"Dana was at my house the day before the homicide," he said. 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. Woman, 89, Was Sexually Assaulted and Murdered 28 Years Ago Now Police Say Neighbor Killed Her, Kansas Man Charged with 1980 Murder of Nursing Student, DNA Taken from Truck's Door Handle in Washington Leads to Arrest 34 Years After Wisconsin Mom's Killing, Daughter of Ohio Mom Beaten and Set on Fire in 1991 Lived Across the Street from Mother's Alleged Killer, JonBent Ramsey's Murder to Be Investigated by Cold Case Team in New Probe Into Unsolved Killing, PEOPLE Picks the Best New Books of the Week. But knowing the details, the minutiae of the crimeit was not a pleasant place to be. Her remains surfaced years later. As he sorted he found one bag of evidence that was never opened. Someone from that cabin ran to the lodge and reported the crime. Hagwood also had a childhood friend who lived in Keddie's cabin 28 long before the Sharps moved in there. 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. Our Forum holds the facts of the case. 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. Crim from the divisions organized crime unit not from homicide to investigate. Sheila Sharp has purposefully pushed the horrific images out of her mind. "They covered it up, is the way it sounds," Gamberg said. 1. 2021. ", "I would like my kids and grandkids to know that she was a very caring and kind person," Sheila says of Sue. "They can't defend themselves. May 2, 2016 / 11:47 PM In earlier years, before the Sharps moved in, he spent nights there with a friend and his family. He soon moved on to another job and has since retired. Sheriff Hagwood gave an update on the status of the case: Sheriff Hagwood had this to say in regards to Marty Smartt and Bo Boubede being the killers: Sheila Sharp, the surviving member of the Sharp family had this to say of Hagwood: As of now, nobody has been charged and Hagwood and Gamberg continue to dig deeper into what happened that tragic night. The area probably wouldnt have seemed creepy to an uneducated bystander, she said. Boubede died in 1988, and Marty Smartt died in 2006. She looked at me and smiled and in my head I heard the name, Tina.. ", Thomas wasn't so sure. Hence them throwing Marty's roommate Bo (who was an ex-con) into the case as an accomplice. The anonymous caller said he was watching the news about the discovery at Feather Falls down Highway 70 from Keddie. She'd spent the night at a friend's cabin next door to her family's cabin 28 in Keddie and was returning home on the morning of April 12, 1981, when she discovered the unimaginable. To join the discussion, click the link below. However, she did recognize her ex-husband's handwriting. just one thing re the headline: you want grisly, not grizzly. But for some, Keddie is synonymous with murder and despair. The evidence proves Dana and John died as true heroes, running to the defense of Sue and Tina. Gamberg also knew the two boys. 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. 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. Dana suffered multiple head injuries and was manually strangled. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. / CBS Sacramento. "My mother's kindness and grace also extended beyond her own family, which may have ultimately been her downfall.". Just as important, Gamberg and Hagwood wonder if they've also recovered another of the murder weapons. Please enter valid email address to continue. Thomas, the retired sheriff, also said he first heard about the letter in 2016. 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. Along with special agents Crim and Bradley, Spiro Vasos, a finger print expert, and Bruce Palmer, an evidence expert, also arrived from DOJ. Keddie will never be the same because of those murders, and after visiting where it happened, I dont think I will be either, Kendall whispered. "We're convinced that there are a handful of people that fit those roles who are still alive. 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. From 1974 until his retirement in 1994, he worked all but one of Plumas Countys cases. The DNA matched that of a then-living suspect. Many were questioned, but without sufficient evidence nobody was convicted. November 22, 2016. Keddie Cabin Murders Solved? Gamberg knew the boys as well. Although its been a mystery as to who gave the two teens a ride home, Gamberg has identified the individual and has interviewed her. Cabin 28 at the Keddie Resort, where the 1981 murders occurred. I guess it was the mother in me trying to keep them safe.". Listen Now For our friends in the Deaf and Signing community, you can view an ASL version of this episode HERE. We hold major institutions accountable and expose wrongdoing. Didnt he admit to covering Glenna Sue? DNA deoxyribonucleic acid is now considered the most reliable physical evidence. The possible motive: Marty was married to Marilyn Smartt, the mother of Justin Smartt, who was one of the kids that was found alive in the cabin. The murders took place in house No. in 1990. Even his leads in the case were ignored. Marty Smartt's letter was an early re-discovery. Now, an Alleged Serial Killer Has Confessed, Police Say, Judge Orders Release of Adnan Syed as Murder Conviction of 'Serial' Subject Is Vacated. The Crime Logs mission is bring awareness to crimes which are both solved and unsolved. 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. She said she learned of it long afterward by investigators, but she recognized her ex-husband's handwriting. New developments were found when the case was reopened Gamberg organized some boxes of case reports and uncovered evidence from the case that had been shoved aside. Sheila ran screaming back to the neighboring cabin where she had spent the night. What hadn't been discovered until last month was a hammer that's believed to be one of the murder weapons. Cabin 28 at the Keddie Resort, where the 1981 murders occurred. Why was Marty's then-wife, Marilyn Musgrove, a key conspirator and fellow murderer, not arrested? In recent interviews, both Hagwood and Gamberg said the sheriffs office and the California Department of Justice blew it in 1981. 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 felt this strong pressure on my throat. It's a believe long-shared by the victims' family. Hes had the DNA for several years, but it wasnt until recently that he obtained needed samples and found the match. Sheila herself hopes the case will be solved. 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. Photo courtesy of Plumas County Sheriffs Office, Keddie murders revisited part 1: New evidence discovered links living suspect to grisly scene, Main Street Artists feature the works of Sheehan and Kercmar Boyd, More moments from the Plumas winter storm, PUSD, Plumas Charter announce school closures continue for March 1, St. Johns Catholic Church to hold St. Patricks Day dinner, Plumas Lassen Connection Change Submission. His home was just a short distance away in Cabin 26. Sue's 12-year-old daughter Tina was taken from the cabin, but her decomposed remains wouldn't be found for another three years. The Sharp familys home shortly after the infamous murders took place in 1981. In 2017, a horror film inspired by the murders, Cabin 28, was released by U.K. production company North Bank Entertainment. "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. US residents can opt out of "sales" of personal data. Dee Mack, Are you related to Angelique or Angels Mother Hester Mack then later Hester McCormick? Although Sheila wouldnt realize it until later, the order of the bodies was her brother, John, who was closest to the front door. ", "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. Broke my heart. The second development was something else found in the same boxes of case files: the taped anonymous phone call that tipped off the location of Tina Sharp's remains. But because the aunt already had several children, the Sharp kids were eventually placed in foster care first together and later apart. 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. Theyd never felt the need to do that prior to the murders. ", "She did at least get to see her first grandchild born. CBS13 was there when Sheila was shown the hammer and a knife that may also be connected to the crimes. And both Hagwood and Gamberg can pinpoint their errors and omissions. "The neighbors say I came back screaming. Investigators now seek any biological material including skin, hair, blood and other bodily fluids at crime scenes, according to Randy James in a 2009 feature on DNA testing for TIME. 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. 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. "I didn't know what I was supposed to do," she says. 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. In Gambergs opinion, You could take someone just coming out of the academy and theyd have done a better job, of investigating the case. Dana was found next on his stomach with his badly damaged head resting partially on a sofa pillow. 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. It was 2013. ", Of her mother, Sheila adds, "I miss talking to her, going to her if I have an issue. 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. If someone confessed in 1981 why is it still unsolved? 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. The Keddie murders, as the case became known, had become infamous as one of the countys leading unsolved crimes. But both Marty Smartt and "Bo" Boubede are now dead, questioned by law enforcement after the killings but never charged. Truly a case of wrong place, wrong time. Great. Marilyn, Marty, and Bo were only after Sue. Hagwood, in his third year of office, had many priorities to contend with inside his department and in the county. But the void has stayed with her. Between them lies the forgotten tape of the anonymous phone tip left in 1984, rediscovered in 2013. In 2004 the now infamous Cabin 28 was condemned and demolished. "I was told the suspects were told to get out of town, so to me that means it was covered up," Sharp said. It's a case that involves a triple-slaying and a missing child whose remains. "I thought the adults would do something. And I have every confidence that they either participated after the fact or they have first-hand information Its obviously a worthwhile pursuit. Another piece of perhaps vital evidence that Gamberg discovered was in an envelope that was never opened. The sheriff at the time of the murders, Doug Thomas, is accused of