And the cops have DNA. Also, the murders had nothing to do with Dana, or John, or Tina. Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. Now, an Alleged Serial Killer Has Confessed, Police Say, Judge Orders Release of Adnan Syed as Murder Conviction of 'Serial' Subject Is Vacated. On April 11, 1981, Sue's 14-year-old daughter, Sheila, spent the night at a friend's cabin, returning home to her own cabin the now infamous cabin number 28to discover her mom, one of her brothers (Johnny, 15) and his friend Dana Wingate (17) brutally murdered. Our Forum holds the facts of the case. All three victims at the crime scene had been bound with medical and . Keddie murders revisited part 2: Following the clues. He soon moved on to another job and has since retired. He was their coach in martial arts and other activities. The case was unsolved for two decades after investigators interviewed dozens of people, analyzed evidence and executed several search warrants. The area probably wouldnt have seemed creepy to an uneducated bystander, she said. The two men, both now dead, are also the primary suspects in the narrative taking shape by the revived investigation, although the sheriff at the time, Doug Thomas, tells PEOPLE that no evidence tied either to the crimes when they occurred. On April 12, 1981, a group of 7 people went to sleep in Cabin 28 at the Keddie Resort Lodge in California. Someone from that cabin ran to the lodge and reported the crime. This was Cabin 27 where the Seabolt family lived. 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. 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. He would have been in his 50s during the murders. Although Smartt and Boubede fled Plumas County shortly after interviews with DOJ, its known that Smartt allegedly lived in Paradise at the time of that phone call, according to dmacs research. He became a deputy in his hometown in 1988. The Keddie murders, as the case became known, had become infamous as one of the countys leading unsolved crimes. Unsolved in California: The Case of the Keddie Cabin Murders January 12, 2022 / Jamie Day The little town of Keddie California lies nestled in the mountains to the north-eastern part of the state in Plumas County. WANTED: The Keddie Cabin Killer Episode Summary A family's brutal murder rocks a tiny California town and leaves behind too many unanswered questions. in 1990. Meredith Corporation. Blood was discovered on both bedroom doors and outside on the handrail of the steep back stairs. Some even believed the furniture moved around by itself. That should shut a lot of traps, and destroy many of the rumors that have floated around for 37 years. Didnt he admit to covering Glenna Sue? "I was told the suspects were told to get out of town, so to me that means it was covered up," Sharp said. Yet Gamberg and Sheriff Greg Hagwood believed the evidence leaned toward those two as the culprits. Gamberg also found in the investigation's files an apparently unopened envelope with a recording of a 911 call. Sharps oldest daughter, Sheila, had been at a sleepover when she returned to the family home, Cabin 28, to find her murdered family. According to Gamberg, right after the murders, Sheriff Doug Thomas contacted the DOJ in Sacramento. Sue Sharp was found lying very close to the sofa. "I have always talked about the situation," Sheila says. Please enter valid email address to continue. He reportedly left for Reno, Nevada after the murders. I could still see where the cabin itself once stood, but nature had started to take over the area once more. "I actually put in my mind that I'll probably go to my gravethat it will never be solvedand then when all this is coming out--it brought up the hope again," she said. Deputy Hank Klement was the first to arrive on scene. 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. Gamberg and Hagwood reiterated their position that a resolution was imminent in a 2021 interview on the anniversary of the murders, saying that they were "close" to solving the case. Subscribe now to PEOPLE, or pick up this week's issue, on newsstands now, for more on this case. 2. The Seabolt family lived just 15 feet away. This murder is shrouded in mystery, leaving behind a messy and compelling trail of clues. Box after box of evidence, file drawers filled with information and other evidence were all in disarray. Go to PEOPLE.com/PEN, or download the app for Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xumo, Chromecast, Xfinity, iOS and Android devices. Despite there being much more to this case, the investigation strangely stopped there. more. Obsessed with travel? Gamberg also said that much of the physical evidence taken from Cabin 28 is still in storage. After I got older, you call the sheriff's department every once in a while, and you hear, 'No new leads, nothing's going on. That includes the possible mishandling of evidence Hagwood and Gamberg were determined to find. Marilyn, Marty, and Bo were only after Sue. Years of No Answers and a Theory of the Crime. For some reason, the DOJ had an interest in Boubede, according to Gamberg. But knowing the details, the minutiae of the crimeit was not a pleasant place to be. Police was on the scene for a short while before they . Although a lot of potential evidence was collected and catalogued, very little worthwhile information was realized from the scene. Cabin 28 was condemned and torn down in 2004. His home was just a short distance away in Cabin 26. Amazingly, Sheila's two little brothers, Greg and Rick, then 5 and 10, were asleep and unharmed in an adjacent bedroom, along with a friend. Why did LE agencies conspire to cover up this case? 