The Yosemite Murders

by Dennis McDougal

Since he was seven, Cary Stayner had dreamed of capturing women . . . and killing themThey were crimes that grabbed headlines around the world and stunned America. Four women dead, their bodies charred and horribly mutilated. Now Dennis McDougal, acclaimed author of the spellbinding true crime tour de force Mother's Day, brings his considerable investigative and narrative skills to the Yosemite murders to give you the most complete account of what really happened. Drawing on several personal conversations with the confessed killer and interviews with the victims' families, McDougal presents the definitive story, and answers many lingering questions. What demons drove this quiet handyman and nudist colony habitue to burn, mutilate, and murder four women he didn't even know?  How did he overpower a woman and two teenaged girls?  And most disturbing, did the glory-seeking FBI actually hinder the investigation, leaving the killer free to kill once more before he was caught?THE YOSEMITE MURDERS offers valuable insight into these savage and senseless murders in the heart of America's most beautiful wilderness.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime

346 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 4, 2000

About the author

Dennis McDougal was an American author and newspaper journalist, who has been called "L.A.'s No. 1 muckraker". His book Privileged Son was described as "illuminating reading for anyone interested in 20th-century Los Angeles or modern-day newspapering" by The New York Times. A native of Southern California, he lived near Memphis, Tennessee.

Reviews

[Vicki Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember this case (and the Steven Stayner case) from when it occurred vividly. This book did a good job being balanced without creating undeserved sympathy for the murderer. It gave insight to the hell the victims family's had to go through while law enforcement prepared their case. A big chunk of the book went through the Steven Stayner case and life which helped in understanding the dysfunction in the murderer and his family's life. A tough, but engaging read.

[Shelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mehhhh. That's really all I can say. I find this case fascinating, but the author tried to jam so much unrelated information into the book that it felt like I was reading several different books at once. I'm just going to stick to Ann Rule and Katheryn Casey.

[Ronnie Cramer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good true crime book and it inspired me to read I KNOW MY FIRST NAME IS STEVEN, which is the heartbreaking story of the killer's younger brother.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1999, Cary Stayner killed four women just outside of Yosemite National Park. Perhaps the most interesting thing about this case is that Cary was the older brother of Steven Stayner, the kid who was kidnapped in 1972 and remained missing for 7 years until escaping and returning back home. A well-known TV movie was made from a book written about Steven's experience, called I Know My First Name Is Steven. Sadly, in 1989, Steven died in a motorcycle accident at age 24. The following year, Cary and Steven's uncle was killed in a still-unsolved murder. And nearly a decade later, Cary Stayner became a serial killer.

There was a long period of lagging during the first half of this book, during which I almost decided to just skim the rest of it. I'm glad I didn't, though, because the book totally redeemed itself during the second half. The beginning of the book focuses on the lives of the victims and their families, and even devotes 8 whole pages to one of the funerals (which I found incredibly boring!). Then the author moves on, in excrutiating detail, to cover a bunch of trashy meth addicts who were suspects in the killings. FINALLY, in the latter half of the book, things pick up. McDougal gives an interesting account of the Stayner family history, beginning with when they were kids and Steven was kidnapped and subsequently returned home. He then moves on to describe Cary's personality, how he was caught for the murders of all 4 women, and the events that occurred shortly thereafter. McDougal finished writing the book in November of 1999, so it doesn't cover the trial and sentencing, which came a couple of years later.

All-in-all, I found the Stayner family history far more interesting than the Yosemite murders, and I'm glad McDougal devoted a good bit of the book to the this (which is why I gave it the 4 stars). We never do really learn, though, what drove Cary to kill these four women, other than a vague hypothesis that he was simply the product of a disfunctional family.

[Brian Fagan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I definitely paid attention to the announcement and subsequent investigation of these murders. Yosemite is more than on my radar, it's my favorite place. Yes, I've lived in northern California (twice), but at least half of my many trips to Yosemite National Park have been made from here in Kansas City.

I remember when this news came out. My wife and I, and on one or two occasions our young kids as well, have stayed quite a number of times in El Portal just west of the park, where 3 of the four victims were abducted.

McDougal does a fine job of detailing the investigation and prosecution, and putting together the sad backstory of Cary Stayner's life up to the time of the killings.

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came off from reading "Off The Wall" (Deaths in Yosemite) and I also remembered when these murders occurred (1999). Granted, Cary Stayner had a less than ideal childhood (his younger brother Steven was abducted, reunited with the family years later and then died in a motorcycle accident) but so do many people and they don't commit grizzly murders. It was interesting to read and I didn't feel like it tried to excuse his behaviors by placing the blame elsewhere. I felt sad for the families of his 4 victims and more vulnerable after reading this.

[Lorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best work ever on this peculiar case

It puts into perspective the victims and their families, rather than the pervert who abducted Steven Stayner.
McDougal's novel brings light to this story, his writing resurfaces the people who matter the most and lays heavy weights against those who sought to bury the truth, including the incompetence of the FBI.
I've read Mike Echol's book, not knowing there was a superior piece of work that I wish now, I'd read first and of course, that book is Dennis McDougal's: The Yosemite Murders!

[Annie Booker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A chilling and intense account of the life and crimes of Cary Stayner.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was the same age as Juli and Silvina when this happened, so I remember hearing about the case when it was happening. And I later found out the connection between this case and the Steven Stayner one. I've seen the movie about Steven many times. I read a couple of the books about him. Like the Stayners, I found the Mike Echols one unnecessarily graphic. I felt horrible for all the families, but I can't imagine what the Stayners must be living with after the nightmare with their younger son, the joke of a sentence that his kidnapper/abuser got, Steven's death and now the horror that Cary inflicted on four women and many others. I was surprised to find out they are Mormon. I never knew that.

