Justin was the one who told police that Tina wasnt dead, she was gone; Dana was the third victim. [24] Marilyn claimed that on the evening of April 11, 1981, she had left Martin and Boubede at a local bar around 11:00 pm and returned home to go to sleep. Did Genene Jones Kill As Many As 60 Children As A Pediatric Nurse? [10] Around this time, the two were seen in the city's downtown area. KEDDIE, Calif. It has been 40 years since what is known as the Keddie Murders took place in rural Plumas County. Justin reported then that John and Dana entered the home and argued with the men which resulted in a violent fight. 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. As reported by Keddie28, all three victims were bound with cords, medical tape, and wire. More confounding is that the three youngest boys were not only untouched but allegedly unaware of the event, even though a woman and her boyfriend in the cabin next door awoke around 1:30 a.m. to what they described were muffled screams. Sue had just divorced her husband and brought her children from Connecticut to Keddie in Northern California. On the other hand, his reason for killing Tina was that she had seen everything. Sue, John, and Dana were each bound with tape and phone wire which the killers had taken from Sues bedroom. As reported by Historic Mysteries, Smartt was Justin's stepfather. A butcher knife and claw hammer, both also bloodied, were side-by-side on a small wooden table near the entry into the kitchen. Keddies then sheriff, Doug Thomas, was great pals with Marty. Spanning the investigation, investigators named two primary suspects, Martin Smartt, a neighbor to the Sharps, and his friend John "Bo" Boubede. Mon Apr 12 2010 at 0:34:49. John Boubede died in 1988. Had she believed that having a houseful of neighborhood children would save her life? Two months later, a forensic analysis of the teeth confirmed that they were indeed Tinas remains. One reportedly had a mustache and long hair and the other was clean-shaven with short hair but both in glasses. [17] He later admitted to having briefly entered the home through the back door to see if anyone was still alive, potentially contaminating evidence in the process. He had been manually strangled. Considering the level of violence that took place, this seems impossible. Sue and John had suffered similar types of wounds. This call wasn't investigated initially as it was left in evidence for Detective Mike Gamberg to find. Meanwhile, Sheriff Thomas had resigned from the investigation three months in and take a job instead at the Sacramento DOJ. However, an anonymous call to the Sheriffs office reported the remains as belonging to Tina Sharp. Immediately, the two lead suspects were Justin Smartts father and the Sharps neighbors, Martin Smartt and his houseguest, ex-convict John Bo Boudebe who was known to have connections to organized crime in the area. Example video title will go here for this video. A recording of this call was found at the bottom of an evidence box at some point after 2013 by a deputy who was assigned the case. And, shockingly, the youngest children - Rick Sharp, Greg Sharp, and Justi. Many people believe that the police were either incompetent or corrupt and covered up the crime for some reason. Probable murder weapons for the Keddie slaying discovered and submitted as evidence in 2016. Had Justin not been a witness, how in the world would he know this? She came home to change clothes for church when she discovered three bodies inside covered in blood. Historic Memories reports Keddie was once a bustling town with a busy railroad terminal. The surviving family members have been severely impacted by this case. In his dreams, he saw two men in the front room of the cabin. [19] She had been stabbed in the chest,[20] her throat was stabbed horizontally, the wound going through her larynx and nicking her spine, and on the side of her head was an imprint matching the butt of a Daisy 880 Powerline BB/pellet rifle. That wall panel was among those taken into evidence. In December 1983, detectives ruled out serial killers Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole as potential suspects. Blood was everywhere. If you care to learn more, this site has the most information:http://www.keddie28.com, There is a 2 part documentary on this case, it is on YouTube. [17], The murders of Sue, John, and Dana were notably vicious:[13] two bloodied knives and one hammer were found at the scene,[15][18] and one of the knives (a steak knife later determined to have been used in the murders) had been bent at roughly 30 degrees. On the morning of April 12, 1981, Sheila Sharp returned to her home at Cabin 28 in the Keddie Resorts in California from the next-door neighbors house. However, Historic