Carole Evon Sund, a 42-year-old white woman from Eureka, California, was tragically murdered on February 15, 1999, during a sightseeing trip to Yosemite National Park. She was traveling with her 15-year-old daughter, Juli Sund, and their 16-year-old family friend from Argentina, Silvina Pelosso. The three were staying at the Cedar Lodge in El Portal, near the park.
When they failed to appear at a scheduled airport pickup, their disappearance sparked a massive search effort that drew national attention.
Weeks later, on March 19, 1999, the charred remains of Carole Sund and Silvina Pelosso were discovered in the trunk of their burned rental car in a remote area. The body of Juli Sund, also deceased, was found shortly afterward in a different location. The brutality and mystery surrounding the case shocked the public and intensified the investigation.
Eventually, authorities arrested Cary Stayner, a 37-year-old white male who worked as a handyman at the Cedar Lodge where the victims had stayed. Stayner confessed to the murders of Carole Sund, her daughter Juli Sund, and Silvina Pelosso, as well as the separate killing of 26-year-old naturalist Joie Armstrong later that year. His confession revealed that he had meticulously planned the crimes and lured the victims under false pretenses before murdering them.
Cary Stayner was convicted and sentenced to death for the murders. His case drew further attention due to his family history—his younger brother, Steven Stayner, had been famously kidnapped as a child and later escaped, a story that had previously captured national headlines. Cary Stayner remains on death row in California.
