WANTED: Michael Bullinger

The gist

In June 2017, Gerald Michael Bullinger—a career pilot living a double life—killed his wife Cheryl Baker (56), girlfriend Nadia Medley (47), and Nadia's daughter Peyton (14) after his two families collided unexpectedly. He abandoned a white Ford Focus at Pacific Creek Campground in Wyoming loaded with camping gear, cash, his identification, and the victims' possessions. Despite an intensive manhunt involving the FBI, US Marshals, and canine units searching the remote Yellowstone area, Bullinger vanished without a trace, leaving investigators and grieving families divided on whether he died by suicide in the wilderness or used his piloting skills to escape.

Key takeaways

• The discovery: 17-year-old Crime Junkie listener Gina Hunn found the abandoned white Ford Focus at Pacific Creek Campground on July 12, 2017, by checking the license plate—a crucial break that connected a triple homicide in Idaho to a fugitive in Wyoming
• The double life: Bullinger was married to Cheryl in Utah while secretly dating Nadia in Idaho for at least two years; when Cheryl unexpectedly visited the Idaho house in early June, she discovered the affair, leading Bullinger to execute all three victims by shooting them in the head
• Evidence in the car: Police found full camping equipment, a loaded .357 revolver in a holster, nearly $3,600 in cash, Bullinger's wallet and laptop, all three victims' cell phones, and the two women's purses—indicating he planned to disappear into the wilderness
• The July 1 sighting: A family hiking Pacific Creek Trail reported encountering a gray-haired man matching Bullinger's description wearing dirty clothes with no pack or water; the woman rated her certainty as 7-8 out of 10
• The mysterious gun: In summer 2018, a hiker found a fully loaded Ruger .357 revolver under a log in Pacific Creek—matching the empty holster from the car—but it was registered to an unrelated Utah man who sold it privately 20 years prior; the gun's current status is unclear, with conflicting reports about whether it was destroyed in 2020
• Competing theories: Law enforcement and families are split between three scenarios: Bullinger died in the wilderness (possibly killed by grizzly bears or swept downstream), committed suicide, or used his piloting experience and connections to wealthy clients to escape and start a new life
• Psychological profile: Forensic psychologist Jeffrey Frasier assessed Bullinger as having an insecure attachment style, lacking empathy, and possibly panicking when faced with public humiliation—similar to family annihilator John List, who evaded capture for 18 years
• Active case: Bollinger remains a fugitive on the US Marshal Service wanted list; if alive, he would now be 68 years old, while his victims—including a 14-year-old girl—never got to reach adulthood

Notable quotes

"There is not a clear motive, but it appears Bollinger suddenly, uncontrollably, and explosively snapped over something." — Idaho detective's memo on the suspected trigger

"Teton County sheriff Matt Carr said that he looks like everybody's grandpa." — On the challenge of identifying Bollinger among hundreds of false tips

Worth a full listen?

Listen to the full episode if you're interested in the detailed investigative work, the exclusive evidence details from the car search warrant, the audio recorded during the 2018 search operation, or if you want to understand the psychological complexity of family annihilators and whether a charismatic, skilled fugitive could realistically disappear.