[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. Unfortunately, they couldnt determine where the sounds came from and went back to sleep. Following his arrest in 1996, police looked at the . But curiously, instead of sending homicide detectives, they sent organized crime investigators to Keddie. She was naked from the waist down, but there was no sign of sexual assault. In 1979, Glenna "Sue" Sharp left her abusive husband and moved herself and her five children from Connecticut to Quincy, California. [6] Sheila departed house #28 shortly after 8:00 pm to sleep over at the Seabolts, which she had never before done. 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. city of adrian, mi treasurer . However, when this failed, the Keddie Resort owner Gary Mollath turned a series of cabins into low-income rental housing. 12-year-old Tina Sharp is missing. The three youngsters were hanging out at the house since the afternoon. However, she forgot to bring the clothes she planned to wear to church. The gruesome murder of a mother and three children 40 years ago continues to haunt investigators, who believe someone knows what happened, KXTV reports. [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. 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. Some evidence, such as a second bloody knife, turned up in a trash bin behind the Keddie general store. A bent steak knife was on the floor. Although the story is intriguing, Justin may have gotten information about the case from the media during the four weeks since the murders. It's been forty years since the Kebbie Cabin Murders happened in a rural area of Plumas County. Marilyn later said in a 2008 documentary that she believed Marty was the perpetrator and that he had even confessed in writing to her. However, he did not have any involvement in the case at the time. 35 Years Later, New Clues May Solve Keddie Murder Mystery. Keddie Resort Murder. On the floor lay her mother Glenna (Sue) Sharp36, her brother Johnny Sharp15, and Johns friend Dana Wingate17. 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. Later, it came to light that Marty was a personal friend of the local county sheriff, Doug Thomas, at the time of the crime. With that, the remains of Tina Sharp had been found, which made the crimes committed on April 11 or 12, 1981, a quadruple homicide. The discovery prompted a thorough examination of the area, revealing a jawbone and several other bones. 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. 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. Later, police learned that maybe not all the boys had actually been asleep. In 1981, Glenda "Sue" Sharp was a single mother who had moved her family of six to Cabin 28 of the Keddie Resort in Keddie, California, part of Plumas County. He is the author of a series of published mystery novels and holds a degree in criminal psychology. Despite a thorough investigation and numerous suspects, the case remains unsolved to this day, leaving many questions . which Jamie had already done by entering through the cabin's back door to check for any survivors. In addition to confirming Sue, John, and Dana were dead, the officers concluded they were murdered. They had planned to return home later that night. The Keddie Murders Unresolved. A renewed investigation has caused the cold case to heat up, according to the People Magazine Investigates episode entitled Cabin 28: Horror in the Woods.. Authorities interviewed neighbors and the boys who were inside the house when the attack occurred, but there were no eyewitnesses. His handling of the case in retrospect would be considered disastrous at best and corrupt at worst. Of the suspects who are still alive, Gamberg said: They better batten down the hatches because were coming. Historic Memories reports Keddie was once a bustling town with a busy railroad terminal. That's the hope of Sheila Sharp, who discovered the bodies of her mother, brother and a friend at her family's cabin in Keddie, California, in 1981, in a mystery re-examined this past Monday in. 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. [19] Autopsies[21] determined that Sue and John died from the knife wounds and blunt-force trauma, and Dana died by asphyxiation. Although authorities believe they were both involved in the Keddie cabin murders, they think they may have had help. 