The Keddie Cabin Murders took place on April 12, 1981; Sue Sharp, two of her children, and her son's friend lost their lives. "The most vivid image I have is of my brother laying there," she says. Justin Smartt Eason, 12, one of three boys left alive in a second bedroom, was allowed to spend the night. Their bodies were found by Shiela Sharp, who, unlike the rest of her family, had slept at a friend's house next door. In addition to confirming Sue, John, and Dana were dead, the officers concluded they were murdered. What else do you want?". She reported the possibility of a homicide in Cabin 28. Identifiable footprints were not recovered inside. This includes the living room carpet, wallboard and other items marked with blood and other potential evidence. Hence them throwing Marty's roommate Bo (who was an ex-con) into the case as an accomplice. "Clearly by looking at the hammer you can tell that it's been at that location for a very, very long time," Hagwood said. When Tina's remains were first found in 1984, on the third anniversary of the murders, her skull was unidentified. I guess it was the mother in me trying to keep them safe.". At the time, law enforcement felt that the murders were committed by "more than one person.". 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. Please enter valid email address to continue. DNA deoxyribonucleic acid is now considered the most reliable physical evidence. In 2017, a horror film inspired by the murders, Cabin 28, was released by U.K. production company North Bank Entertainment. We questioned them extensively.". The onetime mountain tourist stop's forests, pond and river made it appear idyllic to kids, but it had fallen on hard times. While the crime was being reported, Jamie Seabolt, Sheila Sharp and possibly Zonita Seabolt helped the three young boys out a side bedroom window of the cabin. This case is getting old and unless new eyes come in it will go nowhere. Now She's Speaking Out, Lone Survivor of 1984 Colorado Hammer Killer Attack Misses the Family He Stole: 'Inside I Cry Every Day', investigators were able to analyze identifiable DNA. Copyright information and disclaimer here. US residents can opt out of "sales" of personal data. 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. Spring showers replenished the waterways near the Feather River, giving life to the picturesque landscape in Plumas County, about 140 miles northeast of Sacramento. Good question! great article! These were boys he went to school with. 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)? The mystery endures about who brutally murdered the Sharp family single mom Sue Sharp, 36; her son Johnny, 15; daughter Tina, 12; and Johnny's friend Dana Wingate, 17 in the small Sierra Nevada community of Keddie, California. But I don't remember that. 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. Box after box of evidence, file drawers filled with information and other evidence were all in disarray. Most of the suspects wore gloves, Gamberg said. He became a deputy in his hometown in 1988. Also, the murders had nothing to do with Dana, or John, or Tina. Thomas, the retired sheriff, also said he first heard about the letter in 2016. Johnny was face-up, with hands and feet bound by electrical cord that also wrapped around Dana's feet. Despite there being much more to this case, the investigation strangely stopped there. These were boys he went to school with. Living far away from Keddie, Sheila felt a growing hopelessness that someone would ever be made to answer for what happened to her family. Public File for KMAX-TV / Good Day Sacramento. He found a letter written by Marty Smartt to his wife reportedly written soon after the murders. 28 of the Keddie Resort. 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. Keddie28 reported Sharp immediately fled the cabin and ran to the neighbors for help. Hes had the DNA for several years, but it wasnt until recently that he obtained needed samples and found the match. 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. Keddie Cabin Murders Solved? He also compared the available evidence in 1981 to someone firing a shotgun loaded with evidence and no one followed up on all of it as it spread out like pellets. 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. Main Street Artists Gallery puts the work of two artists in the spotlight for March Debbie Kercmar Boyd and, FRC is joining Plumas County and Plumas Unified School District, with campus remaining closed on Wednesday, March 1st. Note the sign on the front tree proclaims this was a home where a mom and her five children lived. 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There are reports that Sue Sharp had been counseling Marilyn Smartt on her marriage. His home was just a short distance away in Cabin 26. Hes also shared some important information with the Plumas County Sheriffs Office. What occurred next shocked the country: The Disturbing Murders at Keddie Cabin . She personally believes that the murders of her family were carried out by Marty Smartt and Bo Boubede. 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. Authorities arrived at the scene shortly after 8 a.m. The theories allege that he was a close friend to Marty Smartt at the time. "I thought the adults would do something. Search, watch, and cook every single Tasty recipe and video ever - all in one place! What Gamberg first encountered was the Keddie murders crime scene room. It contained a tape recording of an anonymous caller to Butte County dispatch. 