in stockton
00:15:03
the trio had scheduled to tour the
00:15:05
campus hours before their flight back to
00:15:08
san francisco on the 16th
00:15:11
but they didn't show up their absence
00:15:14
wasn't reported
00:15:16
as it was assumed they had simply made
00:15:18
other plans
00:15:19
[Music]
00:15:25
30 miles southeast of stockton is the
00:15:27
inland
00:15:28
city of modesto the final destination
00:15:31
on carroll julie and sylvina's road trip
00:15:36
on friday february 19 a teen was walking
00:15:39
to school in modesto's northern suburbs
00:15:43
near the intersection of main
00:15:45
thoroughfares briggsmoor avenue
00:15:47
and tully road she spotted the insert of
00:15:50
a wallet
00:15:50
containing several cards
00:15:54
inside were carol's son's driver's
00:15:56
license and credit cards
00:15:58
confirming it belonged to her
00:16:02
it was unclear whether the wallet insert
00:16:04
had been lost
00:16:05
abandoned or stolen
00:16:10
that same day a call came through to the
00:16:12
wells fargo
00:16:14
bank helpline from someone claiming to
00:16:16
be carol's son
00:16:19
this person requested a duplicate atm
00:16:22
card be sent to her but she was unable
00:16:25
to provide proof of identity
00:16:27
so the call was terminated
00:16:30
two days later the person claiming to be
00:16:33
carol
00:16:33
called the helpline again wanting to
00:16:36
know her bank balance
00:16:38
this time she provided carol's social
00:16:41
security number
00:16:42
and was given the information
00:16:45
when investigators learned of the wallet
00:16:48
insert enter the helpline calls
00:16:50
they suspected carol had met with foul
00:16:53
play
00:16:55
it seemed likely that the caller seeking
00:16:57
her atm
00:16:58
card and banking details was an impostor
00:17:03
wells fargo provided details of the 800
00:17:06
000 calls made to their helpline between
00:17:09
february 19 and
00:17:11
21 investigators whittled down the list
00:17:16
and looked into over 100 people who
00:17:18
might have placed the call
00:17:20
but their efforts were unsuccessful
00:17:25
bank records revealed that carol's last
00:17:28
purchase
00:17:28
were the burgers julie and sylvina
00:17:31
ordered at the cedar lodge restaurant
00:17:33
the evening before
00:17:34
they vanished she had also withdrawn two
00:17:38
hundred dollars from an atm in massad
00:17:41
before the group arrived at yosemite
00:17:44
the cash was missing but her credit
00:17:47
cards hadn't been used
00:17:48
despite some having a thirteen thousand
00:17:51
dollar limit
00:17:56
the families of carol julie and sylvina
00:17:59
descended on yosemite
00:18:00
seeking answers six days into the search
00:18:05
have visibly stunned a yen's son to
00:18:07
front at a press conference
00:18:10
the national park was a meaningful place
00:18:12
for yens
00:18:13
as it was where he and carol had
00:18:15
honeymooned
00:18:17
he could offer no reason why his family
00:18:20
would be targeted in a crime
00:18:22
he described his wife and daughter as
00:18:25
fighters who wouldn't easily succumb to
00:18:27
an assailant
00:18:30
the eureka community was equally shocked
00:18:33
they couldn't understand how someone as
00:18:35
cautious and protective as carol
00:18:38
could end up in trouble
00:18:41
carol had come from the wealthy
00:18:43
carrington family
00:18:45
her parents lived on a sprawling ranch
00:18:47
north of eureka
00:18:49
partially funded by their successful
00:18:51
real estate business that carol
00:18:53
inherited she and ian's ran the business
00:18:57
side by side the couple were also
00:19:01
principals in the carrington co
00:19:03
which owned several malls across the
00:19:05
country
00:19:07
yet the suns didn't indulge a lavish
00:19:10
lifestyle
00:19:11
they lived in a modest pale green
00:19:14
bungalow with their two pet
00:19:15
dogs if the perpetrators were targeting
00:19:20
the carrington's wealth
00:19:21
they had yet to make any ransom demands
00:19:25
carol's parents put their money to use
00:19:28
offering a 250
00:19:30
000 reward for information no
00:19:33
questions asked the family
00:19:37
also charted a plane to conduct an
00:19:39
aerial search of yosemite
00:19:41
but nothing of significance was spotted
00:19:47
by now the fbi were involved in the case
00:19:51
over two dozen agents had arrived at
00:19:53
yosemite
00:19:54
led by special agent james maddock
00:19:58
they set up a command post at a nearby
00:20:00
hotel
00:20:02
the walls of a conference room were
00:20:04
plastered floor to ceiling with the
00:20:06
timeline of a vance
00:20:09
it detailed all sightings of the missing
00:20:11
women that had come
00:20:12
through to a 24-hour case hotline
00:20:16
on the final day of their trip the trio
00:20:19
were allegedly spotted in yosemite
00:20:21
valley
00:20:22
a 30-minute drive east from the cedar
00:20:25
lodge
00:20:27
they reportedly asked for directions to
00:20:29
tuolumne grove
00:20:31
a riverside meadow just over an hour's
00:20:34
drive away
00:20:35
[Music]
00:20:36
a sporty red vehicle was also seen
00:20:38
parked in a yosemite valley lot between
00:20:41
midday and 2 pm that same day
00:20:46
the possibility that the trio had a car
00:20:49
accident
00:20:50
