Debris recovered from the scene indicated the vehicle was a white Mercedes, and the Yuba County Sheriff's Office was able to identify the car using a license plate reader system, according to. Up in the mountains above the Feather River, the snow-drifts sometimes rose to 15 feet. Weiher had asked his mother to wash his new white high-topped sneakers for the tournament saying "We got a big game Saturday. Sterling's father had once taken his son to the area near where the car was found for a fishing weekend, but the younger man had not enjoyed it and remained at home when his father took later trips there. It was shortly before the store's 10 p.m. closing time; the clerk later remembered the men because she was annoyed that such a large group had come in and delayed her from beginning the process of closing the store for the night. Bianca Myrtil is a writer and freelance editor. Yuba County 5. The Yuba County Five Mysterious Death 1978 Mysterious Death , Exposure On the evening of Feb. 24, 1978, Gary Mathias and friends Bill Sterling, Jack Huett, Ted Weiher, and Jack Madruga loaded into Madruga's white 1969 Mercury Montego to drive to Chico, Calif., to watch the University of California, Davis men's. link True Crime Videos In 1975, with a short stint at Yuba College proving unsuccessful, Mathias abruptly left school and moved to Oregon to stay with his grandmother. Shones would admit he was very ill at the time of the sighting and could have hallucinated some of the details, but that didnt explain why the men bothered to abandon the car at all, or why they didnt acknowledge Shoness cries for helpunless he had somehow imagined the whole thing. His tennis shoes were inside the forest service trailer, which suggested to investigators that he might have taken them off to put on Weiher's leather shoes - particularly since Weiher had bigger feet, and Mathias' feet might have swollen with frostbite. NEW! (They changed her name to "Dale Harum" in Michigan Murders .) Purposeful motion like that is not consistent with the circular patterns traveled by those who genuinely believe themselves lost. Heres what you need to know. Four of themBill Sterling, 29 . [6], The day before the men went missing, a Forest Service Snowcat had gone along the road in that direction to clear snow off the trailer roof so it would not collapse. Soon, police found two other corpsesthose of Sterling and Madruga4.5 miles away from Weiher's remains. Their names were Ted Weiher, Gary Mathias, Jack Madruga, Jack Huett, and Bill Sterling. In the second part of this double-feature, we detail the infamous Yuba County Five, and compare All week, Gary Mathias told his mom "We got a big game Saturday, Don't you let me oversleep." Don't you let me oversleep". They found no sign of Gary Mathias. As mentioned before, they were homebodies. But authorities would later realize the biggest story to emerge from that dark, desolate road wasn't his brush with death. The area in which the incident took place was named Dyatlov Pass in honor of the group's leader, Igor Dyatlov. [2][5], Weiher's mother said ignoring someone's pleas for help was not like her son, if indeed he had been present. We now know these men must have been the boys because of Madrugas Montego just down the road, but they werent the only people Shones reported to have seen. True crime memes: Your strange obsession in a nutshell, 'The Kalief Browder Story': Most insane true-crime show ever. As he sat in his car wondering what to do, he noticed two sets of headlights, one belonging to a pickup truck. He would later say he saw a group of men, one woman, and a baby. The boys stopped at a convenience store for junk food: Hostess pies, soda, candy bars. Did Prince Andrew fly on Jeffrey Epsteins plane Lolita Express? But they did. Shones later came forward with his story when the news broke about the disappearances, making him the last person to see the five alive. Several bed sheets in a shroud were tightly tucked over his body, indicating that someone else had been with him in the trailer as he could not have bundled himself up in this manner.  Months later the remains of 4 Join us as we discuss the Yuba County Five and their mysterious disappearance. The internet is divided on whether it was an outside force, Matthias himself, or some sort of accident that led the Yuba County 5 to their deaths & disappearance. They made it to the game, but none of these "boys," as they came to be called, ever returned home. It still remains one of the, From Zero to Hero: Write Your Short in 30 days, Did the Island Boys break up? In 1978, in Yuba County California, five young men vanish. As a result of their varying conditions, they each lived at home with their parents. All five piled back into the Mercury and took off. It was the fact that Shones had likely wound up being the last person to see Ted Weiher, Gary Mathias, Jack Madruga, Jack Huett, and Bill Sterling alive. 15 ratings1 review. Tickets from the UC Davis game were also there so it was clear they had at least made it to the game to cheer on the team. Why did the men turn east in the first place? Later, he clarified to police that he could not be sure of that, since at the time he was almost delirious from the pain he was in. It was impossible to tell just how long it had been there. This time the victim was a 14-year-old girl named Dawn Basom. They were often lovingly referred to as boys, despite being from 24 to 32 years of age. May 21, . Instead, immediately call the Sutter County Sheriff's Department at 530-822-7300. Weiher had lost nearly half his 200 pounds (91kg); the growth of his beard suggested he had lived as long as thirteen weeks from when he had last shaved. [2], Most puzzling to the investigators was how Weiher had come to his fate. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. After the snow melted in June 1978, four of the men's bodies were found in and near a trailer camp used by backpackers as shelter, deep in the forest, 20 miles (32km) from the car. He had left his tennis shoes behind in the trailer with Weihers body and had taken the mans leather shoes. Melba Madruga, Jack's mother, toldTheWashington Post that she believed "some force" had led the group astray. Police and the families never ruled out foul play. This week, Georgia and Karen cover the disappearance of the Yuba County Five and the tragic Is there a rational explanation for what happened to the Yuba County Five? The men wore only light coats against the cool temperatures in the upper Sacramento Valley at night that time of year. Their families said that when they got together, it was usually to play a game or to watch one. As for getting a real answer in the case, we may never know unless someone talks or, maybe, Mathais is found. Natural spring well houses and outhouse structures still stand, and evidence of bonfires clogs the property. Curious, they went inside. There was no sign of the men and no indication of why they had abandoned their operable car. Gary Mathias, 25; Bill Sterling, 29; Jack Huett, 24; Ted Weiher, 32; and Jack Madruga, 30 were all friends. New as of February 2022, the "Yuba County Five" podcast is made up of seven episodes, each averaging about 35 minutes long. It was about an hour away from their homes, but it was a pretty straight shot there and back. Investigators could not determine why the car was abandoned, as it was in good working order and could easily have been pushed out of the snowpack it was in. Similarly, another shed nearby held a butane tank with a valve that, had it been opened, would have fed the trailer's heating system. Police say Brady Oestrike, 31, killed 25-year-old Charles . February 24, 1978. This week Spencer and Ryan recount the strange Five young men travel to a basketball game and disappear. Will the missing member of the Yuba County 5 ever be found? Sterling and Madruga, an Army veteran, wereanother set of best friends. Mobile:07904191715 Office Number:020 37124640 Email:smax3ddesignstudio@gmail.com. Today, Yuba City Police Department still has the investigation while the prosecution was left with the state Attorney General's office. Weihers decaying body was found lying on a bed wrapped in eight sheets. Mathias returned to his parents' home in Yuba City and began treatment at a local mental hospital. There was no obvious damage to the car, despite the bumpy unmade road, it had around a quarter tank of gas and it was not stuck in the snow. There was a half moon that night, a winter moon in a cloudless sky. The whole case is weird. Four of themBill Sterling,29; Jack Huett,24; Ted Weiher,32; and Jack Madruga,30were later found dead; the fifth, Gary Mathias, 25,[1] has never been found.[2]. Maybe something supernatural did happen to the boys of Americas Dyatlov Pass. She relishes raving about her favorite shows and turning peoples drafted darlings into polished finished products. This was completely uncharacteristic behavior for the boys. Thats why when the late hours of the night turned into the wee hours of the morning, and none of the boys returned home, their parents started to get worried. The store owner corroborated her account. Why had they hid from Shones? "Bizarre as hell" was Beechams summary. a mild heart attack. [2] Weiher's family members said that he lacked common sense as a result of his mental disability. They lay on opposite sides of the road to the trailer, 11.4 miles from the car. All the conspiracies about this financier, 'America's Most Wanted': Behind the most tragic true-crime story ever. An impromptu road trip was definitely out of character. Weiher seemingly walked nearly 20 miles to the trailer in frigid conditions, despite having left his coat at home. yuba county five crime scene photos yuba county five crime scene photos on February 22, 2022 on February 22, 2022 fundamentals of accounting pdf grade 12; yuba county 5 crime scene photos Press question mark to learn the Weiher's brother told the Los Angeles Times that while driving to Brownsville in a different car in apparent ignorance of the basketball game seemed completely out of character for them, the owner's description of the two men's behavior seemed consistent with them, as Weiher would "eat anything he could get his hands on" and was often accompanied by Huett more than any of the other four. They appeared to have died from exposure perhaps before reaching the trailer. A propane tank connected to the trailer, which could have provided a ready source of heat and cooking fuel, was untouched. Mathias had been in the Army, too, but was discharged because of psychiatric problems. Afterwards, they stopped at a local market for snacks and drinks. There was nothing left of him but bones. ", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yuba_County_Five&oldid=1142230284, February 1978 events in the United States, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Disappearance in unusual incident where four of his traveling companions died, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 06:22. Candy wrappers, milk cartons and basketball programs were in the car but maps were left in the glove compartment. Schons shared with the police that he had been on the same road as the Yuba County 5 that night - he had been checking out skiing conditions at a lodge he owned. [2], In response to local media coverage of the case, police received several reports of some or all of the men being sighted after they had left Chico, including some reports of them being seen elsewhere in California or the country. A day after search parties were sent out, Madruga and Sterlings bodies were found about 11 miles from the Mercury Montego. Madruga, who owned the Mercury, drove his four friends to a collegiate basketball game at the California State University, Chico. This week on Loose Units, Four months after the disappearance of the Yuba County Five, the thaw came. On the ground, officers tried to use horses to get around on the rocky roads. Our groundbreaking Augmented Reality technology accurately recreates crime scenes and allows users to experience and investigate them just as detectives at the actual crime scenes did. The keys to the vehicle were