keddie murders survivors

The town was later promoted as a resort town, with opportunities for camping, hiking, and other recreation. The Keddie Cabin murders is one of the most gruesome and mysterious unsolved cases in American history. More confounding is that the three youngest boys were not only untouched but allegedly unaware of the event, even though a woman and her boyfriend in the cabin next door awoke around 1:30 a.m. to what they described were muffled screams. Although authorities believe they were both involved in the Keddie cabin murders, they think they may have had help. As she opened the door, she screamed as she discovered the bodies of her mother, Glenna "Sue" Sharp, older brother John Sharp . 'People Magazine Investigates' Features Man's 24-Year Wrongful Prison Sentence: 'Never Thought It Could Happen', People Magazine Investigates Offers New Clues on Keddie Cabin Murders, Giving Survivor 'A Little More Hope', 'People Magazine Investigates After Show' : How Solving Keddie Murders Is 'Personal' for Investigators, Inside the Keddie Cabin Murders: Daughter Remembers Finding Mom and Brother Dead at Age 14, A Daughter's 35-Year Fight For Justice: Sheila Sharp Longs to Know Who Murdered Her Family in Their Cabin, Horror in the Woods: 'People Magazine Investigates' Looks at the Keddie Cabin Murders Cold Case, Inside the Search for the Keddie Cabin Killers 35 Years After a Family Was Slaughtered, WATCH: Heartbreak Leads to Hollywood Horror in Exclusive 'People Magazine Investigates' Clip, Behind the Murder of JonBent Ramsey, Featured on 'People Magazine Investigates'. Their throats were slashed, and they both had multiple stabbings and blunt force trauma to the head. The Strangers True Story: Real-Life Crimes That Inspired - ScreenRant Originally established as a stop along the railroad, the area was in the middle of a total transition when the Sharp . Was it possible that he either witnessed the murders or awoke at some point during the night but had blocked it out? Its my belief that there were more than two people who were involved in the totality of the crimethe disposal of the evidence and the abduction of the little girl, Hagwood said. 5 People Vanished Along the Snake River Beginning in 1979: Will Police Finally Catch a Serial Killer? Multiple leads and suspects were examined in the intervening years, though no charges were filed. Keddie28 reports she was attending business classes at the Feather River Community College, where she was purportedly a "good student" who worked hard to maintain high grades. Amid his interview with police, authorities learned Smartt and his wife were enrolled in a class with Sue. The weapons included a steak knife that came from Sues kitchen. Tina was then allegedly taken out the cabins back door by one of the men. It was true that investigators failed to log numerous pieces of evidence and overlooked leads. 2009-2021 Historic Mysteries. (Whelan). Oddly, John and Dana did not have any defensive wounds or blood under their bindings. Her brother, who would help her and the children start a new life, lived in Quincy, California, about 150 miles north of Sacramento. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. On April 12th, 1981, 14-year-old Sheila Sharp returned to her family cabin, Cabin 28 of the Keddie Resort Keddie, California after a sleep-over with a friend who lived in the same resort as her own families cabin. A fourth victim, a 12-year-old daughter, vanished in the night-her remains found years later and miles away. However, investigators must have buried these facts until 2016 when new discoveries reignited the case. Unable to discern from where they were coming, they went back to bed. Were convinced that there are a handful of people that fit those roles who are still alive.. A domestic violence survivor herself, Sue reportedly advised Marilyn to leave her husband. Victims,. Stranger still, in an adjoining bedroom the two youngest Sharp boys, Rickey and Greg, as well as their friend and neighbor, 12-year-old Justin Smartt were found unharmed. Afterward, she provided Plumas Country Sheriffs Dept. The plastic piece that the police found in Cabin 28 matched up to a Daisy 880 BB gun. John, 15, was the oldest boy, while the oldest girl was Sheila, 14; Tina was 12; and the two younger boys were Rick, 10, and Greg, 5. Listen Now For our friends in the Deaf and Signing community, you can view an ASL version of this episode HERE. In one of the bedrooms, authorities found Rick, Greg, and their friend Justin Eason Smartt, unharmed. Near the remains detectives also found a childs blanket, a blue nylon jacket, a pair of jeans with a missing back pocket, and an empty surgical tape dispenser. Police were called to the scene at around 8:05 that morning, having been alerted by the Seabolt family . KEDDIE, Calif. It has been 40 years since what is known as the Keddie Murders took place in rural Plumas County. But curiously, instead of sending homicide detectives, they sent organized crime investigators