The fireplace looked to have never been lit despite the availability of matches and kindling. yuba county five crime scene photos. He had once walked over 500 miles after escaping the asylum he was staying at. When 5 men disappear into the snowy wilderness leaving their perfectly functioning car behind, What happened to the 5 men who mysteriously vanished one winters night? Episode Summary In February 1978, five young men headed from their home in Yuba County, California to catch a college basketball game - and never came home. What had led them there? They even seemed to be trying to conceal their presence since they momentarily shut off the flashlights they had been shining. Its called The Ritual, and although in this horror movie things turn supernatural, the parallels between it and the Yuba County Five story are strong. Whoever drove the car into the forest drove incredibly cautiously or knew the area well. Madruga's body had been partially consumed by scavenging animals; only bones remained of Sterling, scattered over a small area. Apr. They werent the type to stay out very late or make spontaneous plans. Despite finding evidence that Matthias was in the trailer with Weiher at some point, they never found Matthias. 2009-2021 Historic Mysteries. Almost 50 years after they disappeared, what happened to the Yuba County Five is just as confusing as it was back in the 1970s. The men lived in Yuba City and nearby Marysville. [4], On June 4, with most of the higher-elevation snow melted, a group of motorcyclists went to a trailer maintained by the Forest Service at a campsite off the road about 19.4 miles (31.2km) from where the Montego had been found. Gary Mathias, 25; Bill Sterling, 29; Jack Huett, 24; Ted Weiher, 32; and Jack Madruga, 30 were all friends. Joe Shones, age 55, was having car trouble and a mild heart attack. Winners receive a trip to Los Angeles for a week. Check out my podcast! Marduga still had the keys to the Mercury. samochd Los 5 de Yuba City, El Dyatlov Americano - Parte 1. [2] Autopsies showed that they both died of hypothermia. As a result of their varying conditions, they each lived at home with their parents. His father had come across some of his sons clothes, and upon picking them up, the backbone of Jackie fell out onto the ground. The thought was that Madruga took a wrong turn and kept going straight ahead instead of turning around. It was Weiher who had died under the most mysterious circumstances. How did the men die? Mathias, his feet perhaps also swollen from frostbite, could have decided to put Weiher's shoes on instead if he had ventured outside. Two days after Madruga and Sterlins remains were found, they found the remains of Jackie Huett. There they bought snacks along with sodas and cartons of milk to drink. vanished while driving home from a basketball game. The Russian case is as mysterious as the Mathias Group in Californias Plumas National Forest. The Yuba County 5 remains one of the most baffling puzzles within the true crime community. Available at: https://medium.com/the-mystery-box/the-disturbingly-mysterious-disappearance-of-the-yuba-county-boys-b8a7dfd07ab0, Lauren Dillon is a freelance writer with experience working in museums, historical societies, and archives. Bianca Myrtil is a writer and freelance editor. She enjoys playing the clarinet, taking ballet classes, textile art, and listening to an unhealthy amount of true crime podcasts. The Disturbingly Mysterious Disappearance of the Yuba County Boys. "They seen something at that game, at the parking lot," says Ted Weiher's sister-in-law. When Shones tried to get their attention one more they continued to ignore him. This week on Loose Units, Four months after the disappearance of the Yuba County Five, the thaw came. We're working to give you the tools, stories, and technology that will help shine a spotlight on victims and their stories. Four of the Yuba County Five tragically died in the forest. He made it home safely that night, but when the police found Madrugas Mercury Montego it only left them more confused. The trailer was over 19 miles from the Mercury. https://bit.ly/2J4kzJENew Merch Drops.. However, police discovered that Mathias friends hadnt seen or heard from him in over a year. Why did Ted Weiher apparently starve to death? OR, could one of them have Sean brings us the story of five men from Yuba City, California who went missing under unusual February 24, 1978. "They might have seen it and didn't even realize they seen it.". This week we cover the bizarre case of the Yuba County Five. "Oh, Grandma, I won't need a coat," Ted said. what is zheng shuang doing now; Grizzly Tools Catalogue; Instruction Manuals; signs my husband likes my sister Thats because they never found it. 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. [2][4], None of the men were seen alive again after that point. At their homes, some of their parents waited up to make sure they returned. [6] He was wearing a velour shirt and lightweight pants, but his shoes could not be found. He was schizophrenic, a condition controlled by medication he hadnt bothered to bring along. Northwest of the trailer, about a quarter-mile away, searchers found three wool forest service blankets and a two-cell flashlight lying by the side of the road. [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. These were individual canned, pre-cooked, and prepared meals issued to the U.S. military. cumberland county elementary school staff. It was possible, police believed, that the group had decided to follow the tracks it left, through snowdrifts 46 feet (1.21.8m) high, to wherever they led, in the belief that shelter was not too far away. In February 1978, five young men headed from their home in Yuba County, California to catch a Yuba County, California. There was also the theory that Mathias convinced the group to head toward Forbestown, an area between Chico and the mountain road, so he could visit a friend who lived there. It had enough gas to continue on, but a snowbank had likely caused its tires to spin out. comments sorted by Best Top New Controversial Q&A Add a Comment . Shones had gone outside to try to push his car out of the snow. We strive to bring awareness back into focus with our coverage, which features Crime stories that are underpinned by reliable information from up-to-date sources, as told by compassionate storytellers. Sterling was in a wooded area, scattered over about 50 feet. Authorities think one of the boys may have laid down to rest or sleep, which is a side effect of late-stage hypothermia, and it seems the other boy stayed with his friend until he, too, froze to death. All five lived at home with their parents and were bound together by a love of sports. Months later the remains of 4 Join us as we discuss the Yuba County Five and their mysterious disappearance. How these five men came to be on an inhospitable mountain road more than 50 miles from their homes in and around Marysville and Yuba City, California, was just one of the mysteries surrounding their disappearance. It was about an hour away from their homes, but it was a pretty straight shot there and back. Its called. Basketball. Premium Powerups . I think we've finally sorted out our audio issues! He saw a group of men, a woman, and a baby walking together, but they ignored him calling for help. All rights reserved, Privacy Policy|Online Content Agreement. ", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yuba_County_Five&oldid=1149219330, 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 10 April 2023, at 21:37. Mar. The Other Titanic? "I'm positive he never went up there on his own," she told the paper. February 24, 1978 On the evening of February 24, the boys drove 50 miles (80 km) north to Chico, California, to watch a basketball game between UC Davis and Chico State. The Willow Glen corridor from Timothy L The day after Weiher's body was discovered, searchers found the remains of Madruga and Sterling. In this week's episode, we revisit two of our favorite Patreon episodes. Similarly, another shed nearby held a butane tank with a valve that, had it been opened, would have fed the trailer's heating system. Did they somehow leave the car and lose the keys. He had driven up there, where he had a cabin, to check the snowpack in advance of a weekend ski trip with his family. The next day, a deputy sheriff found a skull downhill from the bush, 300 feet (91m) away, confirmed by dental records later to have been Huett's. Our library is built with an all-inclusive goal: providing trustworthy resources for our community of advocates and experts. [2], Most puzzling to the investigators was how Weiher had come to his fate. It could not be determined how long those items had been there. Police believe Mathias and maybe Huett, who they had yet to find, were in the trailer with Weiher. The fifth, however, remains missing to this day. Jack Madrugas mother had told reporters, There was some force that made em go up there. W 1978 roku grupa przyjaci pojechaa obejrze mecz koszykwki. [2], After the Davis team won the game, the group got back into Madruga's car and drove a short distance from the Chico State campus to Behr's Market in downtown Chico. Your favorite mother-daughter podcast explains the freaky similarities of 1959's Russian Dyatlov Robin and Adam proudly present Episode 141 of Scary(ish)! The Otomi: Mesoamericas Forgotten Civilization? It wasnt until June when the snow in the mountainous area had mostly melted away that motorcyclists helped make a break in the case. The last member of the Yuba County Five was 25-year-old Gary Matthais. Had the group been abducted and the perpetrator was preventing access to food or was Ted suffering from gangrene caused by frostbite. With that in mind, police sent pictures of Mathias to the town hospital and morgue nearby, but nobody ever saw him. In this episode, Zack tells us about a very creepy one that is available on Netflix. SUTTER COUNTY, Calif. Two people are dead and a third has major injuries after a crash on Highway 20 in Sutter County Tuesday afternoon. [2][5], Weiher's mother said ignoring someone's pleas for help was not like her son, if indeed he had been present. A car riddled with six bullet holes sits on the property where a shooting occurred early on Sunday, April 30, 2023, in Bay St. Louis killing two teenagers and . He was pretty sick. Available at: https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article226777394.html, Gorney, C. 1978. In 1978, five young men disappeared after seeing a basketball game, never to be seen alive February 24, 1978. Police and the families never ruled out foul play. Afterwards, they stopped at a local market for snacks and drinks. Gary Dale Mathias was an assistant in his stepfather's gardening business and an army veteran with psychiatric discharge after drug problems that developed in Germany five years before. However, the discovery of the car raised more questions than it answered. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. The Mathias Group from Yuba City Strange deaths on U.S. mountains, Reading Eagle: Five retarded men vanish without a trace, Galveston Daily News: Disappearance of 5 men keeps police frustrated, Marysville Appeal Democrat: Search team enlarged in hunt for last two, Marysville Appeal Democrat: One man still missing after Jack Huett found, Marysville Appeal Democrat: Forest service said it told about bunkhouse, Democrat and Chronicle: Final journey of 5 leaves a mystery, LA Times: Mystery of 5 men lost in Sierra deepens, The Sacramento Bee: Yuba alert is out for five slightly handicapped men, Lets talk about it: Gary Mathias and his four friends, The Sacramento Bee: Discovery of car spurs hunt for 5. the local police have yet to discover any information or evidence that can pin him to the crime . 0 coins. The county sheriffs department began searching for the men. Either the driver had been extremely careful, or it was someone familiar with the road, a familiarity Madruga was not known to have; his family said that Madruga would not have let someone else drive the car. The Latest - Thursday, Aug. 12: 5:05 p.m. Five young men ended up where they should not have been and most likely never intended to be. Hours later, back inside his car, he saw what he thought were flashlights. But as he drove further into the night, snowdrifts slowed his tires. In the early morning hours of February 25, Shones made it to the lodge and was able to get medical treatment. What had brought them to the middle of nowhere and why had Shones seen them with a woman and a baby? Huett's remains were located northeast of the trailer, like Sterling's and Madruga's. But they did. Police began searching the route the Yuba County Five would have taken back from Chico, and there were no signs of the boys. [2] The sheets all over Weiher's body also suggested that one of the others had been there with him, as his gangrenous feet would have been in too much pain for him to pull them over his body himself. The incident . The route home wasnt a difficult one, and since the map police also found inside of the Mercury Montego was neatly folded up, they didnt seem to have been lost. [6] On a table next to the bed were some of Weiher's personal effects, including his wallet (with cash), a nickel ring with "Ted" engraved on it, and a gold necklace he also wore. He was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia after being honorably discharged from the army following a drug related incident. In a second more mysterious version, whilst inside the car he heard whistling noises and saw what he thought were a group of men and a woman with a baby, walking in the light of another vehicles headlights. In 1978, in Yuba County California, five young men vanish. How did a murder in a small town with eye witnesses go unsolved for nearly four decades? But then the story takes an even stranger turn. This eventually led to him being diagnosed with schizophrenia and being psychiatrically discharged. 'America's Most Wanted': Behind the most tragic true-crime story ever. Huetts skeletonized remains were found shortly after. 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. Interesting history topics are just a click away. True crime memes: Your strange obsession in a nutshell, 'The Kalief Browder Story': Most insane true-crime show ever. He called to them for help, but they stopped talking and turned their headlights out. The five friends decided to go to a basketball game together to cheer on the UC Davis team. Gary Matthias was one of the five who didnt have a mental disability. [2], Mathias supplemented his Army disability pay by working in his stepfather's gardening business. After the UC Davis team won their game, the five men went to pick up snacks & drinks, Joe Shones, age 55, was having car trouble. Miles away from help, Shones thought he could flag down help. Bizarre as Hell: The Disappearance of the Yuba County Five. In February 1978, five young men drove from Yuba City to Chico to watch a basketball game. 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. Open discussion about the Crime Junkie podcast. Gary was in the army, and while in West Germany, he used drugs heavily. He weighed just 120 pounds at the time of his death. Don't you let me oversleep". The cause of death for Weiher was determined to be hypothermia and starvation. If Mathias went for help, where was his body? However, no trace of him has ever been found. Yet there was evidence that Weiher was not alone in the trailer the whole time. It was reasonable enough that he had seen the men strike out from a car they believed to be stuck, but who was the woman and the child? Madruga's parents said he did not like the cold weather and had never been up into the mountains. At 5:30p.m., about 150 feet (46m) up the road, he, too, had gotten stuck in the snow. "Bizarre as hell" was Beechams summary. No trace of the men was found other than the car. (No, thats not a typo. One of the c-ration cans had been opened with an Army P38 can opener. Egel, B. Schons called for help and the lights turned off and the whistling sounds stopped. The five were on a team for the mentally handicapped called the Gateway Gators, who were set to participate in a week-long tournament sponsored by the Special Olympics. You also receive detailed insights into each investigation with our cutting-edge tools, while our 3D re-creation of profiles elevates your access and knowledge of each story. Joseph spent the rest of the night in his car before walking back down the mountain in the morning. He would later say he saw a group of men, one woman, and a baby. "Not tonight." The turquoise and white 1969 Mercury Montego was located around a 2.5-hour drive from Chico, in the opposite direction from the route they would have been expected to drive home and way up in the mountains in the Plumas National Forest. This book will take you on a harrowing roller coaster ride, full of twists and turns and bizarre outcomes! Joe Shones was having a heart attack. Chico, California. The reason that we bring it up is because