In recent interviews, both Hagwood and Gamberg said the sheriffs office and the California Department of Justice blew it in 1981. Wonderful-Variation 2 yr. ago Six people coming together to commit a murder is an extraordinarily unusual situation. solved 40 years later with DNA evidence: 20: Murder of Betty Van Patter: . 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. Some of the evidence was ignored. Then he got fired. Note the sign on the front tree proclaims this was a home where a mom and her five children lived. Hagwood was a teenager at the time and knew some of the victims. Blood spatters were found on the floor and ceiling suggesting the kind of forced used. Many were questioned, but without sufficient evidence nobody was convicted. Its here he would roll up his sleeves and begin going through the evidence. Members of that family, along with Sheila Sharp, 14, claimed they didnt hear a sound from the Sharps house that night. I could still see where the cabin itself once stood, but nature had started to take over the area once more. And the cops have DNA. "There were some theories that [Marty's friend] Boubede was involved, and there was some theories that some other people in Keddie were involved," Thomas said. Dana suffered multiple head injuries and was manually strangled. Even though the tape was never voice-analyzed, the audio of that phone call is now being compared with audio of suspects to find a match. But knowing the details, the minutiae of the crimeit was not a pleasant place to be. It contained a tape recording of an anonymous caller to Butte County dispatch. Yes, this case was intentionally made to grow cold. That includes the possible mishandling of evidence Hagwood and Gamberg were determined to find. Smartt died in 2006. ", "She did at least get to see her first grandchild born. With nothing in those first weeks that tied them to the crime, Thomas said, neither were charged. The possible motive: Marty was married to Marilyn Smartt, the mother of Justin Smartt, who was one of the kids that was found alive in the cabin. November 22, 2016. In 1981, the gruesome murder of four in Cabin 28 of the Keddie Resort in Northern California has long been unsolved.or has it?. But she doesn't get to the great-grandkids, she doesn't have that. DNA taken from a strip of white medical tape consistent with that used to bind the victims hands and ankles, and to cover the mouth of one victim, has revealed much as the Plumas County Sheriffs Office moves forward in its efforts to solve the quadruple murder case. Identifiable footprints were not recovered inside. Editorial opinions expressed on the site are strictly our own, and are not provided, endorsed, or approved by advertisers. She has never surrendered her hope the case would be solved, if only to rescue her family's reputation and by extension her own. And 2022 could be the year this murder finally gets solved. Marilyn, Marty, and Bo were only after Sue. People Magazine Investigates' episode on the Keddie cabin murders airs Monday (10 p.m. If anyone has information concerning a cold case, please contact Victoria Metcalf at 283-0800 or [emailprotected], or contact the Plumas County Sheriffs Office at 283-6300 with tips or leads on active cases. They were such bad parents that, had this case been properly investigated, their lack of stewardship over Justin would have led directly to capital murder convictions, a punishment which had been re-instated in 1977. The footfalls stopped close to me for a moment, but then started up again, moving closer to where the cabin had been. Keddie Cabin Murders Solved? And a crime that was committed so many years earlier doesnt have the priority recent crimes receive, he said. Although someone had covered the body of the mother with a blanket, it did little to relieve the horrific scene the teen and law enforcement encountered. Johnny was face-up, with hands and feet bound by electrical cord that also wrapped around Dana's feet. US residents can opt out of "sales" of personal data. Although she was lying on her side, naked from the waist down, theres evidence that someone rearranged her from an indecent position. The tape was never admitted into evidence, and it was in fact found at the bottom of a box. After the slayings, Sheila, Greg and Rick were sent out of state to live with an aunt. "I knew the two boys who were murdered. There have been a lot of rumors floating around and unfortunately people are considering them as the truth, instead of checking and doing the research. "She's a hard one to talk about," Sheila says. Lone pools of blood on the living room floor and on the sofa pillow indicate the boys bodies were also moved and staged, Gamberg said. The two say they've zeroed in on longtime suspects, and they believe they've discovered new evidence and re-discovered old evidence that was either forgotten or overlooked that could point to a resolution. A fourth victim, Tina, was missing. Episode Info Although still open, it wasnt a priority. I don't think either one of them were involved.". Here are five things to know about their work. Anyone who has any information on the Keddie murders is asked to call the Keddie murders hotline at 283-6360. "I have always talked about the situation," Sheila says. It's a believe long-shared by the victims' family. "This killed this community Keddie was goneeddie was absolutely finished," Gamberg said. But that anonymous 911 caller said it was Tina's before the medical examiner confirmed it through dental records. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Sue had left a broken and abusive marriage and was described as a "quiet woman who loved her kids." And some of the evidence in storage is contaminated. (Hester changed her name to Rhyanna Cerise McCormick before she died) also, do any of you know what the name of the surviving daughter is today? It was tested for trace DNA or blood residue. Unsolved murders have a way of weighing on a community, the place forever haunted and the neighbors always left wondering. We hold major institutions accountable and expose wrongdoing. The call came just after someone discovered a skull and a few bones about 80 miles down the Feather River Canyon in a spot known as Camp 18 about 5 miles from Feather Falls. Sue was covered by a yellow blanket; her hands and feet were bound by electrical wiring. But the void has stayed with her. More than 35 years after a teenage girl came home to find her family brutally slain in their resort cabin, police say the cold case is heating up. Charles Montaldo. We still have to live on without our loved ones. What hadn't been discovered until last month was a hammer that's believed to be one of the murder weapons. The three were killed using knives and a hammer. He wonders if DOJ protected him. The murders took place in house No. Special investigator Mike Gamberg took us back to where that hammer was found near the crime scene and just a stone's throw away from the cabin where investigators strongly believe the killers were staying at the time of the murders. Cabin 28 at the Keddie Resort, where the 1981 murders occurred. Thomas, the retired sheriff, also said he first heard about the letter in 2016. The 1981 Keddie cabin murders of three family members and a teenage friend shook the small Sierra Nevada mountain communities of Keddie and Quincy in northern California, beginning a mystery that lingers decades later. Yet Gamberg and Sheriff Greg Hagwood believed the evidence leaned toward those two as the culprits. Sheriff's investigators say they submitted more. Keddie Cabin 28 Massacre- Sharp Family Murders Remains Unsolved since 1981 Infamous Crime Locations 32K views 1 year ago Unsolved Marathon Season 2 BuzzFeed Unsolved Network 10M views 4 years. Also, a man recently discovered a steel blue claw-hammer using a metal detector that matched the description of one that Marty had told investigators he lost. Someone from that cabin ran to the lodge and reported the crime. Hagwood commented on the theory of it being a cover-up: "It has brought to light some amazing timelines, histories, and what some may call 'coincidence.' Boubede died in 1988, according to Gamberg. This includes the living room carpet, wallboard and other items marked with blood and other potential evidence. Good question! Sue Sharp was found lying very close to the sofa. First published on May 2, 2016 / 11:47 PM. Why was Marty Smartt, the main suspect, the drug-running local sheriff's close friend? "I am not by nature a conspiracy theorist but there are facts and circumstancesthe number and the nature of whichI can't ignore anymore," he said. The 1981 Keddie cabin murders of three family members and a teenage friend shook the small Sierra Nevada mountain communities of Keddie and Quincy in northern California, beginning a. About the Cabin 28 Keddie Murders Case: The morning of April 12, 1981, Glenna Sue Sharp and her kids, Tina and John, and John's friend, Dana Wingate, were brutally murdered inside house #28 in Keddie, California. This was Cabin 27 where the Seabolt family lived. WANTED: The Keddie Cabin Killer Episode Summary A family's brutal murder rocks a tiny California town and leaves behind too many unanswered questions. A psychic online claims she visited the house and could hear the screams of the victims. Some of the evidence was placed in a freezer to preserve it. It was discovered on the once cheerful, ivy patterned wallpaper and on some bedding in the bedroom Sheila and her sister, Tina, shared with their mother. Sheila ran screaming back to the neighboring cabin where she had spent the night. There are people locally who know more than theyve said, and I believe weve identified some of them, and we know who they are, and we know where they are. In it, he describes a body found in connection with the Keddie murders. * Watch our new true crime show, People Magazine Investigates, which continues with an episode on the Keddie cabin murders on Monday at 10 p.m. He soon moved on to another job and has since retired. rice farms in northern california. This case is as screwed up as a soup sandwich, Gamberg said recently. As she got older and contemplated a career in law enforcement, she became more interested in the case. "The alleged killers who lived here did they have any problems with law enforcement prior? she says. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Its almost time for the wearin of the green, and the Catholic Church in Quincy is celebrating with a St. As reports of the renewed investigation went public, Gamberg learned of a man who, using a metal detector, had found a hammer in a pond near the Keddie property and the steel, blue-handled claw hammer, then recovered, exactly matched the description of a hammer that Marty told investigators he'd lost. The Keddie Murders Revisited Plumas County Sheriff's Office Probable murder weapons for the Keddie slaying discovered and submitted as evidence in 2016. He said, And I was wondering if they thought of the murder up in Keddie up in Plumas County a couple years ago where a 12-year-old girl was never found.. In addition to confirming Sue, John, and Dana were dead, the officers concluded they were murdered. "Even still today I sit here and think, What would my life be like with her here?" A bent steak knife was found on the floor, and a bloody butcher knife and claw hammer were found on a small wooden table near the entryway to the kitchen. She'd spent the night at a friend's cabin next door to her family's cabin 28 in Keddie and was returning home on the morning of April 12, 1981, when she discovered the unimaginable. In the coming days, the hammer and knife will be scoured for any possible DNA evidence, and the tape will be examined by the FBI to see if there's a possible voice-match with anyone who has already been interviewed in connection with this case. Teen Died Mysteriously in 2015. The therapist also reportedly told Gamberg that he was surprised the investigators at the time of the murder hadn't used the confession against Marty. "I know we are closer than we've ever been.". Sheila's 12-year-old sister, Tina, was missing. "But do I really want to remember?". It became a top priority when Hagwood took over several years ago and he hired Gamberg to focus on the murders. A bent steak knife lay on the floor, and a butcher knife and claw hammer, both also bloodied, were side-by-side on a small wooden table near the entry into the kitchen. The one he missed or more accurately wasnt allowed to cover was the Keddie murder case, he said recently. This case is getting old and unless new eyes come in it will go nowhere. Victoria didnt do any research for this one and it sounds like Gamberg is part of the problem! And there were only two suspects examined by the police Marty Smartt and his roommate Bo Boubede, who lived two cabins down from the Sharps. The girl's skull was found in the woods three years later, some 50 miles away in another county. She reported the possibility of a homicide in Cabin 28. Despite a thorough investigation and numerous suspects, the case remains unsolved to this day, leaving many questions unanswered and a small community in shock. "I struggle with that. "We're convinced that there are a handful of people that fit those roles who are still alive. ", "It's a little bit confused," Sheila says of her recall after more than three decades. What else do you want?". Gamberg also knew the two boys. Adding to the mystery: Sheila's younger brothers Greg and Rick, ages 5 and 10 at the time, were asleep and unharmed in an adjacent bedroom of the cabin, along with a friend, Justin Smartt. The three were tied up, bludgeoned and stabbed to death. "There are things that were done--but I think most importantly there are things that were not done that are hard to explain," he said. All had been bound and suffered extreme violence. I honestly believe that Marty Smartt and Bo Boubede had nothing to do with the Keddie Cabin 28 murders, and that it's awful convenient how they were fingered as suspects years after both of them were dead. An April 11, 1981 Keddie became known all over the country for a brutal and horrific murder. It sounded within two feet of me, but nobody was around. Although a lot of potential evidence was collected and catalogued, very little worthwhile information was realized from the scene. Updated 2/11/2020 - Sue Sharp, her son John and his friend Dana were found in the Sharp family cabin beaten and strangled to death in the family room. But that rain can't wash away the horror of what happened in the now-empty lot in the tiny resort town of Keddie. Case file update