gone. Thats the question people who learn about the Yuba County Five ask themselves when they hear this bizarre true crime story. On February 24, 1978, five men from the Yuba County, California-area vanished in the wilderness of Northern California. Selects: The Disappearance of the Yuba County Five. From his beard growth, they knew Weiher had been living there anywhere between eight and 13 weeks. . READ news articles about hundreds of cases. There they bought snacks along with sodas and cartons of milk to drink. Later, he saw more lights from behind him, this time flashlights, that also went out when he called to them. Not until the thaw came. If police and the families of the men were expecting closure from the discovery of their bodies, they werent about to get it. 1978 deaths and disappearances in California, Image of Mathias around the time of his disappearance, distributed to help find him, "Mystery of 5 Men Lost in Sierra Deepens", "Missing 5: Foul Play suspected: 5 May Have Met Foul Play", "Cold case: Why did 5 Northern California men disappear in 1978? To the Los Angeles Times, she said it was impossible for her to believe Madruga would ever drive his car, which he prized, into an area where it might be damaged. "They seen something at that game, at the parking lot," says Ted Weiher's sister-in-law. Schons called for help and the lights turned off and the whistling sounds stopped. About Us. [6], With the evidence not pointing to any clear conclusion about what happened the night the five men disappeared, police and the families were not ruling out the possibility that they had met with foul play. ", "There was some force that made em go up there." Two days later, just off the same road but much closer to the trailer, Jackie Huett's father found his son's backbone along with a pair of Levis and ripple-soled "Get Theres" shoes. It was getting cold after he wasnt able to keep the cars AC heat running anymore, but to his relief he saw headlights in the distance. The men consumed 36 of the meals but left the majority of them untouched. This conspiracy theory will surely tug on your heart strings and have you asking, "What One freezing night in 1978, five young men mysteriously disappear. [2] For whatever reason, the men had left the Montego; they had, instead of going back down the road (where they had passed the lodge that Schons later returned to), continued along the road in the direction they were originally going. How did they walk in normal shoes without outdoor clothing so far in snow several feet thick? But instead of driving south toward their homes roughly 50 miles away, they inexplicably drove east. 10 Robert Ben Rhoades. [2] The keys were not present, suggesting at first that the car had been abandoned because it might not have been functioning properly, with the intention of returning later with help; when police hot-wired the car, the engine started immediately, and the fuel gauge indicated the gasoline tank was one quarter full. This could explain the strange story told by Joseph Schons where he said he saw flashlights around a car. [5], Six hours later, lying in the car and experiencing severe pain, he saw headlights coming up behind him. [2], One question was its location, 70 miles (110km) from Chico, far off any direct route to Yuba City or Marysville. Chico to Yuba City is a straight down Highway 70 through the Central Valley in low-lying land with no snow at this time of the year. In this episode, Zack tells us about a very creepy one that is available on Netflix. All the drama surrounding the duo. The Yuba County Five Episode aired Jan 8, 2022 YOUR RATING Rate Documentary In 1978, a Mercury Montego was found abandoned in the Plumas National Forest, and the remains of four men found 20 miles away. [6], It is assumed that once they found the trailer, the other three broke the window to enter. Eventually . They entertained a number of eyewitness sightings of the men, including one where they were driving the pickup Shones had mentioned, but none seemed plausible. Why not start a fire for warmth? It was possible that Madruga had missed the turn-off and gotten lost, driving deeper into darkness until the snow ground the Mercury to a halt. The mother of Aaron Carter shared photographs on social media from what she claims is the death scene from the pop singer's home in November. But all five friends wound up missing or dead. They soon started to discover some very strange facts. He didnt think much about what hed seen until he heard about the disappearances. Happy Sunday! Joe Shones was having a heart attack. All were fervent basketball fans, and even had a game of their own scheduled for the following day, playing on a team representing the rehabilitation center they all frequented. Police and the families never ruled out foul play. The Mercury would be found last where Shones saw it with enough gas for the five to return home. The trailer had food and propane. As investigators descended upon the apartment, one of them picked up a camera and photographed the scene. [7] On March 3, the woman, who saw fliers that had been distributed with the men's pictures and information about the $1,215 ($5,000 in 2021 dollars),[8] reward the families had put up, told deputies that four of them had stopped at the store in a red pickup truck, two days after the disappearance. The junk food had been consumed, save for one half of a candy bar. Ronald Charles Trapp, 34, of Marysville, died around 9:35 a.m. Tuesday after being shot while driving a Honda Accord on Dunning Avenue, south of Hammonton-Smartville Road, in Linda, a news release . The trailer was 19 miles away from the car. The car was found several thousand feet up in an area above the snow line in a completely different direction. In February of 1978, an unsolved incident occurred to five young men from Yuba County that is On the night of February 24, 1978, a group of five young men from Yuba City, California, all Today we take a look at a Civil War sniper who took the law into his own hands!

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