What Happened to Sheila Kearns? Mount Rainier National Park

In the fall of 1996, 43 year old Sheila Kearns had just finished her first summer season working in Mount Rainier and was excited to begin a winter season in the park she had grown to love. When she failed to show up for work at the National Park Inn, a search was dispatched. It wasn’t until seven months later when her scattered remains were found less than a mile from her housing. 30 years later her death remains unsolved.

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Sources

Articles:

• https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19961008/2353199/mt-rainier-park-worker-still-missing----woman-43-likes-to-hike

  • Disappearance of Joseph Lee Wood Jr. - Orion Magazine: https://orionmagazine.org/article/surroundings-more-congenial/

  • Internal memo orders staff not to reveal deaths in national parks, WAPO: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2026/06/24/internal-memo-tells-staff-stay-mum-deaths-national-parks/

  • NPS told to be quiet about deaths, experts weigh in, Outside Magazine: https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/environment/nps-internal-memo-deaths/

  • National Park Service’s Public Data On Visitor Deaths Is Sketchy: https://www.forbes.com/sites/suzannerowankelleher/2026/06/25/national-park-service-data-visitor-deaths/

  • Browse the Eatonville Dispatch Archives: https://washingtondigitalnewspapers.org/?a=cl&cl=CL1&sp=EATONDISP&e=------199-en-20-EATONDISP-1--txt-txIN-Dixie+Walter------

  • Dixie Walter’s personal website on the wayback machine: https://web.archive.org/web/20021126112009/https://eatonvillenews.net/

  Videos: 

  • Unsolved Northwest: Sheila Kearns pt. 1: Unsolved Northwest: Murder at Mount Rainier pt. 1

  • Unsolved Northwest: Sheila Kearns pt. 2: Unsolved Northwest: Murder at Mount Rainier pt. 2

  • Unsolved Northwest: Missing Persons Unsolved Northwest: Missing Persons