once again gained momentum and further
00:20:53
searches of the parkland were carried
00:20:55
out
00:20:56
recent snowstorms hindered efforts but
00:20:59
within two days
00:21:00
four thousand miles of roadway had been
00:21:03
driven and 50 miles of terrain trudged
00:21:06
on foot
00:21:07
as planes and helicopters scanned from
00:21:10
above
00:21:11
what looked like the burned-out shell of
00:21:13
a car was spotted along a back road
00:21:16
it turned out to be a propane tank
00:21:19
[Music]
00:21:21
special agent matic told reporters
00:21:25
the territory here is huge the territory
00:21:28
is rugged
00:21:28
and the search is going to take some
00:21:31
time
00:21:32
but if the car is out there we'll find
00:21:35
it
00:21:40
by friday february 26 carol
00:21:44
julie and sylvina had been missing for
00:21:46
ten days
00:21:49
nine abandoned or stolen cars had been
00:21:52
found
00:21:52
throughout yosemite but none were
00:21:55
carol's missing rental
00:21:58
while the likelihood of a car accident
00:22:00
no longer seemed
00:22:01
likely it couldn't be ruled out entirely
00:22:04
[Music]
00:22:05
carol's car might have plunged into a
00:22:07
remote canyon
00:22:08
and remained hidden by shrubs or snow
00:22:12
special agent matic urged the public to
00:22:15
check their properties
00:22:16
and unused barns for the red pontiac
00:22:19
advising it may have been salvaged
00:22:21
or dismantled carol's parents offered a
00:22:26
further 50
00:22:27
000 reward for any information leading
00:22:29
to the pontiac's location
00:22:32
this was distinct from their reward for
00:22:35
carol
00:22:35
julie and sylvina's whereabouts which
00:22:38
they bolstered to three hundred thousand
00:22:40
dollars
00:22:43
alleged sightings continued to come in
00:22:46
a best western hotel clerk in oakland
00:22:49
believed the three women had approached
00:22:51
to the desk
00:22:52
inquiring about room rates
00:22:55
another person reported seeing them at a
00:22:57
roadside fruit stand in escalon
00:23:02
both locations were in close proximity
00:23:04
to modesto
00:23:06
but neither siding was confirmed
00:23:10
yen's son and others close to the
00:23:12
missing women were subjected to
00:23:14
polygraph testing
00:23:15
and ruled out as suspects
00:23:18
jens was struggling to remain positive
00:23:21
and often broke down
00:23:24
he prepared himself for the worst
00:23:26
telling his other children that they'd
00:23:28
been lucky
00:23:29
so far but their lives were about to get
00:23:32
harder
00:23:35
carol was yan's high school sweetheart
00:23:38
the couple had created their perfect
00:23:41
family starting with the birth of julie
00:23:43
in 1983
00:23:45
followed by the adoption of three more
00:23:48
children carol was described as a super
00:23:51
mom
00:23:52
and dejans wasn't sure how they'd cope
00:23:55
without her
00:23:58
the son's grief was shared by the peloso
00:24:01
family
00:24:02
sylvina's mother raquel had arrived in
00:24:05
california from argentina
00:24:08
she was later joined by her husband
00:24:10
sylvina's father
00:24:11
jose raquel initially thought that her
00:24:16
daughter had been in an accident
00:24:18
she told the press the only thing i was
00:24:22
afraid of was earthquakes in california
00:24:25
i trust the sun family i considered that
00:24:28
they were going to take good care of my
00:24:30
daughter and i'm sure that they did
00:24:35
according to raquel sylvina had never
00:24:38
expressed concern about her time in
00:24:41
america
00:24:42
it was her daughter's dream to go to the
00:24:45
states
00:24:46
when carol sand made the trip to
00:24:49
argentina
00:24:50
in the 70s it was during an intense time
00:24:52
of political turmoil
00:24:55
rickell said i can't help but think if
00:24:59
carol could come to argentina and
00:25:01
survive that experience
00:25:03
the guerrilla fighting the shootings how
00:25:06
could my daughter not come to america
00:25:09
and survive here i have hope
00:25:13
i believe someone has seen something
00:25:16
in this world you can do few things
00:25:19
without a witness
00:25:23
as the end of february neared 50 fbi
00:25:27
agents were working the case 7 000
00:25:30
miles of terrain had been covered and to
00:25:33
900 tips
00:25:34
generating 233 leads had been followed
00:25:38
up
00:25:39
but authorities had yet to find any
00:25:42
concrete evidence
00:25:43
that a crime had even occurred
00:25:47
special agent maddox stated that while
00:25:49
the fbi
00:25:50
held hopes of a miracle they now
00:25:52
believed
00:25:53
that carol and julie's sund and sylvina
00:25:56
peloso
00:25:57
were no longer alive
00:26:03
by march investigators were growing
00:26:05
frustrated
00:26:07
it was unusual for them to work so hard
00:26:10
on a case without making a single
00:26:12
breakthrough
00:26:14
television program america's most wanted
00:26:17
did a feature on the disappearance
00:26:20
this garnered national attention for the
00:26:22
case
00:26:23
but no further breakthroughs
00:26:26
victimology the study of victim behavior
00:26:29
was used
00:26:30
to determine how the women might have
00:26:32
reacted to various scenarios
00:26:35
child abduction experts devised suspect
00:26:38
profiles
00:26:39
and the background checks were carried
