August 13, 1961 - Cary Stayner
The Stayner family had already endured years of public attention as the relatives of a kidnapping survivor, making the crimes that emerged decades later a grim second chapter in an already well-documented story. Over roughly five months in 1999, he killed four women, disposing of their bodies in and around one of the country's most visited national parks — a setting that shaped both the investigation and the public response. His case drew particular scrutiny from researchers and journalists interested in the gap between outward normalcy and the capacity for sustained violence.
From Wikipedia
Cary Anthony Stayner (born August 13, 1961) is an American serial killer and the older brother of kidnapping victim Steven Stayner. He worked as a mechanic in Mariposa County, California, and murdered four women between February and July 1999, dumping their bodies near Yosemite National Park, leading to him being dubbed the Yosemite Park Killer or simply the Yosemite Killer. Stayner was found guilty and received a death sentence in 2002. As of May 2026, he is currently awaiting execution at Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City, California.
Further reading
- Cary Stayner: the True Story of the Yosemite Park Killer
This true crime account examines how Cary Stayner, despite a family history marked by his brother's famous kidnapping, became the notorious Yosemite Park Killer.
View on Amazon → - The Yosemite Murders
Investigative journalist Dennis McDougal chronicles the shocking Yosemite murders committed by Cary Stayner, who had harbored dark fantasies about killing women since childhood.
View on Amazon → - Murder at Yosemite
This account traces the baffling investigation into four brutal Yosemite-area killings, from the initial puzzling tourist deaths to the discovery of a decapitated victim.
View on Amazon →
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