there is an incident largely called the American Dyatlov Pass, which is the case of the Yuba County 5. [2], One question was its location, 70 miles (110km) from Chico, far off any direct route to Yuba City or Marysville. On the night of Feb. 24, 1978, five young men with mild intellectual disabilities or psychiatric conditions just . Along the way, he passed a 1969 Mercury Montego, which belonged to the Yuba County 5. When the boy's parents noticed their sons had not come home, the police were called. The autopsy showed that he had died of a combination of starvation and hypothermia. Police records showed he had become violent on occasion and was charged with assault twice. Organized by the Special Olympics, the winning team would receive a free weeklong trip to Los Angeles, and the boys were dead set on winning. Ted Weiher was found in a trailer 19 miles from the car and Madruga, Sterling and Huett were found in the locality but several miles away. How did a fun night out with the boys turn into a death sentence in some remote snowy mountains? As for getting a real answer in the case, we may never know unless someone talks or, maybe, Mathais is found. Accept Read More. [2], Searchers returned to Plumas, following the road between the trailer and the site of the Montego. They were competing to qualify for the paralympics and this next regional tournament would not only get them closer to that goal but closer to winning a week-long trip to Los Angeles. 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. Madruga had never been to Plumas, and a search began. Rockyeah T-shirt best clothing in the world. Why did they abandon the trip to Yuba? Historic Mysteries provides captivating articles on archaeology, history, and unexplained mysteries. This week on Five men attend a basketball game together, only to never be seen again. The Sacramento Bee. A day after search parties were sent out, Madruga and Sterlings bodies were found about 11 miles from the Mercury Montego. Madruga had held on to the keys to the car. [5], The other notable report was from a woman who worked at a store in the small town of Brownsville, 30 miles (48km) from the point where the car had been abandoned, which they would have reached had they continued down the road from where the car had been found. They put out alerts for Matthias and searched nearby psychiatric hospitals to see if maybe he had wandered away from the cabin and ended up hospitalized, but they found nothing. One of the strangest things about Shones encounter was that he said a little he saw a group of five men. [2], Police in Butte and Yuba counties began searching along the route the men took to Chico. But what happened to the fifth? When Shones spotted their abandoned Mercury, the car had been driven roughly 70 miles away from the Chico basketball game. They found no sign of Gary Mathias. 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. 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. 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? [2] The car was unlocked and had a window rolled down when it was found; his family indicated it was unlike him to leave the car so unsecured. The boys had used Madrugas 1969 Mercury Montego to drive to the UC Davis game in Chico, California on February 24, 1978. [3], While he was stationed in West Germany as part of his United States Army service in the early 1970s, Gary Mathias, a native of Yuba City, California, developed drug problems. Any judgement made by the coroner likely came from the body itself at the 'crime scene' or photos of it, and were based on police experience more so than medical expertise. None of them was known to have any business on that part of the mountain. The Sutter County Sheriff's Office is responsible for crime prevention, law enforcement, and criminal investigation in the unincorporated areas of the County and in the City of Live Oak. Jackie Charles Huett, who had a slight droop to the head, was sometimes slow to respond and a loving shadow to Weiher, who looked after Huett in a protective sort of way and would dial the phone for him when Hyett had to make a call. but hadnt been diagnosed as mentally disabled and both he and Gary had served in the U.S. Army and had drivers licenses. Kilka dni pniej ich These five friends were part of a locally sponsored team for the mentally disabled called the Gateway Gators. Why were only four men found, and what happened to the fifth? 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. Mathias's body has never turned up. This week Spencer and Ryan recount the strange Five young men travel to a basketball game and disappear. Shones said he cried for help but got no reply. [5], Inside the car was evidence suggesting the men had been inside it between when they were last seen and when it was abandoned. yuba county five crime scene photos; matt dalton abington ma obituary; abril 20, 2023 . 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. 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. The flashlight was slightly rusted and had been turned off. This case is bizarre as hell, Yuba County undersheriff Jack Beecham told reporters. Around them, police saw nothing but rugged, dense forest, hardly an appealing option for the lightly dressed young men. Weiher was concluded to have died from a mixture of starvation and exposure, but both a heating system and food were readily available. Could be violent to some. Ashley talks about a case that is still unsolved to this day-- the Yuba County Five, also February 24, 1978 Five friends drove 50 miles from their homes in Yuba City California to cheer ** Viewer discretion is advised.
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