Case 056: Josephine Overaker | Flames, Forests, and Fugitive Legends

She burned down a ski resort in the name of nature.Then she disappeared into the wild.In this episode of Fugitive Files, we dig into one of the most destructive acts of eco-terrorism in U.S. history — the 1998 arson attack on Vail Ski Resort — and the woman still on the run because of it: Josephine Sunshine Overaker.A former wilderness firefighter and alleged member of The Family, a radical environmentalist cell aligned with the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) and Animal Liberation Front (ALF), Overaker is wanted for her role in a coordinated arson campaign protesting the resort’s expansion into protected lynx habitat.Federal investigators say she helped set a series of fires that caused millions in damages, sparking the launch of Operation Backfire, an FBI investigation that led to the capture and conviction of nearly all those involved — except her.Josephine Overaker is still at large, charged with:Arson of federal propertyDestruction of an energy facilityUse of a destructive device during a crime of violenceConspiracyThe FBI considers her armed, dangerous, and ideologically driven, with active international warrants and a reward offered for information leading to her arrest.She became a symbol — to some, a hero.To others, a domestic terrorist.This is Fugitive Files. Let’s get into it.