Murder mystery series Untamed is the top trending show on Netflix right now. Praising the show, HELLO!'s Acting TV Editor Nicky Morris said: "Untamed is storming the Netflix charts, and it’s not difficult to see why given the compelling and twisty storyline. Fans of murder mystery thrillers might want to add this to their watchlist."
But while the fictional thriller climbs the charts, its chilling backdrop is all too real.
Untamed follows the investigation into a brutal murder set in California's Yosemite National Park. Co-written by The Revenant's Mark L. Smith, the show has sparked a wave of viewer fascination – not just for its gripping mystery, but with the darker truths lurking behind why thousands of people have vanished from the popular national park over the years.
Beautiful but deadly
Established in 1890 and spanning nearly 748,000 acres, Yosemite is one of the most visited, and deadliest, national parks in the US.
With over four million people exploring the park each year, its sheer scale and dangerous terrain have revealed a darker truth lurking behind the picturesque scenery.
Since its founding, approximately 1,300 deaths have been reported in Yosemite, averaging 12 to 15 fatalities a year, according to legal experts Roberts & Spiegel.
Common fatalities
The most common cause of death? Falling: at least 53 people have lost their lives after slipping or falling – some tragically while attempting to capture the perfect photo.
This toll also includes climbers who are attempting to conquer the sheer granite face of El Capitan.
Meanwhile, natural causes claimed 33 lives, and 21 people drowned in the park's rivers and waterfalls – the vast landscape includes over 2,000 lakes and 25 waterfalls.
Other causes include vehicle accidents (10 deaths), suicide (nine) and environmental exposure (six). There are also at least 15 deaths listed as "undetermined", adding an unsettling layer of ambiguity.
Other deadly parks
While Yosemite's total number of fatalities is high, its death rate – about 3.1 per million visitors – is actually lower than that of other national parks, such as Denali National Park in Alaska, which averages 9.8 deaths per million people, according to Backpack.
Unlike Yosemite, exposure is the leading cause of death at Denali, followed by falls.
Between 2007 and 2023 alone, 163 people died in Yosemite – real statistics that give Untamed a particularly eerie edge.
Speaking about the hit Netflix series, co-showrunner Mark L. Smith told Tudum: "Everyone thinks of Yosemite as this beautiful place with all the vistas and all the scenery, but we were trying to touch on the dangers that are just beyond that."
He continued: "I love stripping all the cheats away, stripping all the more modern tools that people can use. It really gets down to the character and what they can find within themselves.”