00:26:41
out on those who raised suspicion
00:26:45
persons of interest were interviewed and
00:26:47
polygraphed
00:26:49
but they were all eliminated from the
00:26:51
investigation
00:26:52
[Music]
00:26:55
that month the fbi set about
00:26:57
interviewing
00:26:58
employees of the cedar lodge and two
00:27:01
suspects emerged
00:27:03
one was a staff member who had given
00:27:05
carol her room care
00:27:08
as it turned out he was a registered sex
00:27:11
offender
00:27:12
he had also visited modesto two days
00:27:15
before
00:27:15
carol's wallet insert was found there
00:27:20
the other suspect was a janitor named
00:27:23
billy joe
00:27:24
strange his history included domestic
00:27:27
violence and
00:27:28
battery when investigators sought
00:27:32
strange for questioning
00:27:33
in relation to the sunned peloso case he
00:27:36
attempted to run
00:27:38
he was promptly captured and claimed
00:27:41
that he'd fled
00:27:42
because he didn't want to be hassled by
00:27:44
the fbi
00:27:46
it was determined that strange didn't
00:27:49
have an alibi
00:27:50
for the night that trio were last seen
00:27:54
he professed his innocence but a
00:27:56
polygraph test
00:27:57
indicated that he wasn't being truthful
00:28:02
an associate claimed that strange had
00:28:05
talked about killing and
00:28:06
raping women before hiding their bodies
00:28:11
strange was interviewed several times
00:28:14
but there was no evidence linking him to
00:28:16
the disappearance
00:28:17
and he was free to go
00:28:20
locals who knew strange were more
00:28:23
inclined to believe
00:28:24
that an outsider was responsible
00:28:27
in contrast stranger's former
00:28:30
mother-in-law described him as a violent
00:28:32
man
00:28:33
with a strong temper she was suspicious
00:28:36
of him from the moment
00:28:38
news of the sunned peloso disappearance
00:28:40
hit
00:28:43
days later investigators searched billy
00:28:46
joe strange's cabin in el portal
00:28:49
near the cedar lodge and found cannabis
00:28:53
this breached stranger's parole
00:28:55
conditions which forbade him from using
00:28:58
illicit drugs he was placed under arrest
00:29:02
and a search was carried out on his
00:29:04
janitorial shed at the hotel
00:29:07
inside a water logged a laundry bag was
00:29:10
found that appeared
00:29:12
to have a blood stain
00:29:15
stranger's girlfriend's car was also
00:29:17
seized and another blood-like stain was
00:29:20
spotted on the carpet
00:29:22
analysis of the substance concluded it
00:29:25
was rust
00:29:28
as the one month anniversary of carol
00:29:31
julie and
00:29:32
sylvina's disappearance approached a
00:29:35
vigil for hope
00:29:36
was held in modesto
00:29:39
it highlighted multiple missing person
00:29:41
cases
00:29:42
with many attendees carrying photos of
00:29:45
loved ones whose whereabouts were
00:29:47
unknown
00:29:49
yen sund didn't appear at the event
00:29:52
citing emotional exhaustion
00:29:56
a poem written by his 13 year old
00:29:58
daughter regina was read out to the 600
00:30:01
strong crowd
00:30:03
it said at a time
00:30:06
when i need my mother's touch most all i
00:30:09
see of her
00:30:10
are pictures nailed to a post
00:30:13
when it is time for bed i rock myself to
00:30:16
sleep
00:30:17
i try to stay strong because i know
00:30:20
that's what you'd want your baby to be
00:30:23
but mummy i don't want you to leave me
00:30:29
on the afternoon of thursday march 18
00:30:33
retired carpenter jim powers was out
00:30:36
target shooting
00:30:37
near dodge ridge ski resort
00:30:40
located approximately 110 miles
00:30:43
south of the cedar lodge the area in
00:30:46
tuolumne county
00:30:48
is part of the stanislaus national
00:30:50
forest
00:30:52
the forest spans almost nine hundred
00:30:54
thousand acres of woodland
00:30:56
rivers and streams
00:30:59
as jim shuffled down a slope in some
00:31:02
rugged terrain
00:31:03
off highway 180 something caught his eye
00:31:08
there were a few slivers of red paint
00:31:11
and a license plate
00:31:12
on the ground
00:31:29
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jim powers eased the deeper into the
00:37:43
dense forest
00:37:44
and came across the wreckage of a
00:37:46
burned-out car
00:37:48
the intense fire had stripped the paint
00:37:51
off of all but one of the door handles
00:37:54
all that remained was the rusting metal
00:37:56
shell
00:37:57
with the interior soggy from recent rain
00:38:02
jim examined at the license plate
00:38:05
at red 4 bmv 025
00:38:10
his adrenaline surged he recognized it
00:38:13
from the missing person flyers that had
00:38:15
been circulating the local community
00:38:19
with his stomach in knots jim took it
00:38:21
back to his car
00:38:22
and drove home to contact the
00:38:25
authorities
00:38:28
fbi agents descended on the forest
00:38:30
immediately
00:38:32
with the help of the highway patrol they
00:38:34
identified the destroyed vehicle
00:38:37
as the pontiac rented by carol sund
00:38:41
it had been missed during aerial
00:38:43
searches due to the density of the
00:38:45
forest ceiling above it
00:38:48
as a result of his discovery jim powers
00:38:51
was granted the fifty thousand dollar
00:38:53
reward from
00:38:54
