WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Untamed.
Netflix’s murder mystery seriesUntamedincludes several deaths in Yosemite, which is considered one of the deadliest national parks in America. AlthoughUntamedis a fictional story co-written by Mark L. Smith (The Revenant,American Primeval), Yosemite does have a consistent history of people dying in the nearly 748,000-acre park.
Untamedwasn’t filmed in Yosemite, but its story is centered on themysterious death of a young girl whose body fell off the top edge of El Capitan. Eric Bana, who leads thecast ofUntamedas ISB agent Kyle Turner, is haunted by his own tragic backstory, which propels him to get to the bottom of the young girl’s death at all costs.
Around 1,300 People Have Reportedly Died In Yosemite National Park
Dating Back To When The Park Was Established In 1890
The total number of reported deaths in Yosemite National Park is roughly 1300 people. This number accounts for all reported and confirmed deaths in Yosemite since the park was established in 1890.This averages to about 12 to 15 deaths per year, according toRoberts & Spiegel.
While some of the older data on deaths in Yosemite National Park is not very specific, data collected between2007 and 2023 indicated that there were 163 deaths during that time period. The most common form of death was by falling, with a reported number of 53 people slipping and falling to their deaths.
The second most common form of death in Yosemite from 2007 to 2023 was by natural causes, which took the lives of 33 people. The third most common method was bydrowning, which resulted in the deaths of 21 people. Other more infrequent causes of death include motor vehicle accidents (10), suicide (9), and environmental (6).
Common Causes Of Death In Yosemite’s History Compared To Netflix’s Untamed
Falling Is One Of The Most Frequent Causes Of Death
While falling/suicide was the direct cause of Lucy Cook’s death, you could argue that Lucy Cook was essentially driven to death, or even murdered, by her biological father, Paul Stouter.Lucy’s fall wasn’t an accidental slip, however, so her death would be a much more uncommon occurrence in Yosemite National Park.
Several of the actual people who died by falling in Yosemite National Park did so while posing for photographs.
Several of the actual people who died by falling in Yosemite National Park did so while posing for photographs. As far as some of the other deaths seen inUntamedthatwere either murders or killings in self-defense, they are virtually unheard of. There are, however, at least 15 people who died whose cause of death is listed as “undetermined.”
Yosemite is considered one of the deadliest national parks in America primarily because of how massive and popular it is, typically welcoming over 4 million visitors each year. It all depends on how you look at the numbers, however.Yosemite averages 3.1 deaths per million visitors, while Denali National Park in Alaska averages 9.8 deaths per million visitors (viaBackpack). Perhaps a second season ofUntamedwould work well in that setting.