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. Tape secured the gag in place. "[24] In addition to interviewing the Smartts, detectives interviewed numerous other locals and neighbors; several, including members of the Seabolt family, recalled seeing a green van parked at the Sharps' house around 9:00 pm. They had died . The weapons included a steak knife that came from Sues kitchen. keddie murders survivors. In 1979, she left her abusive husband. The murders took place in cabin 28, during the late evening of April 11, 1981 and/or early morning of the 12th. Their throats were slashed, and they both had multiple stabbings and blunt force trauma to the head. Young John was closest to the front door, face-up, his hands blood-covered and bound with medical tape. He had been manually strangled. Cabin 28 and others in the small Keddie community were allowed to deteriorate in the years following the Keddie murders. Investigators initially thought it may belong to a Native American person. [30] However, in the 2008 documentary, Sheriff Doug Thomas said he had personally interviewed Martin and that he had passed a polygraph examination. His ankles were tied with electrical wire which was wound also around Johns ankles so that the two were connected. Based on Justin's description of the attackers, detectives identified Martin "Marty" Smartt as one of the primary suspects in the cabin murders. Also note how close the cabin is to its neighbor. Claw hammered. Corona, Marcella. [6][10], Around 7:00 am[6][12] on the morning of April 12, Sheila returned to #28 and discovered the dead bodies of Sue, John, and Dana in the house's living room. A fourth victim, Sheilas younger sister, was missing. Somehow, this erupted into a bout of violence between them, which resulted in the murders. 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. Trampling through dead leaves, they stepped inside the perimeter of where the cabin once sat. All of their injuries happened after the killers tied them up. Gamberg is on a special mission to solve the 37-year-old murder case, where four people were brutally murdered, and probably all within the tiny railroad town and former resort community called Keddie. 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 believe there are two individuals that are alive and accessories after the fact,"Detective Mike Gamberg saidin an April 2021 interview with ABC10. 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. [13][14] All three had been bound with medical tape and electrical cords. The murders took place in house No. You May Also Like: The Servant Girl Annihilators of Texas. until 2013 when the case was reopened with new investigators Plumas Sheriff Greg Hagwood and Special Investigator Mike Gamberg. On April 11, 1981, Sheila Sharp, then 14, discovered three bloodied bodies inside her home in Keddie, California: her mother, Glenna "Sue" Sharp, her brother John Sharp and one of his friends, Dana Wingate. The Keddie Murders is an unsolved 1981 American quadruple murder that took place in Keddie, a former resort town in the foothills of Northern California's Sierra Nevada mountains. . In 2013, he located the recording of the anonymous 911 phone call that came in after Tinas remains surfaced. WANTED: The Keddie Cabin Killer Episode Summary A family's brutal murder rocks a tiny California town and leaves behind too many unanswered questions. The case involves the murders of members of the Sharp family while they were vacationing at Keddie Resort in 1981. 109 min listen. Keddie is a small town in the Sierra Nevada mountains, located roughly halfway between Redding and Reno. The only thing authorities found that may reveal the identity of the killer, or killers, was DNA collected from a piece of medical tape used to bind the victims. Further, the home did not indicate forced entry, though detectives did recover an unidentified fingerprint from a handrail on the back stairs. The clues suggested that the perpetrators abducted her. 5 Things to Know about the Keddie Cabin Murders and the New Hunt for the Killers. Tina remained a missing person until April 1984, when her skull and several other bones were recovered at Camp Eighteen, California, near Feather Falls in Butte County. However, none of the evidence helped the investigators find the killers or determine how she died. Additionally, it gives context to Martins handwritten note that Marilyn gave to the Plumas Sheriffs Dept. 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. Given the extent of the brutality of the Keddie cabin murders, there was plenty of evidence left behind. However, an anonymous call to the Sheriffs office reported the remains as belonging to Tina Sharp. Killers Von Taylor, and Edward Deli, were ex-cons, and on the run from their half-way house. . [6] The house's telephone had been taken off the hook and the cord cut from the outlet, and the drapes were closed. Her brother, who would help her and the children start a new life, lived in Quincy, California, about 150 miles north of Sacramento. [8], On April 11, 1981, around 11:30 am, Sue, Sheila, and Greg drove from the residence of their friends, the Meeks family, to pick up Rick, who was attending baseball tryouts at Gansner Field in Quincy. [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. But Sheila credits the memory of her mothers compassion as a guide she has tried to follow. Stabbed. The town was later promoted as a resort town, with opportunities for camping, hiking, and other recreation. Sue and John had suffered similar types of wounds. 