carol's parents they called jim their
00:38:57
hero
00:38:58
as without the crucial find the
00:39:00
investigation would still be at a
00:39:02
standstill
00:39:04
jim said he would use the money to send
00:39:06
his children to college
00:39:10
arson investigators confirmed that the
00:39:12
pontiac's interior
00:39:14
had been doused with gasoline before
00:39:16
being deliberately torched
00:39:19
the heat from the flames had been so
00:39:21
extreme that tree branches 25 feet above
00:39:24
were scorched this would have likely
00:39:28
caused the forest fire
00:39:30
had the surrounding woods not been
00:39:32
covered with ice and snow
00:39:35
finding a burned-out item wasn't unusual
00:39:38
for the area
00:39:39
it was known to be a dumping ground for
00:39:41
old appliances and other junk
00:39:43
which locals often set on fire
00:39:46
however a local man who lived across the
00:39:49
road from where the car was found
00:39:51
had noted a peculiar odor two to three
00:39:54
weeks earlier
00:39:56
it was the smell of something burning
00:39:59
but was different to fireplace smoke
00:40:03
a woman's hiking boot and an intact can
00:40:05
of coca-cola were found near the
00:40:07
burned-out car
00:40:10
as darkness fell a full forensic
00:40:13
examination of the scene was postponed
00:40:16
until morning
00:40:18
special agent james maddock told
00:40:20
reporters that although there were no
00:40:22
bodies found in their car
00:40:24
they now had incontrovertible evidence
00:40:26
that carol
00:40:27
julie and sylvana had fallen victim to a
00:40:30
violent crime
00:40:33
with her daughter and companions still
00:40:36
missing
00:40:36
richarl peloso told the press
00:40:40
i just hope they are kept somewhere and
00:40:43
alive
00:40:46
the following morning of friday march 19
00:40:50
the pontiac's trunk was opened for the
00:40:52
first time
00:40:54
inside were the remains of two badly
00:40:58
burnt bodies
00:41:00
it couldn't be ascertained whether they
00:41:02
were male or female
00:41:04
but investigators were certain they had
00:41:06
found either carol
00:41:08
julie or sylvaina
00:41:11
it would take time to compare the
00:41:13
remains with dna and dental records
00:41:16
before they would know for sure
00:41:19
the damage to both bodies was so immense
00:41:22
that a cause of death
00:41:24
could not be established
00:41:30
due to the wintry conditions a perimeter
00:41:33
search of the forest
00:41:34
surrounding the pontiac was difficult
00:41:38
recent snowfall had also masked any
00:41:41
footprints or other evidence that might
00:41:43
have been left by those responsible
00:41:46
the bad weather led to a temporary
00:41:48
suspension of the search
00:41:51
the sun and peloso families were in
00:41:54
mutual shock
00:41:56
carol's mother told the media
00:41:59
no one is strong enough to cope with
00:42:02
something like this
00:42:04
i can't imagine what kind of monster
00:42:06
would do something like this
00:42:10
special agent james maddock expressed
00:42:12
his hope
00:42:13
that the third victim would be found
00:42:15
alive
00:42:18
the fbi faced criticism in the aftermath
00:42:21
of the discovery
00:42:24
the day after the women were last seen
00:42:26
at the cedar lodge
00:42:28
they were allegedly spotted at a
00:42:29
tuolumne county gas station
00:42:32
and at a gift shop both locations
00:42:35
weren't far from where the pontiac was
00:42:37
found
00:42:39
these sightings were reported to the tip
00:42:42
line but were never followed up
00:42:45
the fbi defended this decision with
00:42:48
special agent maddox stating that all
00:42:50
the reported sightings they received
00:42:53
couldn't logically be true
00:42:56
the tuolumne county community consisted
00:42:59
mostly of retirees and small business
00:43:02
owners
00:43:03
but a number of methamphetamine labs
00:43:06
were also known to operate in the area
00:43:10
the possibility that the crime was drug
00:43:12
related was just one of many scenarios
00:43:15
considered special agent matic
00:43:18
thought the women had been carjacked he
00:43:21
believed
00:43:22
multiple perpetrators were involved as
00:43:24
it would have been difficult
00:43:26
for one individual to wrangle all three
00:43:28
women
00:43:30
the perpetrators were likely local to
00:43:32
the area
00:43:33
as the location where the vehicle was
00:43:35
destroyed wasn't a place
00:43:37
outsiders would be familiar with
00:43:42
within 24 hours of the vehicle being
00:43:44
recovered
00:43:45
approximately 300 calls were placed to
00:43:48
the fbi tip line
00:43:51
although the fbi would remain involved
00:43:53
to some degree
00:43:55
the case was officially handed over to
00:43:57
the tuolumne county sheriff's department
00:44:01
on sunday march 21 a change in the
00:44:04
weather
00:44:04
allowed the search of the scorched
00:44:06
forest to recommence
00:44:09
not far from the dumping site
00:44:12
investigators came across
00:44:13
several items of interest the keys to
00:44:16
the pontiac
00:44:18
a handheld compact cd player and an
00:44:21
undamaged
00:44:22
role of camera film the film was
00:44:25
developed
00:44:26
revealing images of carol julie and
00:44:29
sylvina
00:44:29
taken between february 13 and 15.
