Yosemite National Park, nearly 1,200 square miles of towering granite walls, ancient sequoias, and deep valleys.

It's a place of unmatched beauty, where nature's grandeur can inspire awe and fear.

With over 750 miles of trails winding through remote wilderness,

Yosemite is a hikers paradise that can quickly turn into a search and rescue nightmare when

someone goes missing. Through the years, dozens have vanished without a trace in this vast

park, leaving behind only questions and enduring legends.

Tonight, we delve into some of Yosemite's most haunting missing person cases,

real stories blending true crime investigation with the eerie unknown,

where fact meets folklore amid the whispering pines.

Our journey begins on a summer afternoon in 1981,

high in the Yosemite backcountry. The Vanishing of Stacey Ann Aris, 1981.

14-year-old Stacey Ann Aris was on the trip of a lifetime. On July 17, 1981, she and her father had ridden mules with a group

of campers to the remote Sunrise High Sierra Camp, nearly 9,400 feet above sea level. After hours on

the trail, the group arrived and settled in among the alpine meadows and shimmering lakes.

Eager to explore, Stacey told her dad she wanted to stretch her legs,

with a short hike and take some photos.

She grabbed her camera and at her father's insistence,

swapped her sandals for sturdy hiking boots.

An older gentleman from their group, 77-year-old Gerald Stewart, agreed to walk with

her at first. The two set off from camp toward the nearby sunrise lakes, only a few hundred

yards away over a slight ridge. Not far from camp, Gerald grew tired and sat down to rest on a boulder,

telling Stacey to go on ahead and come back soon.

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