The Keddie Murders Unresolved. What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch, Cabin 28 at Keddie Resort, 1981. [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. Please note that there is a lot of misinformation published online about the Keddie murders. The former Sharp home was condemned and demolished in 2004. 117: Murdaugh's Maid's Son Testifes To The Millions Alex . A recording of this call was found at the bottom of an evidence box at some point after 2013 by a deputy who was assigned the case. Keddie, a once-favored railroad stop for recreational tourists traveling from the San Francisco Bay area . Somehow, this erupted into a bout of violence between them, which resulted in the murders. In 1979, she left her abusive husband. Sheriff Thomas called the Sacramento Department of Justice which then sent in two special agents from their organized crime unit not homicide, which struck many as odd. It is unclear what evidence links Boubede to the mafia. Electrical cording and medical tape bound their wrists and ankles. This happened 41 years ago in Keddie, California. Justin said he saw one of the men stab Sue Sharp. Marilyn later said in a 2008 documentary that she believed Marty was the perpetrator and that he had even confessed in writing to her. 2009-2021 Historic Mysteries. However, none of the evidence helped the investigators find the killers or determine how she died. Is this why detectives seemed to turn a blind eye to many clues and disregarded evidence? But Sheila credits the memory of her mothers compassion as a guide she has tried to follow. 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. Inside Cabin 28 were the bodies of her mother, Glenna Sue Sharp, her teenage brother John, and his high school friend, Dana Wingate. It's my strong sense that there's something about Tina that did not allow for her to be left there.". Authorities concluded at least one of the knives, which was a steak knife, came from the kitchen of the cabin. The murders took place in house No. Claw hammered. All of their injuries happened after the killers tied them up. 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. . Since his recruitment in 2013, he has made several new discoveries. Were continuing with the investigation, and were doing interviews, and we have several persons of interest. Episode Info Considering the level of violence that took place, this seems impossible. A daughter was kidnapped and her remains were later found. WANTED: The Keddie Cabin Killer Episode Summary A family's brutal murder rocks a tiny California town and leaves behind too many unanswered questions. Sharp's neighbors described her as a "loner," who only made one close friend in the community. Martin was a known drug dealer and Bo was connected to Chicago crime syndicates with financial interests in drug distribution. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. 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. Findings confirmed that the weapons used on the victims heads were two different hammers and a BB gun in Sues case. In the evening, the two girls went to the Seabolt family house next door in Cabin 27, just 15 feet away. Sue urged them not to hitchhike, but passersby spotted John and Dana on a street corner trying to flag a ride home around 9:30-10:00 that evening. All rights reserved. Glenna Sue Sharp was a dark-haired, attractive single mother with five children. In a letter, Marty purportedly said: Ive paid the price of your love and now that Ive bought it with four peoples lives, you tell me we are through. Unfortunately, they later went into foster care as their aunt already had several children and couldnt handle more. 5 Things to Know about the Keddie Cabin Murders and the New Hunt for the Killers. The town tried to reinvent itself by becoming a recreational camping and hiking resort area. Three of Sue's children were with her, Tina, 12; Ricky, 10; and Greg, 5. However, investigators must have buried these facts until 2016 when new discoveries reignited the case. On her side, the mother of five was naked from the waist down, tightly gagged with a bandana and her own underwear secured with medical tape. Plumas County Sheriff Greg Hagwood described what happened in Cabin 28 in 1981 . Gamberg thinks that at the same time, Sue was counseling Marilyn to leave Marty. 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. 