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. "I struggle with that. "Great! Keddie and Quincy are seven miles apart. Remember, this was 1981 and DNA collection and processing at crime scenes didnt begin until 1985. It emerged that Marty was angry about Sue's interference in his troubled marriage. An April 11, 1981 Keddie became known all over the country for a brutal and horrific murder. There was evidence that went unnoticed and people of interest who may not have been vetted properly. And I have every confidence that they either participated after the fact or they have first-hand information. Until now, lack of fingerprints and identifiable DNA left at the scene by the perpetrators has stymied investigative efforts. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. It was discovered later that 12-year-old Tina Sharp was missing. It has been 40 years since the most horrific crime in Plumas County history, the Keddie Murders.Subscribe at: https://goo.gl/vai8EuFind ABC10 online: https://www.abc10.com/Sign up for our newsletter: https://www.abc10.com/email Stream ABC10 on Roku: https://channelstore.roku.com/details/63398/abc10Stream ABC10 on Amazon Fire: https://www.amazon.com/Gannett-Broadcasting-ABC-10-Fire/dp/B01E0H2KZQStream ABC10 on AppleTV: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/abc10-news-weather-traffic/id469397853?mt=8Like ABC10 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ABC10tv/ Like ABC10 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abc10tvFollow ABC10 on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ABC10App download Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gannett.local.library.news.kxtv\u0026hl=en_USApp download iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/abc10-news-weather-traffic/id469397853 * Watch the full episode of the People Magazine Investigates After Show on the Keddie case, available Nov. 28 on People/Entertainment Weekly Network (PEN). I wanted to protect my brothers from it. However, she did recognize her ex-husband's handwriting. And I have every confidence that they either participated after the fact or they have first-hand information Its obviously a worthwhile pursuit. Sue had left a broken and abusive marriage and was described as a "quiet woman who loved her kids." The problem there is that its become disorganized. To keep this resource 100% free, we receive compensation for many of the products and services listed on the site. Victims,. And 2022 could be the year this murder finally gets solved. When he was reinstated, Thomas kept him out of the investigation. That and his personal connections led Hagwood to resurrect the case; to provide the resources and time needed to solve it. Its not about what was done, but what was not done. And that was plenty. ", "I would like my kids and grandkids to know that she was a very caring and kind person," Sheila says of Sue. Its known that Sue Sharp was home with her daughter Tina, 12, and her two sons, Rickey, 9, and Greg, 5. Hagwood personally knew them. 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. yeah, both of them had records," he said. "The neighbors say I came back screaming. In 1980, Sue moved her kids to the Keddie area, where they lived in relative poverty. 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. Between them lies the forgotten tape of the anonymous phone tip left in 1984, rediscovered in 2013. Investigators believe it was no random call, as it came on the three-year anniversary of the killings. Why did LE agencies conspire to cover up this case? 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. Great. May 2, 2016 / 11:47 PM Sheriff Hagwood had this to say about the tape: The third development came from Gambert speaking to Marty's former therapist in Reno, Nevada. "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. Sue's two younger sons, Rick and Greg, as well as their friend Justin Smartt, were also in the house but were unharmed. Smartt died in 2006. In earlier years, before the Sharps moved in, he spent nights there with a friend and his family. In her book, Sheila wrote, "My mom's character has been subject to all manner of cruel supposition including accusations that she was a drug addict, drug dealer, prostitute, or at the very least an unfit mother.". 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. Its known that John Sharp, and his friend Dana were in Quincy and caught a ride home sometime between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m., Gamberg said. He writes under dmac and Dee Mack but his name is David McNarie. Gamberg still had strong opinions about what had and hadnt happened 32 years earlier. In it, he describes a body found in connection with the Keddie murders. It was tested for trace DNA or blood residue. Years of No Answers and a Theory of the Crime. Sheila tells PEOPLE that Sue would have been 71 this year, at the end of March. With the killings of her family members, "I didn't have the big brother to look up to, and I lost my only sister, and we were close," Sheila says. She looked at me and smiled and in my head I heard the name, Tina.. Blood was discovered on both bedroom doors and outside on the handrail of the steep back stairs. 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. Thats when Hagwood asked Gamberg, a private investigator, if hed like to take over the investigation. My kids don't know who my mom is. ", "It's obviously a worthwhile pursuit," he says. This was Cabin 27 where the Seabolt family lived. "This killed this community Keddie was goneeddie was absolutely finished," Gamberg said. . And a crime that was committed so many years earlier doesnt have the priority recent crimes receive, he said. A segment of tape containing identifiable DNA was found on the floor near the body of Glenna Sue Sharp, 36, in 1981, Plumas County Sheriffs special investigator Mike Gamberg said recently. The FBI was also involved because it was believed that Tina Sharp was abducted. 