to Keddie. [17], The murders of Sue, John, and Dana were notably vicious:[13] two bloodied knives and one hammer were found at the scene,[15][18] and one of the knives (a steak knife later determined to have been used in the murders) had been bent at roughly 30 degrees. Richard's alibi for the time of the murder is, he was supposedly with Mike Hamilton, Angus Lynch, and Good ol' Steve Durham at the Arcade. Investigators claim that she was having her own affair at the time. Some evidence, such as a second bloody knife, turned up in a trash bin behind the Keddie general store. The prevalence of blood suggested to investigators that the victims had been moved and rearranged from the positions in which they were murdered. Sue Sharps surviving children left California to live with an aunt. covered it up, is the way it sounds. He alleges that Bo and Martin fit into a larger drug-smuggling scheme that involved the federal government. Nonetheless, it raises many questions. However, none of the evidence helped the investigators find the killers or determine how she died. What else do you want?. It is unclear what evidence links Boubede to the mafia. Always busy trying to better her situation, Sue took a typing class with financial aid. Between them lies the forgotten tape of the anonymous phone tip left in 1984, rediscovered in 2013. Unsolved murders have a way of weighing on a community, the place forever haunted and the neighbors always left wondering. Silveria Jr. is believed to have killed between 9 and 14 people while living a transient lifestyle on freight-trains throughout the United States. Also, the murderers must have been aware of the three remaining boys in the cabin. Everyone loves a good mystery.But what about those good unsolved mysteries that don't have that satisfying ending like Scooby-Doo pulling off the mask of the culprit and are just downright spooky? Sue had spent the later afternoon with Sheila and Tina. The survivor was noticed cowering in the back of an SUV parked in EQ (East Quincy) outside the apartment where the killers were staying. Unfortunately, they later went into foster care as their aunt already had several children and couldnt handle more. In 1979, Glenna "Sue" Sharp left her abusive husband and moved herself and her five children from Connecticut to Quincy, California. You May Also Like: The Disappearance of the Five Sodder Children. Three Dead Bodies And A Skull The Keddie Cabin Murders Where is the Body of the Legendary King Gorm of Denmark. Amid the attack, Tina came out of her room and was carried out of the house by one of the men, who came back inside the house without her. The first member of LE to arrive, shortly after 8 am, was PCSO Deputy Hank Klement, who did a quick search of the cabin, confirming the murders. Electrical cording and medical tape bound their wrists and ankles. The sheriff at the time of the murders, Doug Thomas, and his deputy. Marilyn and Marty happened to be taking the same typewriting class that Sue was enrolled in. Keddie murders - Wikipedia Strangled. Some have speculated that Martin may have killed Sue for revenge, in the mistaken belief that she was responsible for breaking up his marriage. Several new leads were announced in the 21st century, including the discovery of a hammer in a pond in 2016, as well as announcements regarding the discovery of new DNA evidence. Investigators were called about an hour after Sheila had discovered her slain family. As reported by Historic Mysteries, Smartt was Justin's stepfather. Additionally, he said that Marilyn was his niece, which was also false. Doug Moran prize 2021: Asher Keddie, Holocaust survivors and 'ghostly Many people believe that the police were either incompetent or corrupt and covered up the crime for some reason. All three returned home later, but Marty and Bo went out again. Justin recalled that both men wore glasses and that the two older boys, John and Dana, came home while Sue was talking to the men. The killers had escaped. Justin also claimed that Tina came out shortly after, and one of the men abducted her out the back door. [5] Upon arriving in California, she began renting a small trailer formerly occupied by her brother at the Claremont Trailer Village in Quincy. [19] John's throat was slashed. Several of the suspected murder weapons were found at the scene, including two knives and a hammer, which were covered in blood. At least one other person was killed that night: her teenage brother's friend, whose body also was found by then 14-year-old Sheila on the living room floor of Cabin 28 in Keddie, California, on the morning of April 12, 1981. He also told investigators that his stepson, Justin, might have seen something on the night of the murder without the killer detecting the boy. Gamberg also stated that at that time, six potential suspects were being examined. The police never admitted this letter as evidence. Tiede Cabin Murders Rips Through a Family True Crime The three boys who survived said they slept through the