49. Campground Murders (USA)

There’s something about camping—right? Sleeping under the stars, miles from the nearest streetlight, tucked into the trees with nothing but canvas between you and whatever's out there. For some, it's peaceful. For others? It's prime nightmare fuel. And sometimes, those nightmares… become real. So grab a flashlight, get close to the fire, and don’t wander off into the trees… because today, we’re exploring what happens when the wild turns deadly—and the campground becomes the crime scene.

**correction: in the case of Kylen Schulte and Crystal Turner, I stated that the man who murdered them was serving prison time, but this is incorrect. The man (allegedly) responsible completed suicide before he could be arrested in 2021. (A local tells me that MANY people in that area do NOT believe he is responsible for this…)

Sources:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/visit/know-before-you-go/safety

https://www.fs.usda.gov/visit/know-before-you-go/crime-prevention

https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/philboas/2025/06/05/arizona-teens-shot-camping-murder/84041867007/

https://apnews.com/national-national-general-news-862b3c9d405b45d392aa1dcc7baa204c

https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/2015/07/families_mark_10th_anniversary.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/02/us/arizona-teenagers-shot-forest.html