Yosemite Missing Persons: The (Un)Known Numbers of Lost Children and Adults
Yosemite National Park, spanning 748,542 acres with 360 miles of paved roads and 800 miles of developed trails, is a renowned destination for countless visitors each year. Along with its beauty, the park is also known for a more troubling aspect: missing persons. The park's large area, combined with the complexity of its terrain, contributes to the challenge of locating missing individuals promptly.
The Yosemite National Park missing persons phenomenon is one of the largest clusters in the world, drawing attention not only for the number of instances but also for the varied and sometimes unexplainable circumstances surrounding those disappearances. Reasons range from accidents and criminal activity to more speculative causes, with no shortage of theories attempting to explain the unsettling trend. This article aims to explore some data on missing persons in Yosemite, search and rescue operations, and discuss the challenges in preventing and managing these cases, offering readers a look into this perplexing issue.
Statistics of Missing Persons in Yosemite
Visitor Statistics and Missing Cases: In 2020, Yosemite National Park welcomed approximately 2.3 million visitors 10. Along with its popularity, the park is recognized for a disturbing number of missing persons cases, ranking as one of the largest clusters globally, with 40 to 45 cases reported annually 210.
The US National Park Service (NPS) has 424 national park sites and 63 national parks, but it does not directly collect data on the number of visitors to its parks. The same applies to the Department of the Interior, which oversees the NPS and the Department of Agriculture’s US Forest Service.
If search and rescue parties cannot locate the missing person, no records are required to be kept by the NPS about the missing person's case or the circumstances surrounding the event. When the missing remains are found, no records are required to be maintained.
National databases NLETS and NCIC Several federal systems capture information relating to law enforcement-related incidents, including disappearances. Whether these are captured depends on the degree of involvement of the County Sheriff and whether they are logged. However, these tools are only for viewing by law enforcement, not for the general public.
Heidi Streetman petition to “Make the Department of the Interior accountable for persons missing in our National Parks & Forests”
A petition by Heidi Steetman to “Make the Department of the Interior accountable for persons missing in our National Parks & Forests” was started in 2022 and has reached 12,635 supporters out of a goal of 13,000 as of April 2024 (Link to Petition).
Streetman is an educator with stints at the Community College of Denver and Regis University and is currently at the Colorado School of Mines . She has been pushing for improvements in the procedures surrounding disappearances on public land for years
The petition demands that a national, publicly accessible registry/database be created in which all missing persons are accounted for in U.S. national parks and forests and on BLM lands. The purpose of this would be to make the government accountable for keeping track and reporting of the missing, to inform the public of the facts surrounding missing persons cases on public lands, and to keep account of all missing individuals and the circumstances under which they went missing on public lands.
Analysis of Search and Rescue Operations
Challenges and Technological Integration in SAR Operations:
Data Collection and Mapping: The lack of spatially explicit data and reliance on manual mapping pose significant challenges in incident management. Advanced geospatial tools are recommended to enhance resource prioritization and incident predictability 7.
Use of Geospatial Tools: Training in the use of GIS tools is crucial for effective search and rescue operations. These tools help in analyzing past incidents and planning for potential future occurrences 7.
