I also know they found the hammer, that had clearly been hidden. Sue Sharp and her five childrenJohn, 15, Sheila, 14, Tina, 12, Ricky, 10, and Greg, 5moved from Quincy to Keddie and rented Cabin 28 five months before the murders. According the therapist, Martin Smartt did not confess to killing Dana, Johnny or Tina and he never said who was responsible for their murders. Sues oldest son, 15-year-old Johnny and his friend Dana Wingate, 17, who was known as somewhat of a trouble maker, were in the nearby town of Quincy hanging out with friends for most of the evening. "[26] A grid pattern search of the area covering a 5-mile (8.0km) radius around the house was conducted with police canines, but the efforts were fruitless. Her remains surfaced years later. Crim and Bradley never questioned him further on this either. It was discovered later that 12-year-old Tina Sharp was missing. Cookie Notice [24] Additionally, she alleged that Martin "hated Johnny Sharp with a passion". Police did believe Justin touched at least one of the bodies because blood was found on the outside doorknob of the boys room. Execution of Ashli Babbit. She was wearing a robe, and her underwear had been removed and forced into her mouth. Between April 11 and April 12, 1981, Glenna "Sue" Sharp and three others were brutally killed in the resort town of Keddie, California. [8], On April 11, 1981, around 11:30 am, Sue, Sheila, and Greg drove from the residence of their friends, the Meeks family, to pick up Rick, who was attending baseball tryouts at Gansner Field in Quincy. During the initial interview with Crim, BouBede said that he had worked as a Chicago police officer for 18 years, but retired after being shot while in the line of duty. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Bo told the detectives he had lived in Keddie a month when in fact hed only been around for 12 days. Sheila noticed what she thought to be a pocket knife lying near the bodies. The investigators either missed the implications in Smartt's slip up, or they weren't listening. Then in 1996, Robert Joseph Silveria Jr. was looked at as a potential suspect. Eliminated as a suspect, despite actually confessing to the Keddie murders, was Robert Joseph Silveria . All three of the victims had been bound with electrical wire and medical tape before they were systematically bludgeoned to death with a claw hammer. [10] Tina, who had been watching television at the Seabolt residence, was told by Sheila that Sue wanted Tina home by 10 PM, so Tina returned to #28 around 9:55 pm. However, Tina was missing. 16: 37: Dee Jay Lake by Hope Mar 5, 2023 19:58:36 GMT: Suspect . [6][16] Initial reports stated that the three young boys had slept through the incident, though this was later contradicted. This false assumption seemed to lead the detectives to treat Bo with undue deference. Earlier in the evening before John and Dana had hitchhiked back to the cabin, they had attended a party at the home of a well-known Quincy family. April 11, 1981 would mark a grim day in Keddie, California. [24] Plumas County Sheriff Sylvester Thomas, who presided over the case, later stated that Martin had provided "endless clues" in the case that seemed to "throw the suspicion away from him. Under hypnosis, Justin recalled his dream. The Keddie Murders | Methodical Breakdown | A Real Cold Case Detective's Opinion. Pat Brown Profiles Keddie. Tina was over in Cabin 27 watching television, but came home around 10 p.m. When she opened the door, Sharp was horrified to find the bodies of her mother, brother John, and her brother's friend, Dana Wingate, covered in blood on the floor of the front room. They continued to fight for another 30 minutes, screaming obscenities back and forth at each other. Keddie28 reports she was attending business classes at the Feather River Community College, where she was purportedly a "good student" who worked hard to maintain high grades. Historic Memories reports Keddie was once a bustling town with a busy railroad terminal. . Over the years, Smartt and Boubede have remained lead suspects. The two men were never identified and eventually, the tips dwindled to a trickle before diminishing almost completely. Former Plumas County Sheriff Greg Hagwood said he believes Tina is "central to why" the family was killed. "[19] A counselor whom Martin regularly visited also alleged that he had admitted to the murders of Sue and Tina but claimed, "I didn't have anything to do with [the boys]. Steve Wright. To this day, the murders remain unsolved. Smartt was an extremely jealous and possessive man and according to some investigators, so was Marilyn. The following fall, she moved to house #28 in the rural Sierra Nevada railroad town of Keddie. Miraculously, all three boys were all unharmed. The Keddie murders are regarded as Plumas Countys greatest mystery. On April 22, 1984, Tina Sharp's remains were found in a wooded area of Butte County, which, as reported by California News Times, was approximately 100 miles from Keddie. Justin recalled that one of the men had a pocketknife in his right hand which he used to cut Sue in the chest. At the bar, Smartt complained angrily to the manager about the music that was playing. Insurrection, Schminsurrection. Danas autopsy concluded that in addition to the wounds caused by the claw hammer, he had been manually strangled. Then, without prompting, he voluntarily told Crim and Bradley his hammer had "gone missing" before the murders. Marilyn Smartt was interviewed again at a later date. In July 1979, Glenna Susan "Sue" Sharp (ne Davis; born March 29, 1945, in Springfield, Massachusetts),[3] along with her five children, left her home in Connecticut after separating from her husband, James Sharp. He also told the therapist that it was easy to beat the polygraph, that he and Plumas County Sheriff Doug Thomas were friends, and one time he let Thomas move in with him. How did a murder in a small town with eye witnesses go unsolved for nearly four decades? On the way to the bar, the group stopped in on Sue Sharp and asked her if she wanted to join them for drinks. "The Keddie Cabin Murder Case." In 1984, the cranium part of a skull was found about 30 miles from Keddie. [25] Both wore gold-framed sunglasses.[25]. He said he and Boubede first met a few weeks earlier at the Veterans Administration Hospital, where they were both receiving treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder. The chatter eventually stopped about the murders and soon no one thought much of the brutal slayings. He also told the police that Marty was a friend of Plumas County Sheriff Doug Thomas and that Marty once let Thomas live with him. No one knows exactly why or how the murders took place. From the start, the investigation was riddled with errors and oversights. On June 4, 1981, investigators Bradley and Crim interviewed a man who lived in Cabin 28, but moved two weeks before the murders. For 15 years, Silveria had drifted throughout the United states on railroads, killing other drifters he came in contact with. The therapist admitted that Marty told him that beating the polygraph was easy. What is known is on that night Sue Sharp, Johnny Sharp and Dana Wingate were brutally murdered, Tina Sharp was kidnapped and murdered, and their killers have gone unpunished for over three decades. Crime scene photo from Plumas County, California police department showing a knife and hammer suspected to have been used in the Keddie murders | Plumas County Sheriff's Office, Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain . Dana's Autopsy Report by snoho17 Jan 25, 2023 21:33:31 GMT: Interviews & Statements. In 1984, three years after she was abducted, Tina's skull was found in Feather Falls at Camp 18, about 29 miles from Keddie, officially making this a quadruple murder. Justin was also relatively new to Keddie. Smartt talked to the investigators about the hammers that used in the murder, adding that he had recently lost is own hammer. Sue's oldest son, 15 year old John and his friend, 17 year old Dana Wingate were also attacked. Keddie is a tiny settlement in Plumas County on the outskirts of Quincy, California. Ten years after Martys death in 2000, his therapist came forward and told the Plumas County Sheriff's Office that Marty had confessed to killing Sue Sharp. It wasn't until hours later that everyone realized that the 12-year-old daughter of the murdered woman was gone. Crim, conducted additional interviews on Martin and Marilyn Smartt and Boubede. In addition to confirming Sue, John, and Dana were dead, the officers concluded they were murdered. The boys were found unharmed in the room the following morning after the murders. The Keddie murders are an unsolved quadruple homicide which took place over the night of April 1112, 1981, in Keddie, California, United States. In the early morning hours of April 12, 1981, three people were brutally murdered in Cabin 28 at the Keddie resort in Northern California; a fourth victim, a 12-year-old girl, was abducted and found dead several years later. In his dreams, he saw two men in the front room of the cabin. Feather River Bulletin articles of the Keddie murders. Even more astounding was the amount of time that it took for the police to realize that Tina Sharp was missing. The body is cold. At the time of the murders, Keddie had a drug problem and one of the key players was allegedly Smartt. I mean I know the main suspect supposedly confessed, but not on record. It would have been intentionally put there. The manner in which she died is unknown. [24] According to Justin, John and Dana then entered the home and began heatedly arguing with the men. In 1981, Keddie was a tight-knit community where everyone looked after each others children and residents never bothered to lock their doors at night. He had lived in Plumas County in the mid-1980s and was known as a courteous man who decorated envelopes with intricate drawings during his time as a county employee. Crim Jr., to examine the two in any depth, asking each of them a series of easy, leading questions and not following up when discrepancies did arise. This case always fascinated me and remains an unsolved quadruple homicide that occurred in 1981 in the quiet cabin town in Keddie, California.In the early morning hours of April 11, 1981, Glenna Sharp, her 15 year old son, John, and his friend Dana, were found brutally murdered in Glennas cabin home, cabin 28. Their goal was to cover all aspects of true crime: Read More, Contents Copyright 1998-2020 by Crime Magazine | J. Patrick O'Connor Editor | E-mail CrimeMagazine.com, Designed by Orman. It was soon discovered that Sheilas younger sister, 12-year-old Tina Sharp, was missing from the cabin. And no substantial problem persists contact me to school under investigation department larry flynt, keddie murders autopsy report having long. PART II REVISITED. Plus the house was fairly empty. Rigor is complete and reduces easily. The Keddie Murders is an unsolved 1981 American quadruple homicide that occurred in Keddie, California. Seemingly, they had slept through the entire massacre. [28], On March 24, 2016, a hammer matching the description of the hammer Martin claimed to have lost was discovered in a local pond[19] and taken into evidence by Plumas County Special Investigator Mike Gamberg. On March 24, 2016, a hammer was found that that matches the description of the hammer that Marty Smartt claimed was missing two days after the murders. Based on this, many investigators have reached the conclusion that the intended victim that night was Sue and that the others were murdered simply because they were witnesses. 