Tragedy with a View

Judith, aka Judy, DeMaria was a 27-year-old tennis instructor who went missing in 1985 only to be later found murdered- thanks to the culprit himself. On August 2, Judy set out for a run during her lunch break along the Washington and Old Dominion Bike Trail, but she would never return home. The outdoors are a beautiful that can be filled with light and bliss and many different ways to bring yours...

Deep in the heart of the Grand Canyon, within the Colorado River lays the story of Glenn and Bessie Hyde. In 1928, the newlyweds set out in a hand-built wooden boat, intending to set a speed record that would cement their names in history. Instead, their names echo a different story: one of mystery, false confessions and clues that only lead to more questions. The outdoors are a beautiful that can...

35 years ago, on August 5, 1991, 32 year old Val McPherson was running near her home in San Antonio Texas. The day was bright and sunny, and as her feet hit the pavement, she did something every mother has done. She smiled down her little girl in the stroller. Without warning, someone charger her, holding a knife in their hand. As Cal was savagely attacked, she hunched her shoulders over the strol...

Among numerous names of women who paved the path for women’s freedom today is the name Amelia Earhart. Dedicated and deliberate, she took to the skies, not only because she wanted to, but because she also had something to prove. Just because men could do it, or did it first, didn’t mean that women couldn’t also participate and be celebrated for their accomplishments. Amelia took that to heart, set...

Domestic Violence is a situation that no one wants to find themselves in. It is scary, difficult to cling to your sense of worth and your sense of self in times where you are denied what a healthy relationship should give you. For Janell, she took her boys and ran, desperate to keep them from being a part of that life, but still her life was stolen away. The outdoors are a beautiful that can be fi...

On June 21, 2020 Gavin Caruso and Courtney Henderson were in the midst of what would become a rescue that alters the course of both their lives. They had gone to Colorado for an adventure, and an adventure is what they got, though they hadn’t intended to fall down the mountain. With a thunderstorm surrounding them, search and rescue trying to navigate the difficult terrain and both bleeding from t...

In September 1990, Linda Yalem went out for a run and was tragically raped and murdered while on the Ellicott Creek Bike Path near the University of Buffalo’s North Campus. Her death remained an unsolved cold case for nearly 17 years until DNA evidence linked her murder to Altemio Sanchez. It was with her murder, though, that he switched from the Bike Path Rapist to the Bike Path Killer. The outdo...

When I tell you that girl gone running and PBS Sesame Street have something in common, you might be very curious to know the connection. And while it might be less sinister than you think- the crimes committed against Judy Nilan are anything but. The outdoors are a beautiful that can be filled with light and bliss and many different ways to bring yourself closer to those you love and yourself. But...

Africa is home to some of the best Whitewater Rapids in the world. With huge rivers, though comes huge risk, not only from the water, but in it as well. Hendrick Coetzee fell in love with white water rafting - he felt at home in the dangerous swirl, and even the most deadly of animals in Africa didn’t scare him to dry land. He adventured experienced and loved every second of it, but just as he was...

Sometimes a missing person leaves being next to nothing- in this instance- a single shoe on the side of the highway. There were no witnesses, no signs, no clues to indicate where she may have gone. And then, police get a call from an Angel, and it changes the direction of the case, leading to not only the body of Sherry Arnold, but who killed her. The outdoors are a beautiful that can be filled wi...

It sounds like something out of a movie: a fall from 33,000 feet in the air. Being tucked into exactly the right place so that when the Douglas DC 9 hit the ground, you were… protected. Saved. Surviving one of the most astonishing events in history. For when a plane falls out of the sky, it is known to be an unsurvivable event. Vesna Vulovic got to live through the experience, and become the Guinn...

It was a case of corruption, coercion, mistaken identity and desperation. When a business man approached small, struggling companies, offering their owners loans, those that accepted the help found themselves under a crippling payment, a life insurance policy hanging over their heads, and murder. Jane Carver was wholly uninvolved, but her death came from being in the wrong place, at the wrong time...