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. His department was short of funding and he was short staffed. I could still see where the cabin itself once stood, but nature had started to take over the area once more. The Keddie Cabin murders was a case that involved a triple-slaying as well as a missing child whose remains were later discovered. As Marty said in his 1981 confession, they were just collateral damage. "I've paid the price of your love & now that I've bought it with four people's lives, you tell me we are through," Marty wrote. Keddie Cabin Murders Solved? That family included James Sr.; his wife, Zonita; daughters Alysa and Paula; and son, James Jamie Jr. At 8:05 a.m., Sunday, April 12, the sheriffs dispatch received a call from Jan Albin, co-owner of the Keddie Resort. Boubede died in 1988, and Marty Smartt died in 2006. Another piece of perhaps vital evidence that Gamberg discovered was in an envelope that was never opened. It's a case that involves a triple-slaying and a missing child whose remains. Cabin 28 and others in the small Keddie community were allowed to deteriorate in the years following the Keddie murders. It sounded within two feet of me, but nobody was around. He accepted the job and the challenge of following the evidence and leads that still existed. Hagwood became sheriff in 2010, and in June 2013 he brought Gamberg back from retirement to organize the boxes of Keddie reports and evidence with an eye toward reviving the case. He also said there are at least six people of interest. Yet Gamberg and Sheriff Greg Hagwood believed the evidence leaned toward those two as the culprits. 2021. Hagwood personally knew them. "But rarely did I speak to the family about it. Why were corrupt DOJ BOCCA agents immediately assigned to this rural case? 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 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. As with other related evidence, the process of scientific evaluation is slow. An imprint matching that of the butt of an 880 rifle was also left on Sues head. What else do you want?". Go to PEOPLE.com/PEN, or download the app for Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xumo, Chromecast, Xfinity, iOS and Android devices. What were the killers involved in that caused LE to protect them (and play CYA)? Sue Sharp, Johnny Sharp, and Johnny's friend Dana, were bound together by some type of electrical wiring. Teen Died Mysteriously in 2015. The hammer, similar to one reported missing by Smartt, was dug up near the crime scene just last month. The one he missed or more accurately wasnt allowed to cover was the Keddie murder case, he said recently. And more developments are anticipated. On April 12, 1981, 14-year-old Sheila Sharp was returning from a sleepover when she discovered three dead bodies in her family's cabin at the Keddie Resort: her 36-year-old single mother, Sue; her brother Johnny, 15; and Johnny's friend Dana Wingate, 17. Teacher * Psychology * Unsolved Crime * Forensics * Mystery * Animal Lover * Fashion * Southern California. "I guess I don't want to relive that," she tells PEOPLE in this week's issue of the memory 35 years ago when, at age 14, she opened the front door of her family's northern California cabin to find their bloodied bodies on the living room floor. In many ways there was even less trust following the deaths. 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. Both Hagwood and Gamberg said residents had very little trust or confidence in the sheriffs department before the murders. "There are people locally who know more than they've said," Hagwood told PEOPLE, "and I believe we've identified some of them, and we know who they are, and we know where they are. November 22, 2016. Although a lot of potential evidence was collected and catalogued, very little worthwhile information was realized from the scene. It's been hard to cover up the emotions stirred by the 35-year-old mystery. Enter your email address to subscribe to Plumas News and receive notifications of new posts by email. The Keddie murders, as the case became known, had become infamous as one of the countys leading unsolved crimes. Investigators Have a Personal Stake in the Case, 5. 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. Subscribe now to PEOPLE, or pick up this week's issue, on newsstands now, for more on this case. It has been 40 years since the tragedy took place in rural Plumas County. "I don't think there really is any type of final closure in a murder case. more. Many were questioned, but without sufficient evidence nobody was convicted. Dana was found next on his stomach with his badly damaged head resting partially on a sofa pillow. In Gambergs opinion, You could take someone just coming out of the academy and theyd have done a better job, of investigating the case. Leads werent followed and evidence wasnt checked. But she doesn't get to the great-grandkids, she doesn't have that. The anonymous caller said he was watching the news about the discovery at Feather Falls down Highway 70 from Keddie. Those left dead at the scene included the mother, Sue Sharp; her son, John Sharp, 15; and his friend, Dana Wingate, 17. The Scene Suggests More Than One Killer. 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 didn't know what I was supposed to do," she says.

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