a cover-up in many online theories. He found a letter written by Marty Smartt to his wife reportedly written soon after the murders. Subscribe now to PEOPLE, or pick up this week's issue, on newsstands now, for more on this case. Marilyn claimed to never receive the letter. "She would have done anything for them and probably spoiled them rotten.". A vital thread, Gamberg said, is who knew about Tina's remains placed in an isolated wooded area in neighboring Butte County and who may have helped to put them there. In 1980, Sue moved her kids to the Keddie area, where they lived in relative poverty. Both Gamberg and Plumas County Sheriff Greg Hagwood believe that possibly as many as six people were involved in one capacity or another in the murders or the cover-up. However, Marilyn Smartt did not recall the meeting and also said the two were not friends to her knowledge. Gamberg still had strong opinions about what had and hadnt happened 32 years earlier. The Keddie Cabin Murders took place on April 12, 1981; Sue Sharp, two of her children, and her son's friend lost their lives. Hagwood personally knew them. In earlier years, before the Sharps moved in, he spent nights there with a friend and his family. 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"She was a kind and loving mother who was doing her very best to raise five children alone. 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. Backpackerverse.com does not include the entire universe of available offers. 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, Hagwood said in 2016. I worked with them the entire summer before the murders," he said. And more developments are anticipated. I could still see where the cabin itself once stood, but nature had started to take over the area once more. In 2018, investigators were able to analyze identifiable DNA from a piece of white medical tape that was used to bind the victims' hands and ankles. She personally believes that the murders of her family were carried out by Marty Smartt and Bo Boubede. The only way this decision by DOJ makes sense is in considering the background of one of the suspects. I could ask a hundred people what started this and Id probably get the same rehashed rumors from most of them. Despite there being much more to this case, the investigation strangely stopped there. 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. "If a case needs to be pinned there," Hagwood told PEOPLE at the time, "we'll pin it. Its known that Sue Sharp was home with her daughter Tina, 12, and her two sons, Rickey, 9, and Greg, 5. For Sheila, it's a mystery she's never been able to escape and a loss that defined her. 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. 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. Hagwood personally knew them. KEDDIE (CBS13) Investigators believe they may have found one of the weapons used in a 35-year-old murder mystery. Enter your email address to subscribe to Plumas News and receive notifications of new posts by email. It was discovered later that 12-year-old Tina Sharp was missing. All three victims at the crime scene had been bound with medical and . The hope is coming from an unlikely sourceinformation from a family member of Boubede has led to a discovery investigators thought was long gone. Fragments of her skull and other bones were discovered in Camp Eighteen, CA. "Not knowing where she'd been for three years, or even what happened to her, it's been really, really tough.". yeah, both of them had records," he said. Investigators Have a Personal Stake in the Case, 5. Dead were Sheila's mother, brother and a family friend. And 2022 could be the year this murder finally gets solved. The case was unsolved for two decades after investigators interviewed dozens of people, analyzed evidence and executed several search warrants. "But rarely did I speak to the family about it. He was their coach in martial arts and other activities. She left behind a broken marriage with a military man, now deceased, whom Sheila says was abusive to his wife and two daughters. These were boys he went to school with. She was spending the night at a friend's house on the night of the murders and came home to find the bodies. I followed behind the footsteps until I heard them stop and a loud creaking noise took its place. We still have to live on without our loved ones. Hagwood was a teenager at the time and knew some of the victims. They just kind of kept it hidden. "It's very easy to say somebody's guilty when they're dead," he said. If anyone has information concerning a cold case, please contact Victoria Metcalf at 283-0800 or [emailprotected], or contact the Plumas County Sheriffs Office at 283-6300 with tips or leads on active cases. 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. According to the crime scene report, the boys' bodies on the living room floor were bloodied around their heads and necks. An imprint matching that of the butt of an 880 rifle was also left on Sues head. Relief is something Sheila Sharp has been searching for since that dark day in April 1981. The bottoms of Sues bare feet and the soles of one of the boys shoes were also covered in blood suggesting they were mobile and stepped in it at some point. 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