BWBS Ep:93 Missing: National Park Nightmares Vo.8

Vanished in the Sierra - The Mysterious Disappearances of Sandra Johnsen Hughes and Joel ThomazinIn this haunting eighth installment of National Park Nightmares, we delve into two perplexing disappearances that occurred just fourteen months apart in the rugged wilderness of California's Sierra Nevada mountains. Join your host as we explore the baffling circumstances surrounding Sandra Johnsen Hughes and Joel Thomazin, two experienced outdoor enthusiasts who entered the wilderness and seemingly vanished without a trace.

Our journey begins in the summer of 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when 54-year-old Sandra Johnsen Hughes sought solace in the pristine wilderness of Sierra National Forest. A former Hawaii resident with college training as a park ranger, Sandra was no novice to the outdoors. We trace her final known movements from her last contact with family on June 26th through the mysterious discovery of her abandoned campsite on July 2nd—found in complete disarray, a state that contradicted her meticulously organized nature. The mystery deepens as we examine the puzzling sequence of events: her silver Saab crashed at suspiciously low speed, a barefoot sighting with an unexplained bruise on her face, her sleeping bag discovered miles away just inside Yosemite National Park's boundary, and the most baffling element—a reported sighting by hunters over a month after her disappearance. Could Sandra have survived alone in the wilderness for weeks without supplies? And what are we to make of the eerie account from a three-year-old boy who, a year later, claimed to see a woman matching Sandra's description lying face down in a meadow, insisting she was "already dead"?

Our episode continues with 31-year-old Joel Thomazin, a U.S. Army reservist and father to a two-year-old son, who set out on what should have been a routine solo hiking and fishing trip in September 2021. With his distinctive bright red inflatable kayak and vintage 1918 Army steel cup, Joel planned a straightforward route from Hetch Hetchy Reservoir to Lake Eleanor—a journey of approximately nine miles each way.Last seen by a park ranger on the afternoon of September 6th crossing above O'Shaughnessy Dam, Joel never returned on his scheduled date of September 9th. Despite extensive searches involving teams from multiple agencies, not a single trace of Joel or his distinctive equipment was ever found. We share the heartbreaking words of his wife Amanda, who asked for prayers that Joel would know "he is not alone out there," and examine the painful reality of how families cope with ambiguous loss when no closure is possible.

As we conclude this episode, we reflect on the cruel paradox of these cases—how the very wilderness that draws us with its beauty and promise of solitude can also swallow us without witness or explanation. The disappearances of Sandra Johnsen Hughes and Joel Thomazin remain unsolved, joining over thirty cold cases in Yosemite's troubling history. Whether their fates were sealed by tragic accidents, deliberate choices, foul play, or something more mysterious, their stories remind us of the wilderness's power and our ultimate vulnerability within it.If you have any information about either of these cases, please contact the Madera County Sheriff's Office at (559) 675-7770 regarding Sandra Johnsen Hughes or Yosemite Search and Rescue at (209) 238-7046 regarding Joel Thomazin.