In the depths of an Atlanta forest, a clash between activists and authorities ends in tragedy.

But the official narrative doesn't add up.

I'm Matthew Scher, and on my new podcast, we came to the forest.

From Wondery, Campside Media, and Tenderfoot TV, we peel back the layers of secrecy surrounding a deadly confrontation that shook a community

to its core. Through exclusive recordings and never before released eyewitness accounts,

we expose the hidden truths behind a shootout that left one activist dead and countless lives

forever changed. As we dig deeper, we uncover a web of conflicting

testimonies and missing evidence. From the idealistic dreams of young environmentalists to the

complex motivations of local officials, this story challenges our understanding of justice, activism,

and the lengths people will go to protect what they believe in.

What actually happened in the forest?

I'm about to play a clip from We Came to the Forest.

Follow We Came to the Forest on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. On a chilly evening in January, an activist named Vienna

goes on a date with her partner in Atlanta.

It's been a long, rough month for Vienna, the longest in some ways she can remember,

and she spent much of it lying low, crashing on the floor at a friend's house.

Her partner, who goes by Tortugita, that's little turtle in Spanish,

has decided that it's time for her to get out of the house.

And we went to get Vietnamese and Mexican food, just got a whole buffet.

And Tortugito is, like, at their peak.

They were just so happy.

...