Mysteries reports he was never arrested or charged in the murders. However, none of the evidence helped the investigators find the killers or determine how she died. In 2016, Gamberg located a hammer believed to be one of the murder weapons in a dried-up pond in Keddie. I so wish this had been solved while ALL of the killers were alive. Great! Gamberg and the owner ofKeddie28.com,who goes by the name DMAC, believe that Sue Sharp and Marty Smartt were having an affair. WebIt was interesting to see all of the photos of the Keddie Resort, it gave a better sense of the surroundings. The Primary Suspects Are Dead But Authorities Are Still Pursuing Justice Among those There were knife holes in the living room walls, at about eye level. Though neighbor Justin claimed to have seen nothing, there were bloody foot prints which belonged to him; its theorized that he, and possibly one or both of Sues younger boys, were forced to participate in the murder of their own family. Around 1:30 pm, Sue and her oldest daughter Sheila went to pick up John and Dana in Quincy. While the Seabolts tried to calm the distraught girl, their teenage son, Jamie Seabolt, went to Cabin 28 to see if anyone was still alive. In press releases accompanying the sketches, the suspects were described as being in their late 20s to early 30s; one stood between 5feet 11inches (1.80m) to 6feet 2inches (1.88m) tall with dark-blonde hair, and the other between 5feet 6inches (1.68m) and 5feet 10inches (1.78m) with black, greased hair. Is this why detectives seemed to turn a blind eye to many clues and disregarded evidence? When she opened the front door to the living room, she discovered a massacre. Although the counselor initially reported Martys statements to the police not long after the killings, the police did not log the information as evidence or follow up with this information. John, 15, was the oldest boy, while the oldest girl was Sheila, 14; Tina was 12; and the two younger boys were Rick, 10, and Greg, 5. Justin recalled that both men wore glasses and that the two older boys, John and Dana, came home while Sue was talking to the men. Unable to discern from where they were coming, they went back to bed. Later, it came to light that Marty was a personal friend of the local county sheriff, Doug Thomas, at the time of the crime. Dana also had severe head injuries, but he had also been strangled. The case remains cold. Between the doorway and the closest body was a knife, It would take the police hours to realize that a fourth victim, Tina, was missing. Originally, police believed the murdered victims to be Sue, John, and Tina; the bodies had been in such bad shape they couldnt tell. Sues three surviving children seem to be doing well. The former Sharp home was condemned and demolished in 2004. "[17], Martin Smartt died of cancer in Portland, Oregon, in June 2000. Although the Sharps cabin did not indicate forced entry, detectives were able to recover an unidentified fingerprint from a handrail that led to the cabins back door. Nevertheless, Gamberg says that six people may have been involved. He began hearing noises out in the living room and claimed to have seen Sue with two men. Interesting history topics are just a click away. Gamberg also stated that at that time, six potential suspects were being examined. He ran for the back door but someone was waiting outside; this person or persons captured Dana and brought him back inside. As reported by Timber Creek Talon, Marty also purportedly confessed to the murders during a therapy session. I think it would lift an incredible weight to clear the dark skies that have hung over that community and the surviving family members," Hagwood said. Marty had a friend, John Boubede, who had been living at Martys house. Forty years after the incident, the quadruple murder in the woods still baffles the nation. The sheriff at the time of the murders, Doug Thomas, and his deputy. Law enforcement is claiming they have 6 suspects, and they working on arrests. Were continuing with the investigation, and were doing interviews, and we have several persons of interest. Some sources claim that Boubede had a crush on Sue, who supposedly rejected him twice. Some neighbors near Cabin 28 reported that muffled screams or groans woke them up between 1:00 am and 2:00 am. Articles were written in the Feather River Bulletin newspaper but Tina was not found. The cabins telephone had been left off the hook and all of the lights had been shut off as well as the drapes closed. Ive often wondered if they were forced to throw knives at the victims, maybe Justin had to do more to save his own life. It would also explain why the Smartt boy and the other Sharp boys in the adjoining room were spared. Investigators were called about an hour after