Setting off into nature on your own can be both exhilarating and terrifying. When you are on your own, the only person or being you have to look after is yourself. The worries fall away and responsibilities ebb, leaving the path for peace and quiet wide open. But what being on your own also means is if things go wrong, there is no one to lean on, no one to help you, and no one to call. On [May 22,...

When a person is sentenced to death, you want to know that they are the one who committed the crime. You want no doubts to be had, no rock left unturned. Yet, when Suzanne was brutally murdered, that’s not what Sedley Alley got. The outdoors are a beautiful that can be filled with light and bliss and many different ways to bring yourself closer to those you love and yourself. But they can also be...

Broken bones. Open terrain. Unbreakable will. After the J Hawk went down in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, Gina Panuzzi suffered from injuries that should have been fatal — The crash should have ended her life, and arguably if help was any later, this story would have a very different ending. Instead, it revealed Gina Panuzzi’s extraordinary will to survive. The outdoors are a beautiful...

In the 60 years that Observation Point Trail was open, not a single person fell, proclaiming the trail and the cliff, the look out were completely safe. And arguably it still it, considering that we don’t know if Patricia Bottarini fell or if she was pushed. Welcome back to Tragedy with a View. The outdoors are a beautiful that can be filled with light and bliss and many different ways to bring yo...

On October 8, 1976, 39 student and their teacher climbed onto their bus ready for a surprise. Their teacher had kept their field trip designation a secret. Such a good secret that everyone was eager and on their toes. What they didn’t expect though, was the surprise that involved Trenny Gibson alone on the trail, and when she stepped off it, she vanished and was never seen again. It was what the s...

In 2021, Lars Schou and Sahir Enriquez set out for a routine climb up Open Book in the Grand Tetons. What started off as a great day, though, quickly became something different. The following rescue that ensued was far from simple, no matter how seamless it appeared from those below.

In 1982 an incredible survival of 2 young boys occurred high on the slopes of Mount Washington. Hugh Herr and Jeff Batzer were bracing for a storm, not knowing they were about to be in for the fight of their lives. While they survived, the story didn’t go without the loss of life, the sacrifice that all rescuers make, resulted in one not coming home. This is the other side of the story. Listen to...

When a routine hike in New Mexico’s rugged Pecos Wilderness turns into a nightmare, Shannon Baruth and her loyal dog Annie find themselves hopelessly lost off-trail. With biting cold, rough terrain, and no clear path to safety, every step becomes a fight for survival. For four long days and nights, the pair endure the elements, relying only on grit, instinct, and their unbreakable bond to carry th...

She was the only one still breathing. High in the frozen wilderness near Mount Bradley, a small plane slammed into the mountainside in 1976—leaving 28-year-old Lauren Elder alone, injured, and stranded on a sheer cliff of ice and rock. No map. No food. No rescue in sight. In this episode, you’ll step into Lauren’s boots as she faces an unthinkable fight for survival: clawing her way down a vertica...

Craig Kelly: a legendary snowboarder who influenced the shape of the sport we see today. He had an unmatched enthusiasm for sliding on the snow, and his joy in it emphasized his spirit in competition. Even once leaving the competition slopes, Craig was enthralled with the outdoors and the snow. Determined to become a back country guide, on his snowboard rather than skis, he pioneered the path for...

Dr. Jane Goodall: A Revolution in Understanding Our World In this episode, we explore the extraordinary life and legacy of Dr. Jane Goodall—trailblazing primatologist, environmental activist, and one of the most influential voices for our planet. From her groundbreaking work with wild chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park to her global advocacy for conservation and compassion, Dr. Goodall didn...

These stories gave me chills, and there are many more like them out there. When Flight 401 crashed into the Everglades, it happened due to a tiny, simple mistake. And those who died were seen again.

In this bonus episode, some of the Darkcast Network come together to create a compilation of spooky stories just for you! Each episode is 5-15 minutes long and contains content from the shows: Book of the Dead Day by Day True Crime Stories Missing in the PNW Murder in the PNW Mythical True Crime POD of Terror Beyond the Rainbow Rogue Darkness The Final Trace The Bell Witch Podcast And yours truly,...