Untamed: What happened to Sean Sanderson? Details from the Netflix drama, explored

Netflix's Untamed opened with a Jane Doe murder investigation for Kyle Turner (Eric Bana), an ISB special agent with Yosemite National Park, which eventually became a means for him to absolve the guilt over his son's murder.

Yosemite National Park became the murder ground not only for Kyle's Jane Doe (who is later identified as Lucy Cook), but also for his son Caleb, six years earlier. As Kyle and Naya investigate Lucy's murder in the series, another potential victim named Sean Sanderson enters the picture. We learn that Sanderson was also another victim like Lucy, who was murdered in Yosemite.

However, in the Untamed series finale, it is revealed that Sean Sanderson was the one who killed Kyle's son six years ago. After Jill (Rosemarie DeWitt), Kyle's wife, came to know about Saderson's actions, she hired Shane (Wilson Bethel) to kill him. Sean Sanderson was murdered by Shane Maguire at Jill's order to avenge her son's murder.

More on this in our story.

How is Sean Sanderson related to Kyle's past in Untamed?

Sean Sanderson quietly creeps into Untamed's narrative when his family files a wrongful death suit against Yosemite, amid Kyle's investigation of Lucy's murder. While Sanderson is initially presented as a victim, another man who was engulfed by the Wilderness, he is revealed to be the killer of Kyle's son Caleb.

Lucy Cook's murder case eventually became a personal and driving force for Kyle as it was deeply entangled with Caleb, who was separated from his children's group six years earlier in Yosemite. The young boy fell prey to Sean Sanderson, who abused and eventually killed him.

The grief of her son's murder became so unbearable for Jill that she hired Shane Maguire, the park’s wildlife management officer and the leader of its underground drug ring, to kill him. However, after Sean Sanderson's family filed the death suit, Jill became terrified and eventually attempted su*c*de, which landed her in a hospital in Untamed Episode 5.

Sean Sanderson played a major role in breaking Kyle's marriage in Untamed

The Untamed finale finally revealed that it was Sean Sanderson who killed Caleb and subjected Kyle to such profound grief. In addition, it was not grief that separated Kyle from his wife, but her actions towards Sean.

While Kyle started to have hallucinations of his son and immersed himself completely in work to cope with grief, Jill turned to Shane and asked him to kill Sean and avenge Caleb's death. Since Jill followed the unlawful path and kept this from Kyle, this drove the couple apart, and they finally separated.

In an interview with Netflix Tudum, creator Mark L. Smith breaks down Sean Sanderson's effect on Kyle and Jill's marriage:

“The fact that she had Maguire do this without Turner knowing — that is what really split them apart.''

In addition, this also gave an upper hand to Shane over Kyle, who explicitly threatened Kyle with his wife's secret, and the two shared a volatile relationship, as Bana discussed:

“I liked the fact that he had the least amount of control around McGuire. There was something that just really, really set him off based on what had happened in the past, and so that’s [where he’s] the most combative. Those scenes were fun because they were a bit more traditional — but then, of course, we realize that that’s not how it all went down.”

Kyle's encounter with Shane in Untamed was marked by guilt over his failure to protect his son, which was further fueled by Shane's provocative nature towards Kyle.

Trending

For the latest scoops on your favorite TV shows and movies, follow SoapCentral.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback