Hagwood, in his third year of office, had many priorities to contend with inside his department and in the county. Copyright information and disclaimer here. "She was a kind and loving mother who was doing her very best to raise five children alone. Justin Smartt Eason, 12, one of three boys left alive in a second bedroom, was allowed to spend the night. The father of Dana Wingate (the friend of the Sharps who was also killed) said in 2001 the police had "stumbled over each other and fouled up the case.". "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. "But rarely did I speak to the family about it. That and his personal connections led Hagwood to resurrect the case; to provide the resources and time needed to solve it. What occurred next shocked the country: The Disturbing Murders at Keddie Cabin . 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. ", "I don't know," he said in 2016. The Keddie murders, as the case became known, had become infamous as one of the countys leading unsolved crimes. I felt this strong pressure on my throat. "I don't think there really is any type of final closure in a murder case. RELATED VIDEO: Exclusive Look at People Magazine Investigates the Keddie Murders. Listen Now For our friends in the Deaf and Signing community, you can view an ASL version of this episode HERE. Hagwood personally knew them. "My mother's kindness and grace also extended beyond her own family, which may have ultimately been her downfall.". 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. And both Hagwood and Gamberg can pinpoint their errors and omissions. "The most vivid image I have is of my brother laying there," she says. It was April 11, 1981 when Sheila Sharp, 14, opened the door to her familys two-bedroom cabin and discovered the bodies of her mother, older brother and family friend in the small living room. Thomas, the retired sheriff, also said he first heard about the letter in 2016. My kids don't know who my mom is. The case was unsolved for two decades after investigators interviewed dozens of people, analyzed evidence and executed several search warrants. Cabin 28 had already been demolished, but she decided to check out the site regardless. Police was on the scene for a short while before they . It wasnt followed, he said. Now, an Alleged Serial Killer Has Confessed, Police Say, Judge Orders Release of Adnan Syed as Murder Conviction of 'Serial' Subject Is Vacated. 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It became a top priority when Hagwood took over several years ago and he hired Gamberg to focus on the murders. More to follow. He was also familiar with Cabin 28 in Keddie. 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. I guess it was the mother in me trying to keep them safe.". ", "I have a measure of confidence that we've identified some of them and we're gonna be--we're gonna be coming," he said. It contained a tape recording of an anonymous caller to Butte County dispatch. November 22, 2016. Hagwood was a teenager at the time and knew some of the victims. "The neighbors say I came back screaming. How This Serial Killer Was Brought Down By The Same App He Used To Hunt For Victims Jade Townsend The case that took 44 years to be solved: Arlis Perry Fatim Hemraj Mom Attends Birthday Party, Finds Daughter Who Died in House Fire as a Baby Jayden Yugie This Gold-Digger Turned Grave-Digger Lured Men to thier Deaths Help Status Writers Blog Careers What Gamberg first encountered was the Keddie murders crime scene room. 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. "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. He was lying face up with his blood-covered hands bound together securely with medical tape. Its almost time for the wearin of the green, and the Catholic Church in Quincy is celebrating with a St. She describes it as "more or less a self-help book, kind of how I dealt with issues that have happened in my life.". The tape was never admitted into evidence, and it was in fact found at the bottom of a box. For most people, Keddie is a beautiful, and rural town in Northern California. And now two years after that, hes announced that theres more that links a living person or persons to the crime. My reasons are simple: there is no evidence tying either of these men to the murders. S.C. 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)? A blue bandana and her panties were used first and medical tape then applied. 5 People Vanished Along the Snake River Beginning in 1979: Will Police Finally Catch a Serial Killer? Defensive injuries would be discovered on her arms. The problem there is that its become disorganized. This murder is shrouded in mystery, leaving behind a messy and compelling trail of clues. 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. Life changed dramatically in 1981 for this whole community, Gamberg said meaning not just Keddie, which is six miles west of Quincy. But both Marty Smartt and "Bo" Boubede are now dead, questioned by law enforcement after the killings but never charged. Sheila's 12-year-old sister, Tina, was missing. Blood wasnt confined to the floor and on or around the victims. When Tina's remains were first found in 1984, on the third anniversary of the murders, her skull was unidentified. Updated on July 15, 2019. Some even believed the furniture moved around by itself. Search, watch, and cook every single Tasty recipe and video ever - all in one place! 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.. But for some, Keddie is synonymous with murder and despair. 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 And also, as I'm growing older, what can I expect in my later years? Then he got fired. 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. Authorities also interviewed Marty's ex-con friend "Bo" Boubede, who had moved in with Marty. Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. Sheila Sharp has purposefully pushed the horrific images out of her mind. In 1980, Sue moved her kids to the Keddie area, where they lived in relative poverty. Even his leads in the case were ignored. They're the ones that have kept me going. 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. It was 2013. Moving forward, DNA might still be retrievable from evidence collected at Keddie Cabin 28 if it hasnt been compromised and DNA testing facilities are notoriously backlogged. * 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. 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. Editorial opinions expressed on the site are strictly our own, and are not provided, endorsed, or approved by advertisers. 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. 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. 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. Although Sheila wouldnt realize it until later, the order of the bodies was her brother, John, who was closest to the front door. ET) on Investigation Discovery. We hold major institutions accountable and expose wrongdoing. When finding out about Sue's interference with his marriage, Marty reportedly went "ballistic" about it. The DNA matches that of a known living suspect, according to Gamberg. KEDDIE (CBS13) Investigators believe they may have found one of the weapons used in a 35-year-old murder mystery. "There's times I think, Gosh, should I go get hypnotized to see what I remember?" solved 40 years later with DNA evidence: 20: Murder of Betty Van Patter: . She personally believes that the murders of her family were carried out by Marty Smartt and Bo Boubede. Subscribe now to PEOPLE for more on this case. The Keddie Cabin Murders: With Mike Ferguson, Mike Morford. "I know we are closer than we've ever been.". Boubede died in 1988, and Marty Smartt died in 2006. 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 onetime mountain tourist stop's forests, pond and river made it appear idyllic to kids, but it had fallen on hard times. What else do you want?". A Daughter's 35-Year Fight For Justice: Sheila Sharp Longs to Know Who Murdered Her Family in Their Cabin Sheila Sharp who discovered the victims of the Keddie Cabin 28 murders in 1981, when . 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Its also believed medical tape was brought along, and theres some evidence that an 880 BB or pellet rife was there, but was not recovered at the scene. . Theyd never felt the need to do that prior to the murders. "For the record, she was none of these things," Sheila wrote. Cabin 28 at the Keddie Resort, where the 1981 murders occurred. The three other children present in a second bedroom escaped physical harm. She reported the possibility of a homicide in Cabin 28. CALLER: And I was just 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? Victims,. Sharps oldest daughter, Sheila, had been at a sleepover when she returned to the family home, Cabin 28, to find her murdered family. Her remains surfaced years later. There were weeds as tall as my thighs all around. In 1981, the gruesome murder of four in Cabin 28 of the Keddie Resort in Northern California has long been unsolved.or has it?. We aim to bring a resolution to cases which remain open. After countless hours of digging, the clues in the cold case started heating up, and new light is emerging on the decades-old crime. He found a letter written by Marty Smartt to his wife reportedly written soon after the murders. 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. For some reason, the DOJ had an interest in Boubede, according to Gamberg. All three victims at the crime scene had been bound with medical and . According to the crime scene report, the boys' bodies on the living room floor were bloodied around their heads and necks. From 1974 until his retirement in 1994, he worked all but one of Plumas Countys cases. It was tested for trace DNA or blood residue. Leads werent followed and evidence wasnt checked. It was just left scattered. In addition to confirming Sue, John, and Dana were dead, the officers concluded they were murdered. Sheila's sister was missing her remains were found in the woods three years later. Both Hagwood and Gamberg said residents had very little trust or confidence in the sheriffs department before the murders. Discover unique things to do, places to eat, and sights to see in the best destinations around the world with Bring Me! Some of the evidence was placed in a freezer to preserve it. And I go through my moments of, I start crying for no reason. That includes the possible mishandling of evidence Hagwood and Gamberg were determined to find. "I was told the suspects were told to get out of town, so to me that means it was covered up," Sharp said. Cabin 28 and others in the small Keddie community were allowed to deteriorate in the years following the Keddie murders. In earlier years, before the Sharps moved in, he spent nights there with a friend and his family. Also note how close the cabin is to its neighbor. However, she did recognize her ex-husband's handwriting. Strangely, Sheila's two younger brothers, Greg and Rick, and their friend, Justin, were found in the cabin asleep and safe. I could ask a hundred people what started this and Id probably get the same rehashed rumors from most of them. "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. 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. 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. Apparently, as the suspects bludgeoned and stabbed their victims to death, none of the suspects were injured or left their own blood at the scene. And wasnt Justin 12 when this happened? With copies of most case files still in existence, we've drafted the most realistic timeline of events leading up to the murders, how they took place, and the ensuing coverup by the killers and corrupt members of law enforcement. Those left dead at the scene included the mother, Sue Sharp; her son, John Sharp, 15; and his friend, Dana Wingate, 17. And I have every confidence that they either participated after the fact or they have first-hand information. Sue Sharp was the mother of five beautiful children. The Seabolt family lived just 15 feet away. 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