incident. [24] Shortly after announcing the discovery, the Butte County Sheriff's Office received an anonymous call that identified the remains as belonging to Tina, but the call was not documented in the case. Corona, Marcella. The Keddie murders are an unsolved quadruple homicide which took place over the night of April 1112, 1981, in Keddie, California, United States. To this day, the murders remain unsolved. Cabin 28 Murders - Victim and Killer Speak From the Dead - Sue Coletta Around 1:30 pm, Sue and her oldest daughter Sheila went to pick up John and Dana in Quincy. Copyright 2016-2022 True Crime Magazine, A Look Inside Ted Bundys Isolation Cell at Dade County Jail, Meet the 13-Year-Old Boy Who Caught Richard Ramirez, A GRAPHIC Look Back At the Hillside Strangler Murders, Revisiting Ted Bundys Issaquah Dump Site, A GRAPHIC Look Back at Zodiac Killers Reign of Terror, A GRAPHIC Look Back At Richard Chases Reign of Terror, A GRAPHIC Look Back At Ted Bundys Execution, NSFW: The Blood-Soaked Trail of the Times Square Killer. The Keddie Murders Unresolved After looking around and searching for survivors, he rejoined the others outside. Composite sketch of the Keddie murder suspects. And I know I always look around. The three had been bound by medical and electrical tape and had either been viciously stabbed, strangled, or bludgeoned. The murders took place in house No. The Keddie Cabin Murders - Medium ET) on Investigation Discovery. The family had been living in relative poverty in a town of 66 people. [21] Carla McMullen, a family acquaintance, later told detectives that Dana Wingate had recently stolen an unknown quantity of LSD from local drug dealers, though she was unable to provide proof of this claim. On April 11, 1981, Sue and the kids were in and out of Cabin 28 throughout the day. Dana also had severe head injuries, but he had also been strangled. Eliminated as a suspect, despite actually confessing to the Keddie murders, was Robert Joseph Silveria Jr., the so-called "Boxcar Killer". Keddie is a small town in the Sierra Nevada mountains, located roughly halfway between Redding and Reno. The oldest boy, John, and his buddy, Dana, had spent the day in Quincy. As reported by The Mystique, Justin began having vivid dreams in the days after the murders. Neighbors said that for the most part, she kept to herself but the family was integrating well. Her friends dad retrieved the three unharmed boys through their bedroom window so they would not have to see the scene. Any case without an apparent motive is the toughest to solve, Stoy recalled to the Sacramento Bee in 1987. Were they protecting their informant? Lt. Don Stoy, were not initially able to discern an apparent motive. Further, it came to light that Marilyn Smartt, Martys wife and mother of Justin, had left her husband on the day of the murder discovery. WANTED: The Keddie Cabin Killer Episode Summary A family's brutal murder rocks a tiny California town and leaves behind too many unanswered questions. Although the identity of the murderer is still a mystery, new information has surfaced in the last decade and could help to solve the Keddie cabin murders. Keddie Resort Murder. [24] In his later account of events, told under hypnosis,[17] he claimed to have awoken to sounds coming from the living room while asleep in the bedroom with Rick and Greg. Historic Memories reports Keddie was once a bustling town with a busy railroad terminal. Even though Marilyn admitted in a 2008 documentary that she thought her husband his friend Bo was responsible, Sheriff Doug Thomas contradicted this and stated that Martin had successfully passed a polygraph test. Gamberg sent the tape to other law enforcement agencies for analysis and possible leads. They lived in a trailer park for a short time, but then Sue decided to move just five miles from Quincy into the mountains to a place known as the Keddie Resort. She was naked from the waist down, but there was no sign of sexual assault. Inside Cabin 28 were the bodies of her mother, Glenna Sue Sharp, her teenage brother John, and his high school friend, Dana Wingate. It seems possible that Marilyn learned about an affair between Marty and Sue. There were some bloodstains on her bedding, which suggested that she might have been kidnapped from her bed after the murders. Probable murder weapons for the Keddie slaying discovered and submitted as evidence in 2016. In 2013, he located the recording of the anonymous 911 phone call that came in after Tinas remains surfaced. The girls shared one, and the younger boys shared the other. He had been manually strangled. Inside The Unsolved Shooting Of Brooklyn's Hip-Hop King. Immediately, the two lead suspects were Justin Smartts father and the Sharps neighbors, Martin Smartt and his houseguest, ex-convict John Bo Boudebe who was known to have connections to organized crime in the area. Keddie Cabin 28 Massacre - Mysterious & Unsolved Stories Horror Hotspot: Keddie Cabin Murders - Timber Creek Talon He is the author of a