00:44:34
the pitches depicted the trio's time in
00:44:36
yosemite
00:44:38
posing in front of spectacular
00:44:39
landscapes playing in the snow
00:44:42
and ice skating on a frozen lake
00:44:45
one photo was taken the night before the
00:44:48
women disappeared
00:44:50
presumably by julie it captured carol
00:44:53
and sylvina in their hotel room
00:44:56
at cedar lodge sitting on the edge of
00:44:58
their beds
00:44:59
it was a candid shot with carol in the
00:45:02
midst of rummaging through her handbag
00:45:05
yet both women were acknowledging the
00:45:08
camera with a smile
00:45:12
seven of the photos recovered from the
00:45:14
camera roll were given to the sun family
00:45:16
with carol's mother telling the press
00:45:20
i didn't want to look at the photos at
00:45:22
first
00:45:24
once i saw them i was really delighted
00:45:27
these are beautiful pictures of our
00:45:29
girls and to most likely
00:45:32
the last pictures we'll ever get
00:45:36
jose peloso sobbed when shown the images
00:45:41
the rest of the photographs were taken
00:45:43
into evidence by the fbi who refused to
00:45:47
comment on what they showed
00:45:53
on march 21 a white cross and a vas of
00:45:56
wildflowers were placed at the pontiac
00:45:59
dumping site
00:46:00
by members of carol julie and sylvina's
00:46:03
families
00:46:04
carol's mother told the press
00:46:08
carol was such a caring person i just
00:46:11
can't imagine the fear when she knew
00:46:13
these girls were in trouble
00:46:15
and couldn't do anything about it
00:46:20
the next day dental records confirmed
00:46:23
that one of the two bodies found in the
00:46:25
vehicle belonged to carol
00:46:27
sand further dna testing was required to
00:46:31
verify the identity of the second victim
00:46:37
two days later on wednesday march 24
00:46:41
a letter arrived at the modesto police
00:46:43
department
00:46:45
its envelope was postmarked march 16
00:46:49
and should have been delivered much
00:46:50
earlier but a mix-up at the post office
00:46:53
delayed its arrival
00:46:56
inside was a handwritten note in black
00:46:59
ink
00:46:59
on white lined paper the writing was
00:47:03
untidy
00:47:04
and was accompanied by a crudely drawn
00:47:06
map
00:47:09
it directed police to the vista point
00:47:11
lookout at don
00:47:12
pedro reservoir in tuolumne county
00:47:16
a line was marked to represent highway
00:47:19
120
00:47:22
above the map were the words we had fun
00:47:25
with this one
00:47:29
analysis of the note failed to uncover
00:47:31
anything significant
00:47:34
dna found on the stamp and the envelope
00:47:37
seal was run
00:47:38
through the criminal database to no
00:47:40
result
00:47:43
investigators followed the map the next
00:47:46
day
00:47:46
arriving at the don pedro reservoir on
00:47:49
the western edge of yosemite national
00:47:51
park
00:47:53
it was around halfway between where
00:47:55
carroll julie and sylvina were last seen
00:47:58
and the location where their burned-out
00:48:00
vehicle was found
00:48:04
located just off highway 120 vista point
00:48:07
provided a scenic stop-off for visitors
00:48:10
wanting to soak in the views of the
00:48:12
expensive waterfront
00:48:14
and its bordering tree-lined hillsides
00:48:18
it didn't contain much beyond a parking
00:48:20
lot and a small hiking trail to the top
00:48:22
of the hill
00:48:24
there were no direct access points to
00:48:26
the water
00:48:29
a cadaver dog was taken down the steep
00:48:32
grassy hill that led to the reservoir
00:48:35
within minutes the canine made a
00:48:38
discovery
00:48:41
lying partly covered by a poison oak
00:48:43
bush was the body of 15 year old
00:48:46
julie sund her throat had been
00:48:50
cut her ankles were duct taped together
00:48:54
and her arms had been folded neatly
00:48:56
across her chest
00:48:57
[Music]
00:48:59
upon the identification of both carol
00:49:02
and julie's son's remains
00:49:04
it was determined that the second body
00:49:07
found in the pontiac's trunk
00:49:08
was that of sixteen-year-old sylvina
00:49:11
peloso
00:49:14
dark pink fibres were found on julie's
00:49:17
body
00:49:19
this prompted fbi agents to revisit the
00:49:21
cedar lodge in search of manchester that
00:49:24
the fibres might have originated from
00:49:28
a maintenance worker took agents through
00:49:30
each room
00:49:31
where they stripped bedding and removed
00:49:33
it from the premises to undergo analysis
00:49:40
the triple homicide would come to be
00:49:42
known as the yosemite
00:49:44
sightseer murders jen's son
00:49:47
had no mercy for those responsible and
00:49:50
hoped they would face capital punishment
00:49:53
quote the senseless waste of these
00:49:56
precious lives is so
00:49:58
incomprehensible i can't even begin to
00:50:01
understand
00:50:02
why it happened
00:50:05
julie sunder was laid to rest in a
00:50:07
private ceremony at her maternal
00:50:09
grandparents californian ranch
00:50:13
carol's body had yet to be released by
00:50:15
the fbi
00:50:16
but a place was reserved for her to be
00:50:18
buried alongside her daughter
00:50:22
the next day a public memorial service
00:50:25
was held at eureka's sacred heart
00:50:27
church julie's violin and carol's
00:50:31
gardening hat were placed at the altar
00:50:35
daisies carol's favorite flower were
00:50:38
handed to the 1000 plus
00:50:40
mourners in attendance reverend
00:50:43
thomas keyes called upon the perpetrator
00:50:45
of the crime to free the sun family by
00:50:48
coming forward
00:50:49
so that the tragedy could be put to rest
00:50:54
carol's family launched the carol sund
00:50:56
carrington memorial reward foundation
00:50:59
which facilitated rewards for
00:51:02
information to help families find
00:51:04
missing loved ones
00:51:06
before long the foundation experienced
00:51:09
its first
00:51:10
success story the offer of a ten
00:51:13
thousand
00:51:14
dollar reward led to the arrest of a
00:51:16
suspect who shot and killed a young man
00:51:19
named robert ibarra the foundation also
00:51:23
offered a reward to help solve the
00:51:25
murder of eighteen-year-old
00:51:27
britney phillips as covered in episode
00:51:29
146 of case file
00:51:33
the fbi released carol and sylvina's
00:51:36
remains
00:51:36
37 days after they were discovered
00:51:40
jose and raquel peloso had since
00:51:43
returned home to argentina to await the
00:51:46
arrival of sylvanas remains
00:51:49
body was transported to raquel's
00:51:51
hometown of las verisas
00:51:54
residents lined to the streets and threw
00:51:57
roses at the earth as it made its
00:51:59
journey
00:52:00
local factories and shops along the
00:52:03
route were closed
00:52:04
as a sign of respect
00:52:07
over one thousand mourners gathered for
00:52:09
sylvina's funeral
00:52:12
her father said we're at the end of a
00:52:15
very painful story for us
00:52:18
all but finally sylvina is going to be
00:52:21
able to rest in peace
00:52:24
having sylvina here is a huge relief
00:52:33
yosemite national park was federal
00:52:35
property
00:52:36
given that the murders were carried out
00:52:38
there a federal grand jury was pulled to
00:52:41
assist authorities with the case
00:52:44
although no arrests were imminent this
00:52:47
would give authorities more power to
00:52:49
obtain documents and subpoena reluctant
00:52:51
or interstate witnesses
00:52:54
the criminal records of local men were
00:52:57
poured over to identify
00:52:58
suspects and to those who had been
00:53:01
convicted of violent crimes were
00:53:02
spotlighted
00:53:04
one such person was cedar lodge janitor
00:53:08
billy joe strange who was still in
00:53:10
custody for violating his probation
00:53:14
38 year old car thief terry ray also
00:53:17
caught investigators attention
00:53:20
he was a known associate of persons of
00:53:22
interest in the sun peloso
00:53:24
case on april 6
00:53:28
terry's heavily decomposed body was
00:53:30
found in the tuolumne river
00:53:33
it appeared as though he had been in the
00:53:35
water for up to three weeks
00:53:38
terry's brother dennis was certain terry
00:53:41
had met with fair play
00:53:44
according to dennis terry had been at a
00:53:47
house in modesto
00:53:48
several weeks earlier where he witnessed
00:53:51
the julie's son
00:53:52
to being assaulted dennis believed
00:53:56
that his brother had been drugged and
00:53:58
dumped in the river
00:53:59
to stop him from speaking out about the
00:54:01
crime
00:54:03
he said terry was a strong swimmer who
00:54:05
wouldn't have drowned accidentally
00:54:08
yet an autopsy failed to uncover any
00:54:11
evidence that implicated
00:54:12
anyone else in terry ray's death
00:54:17
another man who made the suspect list in
00:54:19
the sun peloso case
00:54:21
was 42 year old michael larwick
00:54:25
larwick was a convicted rapist who had
00:54:27
also served
00:54:28
time for manslaughter assault drug
00:54:30
possession
00:54:31
and attempted prison escape
00:54:35
in 1975 he brutally raped a relative
00:54:38
while her children cowered in a nearby
00:54:41
car
00:54:43
two days prior to the discovery of the
00:54:45
burnt out pontiac
00:54:46
larwick was involved in a 14-hour
00:54:49
standoff with police
00:54:52
he had been caught driving with expired
00:54:54
license plates
00:54:57
during negotiations larwick fired a
00:55:00
rifle at a police car
00:55:02
and to the standoff concluded with his
00:55:04
arrest
00:55:06
larwick's half-brother 32-year-old
00:55:09
eugene dykes
00:55:10
also raised suspicions he too
00:55:14
had a long criminal history that
00:55:16
included unlawful
00:55:17
sexual intercourse and false
00:55:19
imprisonment
00:55:21
dikes had been in custody since march 5
00:55:24
for parole violations with his parole
00:55:27
officer labelling him a danger to the
00:55:29
community
00:55:32
both larwick and dykes were known to
00:55:35
hang around a group of methamphetamine
00:55:37
addicts who supported their habit via
00:55:39
male theft and forgery
00:55:42
this raised the question of whether
00:55:44
they'd been involved with the fraudulent
00:55:46
calls to wells fargo
00:55:48
to gain access to carol's son's bank
00:55:50
cards and accounts
00:55:58
the half-brothers quickly became the
00:56:00
likely suspects in the yosemite
00:56:02
sightseer murders
00:56:03
as it was thought that the crime was
00:56:05
carried out by more than one perpetrator
00:56:09