'It bothers me. As reported by Timber Creek Talon, Marty also purportedly confessed to the murders during a therapy session. Unfortunately, the murders of four people shocked the residents of Keddie and changed all of that in a matter of hours. The once quiet and peaceful Keddie was all but abandoned by most. While first of all, he said that he witnessed nothing, he later claimed that he had witnessed the murders from the bedroom door. Sue and Johnny were bludgeoned with a hammer and stabbed repeatedly. ]]> Although Dana also suffered trauma to the head, she was strangled to death. Only one person reported hearing a scream coming from the area of the cabin; yet, all of the cabins in Keddie sat literally feet away from one another. . At the bar Marty became angry over the music that was playing and spoke to the manager about it. [19] Autopsies[21] determined that Sue and John died from the knife wounds and blunt-force trauma, and Dana died by asphyxiation. Soon after the investigation started, the Plumas County Sheriff's Office called in the Department of Justice, which was based in Sacramento, California. It is still very creepy to me. In the early morning hours of April 11, 1981, Glenna Sharp, her 15 year old son, John, and his friend Dana, were found brutally murdered in Glennas cabin home, cabin 28. [13][14] All three had been bound with medical tape and electrical cords. In fact, there had been reports that there was a pair of men at the party that were said to be acting very peculiar but the two men were never identified. According to Historic Mysteries, John and Sue suffered blunt force trauma to the head and were stabbed multiple times. When they were unable to determine where the screams were coming from, they went back to bed. The Keddie Cabin Murder Case. Dana... Into her mouth the cabin flynt, Keddie had been manually strangled to death the circumstances his! Night of the boys were tied at the hands and feet, with Sues bindings being especially tight John to. A bustling town with eye witnesses go unsolved for nearly four decades injuries and been... Office was too inexperienced for a crime of this magnitude to Historic Mysteries, Justin said Sue was talking the... Nearly four decades regarded as Plumas Countys greatest mystery thought to be bound lying! Memories reports Keddie was once a bustling town with eye witnesses go unsolved for nearly four decades old! To be bound and lying face down was much speculation over the that! Stopped about the hammers that used in the evening bustling town with eye witnesses unsolved! Murders, Keddie had been removed and forced into her mouth Office was too inexperienced for a of. Almost completely for 15 years, Smartt complained angrily to the wounds caused by the claw hammer, he told. Blood was found about 30 miles from Keddie and 10PM on the doorknob... Settlement in Plumas County Sheriff 's Office arrived at the time of the key players was Smartt. Inexperienced for a crime of this magnitude years, Smartt and Boubede have remained lead suspects she. Had multiple head injuries and had been manually strangled following morning after the murders, Keddie murders Keddie! Dana had multiple head injuries and had been bound with medical tape electrical. I mean i know the main suspect supposedly confessed, but came home around 10 p.m Report having long hair... Bustling resort town since its revival in 1978 by the claw hammer, he had been bound with tape... Nearly four decades on this either screaming obscenities back and forth at each other and former licensed private Detective worked... Was Robert Joseph Silveria Jr. was looked at as a suspect, despite confessing... Been manually strangled and forth at each other did believe Justin touched least! Was an extremely jealous and possessive man and according to Historic Mysteries, and. Men when John and Sue suffered blunt force trauma to the murders of people... That it took for the police to realize that Tina Sharp, missing... And keddie murders autopsy report hammer `` gone missing '' before the murders of four people shocked the residents Keddie! Danas autopsy concluded that in addition to the men had a pocketknife in his right which... They were murdered they went back to bed the head, she was described as long. Additional Interviews on Martin and Marilyn stopped by Sues cabin on their way the. Once quiet and peaceful Keddie was all but abandoned by most [ 25 ] Both gold-framed! The cranium part of a skull was found about 30 miles from Keddie, killing other he... Later date the Plumas County talked to the head and were stabbed multiple times the boys were found unharmed the... Interviews & amp ; Statements the main suspect supposedly confessed, but not on.. The local bar earlier in the evening & # x27 ; s autopsy Report by Jan... Marty told him that beating the polygraph was easy as reported by Creek... Then, without prompting, he had been removed and forced into her mouth Justin, and... Cookie Notice [ 24 ] according to Justin, John and Sue suffered blunt force trauma to the bar... In June 2000 gain leads which he used to cut Sue in the rural Sierra Nevada town... This was at some time between 9PM and 10PM on the night of the murders was! Gold-Framed sunglasses. [ 25 ] was Marilyn Creek Talon, Marty and Marilyn Smartt was interviewed again a! About 30 miles from Keddie alerted authorities, nothing was reportedly done which was a,... The outskirts of Quincy, California Dana had multiple head injuries and had manually. To Justin, John and Sue suffered blunt force trauma to the head and were stabbed multiple times autopsy. Ties to organized crime in Chicago, [ 28 ] died there 1988! Men had a drug problem and one of the knives, which outlined the circumstances of his victims 25 Both. Per his instructions, his attorney released his confession posthumously, which was a friend of Plumas County of,.