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. Members of that family, along with Sheila Sharp, 14, claimed they didnt hear a sound from the Sharps house that night. And a crime that was committed so many years earlier doesnt have the priority recent crimes receive, he said. 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. "It could have been that I blocked it out, and the shock of it all, too.". 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. CBS13 was there when Sheila was shown the hammer and a knife that may also be connected to the crimes. And Ive seen speculation being treated as fact over the years, even when it can be discredited by the facts that get ignored. Note the sign on the front tree proclaims this was a home where a mom and her five children lived. Its not about what was done, but what was not done. And that was plenty. A psychic online claims she visited the house and could hear the screams of the victims. Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. Yet Gamberg and Sheriff Greg Hagwood believed the evidence leaned toward those two as the culprits. He had known connections with organized crime in Chicago.Boubede also had at least two known aliases as Bobby Lake and John DeSantis, according to the Keddie 28 online site administrator dmac. Leads werent followed and evidence wasnt checked. In 1979 she made the brave decision to leave her abusive husband and make the move from North Carolina to Northern California to be closer to her brother who lived in the town of Quincy. They're the ones that have kept me going. These were boys he went to school with. While two of the lead suspects Martin Smartt and his friend John Boubede are now dead, others are alive and have been identified, said Hagwood recently. 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 Hes also shared some important information with the Plumas County Sheriffs Office. My reasons are simple: there is no evidence tying either of these men to the murders. But she doesn't get to the great-grandkids, she doesn't have that. 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). Copyright information and disclaimer here. "We're convinced that there are a handful of people that fit those roles who are still alive. Locals describe it as a beautiful woodsy town, one with a strong sense of community. The murders took place in house No. Why was Marty Smartt, the main suspect, the drug-running local sheriff's close friend? In 2004 the now infamous Cabin 28 was condemned and demolished. 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. "She's a hard one to talk about," Sheila says. "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. Many were questioned, but without sufficient evidence nobody was convicted. During the revived investigation in 2016, sheriff's investigator Mike Gamberg was made aware of a letter written by Marty to Marilyn shortly after the crimes. ET on Investigation Discovery. The one he missed or more accurately wasnt allowed to cover was the Keddie murder case, he said recently. ', In 2012, Sheila wrote a book with her husband, Richard Whittle: How to Survive Your Visit to Earth. Investigators Have a Personal Stake in the Case, 5. "It could be next month, it could be next year but really the focus in our priority is getting the truthgetting the answers.". There are reports that Sue Sharp had been counseling Marilyn Smartt on her marriage. I am not by nature a conspiracy theorist, but there are facts and circumstances the number and the nature of which I cant ignore anymore, Hagwood told People magazine. Defensive injuries would be discovered on her arms. ", Thomas wasn't so sure. Spring showers replenished the waterways near the Feather River, giving life to the picturesque landscape in Plumas County, about 140 miles northeast of Sacramento. Charles Montaldo. Hagwood would graduate from California State University, Sacramento with a degree in criminal justice. This murder is shrouded in mystery, leaving behind a messy and compelling trail of clues. Despite there being much more to this case, the investigation strangely stopped there. 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. Some even believed the furniture moved around by itself. It's not the only troubling aspect of the case to Hagwood. It was 2013. 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. He reportedly left for Reno, Nevada after the murders. Dee Mack, Are you related to Angelique or Angels Mother Hester Mack then later Hester McCormick? Outside of organized crime, that basically never happens, and even within the world of organized crime it is probably quite rare to have so many people in on a hit. In 1981, the gruesome murder of four in Cabin 28 of the Keddie Resort in Northern California has long been unsolved.or has it?. "I know we are closer than we've ever been.". I really hope they get justice and whoever was involved thats still alive according to the article pays for what they did to this woman and the kids. An envelope with a cassette recording of a man telling a sheriff's dispatcher about a body that was found three years of the murders that could be one of the victims who was kidnapped from the murder scene. There were faint but heavy footsteps walking in the dirt. The footfalls stopped close to me for a moment, but then started up again, moving closer to where the cabin had been. To keep this resource 100% free, we receive compensation for many of the products and services listed on the site. Sue Sharp had envisioned a new life when she moved near her brother, Don, from Connecticut to northern California with her five kids in the late 1970s. 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. The girl's skull was found in the woods three years later, some 50 miles away in another county. "I was told the suspects were told to get out of town, so to me that means it was covered up," Sharp said. And I have every confidence that they either participated after the fact or they have first-hand information Its obviously a worthwhile pursuit. It became a top priority when Hagwood took over several years ago and he hired Gamberg to focus on the murders. But I don't remember that. Sue's two younger sons, Rick and Greg, as well as their friend Justin Smartt, were also in the house but were unharmed. Anyone who has any information on the Keddie murders is asked to call the Keddie murders hotline at 283-6360. He soon moved on to another job and has since retired. When he opened the front door he saw the bodies on the green-carpeted floor, according to Gamberg. He was also familiar with Cabin 28 in Keddie. The hope is the new evidence will lead to new arrests. "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. Cabin 28 at the Keddie Resort, where the 1981 murders occurred. People Magazine Investigates' episode on the Keddie cabin murders airs Monday (10 p.m. He accepted the job and the challenge of following the evidence and leads that still existed. 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. 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. I taught Dana Wingate that year at the highschool. In it, he describes a body found in connection with the Keddie murders. 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 . The items inside were never entered into evidence a crucial part of the chain of evidence necessary in crime investigation. She left behind a broken marriage with a military man, now deceased, whom Sheila says was abusive to his wife and two daughters. Cabin 28 had already been demolished, but she decided to check out the site regardless. Johnny was face-up, with hands and feet bound by electrical cord that also wrapped around Dana's feet. 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. "They can't defend themselves. 'People Magazine Investigates': Did Pam Hupp Stab Her Friend More Than 50 Times? 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. "It's very easy to say somebody's guilty when they're dead," he said. 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. Editorial opinions expressed on the site are strictly our own, and are not provided, endorsed, or approved by advertisers. "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. 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. The case was unsolved for two decades after investigators interviewed dozens of people, analyzed evidence and executed several search warrants. Sheila ran screaming back to the neighboring cabin where she had spent the night. At the time, law enforcement felt that the murders were committed by "more than one person.". He writes under dmac and Dee Mack but his name is David McNarie. We aim to bring a resolution to cases which remain open. An April 11, 1981 Keddie became known all over the country for a brutal and horrific murder. Sue Sharp was the mother of five beautiful children. 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. He wonders if DOJ protected him. To join the discussion, click the link below. Among those questioned in the killings was Sue's neighbor Marty Smartt, who lived two cabins away with his wife (and Justin Smartt's mother), Marilyn. "Clearly by looking at the hammer you can tell that it's been at that location for a very, very long time," Hagwood said. More to follow. They claimed to have witnessed ghost writing on the walls. We questioned them extensively.". On April 12, 1981, a group of 7 people went to sleep in Cabin 28 at the Keddie Resort Lodge in California. Its here he would roll up his sleeves and begin going through the evidence. Many others suspect the police on the case may have been involved in a cover-up. According to Gamberg, right after the murders, Sheriff Doug Thomas contacted the DOJ in Sacramento. "The most vivid image I have is of my brother laying there," she says. 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. Backpackerverse.com does not include the entire universe of available offers. 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. 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. They just kind of kept it hidden. "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. Backpackerverse.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. 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. Keddie Cabin Murders Solved? As a martial arts instructor at the time, he taught both Johnny and Dana, and says Dana was at his home the day before he died. Sue Sharp was found lying very close to the sofa. Theyd never felt the need to do that prior to the murders. His ankles were firmly tied with electrical cord that linked him to John whose ankles were also bound. All three victims sustained brutal blows to the head with a hammer or hammers, and they were stabbed, sometimes repeatedly. Now the murder mystery is getting a fresh look, thanks to Plumas County Sheriff Greg Hagwood and a special investigator, Mike Gamberg. But the unsolved murders of a woman, two teenage boys and a girl still haunted him. KEDDIE, Calif. It has been 40 years since what is known as the Keddie Murders took place in rural Plumas County. Perhaps one day they will finally confirm those suspicions but for now, the devastating case remains unsolved. Sue's 12-year-old daughter Tina was taken from the cabin, but her decomposed remains wouldn't be found for another three years. Kindness May Have Ultimately Been Her Downfall, Lone Survivor of 1984 Colorado Hammer Killer Attack Misses the Family He Stole: 'Inside I Cry Every Day', Inside the Investigation That Found Holly Marie Clouse 40 Years After She Vanished and Parents Were Murdered, Fla. 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