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. At the time John was 15, Sheila was 14, Tina,12, Rick, 10, and Greg was 5 years old. Glenna Sue Sharp was a dark-haired, attractive single mother with five children. Blood was all over the victims, the floors, walls, ceiling, both bedroom doors, and on the railing of the outside stairs. Plumas County Sheriffs OfficeComposite sketch of the Keddie murder suspects. | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA Notice, This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Clipping from Reno Gazette-Journal, April 13, 2016.DMAC. It has been 40 years since the tragedy took place in rural Plumas County. The State Tries to Seal the Deal in Murdaugh Trial Closing Arguments by Surviving the Survivor. Both Gamberg and Hagwood said they believe authorities are getting closer to solving the case. Due to the chaos, it took police quite a few hours before anyone realized that Tina was nowhere to be found. Authorities also interviewed Marty's close friend, John "Bo" Boubede, who lived with Marty and his wife, and was out with Marty on the night the murders occurred. He lives in the West Midlands, UK with his wife and son. Sue's two younger sons, Rick and Greg, as well as their friend Justin Smartt, were also in the house but were unharmed. There, they visited their friends and watched TV. Sue had just divorced her husband and brought her children from Connecticut to Keddie in Northern California. What else do you want? Police recieved an anonymous phone call suggesting the bones found at Camp 18 belonged to Tina Sharp. 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. One of the men had a hammer. [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. Sue began renting out Cabin 28 at the Keddie Resort in 1980 when she relocated to Northern California after separating from her husband. After looking around and searching for survivors, he rejoined the others outside. Sue had spent the later afternoon with Sheila and Tina. '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'. Plumas County Sheriff Greg Hagwood described what happened in Cabin 28 in 1981 . Although the therapist alerted authorities, nothing was reportedly done. Marilyn also provided a letter she received from Marty, in which she said he confessed to the Keddie cabin murders. Episode Info When she opened the door, Sheila found the scene of a massacre. Unable to discern from where they were coming, they went back to bed. 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 former Sharp home was condemned and demolished in 2004. The population was 66 at the 2010 census. The killers had escaped. Keddie Murder Victims (Clockwise): Sue Sharp, John Sharp, Dana Wingate, and Tina Sharp. 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. [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. Justin said that he was watching TV in the boys room before he fell asleep. Historic Mysteries provides captivating articles on archaeology, history, and unexplained mysteries. What the 14-year-old girl discovered inside the modest four-room cabin instantly became one of the most macabre scenes in modern American crime history and has come to be known as the gruesome Keddie murders. Listen Now For our friends in the Deaf and Signing community, you can view an ASL version of this episode HERE. 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. 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. Justin reported then that John and Dana entered the home and argued with the men which resulted in a violent fight. The cabins telephone had been left off the hook and all of the lights had been shut off as well as the drapes closed. Justin said both men were wearing glasses. 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. One of the men was holding a small knife and a hammer. The six of them: 36-year-old Sue, her 15-year-old son John, 14-year-old daughter Sheila, 12-year-old daughter Tina, and 10-year-old Rick and 5-year-old Greg, were friendly with their nearby neighbors at the Keddie resort. He began hearing noises out in the living room and claimed to have seen Sue with two men. Between them lies the forgotten tape of the anonymous phone tip left in 1984, rediscovered in 2013. 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. It also provides an explanation as to why the two lead suspects were seemingly given a free pass and told to leave town by Sheriff Thomas. Determined to find more survivors, Jamie crept up the back stairs. On the morning of April 11, 14-year-old Sheila Sharp stepped into Cabin 28 to a . Beyond the living room was the kitchen and two bedrooms. Afterward, she provided Plumas Country Sheriffs Dept. Unfortunately, many hours passed since her disappearance, and the chance of anyone finding her nearby was slim.