This was a solid telling of all the stories involved. I admire the Carringtons for their work helping less fortunate families find happy endings, or at least some closure.

And the Sund women were amazing. They cared so much for abused children and victims of violence. I appreciated hearing their stories.

This book also provides the background on Steven's tragic saga.

[Jim Mickens · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's almost hard to believe that some of this stuff is true. The Yosemite Murderer turns out to be the brother of Steven Stayner who many of you may recall from "I know my first name is Steven" which also featured a tv film starring Corin Nemec as Steven. Steven was kidnapped and forced to live with his kidnapper for seven years before finally escaping. As if that wasn't crazy enough, his younger brother Cary eventually becomes the Yosemite Murderer who worked as a handyman at a Yosemite lodge and became a serial killer that took the lives of a mother, her daughter, and her daughters friend while they were vacationing near the lodge. He also murdered a young woman that was a nature lover who was staying in a cabin near the lodge. They always say that serial killers can turn out to be people you least expect and in this case that sure is true. Cary seemed to be a soft spoken, somewhat quiet gentleman. His brother's kidnapping really must have done a number on him and his outlook on life. This all boils down to a riveting true life story that I had a hard time putting down.

[Nat PlainJanetheBookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a hard slog. I found in filled with unnecessary information for a good 2/3 or the book! I did appreciate the focus on the victims, however found it gave little actual information about Cary. Furthermore, the set out of this story was so odd that the information we did get, was in the last 1/3 of the book 🫤 I don’t think we needed as much information about Steven (Cary’s younger brother) as we were given, & should have instead focused more on Cary. I found myself getting annoyed at everyone saying, “He couldn’t have possibly killed three people on his own” despite it being completely possible, and admitted to. Like stay in your own lane laypeople 🙄 Conspiracy theories irk me 😂😜 Such a crazy case when you think about first his little brother was missing for 7 years, and then Cary ends up a serial killer 😳 A missed opportunity to provide more psychological insight for this one, and waayyy too much ‘history’ on Yosemite.

[Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a man who has wanted to kill for awhile but opportunity never presented itself before three women showed up in Yosemite. Then again a little while later but made mistakes which is why they were able to catch him. I didn't like the fact it concentrated on his younger brother Steven who went missing and then years later came back home. I also would have liked to have read about the trial and verdict. Overall, it was well written but it could have more details about Cary's life.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remembered hearing about the murders, and thought this book would fill in some blanks the first half of the book was quite good and on point, but once Staynor was captured, the story veered. Too much time was spent on the tragedy regarding Staynor's brother and unusual family. It seemed oddly placed in the book, as if "well, he is caught, so let's examine his upbringing for reasons why he killed." It was interesting, however.

[Camryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty typical true crime book. The writing wasn't amazing, but it wasn't terrible. It was interesting that the beginning was more in the style of a whodunit, while the second half focused surprisingly a lot on the Steven Stayner case, which I wasn't expecting. I think it could have been shorter overall and only glossed over the Steven case; the background was important, but not all the details.

[Regina Angstadt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written in a less than “gripping” style. I made myself finish it because I was too far into the book to just quit. The victim families were not really given the focus I wanted, but maybe they weren’t willing to open up more. I felt like the story repeated itself when the point had already been made, the confession was basically retold twice, it was just a less than average account for me, and I probably will steer away from this author in the future.

[Roderick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Does not delve deeply into the psychology of the murderer at all (unlike Mike Echols' far better researched book about his brother): in the end, very little is known about him that could not be found in a regular newspaper, so why waste time on this book?

[Adrienne]

319 pages to long. It went into the brother Steven abduction, I suppose that’s part of the why. But the author drug it out. Could have gone more into the why.

[Everydayreader1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

True crime books are always sad and unnerving, and The Yosemite Murders by Dennis Mcdougal is no exception. Carole Sund, Juli Sund, Silvina Pelosso and Joie Armstrong were victims of murder in Yosemite National Park during 1999. Dennis Mcdougal tells their stories and chronicles the investigation by California and Federal authorities in riveting detail.

I followed this case closely in the media as it unfolded, but it was not until I read this book that I took the time to reflect on the profound and lasting tragedy of these murders. The victims of this crime are not just those who were murdered. Their families, friends and those who knew them, as well as the perpetrator's family, are profiled, and the reader is given a real sense of the scope of these crimes.

[Lorelei · Rating 3 out of 5]

Opening disclosure: True crime is a bit of a guilty pleasure genre in which I rarely indulge these days, but this was a good one. I remember being horrified and moved by the story of the Stayner family surrounding their older son's fate "I Know My First Name is Steven" when I saw the television movie. Years later, I was just as compelled to know more about the news reports of what had transpired in Yosemite. Author offers an interesting theory as to what drove Cary Stayner's actions.

[Ronda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The very detailed story of the yosemite murders. This book follows the life of Cary Stayner including his brother Steven's abduction, return and untimely death as well as a very detailed accounting of the 4 people he was found guily of killing inYosemite. I hope his conviction is never overturned on Appeal because cary is one twisted individual.

[Dionne · Rating 4 out of 5]

McDougal not only gives you a crime story about the Yosemite murders, but you also learn about a broken family, and interesting facts about the Yosemite Park itself. It definitely was interesting to read it while I was traveling and visiting the actual park.

[Rachel Carr · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you like true crime books, you'll like this one. It's well researched and thoroughly tells this awful tale. Not really my preferred genre, but I got the book because we were visiting the area and thought it would be interesting to read.

[Luann]

ok

[Bonni · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like True Crime, really good one!

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great detailed story of murder, and how the author gets you into the killer,s mind, frightening, I read this a while ago, but was worth it again!

[Karen Belom · Rating 4 out of 5]

can you say "creep"?

[Torina Gent]

Great Book.