in addition the pair were familiar with
00:56:11
the local area
00:56:12
and larwick regularly spent time at a
00:56:15
home in modesto
00:56:17
10 blocks from where carol's wallet
00:56:19
insert was found
00:56:22
by early april the grand jury began
00:56:25
interviewing witnesses to build a
00:56:27
compelling case against
00:56:28
michael larwick and eugene dykes
00:56:32
by now attention had fully shifted from
00:56:35
the cedar lodge in el portal
00:56:37
to the modesto neighborhoods and trailer
00:56:39
parks where the methamphetamine trade
00:56:42
thrived special agent james maddock
00:56:45
expressed confidence over the new
00:56:47
direction the investigation was taking
00:56:51
after months of inactivity progress was
00:56:54
now being made
00:56:56
he told the press it's remarkable
00:57:00
when you look at it all the pieces we've
00:57:02
been able to fill in
00:57:04
every day we get information that helps
00:57:07
us refine our working theory
00:57:12
eugene dykes's girlfriend was among
00:57:14
those interviewed
00:57:16
she said that she knew in her heart that
00:57:18
her boyfriend
00:57:19
was involved in the murders she then
00:57:23
recalled the day dice was arrested for
00:57:25
violating parole
00:57:27
he had arrived at her house high on
00:57:30
methamphetamine
00:57:31
after ordering her to close all the
00:57:34
doors and windows
00:57:35
he handed her a knife and a gun and told
00:57:38
her to hide them
00:57:40
the police arrived at the house to
00:57:42
arrest the dykes
00:57:43
and seized both weapons
00:57:46
they asked his girlfriend if she had
00:57:48
ever seen dykes with an
00:57:50
axe or saw blades she said
00:57:53
no but explained that he usually carried
00:57:56
another blade
00:57:56
in addition to the gun
00:58:00
another associate of the suspects was 41
00:58:03
year old methamphetamine dealer
00:58:05
larry utley in late may
00:58:09
he held a man captive at his home in
00:58:11
modesto
00:58:13
he planned to drug the man in order to
00:58:16
steal his bank cards
00:58:18
three days later the man told utley he
00:58:21
needed
00:58:22
fresh air newtley obliged
00:58:25
and the man took the opportunity to
00:58:27
escape
00:58:29
utley was arrested for kidnapping and
00:58:32
criminal conspiracy
00:58:34
he underwent polygraph testing during
00:58:37
which he denied having anything to do
00:58:39
with the yosemite sightseer murders
00:58:42
results revealed he was being truthful
00:58:48
twelve days later police arrested 24
00:58:51
year old modesto local
00:58:52
kenneth stewart for stabbing and
00:58:55
attempting to shoot
00:58:56
an ex-con he had served time with
00:58:59
stewart was a known associate of eugene
00:59:02
dykes
00:59:04
police hoped that a resting steward
00:59:06
would pressure him into disclosing
00:59:08
anything he might know about the
00:59:10
yosemite murders
00:59:12
but he remained tight-lipped
00:59:16
yet another suspect on the fbi's radar
00:59:19
was 46 year old tuolumne county man
00:59:22
paul candler jr
00:59:25
he owned a house in the yosemite area
00:59:27
that had burned
00:59:28
down around the time carroll julie and
00:59:31
sylvina
00:59:32
went missing candler had since fled to
00:59:36
alabama to evade authorities
00:59:38
after threatening to kill his mother
00:59:42
the fbi went to extreme lengths to
00:59:45
extradite
00:59:46
him back to california to face
00:59:48
questioning over the yosemite sightseer
00:59:50
murders
00:59:53
to the fbi the investigation into
00:59:55
michael larwick and eugene dykes had
00:59:58
been a success
01:00:00
special agent matic stated that although
01:00:03
they weren't close to announcing any
01:00:05
arrests in relation to the sun
01:00:07
peloso case the fbi believed that those
01:00:10
responsible
01:00:11
were in custody for unrelated crimes
01:00:16
they had yet to conclusively link any of
01:00:18
the aforementioned suspects to the
01:00:20
murders
01:00:21
due to what medic described as a
01:00:24
cranksta circle of dopers
01:00:26
who can't remember what they did
01:00:28
yesterday much less
01:00:29
weeks ago complicating matters was the
01:00:33
lack of emotive
01:00:34
or physical evidence
01:00:38
with yosemite's summer tourist season
01:00:40
underway
01:00:41
an fbi spokesperson clarified that the
01:00:44
public had no reasons to be concerned
01:00:47
as quote this case is not a manhunt for
01:00:51
serial killers
01:00:52
still on the loose
01:00:59
in mid-june eugene dykes made a
01:01:02
confession to police
01:01:04
he revealed that he and his half-brother
01:01:07
michael larwick
01:01:09
had participated in the abduction and
01:01:11
murder of carol
01:01:12
and julie sund and sylvina peloso
01:01:16
he said he hadn't killed them but had
01:01:18
been involved in giving away their
01:01:20
personal belongings
01:01:21
including checks and jewelry
01:01:25
he had another associate discard carol's
01:01:28
wallet insert in modesto
01:01:32
dikes later changed this story
01:01:35
this time he claimed he had cut carol's
01:01:37
throat with a knife at a remote mountain
01:01:40
location
01:01:42
he also said he had helped dispose of
01:01:44
the bodies
01:01:47
dikes were strapped to a polygraph and
01:01:49
asked if he had harmed sylvana