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. Although the therapist alerted authorities, nothing was reportedly done. This letter was not treated as a confession nor was it followed up on at the time. Investigation Police arrived at around 8:00 am and began their investigation of the murders. Plumas County Sheriffs Office Cabin 28 at Keddie Resort, 1981. Although Dana also suffered trauma to the head, she was strangled to death. We sheltered them, she says about her brothers in the aftermath of the murders. Secondly but more importantly there is his reasoning process. In September 1980, Sharp found a larger home in the former resort town of Keddie, California. [15] Tina was absent from the home, while the three younger childrenRick, Greg, and Justinwere found physically unharmed in an adjacent bedroom. Investigators discovered two bloody knives, a hammer, and a plastic piece from a BB gun. In his dream, he had tried to stop the bleeding in Sues chest with towels, and he covered her with a blanket. They happened upon John and his friend, Dana Hall Wingate (born February 8, 1964),[3] hitchhiking at the mouth of the canyon from Quincy to Keddie and picked them up, then driving about 6 miles (9.7km) away to Keddie. Her brother, who would help her and the children start a new life, lived in Quincy, California, about 150 miles north of Sacramento. Forty years after the incident, the quadruple murder in the woods still baffles the nation. On the floor lay her mother Glenna (Sue) Sharp36, her brother Johnny Sharp15, and Johns friend Dana Wingate17. Sheriff Hagwood believes that the location couldnt have been accidental and that someone intentionally threw it in the water. The mystery surrounding the unsolved Keddie Cabin Murders. The Keddie Cabin murders was a case that involved a triple-slaying as well as a missing child whose remains were later discovered. But curiously, instead of sending homicide detectives, they sent organized crime investigators to Keddie. In 1980, the Sharp family 36-year-old Glenna "Sue", her 15-year-old son John, 14-year-old daughter Sheila, 12-year-old daughter Tina, and 10-year-old Rick and five-year-old Greg moved from. One theory is that they really wanted people to notice them. This might explain why the Sacramento DOJ sent two allegedly corrupt organized crime special agents instead of agents from the homicide department. What else do you want? [29], In a 2008 documentary on the murders, Marilyn Smartt claimed that she suspected her husband Martin and his friend John "Bo" Boubede (erroneously reported as "John Boudee" by author Robert Scott)[a] were responsible for the murders. Sue's two younger sons, Rick and Greg, as well as their friend Justin Smartt, were also in the house but were unharmed. "I've paid the price of your love & now I've bought it with four people's lives," ABC10 reports the letter said. Note the sign on the front tree proclaims this was a home where a mom and her five children lived. [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. Investigators theorized that someone might have interrupted the murders taking place before the culprits had a chance to kill the younger children in their bedrooms. 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. It is unclear when this happened or who did it. Authorities arrived at the scene shortly after 8 a.m. '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'. On the other hand, his reason for killing Tina was that she had seen everything. Keddie Cabin 28: What Happened? Over the years, the Keddie Resort fell into disrepair, and in 2004, Cabin 28 was demolished. It would not have been accidentally misplaced." Go to PEOPLE.com/PEN, or download the PEN app on Apple TV, Roku Players, Amazon Fire TV, Xumo, Chromecast, iOS and Android devices. [29], On March 24, 2016, a hammer matching the description of the hammer Martin claimed to have lost was discovered in a local pond[19] and taken into evidence by Plumas County Special Investigator Mike Gamberg. One reportedly had a mustache and long hair and the other was clean-shaven with short hair but both in glasses. At least one other person was killed that night: her teenage brothers 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. Although both Martin Smartt and Bo Boudebe are now deceased, new DNA evidence has pointed investigators to other suspects who may have had a hand in these murders, and who are still alive. 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. The living room was in complete chaos, and Sue, John, and Johns friend, Dana, were dead on the floor. [29], In April 2018, Gamberg stated that DNA evidence recovered from a piece of tape at the crime scene matched that of a known living suspect.