series of published mystery novels and holds a degree in criminal psychology. Keddie murders revisited part 1: New evidence discovered links living Why The Keddie Cabin Murders Remain Unsolved To This Day - All That's [10], Justin gave conflicting stories of the evening, including that he had dreamed details of the murders, though he later claimed to have actually witnessed them. In 1979, she left her abusive husband. People Magazine Investigates: Survivor Sheila Sharp on the Keddie Cabin A bent steak knife was on the floor. The Unsolved Keddie Murders of California - The Lineup In press releases accompanying the sketches, the suspects were described as being in their late 20s to early 30s; one stood between 5feet 11inches (1.80m) to 6feet 2inches (1.88m) tall with dark-blonde hair, and the other between 5feet 6inches (1.68m) and 5feet 10inches (1.78m) with black, greased hair. [9][6] Two hours later, around 3:30 pm, John and Dana hitchhiked back to Quincy, where they may have had plans to visit friends. The artist won the Doug Moran in 2011 for his portrait of Baz Luhrmann, and he has won the Archibald people's choice four times - once, in 2013, for another portrait of Keddie. A neighborhood boy, Justin Eason, would spend the night with Sues two youngest sons that evening. The bodies of Sue, John, and Dana were found on the morning of April 12 by Sue's 14-year-old daughter, Sheila, who had been sleeping at a friend's house. "I've paid the price of your love & now I've bought it with four people's lives," ABC10 reports the letter said. Campbell teachers captivated by the tragic story of 'Cabin 28' However, when this failed, the Keddie Resort owner Gary Mollath turned a series of cabins into low-income rental housing. [19] John and Dana suffered blunt-force trauma to their heads caused by a hammer or hammers. It wasnt until three years later on April 22, 1984, when Ronald Pedrini reported that he was in the woods about 90 miles southwest of Keddie when he stumbled upon something suspicious. As far as the person who gave John and Dana a ride home, Gamberg indicates that he identified a woman and has interviewed her. | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA Notice, This website uses cookies to improve your experience. On the morning of April 12, 1981 Sheila Sharp awoke from a neighbors sleep over and went next door to her house to drop off her blankets. In April of 1981, a violent crime would tear apart a quiet town in northern California. The murders took place in cabin 28, during the late evening of April 11, 1981 and/or early morning of the 12th. Of the suspects who are still alive, Gamberg said: They better batten down the hatches because were coming. Keddie is a census-designated place in Plumas County, California, United States. Plumas County Sheriffs Office Cabin 28 at Keddie Resort, 1981. Four people were killed in a small California resort town, including Sue Sharp, her son John, daughter Tina, and John's friend Dana. Keddie Murders In Northern California Ispired 'The Strangers' April 12, 1981, the bodies of 36-year-old Sue Sharp, her 15-year-old son John and his 17-year-old friend Dana Wingate were found in Cabin 28 at the Keddie Resort, north of Quincy. The two had only met weeks before the killings while Boubede was receiving treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder at the nearby Veterans Administration Hospital. Beyond the living room was the kitchen and two bedrooms. On July 18, 1984, a lone gunman James Oliver Huberty entered a crowded McDonald's with a plan: "hunting for humans." He opened fire on the customers inside the fast-food chain, killing 21 and wounding 19 others. However, investigators didnt address these statements, and the police did not arrest or interview Marty again. Secondly but more importantly there is his reasoning process. Welcome! "[27] A grid pattern search of the area covering a 5-mile (8.0km) radius around the house was conducted with police canines, but the efforts were fruitless. Relatives of the victims and the public anxiously await the day when investigators bring justice to the killings of Sue, John, Tina, and Dana. They had apparently slept through the entire massacre which had unfolded mere feet from their beds. In 2016, a hammer, which could have been the one Smartt reportedly said he lost, was found in a pond near where the Keddie cabin once stood. While he was supposedly collecting cans, a human skull and mandible turned up. Because she was a minor, the initial search for her involved the FBI, but, for some unknown reason, they quit investigating after about a month. Determined to find more survivors, Jamie crept up the back stairs. Smartt moved to Reno, Nevada, shortly after the conclusion of his police interview and was also never arrested or charged in the Keddie cabin murders. His handling of the case in retrospect would be considered disastrous at best and corrupt at worst. All victims had suffered blunt-force trauma by hammer or hammers. Between them lies the