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. "There is not an expiration date on homicides, and to the extent that we have surviving siblings and family members, it is our fundamental obligation to them to understand who did this and why. And now two years after that, hes announced that theres more that links a living person or persons to the crime. Although its been a mystery as to who gave the two teens a ride home, Gamberg has identified the individual and has interviewed her. "I know we are closer than we've ever been.". The murders took place in house No. "Clearly by looking at the hammer you can tell that it's been at that location for a very, very long time," Hagwood said. solved 40 years later with DNA evidence: 20: Murder of Betty Van Patter: . "I believe in one-way shape or form we are going to pull this together," Gamberg said. Dana Wingate was at his house just the day before he died. In earlier years, before the Sharps moved in, he spent nights there with a friend and his family. "But rarely did I speak to the family about it. The hope is the new evidence will lead to new arrests. In 1981, the gruesome murder of four in Cabin 28 of the Keddie Resort in Northern California has long been unsolved.or has it?. In a way, their work has only just begun. 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.. However, she did recognize her ex-husband's handwriting. Identifiable footprints were not recovered inside. This includes the living room carpet, wallboard and other items marked with blood and other potential evidence. In the rural town of Keddie, California, a mother and three children were attacked on Saturday, April 11, 1981. ET on Investigation Discovery. Its here he would roll up his sleeves and begin going through the evidence. 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. 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. 2021. Although he prefers not to share his identity, dmac has been heavily investigating the Keddie murders for many years. Why was Marty's then-wife, Marilyn Musgrove, a key conspirator and fellow murderer, not arrested? The Crime Logs mission is bring awareness to crimes which are both solved and unsolved. I didn't think it was fair that they would have to go through it I didn't think it would be good. 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. 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. 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. On April 11, 1981, 36-year-old Glenna "Sue" Sharp, her 15-year-old son John, and his 17-year-old friend Dana Wingate were murdered in Cabin 28 at the Keddie Resort, in Keddie, California. It was 2013. (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? 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 Keddie Cabin murders was a case that involved a triple-slaying as well as a missing child whose remains were later discovered. That night I dreamt of a young girl, walking around the empty site. Keddie murders: Keddie: 1981-04-11: 4: . Cabin 28 at the Keddie Resort, where the 1981 murders occurred. Editorial opinions expressed on the site are strictly our own, and are not provided, endorsed, or approved by advertisers. Many were questioned, but without sufficient evidence nobody was convicted. His ankles were firmly tied with electrical cord that linked him to John whose ankles were also bound. Both now share a common goalsolving the brutal quadruple murder that sat largely untouched for many years. I worked with them the entire summer before the murders," he said. In earlier years, before the Sharps moved in, he spent nights there with a friend and his family. Students should, County Administrative Officer Debra Lucero announced today that Plumas will be continuing its closure due to snow except for, The snow keeps falling and our readers keep finding moments to share some of levity, others of some serious, Plumas Unified School District and Plumas Charter School announced this afternoon that there will be no school on Wednesday, March. Blood spatters were found on the floor and ceiling suggesting the kind of forced used. But for some, Keddie is synonymous with murder and despair. Sheila ran screaming back to the neighboring cabin where she had spent the night. Listen Now For our friends in the Deaf and Signing community, you can view an ASL version of this episode HERE. It has been 40 years since the tragedy took place in rural Plumas County. Many others suspect the police on the case may have been involved in a cover-up. "I want to remember the happy times," she says. How did Doug Thomas keep Gamberg out of the investigation if Gamberg was terminated in March 1981 and wasnt reinstated until 1983 (2 years after Thomas resigned)? Dead were Sheila's mother, brother and a family friend. This just seems like a rehash of an old article. Defensive injuries would be discovered on her arms. What was ignored was an alleged admission of guilty by one of the suspects. Marty was reportedly an abusive husband. But because the aunt already had several children, the Sharp kids were eventually placed in foster care first together and later apart. 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. If someone confessed in 1981 why is it still unsolved? And some of the evidence in storage is contaminated. "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 most vivid image I have is of my brother laying there," she says. And as a deputy he knew what was and wasnt happening with the case. 