Betrayed by the Path: How Fake Arrows Led Denise Thiem to Her Tragic End on the Camino
What began as a spiritual journey ended in horror for Denise Thiem, a 41-year-old woman from Arizona, whose dream of walking Spain’s famed Camino de Santiago turned deadly. In April 2015, Denise vanished while trekking alone near the village of Astorga. For months, her disappearance remained a mystery—until a chilling truth was uncovered.
Denise had been lured off the main trail by a fake yellow arrow, a symbol trusted by millions of pilgrims navigating the Camino. This false marker was deliberately placed by Miguel Ángel Muñoz, a local man who used it to mislead Denise to his remote property. There, he brutally attacked and murdered her before burying her body in a shallow grave.
The tragedy shocked Spain and the international Camino community. Muñoz was later sentenced to 26 years in prison for the crime, but Denise’s death left an indelible scar. Her story serves as a grim reminder that even the most sacred paths are not immune to danger.
Pilgrims now walk with greater caution, remembering Denise as a symbol of vulnerability and the importance of protecting those who seek peace, not peril, on life’s journeys.