Sheila had discovered her slain family. The Mystery Behind The Keddie Cabin Murders Explained. The oldest boy, John, got the ground-floor basement all to himself. Keddie is, without a doubt, my favorite to research and I am very interested in discussing it. I think Tina was absolutely central to why this happened. Marilyn moved out of Cabin 26 the day after the murders. Investigators discovered two bloody knives, a hammer, and a plastic piece from a BB gun. One person found this helpful Search Sort by Top reviews Filter by Their throats were slashed, and they both had multiple stabbings and blunt force trauma to the head. While under hypnosis, he described the killers as a tall man with blond hair and a mustache and a short man, who was clean-shaven with dark hair. Relatives of the victims and the public anxiously await the day when investigators bring justice to the killings of Sue, John, Tina, and Dana. Although the cabin Sharp rented from Mollath was run down, it provided her and her family with more room. 2009-2021 Historic Mysteries. As reported by The Mystique, Justin began having vivid dreams in the days after the murders. WebInside the Keddie Cabin Murders: Daughter Remembers Finding Mom and Brother Dead at Age 14 People Magazine Investigates Offers New Clues on Keddie Cabin Murders, Allegedly, a lot of potential evidence was collected at the scene but because this was pre-DNA testing, very little helpful information was found at this time. The murders had been notably violent. If they suffered any injuries during the event, it wasnt serious, although they did leave some DNA on a piece of tape. I need a cheap laptop, microphones, etc. To solve this case, a weight would be lifted. It would not have been accidentally misplaced." Were they protecting their informant? The murders took place in house No. [6] The house's telephone had been taken off the hook and the cord cut from the outlet, and the drapes were closed. WebMurder Victim of Cabin 28 at Keddie Resort. She lived there with her five children. The statement from Martys letter, What else do you want?, sounds like Marty is asking,In addition to what you already asked for, what more do you want me to do? Detectives tell ABC10 they believe more people have a guilty conscience. However, investigators didnt address these statements, and the police did not arrest or interview Marty again. A man discovered a human skull in the adjoining Butte County, about 30 miles from Keddie, in Plumas County. Leave a Flower Sponsored by Ancestry. 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. The town tried to reinvent itself by becoming a recreational camping and hiking resort area. This is the crime which the movie The Strangers is loosely based on, though this true story is much more terrifying than any movie could ever be. As far as the person who gave John and Dana a ride home, Gamberg indicates that he identified a woman and has interviewed her. This is another indicator that all the condemned buildings in Keddie were demolished at the same time, meaning 28 was not singled out for demolition by anyone. Photos. Dmac does not agree on this point. However, they onlywent on a few dates, and the last time they saw each other was two days before she was killed. [12] Tina's jacket, shoes and a toolbox containing various tools were missing from the house,[6] which showed no indication of forced entry. A neighborhood boy, Justin Eason, would spend the night with Sues two youngest sons that evening. The police have stated that there were 6 involved, so there is still a chance for justice. Given the extent of the brutality of the Keddie cabin murders, there was plenty of evidence left behind. Always busy trying to better her situation, Sue took a typing class with financial aid. Shed left an abusive marriage with 5 children, and moved to a new area all on her own. On the morning of April 11, 1981, 14-year-old Sheila Sharp returned from a neighbors house after a sleepover and stumbled upon the most disturbing and gruesome scene that she and the rest of Keddie, California, had ever seen. Marilyn also provided a letter she received from Marty, in which she said he confessed to the Keddie cabin murders. In one of the bedrooms, authorities found Rick, Greg, and their friend Justin Eason Smartt, unharmed. In the evening, the two girls went to the Seabolt family house next door in Cabin 27, just 15 feet away. Therefore, it appears they did not have a chance or chose not to fight back. [22][23], Sheila and the Seabolt family (with whom Sheila had spent the night in the neighboring home) heard no commotion during the night;[6] a couple living in nearby house #16 was awakened at 1:15 am by what sounded like muffled screaming. 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