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. And Ive seen speculation being treated as fact over the years, even when it can be discredited by the facts that get ignored. The hope is coming from an unlikely sourceinformation from a family member of Boubede has led to a discovery investigators thought was long gone. In 2016, authorities once again were asking that question, reviving the investigation. She was dutiful in her attention to each of us, and while we lived in relative poverty, we also lived in a home of love. Another person of interest also lived in Butte County. Then he got fired. Its suspected that someone brought a hammer, the one recovered in a nearby pond in 2016, as well as using a hammer and knives found in the home. Severin John Bo Boubede, Smartts friend. The tape was never admitted into evidence, and it was in fact found at the bottom of a box. Others may look at it more accusinglyI don't put anything outside the realm of possibility.". ET) on Investigation Discovery. 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. The anonymous caller said he was watching the news about the discovery at Feather Falls down Highway 70 from Keddie. She personally believes that the murders of her family were carried out by Marty Smartt and Bo Boubede. When Tina's remains were first found in 1984, on the third anniversary of the murders, her skull was unidentified. Good question! "It's my belief that there were more than two people who were involved in the totality of the crime--the disposal of the evidence and the abduction of the little girl," Hagwood said. Hes also shared some important information with the Plumas County Sheriffs Office. 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: ghosttownpod@gmail.com\r#keddiecabinmurders #truecrime\r\rTranslated titles:\rAsesinatos de cabina de Keddie\r\rKeddie Cabin Murders She waited and prayed for Tina to be found and reunited with her siblings a dream she held onto until 1984, when Tina's severed skull turned up in the deep woods some 50 miles away from the Keddie cabin, in another county. The following participated in the planning and/or execution of these murders: Sheila Sharp, Glenna Meeks, Marilyn and Marty Smartt, Bo Boubede, Dee Jay Lake, Wade and Richard Meeks, John Blaine Greubert, Tony Garedakis. Every bit of evidence that can still be recovered is important to this case, according to Gamberg as he continues to search for leads and re-interviews anyone linked to the Keddie murders. To keep this resource 100% free, we receive compensation for many of the products and services listed on the site. In 2004 the now infamous Cabin 28 was condemned and demolished. I taught Dana Wingate that year at the highschool. Along with key review factors, this compensation may impact how and where products appear across the site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). What has made this case particularly hard to organize is that the original case history log who did what and on what date is gone. Subscribe now to PEOPLE for more on this case. CALLER: Hello I was watching the news and they were talking about the skull they found at the Feather Falls and they asked for any help. * Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? "I struggle with that. The Sharp familys home shortly after the infamous murders took place in 1981. They looked through every box in connection with the case and found a recording of a man believed to be one of the killers, or at the very least an accomplice. He was also familiar with Cabin 28 in Keddie. KEDDIE, Calif. It has been 40 years since what is known as the Keddie Murders took place in rural Plumas County. 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 both Marty Smartt and "Bo" Boubede are now dead, questioned by law enforcement after the killings but never charged. Those who were inside Cabin 28 the night and/or early morning hours of April 11 and 12, 1981, were somewhat prepared, according to Gamberg. DOJ sent two men, special agents Harry Bradley and P.A. Keddie Cabin Murders Solved? / CBS Sacramento. We still have to live on without our loved ones. Marilyn, who later remarried, told PEOPLE at the time that she didn't recall receiving the letter. She said she learned of it long afterward by investigators, but she recognized her ex-husband's handwriting. Yes, this case was intentionally made to grow cold. A few Keddie residents believe that when Cabin 28 still existed, it became haunted after the Sharp murders. As Marty said in his 1981 confession, they were just collateral damage. . 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. The only way this decision by DOJ makes sense is in considering the background of one of the suspects. yeah, both of them had records," he said. It became a top priority when Hagwood took over several years ago and he hired Gamberg to focus on the murders. These were boys he went to school with. It's been hard to cover up the emotions stirred by the 35-year-old mystery. "This killed this community Keddie was goneeddie was absolutely finished," Gamberg said. It sounded within two feet of me, but nobody was around. ", "It's a little bit confused," Sheila says of her recall after more than three decades. Gamberg further tracked down a therapist in Reno, Nev., to whom Marty allegedly confessed after the killings and who told Gamberg he was shocked to learn that investigators at the time didn't use that confession to solve the crimes. After the slayings, Sheila, Greg and Rick were sent out of state to live with an aunt. An April 11, 1981 Keddie became known all over the country for a brutal and horrific murder. The problem there is that its become disorganized. 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. 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