[19]. [26], Tina's disappearance was initially investigated by the FBI as a possible abduction,[19] though it was reported on April 29, 1981, that the FBI had "backed off" the search as the California State Department of Justice was doing an "adequate job" and "made the FBI's presence unnecessary. Sue had spent the later afternoon with Sheila and Tina. [24], According to a 2016 article published by The Sacramento Bee, Martin had left Keddie and driven to Reno, Nevada, shortly after the murders; from there, he sent a letter to Marilyn ruminating on personal struggles in their marriage, which he concluded with: "I've paid the price of your love & now I've bought it with four people's lives. On the night of April 11, 1981, three peoplea mother, her adolescent son, and the son's friendwere bludgeoned to death in a California cabin, all while children slept soundly in an adjacent room. [5] Upon arriving in California, she began renting a small trailer formerly occupied by her brother at the Claremont Trailer Village in Quincy. Two suspects, Marty and Bo, died. Oddly, John and Dana did not have any defensive wounds or blood under their bindings. Keddie is a small town in the Sierra Nevada mountains, located roughly halfway between Redding and Reno. Then he moved to Oregon and died there in 2000 from cancer-related issues. | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA Notice, This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Police recieved an anonymous phone call suggesting the bones found at Camp 18 belonged to Tina Sharp. Blood was all over the victims, the floors, walls, ceiling, both bedroom doors, and on the railing of the outside stairs. Dana also had severe head injuries, but he had also been strangled. The discussion suddenly erupted into a violent attack. 12-year-old Tina Sharp is missing. In 1981 in Cabin 28 of the Keddie Resort, California, three members of the Sharp family, as well as one of their family friends, were bludgeoned to death with hammers, with one repeatedly stabbed. [25] Both wore gold-framed sunglasses. This would account for Marilyn leaving her husband the day of the murder discovery. When police interviewed the three young survivors who had been in the home all three said they had slept . The Keddie Murders, October 27, 2019. The murders tooks place in Cabin 28 of the Keddie Resort. Later that year, a knife was recovered in a trashcan outside the Keddie General Store; authorities also believed this item to be linked to the crimes. However, Historic Mysteries reports he was never arrested or charged in the murders. In 2016, Gamberg located a hammer believed to be one of the murder weapons in a dried-up pond in Keddie. [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. The gruesome murder of a mother and three children 40 years ago continues to haunt investigators, who believe someone knows what happened, KXTV reports. Given the extent of the brutality of the Keddie cabin murders, there was plenty of evidence left behind. In his dreams, he saw two men in the front room of the cabin. But, some investigators believe that Marilyn was somehow complicit in the murders. Accept Read More, The Disappearance of the Five Sodder Children, Brutal Murders on Germanys Hinterkaifeck Farm, Burke and Hare: Merchants in the Cadaver Market, John Paul Gettys Ransom: When Money Trumps Family. . Beyond the living room was the kitchen and two bedrooms. Sue and John had suffered similar types of wounds. Tina is believed to have been present at the crime scene of the Keddie cabin murders. Tina was then allegedly taken out the cabins back door by one of the men. The Keddie Murders: A cold case suddenly getting warm. I was told the suspects were told to get out of town, so to me, that means it was covered up, Sheila Sharp told CBS Sacramento in 2016. Historic Mysteries reports Marty's wife Marilyn found a bloody jacket in their basement, which she believed belonged to Tina. "[17] He allegedly told the counselor that Tina was killed to prevent her from identifying him, as she had "witnessed the whole thing. [12] Tina's jacket, shoes and a toolbox containing various tools were missing from the house,[6] which showed no indication of forced entry. As far as the person who gave John and Dana a ride home, Gamberg indicates that he identified a woman and has interviewed her. It's an unsolved murder of a mother, two of her children and her son's friend. Moreover, it appears that Marty had actually confessed to the murders to two different people. 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. She also appreciated the fact that it was in a more rural, wooded setting. Keddie Murders Revisited Following the Clues, May 3, 2018.Metcalf, Victoria. It has also been suggested that he was asked leading questions during hypnosis. Their throats were slashed, and they both had multiple stabbings and blunt force trauma to the head. The victims were bound with electrical wire and medical tape. In addition to confirming Sue, John, and Dana were dead, the officers concluded they were murdered. [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. He also exaggerated about how long he had lived in Keddie. The Keddie Murders is an unsolved 1981 American quadruple murder that took place in Keddie, a former resort town in the foothills of California's Sierra Nevada. A bent steak knife was on the floor. Cabin 28 and others in the small Keddie community were