Yosemite Sightseer Murders
Carole Sund, her daughter Juli, and friend Silvina Pelosso went missing near Yosemite and were found dead weeks later. Handyman Cary Stayner was convicted of their murders plus a fourth victim, a park ranger interpreter. He received the death penalty and remains on death row.
Yosemite Sightseer Murders is documented in the ColdCaseIndex database as a multiple-homicide case in Yosemite, California. The events are dated to February 15, 1999. The case involves more than one victim. The last known information on record places the case at February 15, 1999, Yosemite area, CA.
Within the ColdCaseIndex taxonomy, Yosemite Sightseer Murders is filed under Multiple Homicide with a status of Conviction. A multiple-homicide entry documents an incident involving more than one victim. The record is cross-referenced under the themes homicide, California, Yosemite, national park, conviction, Cary Stayner, which connect it to related cases across the database.
The Yosemite Sightseer Murders case ended in a criminal conviction. It is retained in this index as a historically significant case — one whose investigation, prosecution, or aftermath shaped forensic practice, criminal law, or the public understanding of violent crime.
Primary jurisdiction for the Yosemite Sightseer Murders case rests with local law enforcement in Yosemite, supported by California state investigative authorities. The case sits within a wider national picture: the U.S. homicide clearance rate has fallen from roughly 90% in the 1960s to about 54% today, and more than 346,000 homicides recorded since 1965 remain unsolved. ColdCaseIndex documents individual cases like this one to keep them publicly visible and searchable.
Curated starting points for verifying and researching this case. Direct references are checked; search links are provided as further-reading aids. ColdCaseIndex is an index of public information — see a case correction? Email info@coldcaseindex.com.
Have Information About This Case?
Cold cases are solved when someone comes forward. Even a detail that seems minor can matter. If you have any information about this case, contact law enforcement through one of these channels:
- FBI Tips (tips.fbi.gov) — submit a tip online to the Federal Bureau of Investigation
- FBI Tip Line: 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324)
- The local police department or sheriff's office in California, or the state bureau of investigation
Tips can usually be submitted anonymously. To report an error on this page, email info@coldcaseindex.com.