01:01:52
he answered no the test indicated
01:01:56
he was being deceptive
01:01:59
an acquaintance of dykes agreed to wear
01:02:02
a covert listening device while speaking
01:02:04
to a teenage girl dykes had been
01:02:06
sexually involved with
01:02:09
during the conversation the teen said
01:02:12
that dykes had admitted to her
01:02:14
that he and another man had slit the
01:02:16
throats of
01:02:17
three women she also revealed that she
01:02:20
had helped the dykes create a fake id
01:02:23
using carol's son's driver's license
01:02:28
it was a compelling conversation but
01:02:30
investigators were unable to find
01:02:33
any evidence to support it
01:02:36
they did uncover a ring that dyches
01:02:38
claimed to have stolen from julie's
01:02:40
sonde
01:02:42
it was shown to her sister regina who
01:02:45
said
01:02:45
she was 90 sure it was julie's
01:02:50
the fbi felt the ring supported dyke's
01:02:53
confession
01:02:55
they searched a jeep wagoneer that dyke
01:02:58
said he'd been driving at the time of
01:03:00
the abductions
01:03:02
they also examined a corvette that
01:03:04
belonged to his half-brother
01:03:07
both vehicles contained dark pink fibres
01:03:10
akin to those found on julie's body
01:03:14
the same fibers were also found on one
01:03:17
of dyke's jackets
01:03:20
the evidence was beginning to stack up
01:03:23
however darks kept changing his story
01:03:28
his statements were inconsistent and he
01:03:30
was unwilling or unable
01:03:32
to prove his involvement
01:03:36
an fbi agent said
01:03:39
these guys are pathologically incapable
01:03:42
of telling a straight story
01:03:45
in dijkstra's own warped mind he's
01:03:47
trying to shift
01:03:48
the ultimate responsibility to someone
01:03:51
else
01:03:53
another agent said dikes has made
01:03:56
statements that are very
01:03:58
self-incriminating
01:03:59
as well as statements that are
01:04:00
incriminating of others
01:04:03
it's impossible at this time to say what
01:04:05
part is true
01:04:06
and what isn't dyches is talking to get
01:04:10
the onus off him and on to his brother
01:04:13
he's trying to confuse people trying to
01:04:16
save himself retribution
01:04:18
in prison
01:04:21
from his jail cell dikes agreed to an
01:04:24
interview with the associated press
01:04:27
he denied having anything to do with the
01:04:30
murders
01:04:31
adding if i was involved
01:04:34
it wasn't through my knowledge
01:04:38
by the five-month anniversary of the
01:04:40
murders
01:04:41
no arrests had been made
01:04:49
twenty-six-year-old joey armstrong
01:04:51
worked as a naturalist for the yosemite
01:04:54
institute a not-for-profit organisation
01:04:56
that ran education programs
01:04:59
through a partnership with the park her
01:05:02
job was to teach
01:05:03
children about the animals plants
01:05:05
environment
01:05:06
and ecosystem of yosemite
01:05:10
joey cared deeply for the environment
01:05:13
she was a vegetarian who would inform
01:05:16
her friends and family about how to
01:05:18
recycle
01:05:20
one of her superiors said joey was one
01:05:24
of the finest
01:05:25
naturalists and science teachers i ever
01:05:27
met
01:05:30
joey had recently moved in with her
01:05:32
boyfriend michael
01:05:33
and another co-worker to a cabin in
01:05:36
firestar
01:05:38
the remote unincorporated community was
01:05:40
on the western edge of yosemite
01:05:43
joey's cabin was surrounded by woods and
01:05:46
meadows
01:05:47
she loved her home and her lifestyle
01:05:50
telling a friend
01:05:51
it was straight out of a dream
01:05:54
although the recent murders had unnerved
01:05:57
her
01:05:58
joey told her mother that she felt safe
01:06:00
knowing that the people responsible
01:06:02
were in custody in her diary
01:06:06
she wrote the monsters are gone
01:06:11
in late july 1999 joey was preparing to
01:06:15
visit a friend in sausalito
01:06:18
a small seaside town 180 miles
01:06:21
west of yosemite she had packed her car
01:06:25
and was ready to leave by the afternoon
01:06:27
of thursday july 22
01:06:31
at 3am the next morning a call was
01:06:34
placed
01:06:35
to the yosemite national park
01:06:37
authorities
01:06:39
joey's friend had phoned in worried as
01:06:42
joey never showed up to their place
01:06:45
as planned officials headed to joey's
01:06:49
cabin to conduct a welfare check
01:06:53
music was playing inside but nobody was
01:06:56
home
01:06:58
joey's bed was in disarray a pair of
01:07:01
sunglasses were broken on the floor
01:07:04
and a bright red rag appeared to be out
01:07:06
of place
01:07:09
her car was still parked outside packed
01:07:12
and ready
01:07:12
for her trip to sausalito
01:07:16
given it was dark outside park officials
01:07:19
waited until first to light to carry out
01:07:22
a search of the immediate area
01:07:27
when the search commenced hours passed
01:07:30
without any discoveries
01:07:32
at 1 pm park rangers ventured to a
01:07:36
stream
01:07:36
just a few hundred yards from joey's
01:07:39
cabin
01:07:41
among an area of trampled vegetation
01:07:44
they stumbled across the decapitated
01:07:46
body of a young woman
01:07:52
to be continued next week
01:08:04
[Music]
01:08:22
you