allowed to deteriorate in the years following the Keddie murders. True Crime April 12, 1981. From the front door, their small wooden cabin opened to the living room. Gamberg sent the tape to other law enforcement agencies for analysis and possible leads. On April 11th, Sue's daughter, Sheila Sharp came home to find her family slain in their cabin. What else do you want?. "[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. "[17], Martin Smartt died of cancer in Portland, Oregon, in June 2000. [27], On April 22, 1984, three years and eleven days after the murders, a bottle collector discovered the cranium portion of a human skull and part of a mandible at Camp Eighteen[17] near Feather Falls in neighboring Butte County,[28] roughly 100 miles (160km) from Keddie. They had died . To read the full article about the Keddie Cabin Murders please log in or join Stangeoutdoors by clicking here: The shocking unsolved Keddie Cabin murders Exclusive Members Only Area $15.99 One time Exclusive content for Members His ankles were tied with electrical wire which was wound also around Johns ankles so that the two were connected. During the interrogation after the murders, Boubede told police that he worked as a police officer in Chicago for 18 years. [24], Based on Justin's descriptions, composite sketches of the two unknown men were produced by Harlan Embry, a man with no artistic ability and no training in forensic sketching. The Keddie victims were bound with tape and electrical cords. Dana had multiple head injuries and had been manually strangled to death. Nevertheless, authorities were determined to follow any possible leads. In December 1983, detectives ruled out serial killers Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole as potential suspects. The next morning at around 7 am, Sheila returned home from her sleepover next door. 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. However, when this failed, the Keddie Resort owner Gary Mollath turned a series of cabins into low-income rental housing. Of the suspects who are still alive, Gamberg said: They better batten down the hatches because were coming. It was true that investigators failed to log numerous pieces of evidence and overlooked leads. Some have speculated that Martin may have killed Sue for revenge, in the mistaken belief that she was responsible for breaking up his marriage. [10] Tina, who had been watching television at the Seabolt residence, was told by Sheila that Sue wanted Tina home by 10 PM, so Tina returned to #28 around 9:55 pm. Tina was just 12 years old, John was 15, and Dana was 16. His throat had been slit. In July 1979, Glenna Susan "Sue" Sharp (ne Davis; born March 29, 1945 in Springfield, Massachusetts),[3] along with her five children, left her home in Connecticut after separating from her husband, James Sharp. John and his 17-year-old friend Dana had hitchhiked to a nearby town of Quincy for a party and returned sometime later that evening. And I know I always look around. Although Marilyn gave it to authorities, Historic Mysteries reports there is no record that the jacket was entered into evidence. His head was badly damaged as though bashed in with a blunt object and lay partially on a pillow. Plumas County Sheriffs OfficeComposite sketch of the Keddie murder suspects. Plumas County Sheriffs Department The Keddie family about four years before the murders. The survivor was noticed cowering in the back of an SUV parked in EQ (East Quincy) outside the apartment where the killers were staying. city of adrian, mi treasurer . Historic Memories reports Keddie was once a bustling town with a busy railroad terminal. Investigators claim that she was having her own affair at the time. Then, see if you can solve any of these six inexplicable, unsolved murders. Young John was closest to the front door, face-up, his hands blood-covered and bound with medical tape. While under hypnosis, he described the killers as a tall man with blond hair and a mustache and a short man, who was clean-shaven with dark hair. He was placed under hypnosis in an attempt to recall any details of the night. Due to the chaos, it took police quite a few hours before anyone realized that Tina was nowhere to be found. 27 min listen. Trampling through dead leaves, they stepped inside the perimeter of where the cabin once sat. Three of them were murdered that night, and one of the children remained missing until years later. They had planned to return home later that night. A fight ensued,[24] after which Tina entered the room and was taken out of the cabin's back door by one of the men. 