forgotten tape of the anonymous phone tip left in 1984, rediscovered in 2013. called the Sacramento Department of Justice. From the front door, their small wooden cabin opened to the living room. One of the psychics was a medium who could speak with the dead while the other used EVP. Surely, no one expected it to be one of the most famous unsolved murder cases in history. When she opened the front door to the living room, she discovered a massacre. Watch our new 10-part true crime show, People Magazine Investigates, which airs Mondays (9 p.m. The former Sharp home was condemned and demolished in 2004. One of the men had a hammer. Also note how close the cabin is to its neighbor. Historic Mysteries reports neighbors heard "muffled screams or groans," sometime between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m., but they did not realize anyone was in danger and simply went back to sleep. Sitting down with PEOPLE Senior Editor Alicia Dennis for the People Magazine Investigates After Show that followed the broadcast, Sheila talks about the additional burdens she carries because of the grisly discovery and the uncertainty of who was responsible. The murders tooks place in Cabin 28 of the Keddie Resort. 28 of the Keddie Resort. Justin said that he was watching TV in the boys room before he fell asleep. Keddie Truth - Index page Tina, on the other hand, went home around 9:30 and planned to sleep in her own bed. "[17], Martin Smartt died of cancer in Portland, Oregon, in June 2000. The Sharp family had just moved in to cabin 28 the year before. Furthermore, it suggests an answer as to why this case was handled so sloppily, remains unsolved, and is seemingly not a priority to the Sacramento DOJ. The murders took place in cabin 28, during the late evening of April 11, 1981 and/or early morning of the 12th. About the Cabin 28 Keddie Murders Case: Authorities arrived at the scene shortly after 8 a.m. Sheila has spoken about the horrific incident in several interviews. Keddie, CA - Unsolved Quadruple Homicide - Keddie Cabin Murders by Every Town. The new investigators and people online who re-investigated the Keddie Murders have done a very good job digging up some new evidence and analyzing the small amount available. Sharp's neighbors described her as a "loner," who only made one close friend in the community. Unsolved in California: The Case of the Keddie Cabin Murders Sheilas mother had been covered partially with a blanket though that had done little to hide her gruesome injuries. [11], That same evening, Tina had plans to spend the night with the Seabolt family, who lived in adjacent #27, while Sue remained at home with Rick, Greg, and the boys' young friend, Justin Smartt. They also found a bloody fingerprint on the handrail leading down from the back door. 5 Things to Know about the Keddie Cabin Murders and the Hunt for the Killers, 'People Magazine Investigates' : Inside Decades-Old Disappearances of 5 People Along the Snake River. On April 11, 1981, Glenna "Sue" Sharp, a 36-year-old mother of five children, settled down for the night at Cabin 28, in Keddie, a small community surrounded by mountains in Northern California. Sue's two younger sons, Rick and Greg, as well as their friend Justin Smartt, were also in the house but were unharmed. A daughter was kidnapped and her remains were later found. However, Historic Mysteries reports he was never arrested or charged in the murders. Unfortunately, there is no record of this ever happening. "I believe there are two individuals that are alive and accessories after the fact,"Detective Mike Gamberg saidin an April 2021 interview with ABC10. Given the extent of the brutality of the Keddie cabin murders, there was plenty of evidence left behind. The case involves the murders of members of the Sharp family while they were vacationing at Keddie Resort in 1981. 35 Years Later, New Clues May Solve Keddie Murder Mystery. In December 1983, detectives ruled out serial killers Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole as potential suspects. During his interrogation, Marty offered to the police that his hammer with a blue handle had gone missing. But the memory of those murders has also stayed with the community and especially with the investigators who have re-opened the case of the 1981 attacks on Sue Sharp, her son Johnny, her daughter Tina, and family friend Dana Wingate. [24] Plumas County Sheriff Sylvester Thomas, who presided over the case, later stated that Martin had provided "endless clues" in the case that seemed to "throw the suspicion away from him. [28] Near the remains, detectives also discovered a blue nylon jacket, a blanket, a pair of Levi Strauss jeans with a missing back pocket, and an empty medical tape dispenser. 35 Years Later, New Clues May Solve Keddie Murder Mystery Both men had been seen in suits and ties behaving oddly in the bar the night before. Alex Murdaugh Is Guilty Of Murder! The Tragic Rise and Fall Of The New evidence revives Plumas County quadruple murder case