The storyline of Netflix’s newest crime drama Untamed is intense, gritty, and unflinchingly dark, especially for a show that features horseback riding as a prominent motif. But does the heavily forested murder mystery have real life roots? Read on to find out.

On the surface, the six-episode series might not seem like a specific enough story to be based on a true event — after an unidentified woman plummets off a cliff, it’s up to grizzled investigative agent Kyle Turner (Eric Bana), along with newbie Naya Vasquez (Lily Santiago), to solve the murder while grappling with their own traumas off (and sometimes on) the clock. 

But here’s the twist: the brutal investigation unfolds within the wide-reaching forests of Yosemite National Park. Naya is a newly hired park ranger, and Kyle is an agent who works for the National Park’s Investigative Services Branch (ISB), a real branch under U.S. National Park Services that deals with criminal cases that occur within national parks. Those specific details alone make it possible that the show could have been inspired by a real investigative case involving a Jane Doe who was chased off the cliff of Yosemite’s El Capitan. But is Untamed based on a true story? Here’s what we know.

Is Untamed Based On A True Story?

In short, not really. If we’re talking about the specific details of the plot, the story of Untamed does not line up with any real-life investigative case. However, this doesn’t mean that co-creators Mark and Elle Smith had nothing to draw on for inspiration. An L.A. Times article tells us that the father-daughter duo conceptualized the series after being sent several articles about the National Park Service’s Investigative Services Branch, which “[carries] out a wide range of investigative and law enforcement activities for parks and regional offices across the National Park System,” according to their official website. The two were intrigued by the obscure line of work, which the article characterizes as “part FBI agent and part park ranger.” 

To inform his performance as jaded ISB agent Turner, Bana spoke with ISB employees and park rangers about how they navigate the dangers of their jobs. He tells the outlet, “When you mix drugs, when you mix people coming from all kinds of different backgrounds and having different entitlements to the places that they’re in, it’s really interesting.” So while Untamed may not have been based on a true story outright, it certainly sheds light on the untold stories of some crime-and-drug busting National Park Service workers.

Watch Untamed now on Netflix.