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. [24] Investigating these sounds, he saw Sue with two men: one with a mustache and short hair, the other clean-shaven with long hair; both wore glasses. After looking around and searching for survivors, he rejoined the others outside. Investigators initially thought it may belong to a Native American person. However, investigators didnt address these statements, and the police did not arrest or interview Marty again. Upon entering the restaurant with several guns, including a 9mm automatic pistol and a semiautomatic rifle, Huberty demanded everyone It read: Ive paid the price of your love & now that Ive bought it with four peoples lives, you tell me we are through. Sheilas mother had been covered partially with a blanket though that had done little to hide her gruesome injuries. The family had been living in relative poverty in a town of 66 people. In one of the bedrooms, authorities found Rick, Greg, and their friend Justin Eason Smartt, unharmed. It would take the police hours to realize that a fourth victim, Tina, was missing. Most descriptions of Marty say that he was an unsavory individual with a criminal record and a mean demeanor. A GRAPHIC Look Back at the Keddie Murders On the morning of April 11, 1981, 14-year-old Sheila Sharp returned from a neighbor's house after a sleepover and stumbled upon the most disturbing and gruesome scene that she and the rest of Keddie, California, had ever seen. 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. Sue had just divorced her husband and brought her children from Connecticut to Keddie in Northern California. Gamberg also discovered a hunting knife in Keddie under some junk and sent that in for further analysis. Why were the remains of Tina found so far away from Cabin 28? Also note how close the cabin is to its neighbor. Stabbed. The entire site has since been abandoned. Any case without an apparent motive is the toughest to solve, Stoy recalled to the Sacramento Bee in 1987. This may be the reason the Department of Justice in Sacramento stepped into the Keddie case early. The Keddie Cabin Murders. She mentioned, however, that she doesnt talk to her brothers about it because she wants to protect them. Sheilas 12-year-old sister Tina was missing, while her two younger brothers, Rick and Greg, and their friend Justin were left unharmed during the violent ordeal. Deputy Hank Klement was the first to arrive on the scene and he reported blood everywhere on the walls, the bottoms of the victims shoes, Sues bare feet, the bedding in Tinas room, the furniture, the ceiling, the doors, and on the back steps. Authorities arrived at the scene shortly after 8 a.m. Although Justin's dreams, and the details he provided during hypnosis, were chilling, it is unclear whether he actually witnessed the murders or the dreams simply echoed details reported by the media. Four people were killed in a small California resort town, including Sue Sharp, her son John, daughter Tina, and John's friend Dana. Determined to find more survivors, Jamie crept up the back stairs. Always busy trying to better her situation, Sue took a typing class with financial aid. Gary Mollath, who owned one of the failed resorts, turned his cabins into long-term rental units for low-income families. Investigators Allude to a Break in the Keddie Cabin Murders The 1981 murder of Sue, Johnny, Tina Sharp and Dana Wingate remains a mystery, but we may be seeing an arrest soon. Some neighbors near Cabin 28 reported that muffled screams or groans woke them up between 1:00 am and 2:00 am. Blood was everywhere. On the morning of April 11, 14-year-old Sheila Sharp stepped into Cabin 28 to a . All victims had suffered blunt-force trauma by hammer or hammers. ET) on Investigation Discovery, One of the main things I have a hard time with is getting close to people, for fear that somethings going to happen, Sheila says in an exclusive clip from the after show. Sheila has spoken about the horrific incident in several interviews. Some evidence, such as a second bloody knife, turned up in a trash bin behind the Keddie general store. However, though the three boys initially claimed to have slept through the massacre, Rickey and Gregs friend Justin Smartt did later say that he saw Sue with two men in the house that night. For 35 years, Sheila Sharp has tried to repress the memory of finding the brutally murdered bodies of her mother and older brother in her familys cabin home in the Sierra Nevada Mountains a crime that remains unsolved. Although we have attempted to sort through it with due diligence, even the most credible sources do not agree on all the details. A few years later, Martys wife, Marilyn, said that she had found Tinas bloody jacket in their basement and had given it to the police during the earlier investigation. Unsolved murders have a way of weighing on a community, the place forever haunted and the neighbors always left wondering. August 30 1984 Paradise Rapist. The date was April 11, 1981, when Cabin 28 saw the horrors that crowd it and to this day, the case remains cold.