is a new column featuring previous cases involving Plumas County and its people. ", "To have this solved would finally give my family some closure, some answers as to why it happened and why it took so long to solve," Sheila says. 2021. "Dana was at my house the day before the homicide," he said. The three bodies on the floor had been bound, stabbed and beaten with a hammer. Since 2013, Gamberg has followed the evidence that should have been investigated 37 years earlier. Those left dead at the scene included the mother, Sue Sharp; her son, John Sharp, 15; and his friend, Dana Wingate, 17. Decades after a teenage girl came home to find her family brutally slain in their resort cabin, police said the cold case was heating up. "It could be next month, it could be next year but really the focus in our priority is getting the truthgetting the answers.". Apparently Marty had confessed to the murders in a session. It was an emotional experience, but it didnt reach its peak until after I got home. Keddie Cabin Murders Solved?Listen: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/ghost-town/e/67103419?autoplay=trueTrue Crime Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuy_Via5vtA\u0026list=PLv5QzOH7CKqBf9WTQVbfJw-sVrF0GtrDnSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4iUdTQnVVmyjM8je06uzR3Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/ghosttownpodContact: [email protected]\r#keddiecabinmurders #truecrime\r\rTranslated titles:\rAsesinatos de cabina de Keddie\r\rKeddie Cabin Murders He accepted the job and the challenge of following the evidence and leads that still existed. But it also recounts the killings and Sheila's theory that they were carried out by a neighbor, Marty Smartt, and his ex-con friend "Bo" Boubede, in part as revenge for Sheila's mom siding with Marty's wife in a marital dispute. yeah, both of them had records," he said. Another person of interest also lived in Butte County. The Keddie murders, as the case became known, had become infamous as one of the countys leading unsolved crimes. There were weeds as tall as my thighs all around. It emerged that Marty was angry about Sue's interference in his troubled marriage. Updated 2/11/2020 Sue Sharp, her son John and his friend Dana were found in the Sharp family cabin beaten and strangled to death in the family room. Keddie will never be the same because of those murders, and after visiting where it happened, I dont think I will be either, Kendall whispered. As I stood there, fighting to breathe, I couldnt help but think of Dana Wingate, and how she had been strangled to death in the house. She personally believes that the murders of her family were carried out by Marty Smartt and Bo Boubede. It sounded like a door that rested on rusty hinges, if I had to pinpoint it, she nodded, brows furrowed. By. 'People Magazine Investigates': Did Pam Hupp Stab Her Friend More Than 50 Times? Sheila tells PEOPLE that Sue would have been 71 this year, at the end of March. The problem there is that its become disorganized. As police continued to search for Tina, other officers brought in multiple suspects. That and his personal connections led Hagwood to resurrect the case; to provide the resources and time needed to solve it. Echoes Of Grisly Murders Will Find A Way To Haunt You At This Abandoned California Resort, True Horror: Beware Angry Spirits At This Richmond Swimming Pool, Paranormal Lies: Theyll Tell You Not to Be Afraid At This Berkeley Park, Your Truest Nightmare: Demons Crave Companionship At This Nortonville Hill, Supernatural Child Checks into the Yosemite View Lodge in El Portal. That said, he understands that some of the individuals who had the experience to work the crime scene and follow the leads werent allowed to do their jobs in 1981. I worked with them the entire summer before the murders," he said. 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. When finding out about Sue's interference with his marriage, Marty reportedly went "ballistic" about it. It was discovered later that 12-year-old Tina Sharp was missing. Dozens peripherally involved in the case had motive, if not opportunity, yet Law enforcement immediately zeroed in on their prime suspects then, seemingly inexplicably, ignored them. The discovery came three years after Tinas disappearance by a man out hunting bottles. Victims,. For Sheila, it's a mystery she's never been able to escape and a loss that defined her. Gamberg knew the boys as well. Both now share a common goalsolving the brutal quadruple murder that sat largely untouched for many years. "Whoever did this and there was more than one person had to have blood all over them," said Doug Thomas, who was the Plumas County sheriff at the time of the murder and led the investigation. And Rick were sent out of state to live with an aunt Rick were sent of... 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