Jack Madrugas mother had told reporters, There was some force that made em go up there. There was no reason to mention having seen the Mercury until newspapers began to blare out notices about the five men who had gone missing that Friday. 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? 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. Why didnt they attempt to move the car once it got stuck, instead of walking to nowhere in the middle of the night? The clerk remembers this as it was right before closing, so she was annoyed by having to get a large group checked out before closing and heading home herself. Schons stayed in his car until it ran out of gas, then walked eight miles down to get help, passing Madrugas car on the way. The forest was over 70 miles (112km) northeast of Chico, opposite where the boys needed to go to return home. This case is bizarre as hell. true crime, documentary film | 29K views, 534 likes, 15 loves, 7 comments, 40 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Androidgamerz Gunz: Snapped New Season. But authorities would later realize the biggest story to emerge from that dark, desolate road wasn't his brush with death. Organizing a search party in the midst of winter was no easy task, especially when it meant combing through rough terrain filled with rocky surfaces, wooded paths, and snow-covered slopes. Jack Antone Madruga, a high school graduate, and Army veteran was laid off in November 1977 from his job as a busboy for Sunsweet Growers. As of 2018 the Yuba county coroner was by default the elected Sheriff, and any and all deputized officers may serve as assistant coroner if needed. In 1978, five friends set out for home from a basketball game. The Montego was examined, and the undercarriage had zero dents or scratches, even though the terrain was rough. Weiher was missing his shoes, and investigators found Mathias' own shoes in the nearby woods, suggesting Mathias also survived for some time beyond the last night they were seen alive. These five men were great friends. 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. Huetts skeletonized remains were found shortly after. W 1978 roku grupa przyjaci pojechaa obejrze mecz koszykwki. 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. In February 1978, five young men drove from Yuba City to Chico to watch a basketball game. 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? We know he was in the trailer where he left his shoes, and its assumed he took Weihers, which would have fit his frostbitten feet a bit better, but his remains have not been found after 47 years. Open discussion about the Crime Junkie podcast. [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. 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. 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. Some, including Weihers family say this could have been a result of Weihers mental state and the fact that he sometimes lacked common sense, but others think this is a thin explanation. What Caused The Patomskiy Crater in Siberia? The thought was that Madruga took a wrong turn and kept going straight ahead instead of turning around. 0 coins. Weihers body was wrapped up in sheets on a bed, and his feet were frostbitten and gangrenous. One of the c-ration cans had been opened with an Army P38 can opener. His car had gotten stuck in the snow, and pushing it out by himself brought it on. Mathias had been in the Army, too, but was discharged because of psychiatric problems. Mathias's body has never turned up. He saw a group of men, a woman, and a baby walking together, but they ignored him calling for help. He was driving up the gravel road to his cabin when his car became stuck in the snow and unfortunately, whilst trying to push his car out, he suffered a heart attack. Mathias returned to his parents' home in Yuba City and began treatment at a local mental hospital. He would later say he saw a group of men, one woman, and a baby. The junk food had been consumed, save for one half of a candy bar. They werent the type to stay out very late or make spontaneous plans. They left after it finished and then somehow drove up a mountain into the wilderness and were never seen alive again. Subscribe & Hit That Bell So You Don't Miss A Video! When they opened the door, they were overcome by the odor of what turned out to be a decaying body inside. 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. [9], It also seemed that Weiher had not been alone in the trailer, and that Mathias and possibly Huett had been there with him. When you hear of the Yuba County 5, they tend to be collectively referred to as the boys by those that knew them. Maybe something supernatural did happen to the boys of Americas Dyatlov Pass. Most likely, Madruga and Sterling died of hypothermia about halfway through the long walk to the trailer. In her free time, Bianca enjoys stabilizing dangling modifiers and walking her cat. The boys were so excited about their game that they would not have missed the game unless something had happened to them. It's not perfect, but Dim the lights and strap in for a doozy, folks. Heavy forestry clothing, which could have kept the men warm, also remained where it had been stored. [6], Efforts to search the vicinity were hampered by a severe snowstorm that day. The autopsy showed that he had died of a combination of starvation and hypothermia. This case can be best summarized by then-Yuba County sheriff Jack Beecham who described it as bizarre as hell.. 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! On February 24, 1978, a group of friends from Yuba City in California;Gary Dale Mathias, Jack Madruga, Jackie Huett, Theodore (Ted) Weiher, and William Sterling; set out on a trip to watch a basketball game. Accept Read More. [2], Weiher's body was on a bed with eight sheets wrapped around it, including the head. Why not start a fire for warmth? Is there any crime scene photos of the Yuba County Five? The day after Weiher's body was discovered, searchers found the remains of Madruga and Sterling. Ted Weiher was employed for a while as a janitor and snack bar clerk but quit at the urging of his family, who thought Weiher's slowness was causing problems. 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. An assistant sheriff from Plumas County found a skull the next day, about 100 yards downhill from the rest of the bones which the family dentist used to identify the remains. Shones staggered back in his car while he let the heart attack pass and then wondered what on Earth he would do to get himself out of the mess he was in. Miles away from help, Shones thought he could flag down help. While it had been difficult at firsthe was nearly arrested for assault twice and often experienced psychotic episodes that landed him in a local Veterans Administration hospitalby 1978, Mathias was being treated on an outpatient basis with Stelazine and Cogentin and was considered by his physicians to be "one of our sterling success cases". All rights reserved, Privacy Policy|Online Content Agreement. yuba county five crime scene photosselma times journal shooting. William Lee Sterling, who was Madruga's special friend and deeply religious, would spend hours at the library reading literature to help bring Jesus to patients in mental hospitals. The men wore only light coats against the cool temperatures in the upper Sacramento Valley at night that time of year. But as he drove further into the night, snowdrifts slowed his tires. When Weiher and Sterling didnt come home, their mothers began calling the parents of the others, and soon the police were involved. Find us on Elle Crime and Mo Tibbs comin' in hot with another unsolved crime. He was pretty sick. If youre interested in the Dyatlov Pass that the other name for this case refers to, then you might want to check out the horror movie Devils Pass in which some students try to find out what happened to the Russian hikers who died in Dyatlov Pass. The Willow Glen corridor from Timothy L While scientists today believe that it was likely an avalanche that killed the hikers, others are not quite sure. You see, Shones had been stuck in a snowdrift the night of the boys basketball outing. The plan was for them to watch the game and then come back home to get a good nights rest before their own basketball game the next day. 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. The group's car was left open, with gas in the tank and in working order. These are questions that may never be answered. The Washington Post. [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. Mathias's tennis sneakers were in the trailer, and the C-rations had been opened with a P-38 can opener, with which only Mathias or Madruga would have been familiar from their military service. https://bit.ly/2IJL4EXWant More True Crime? However, in 2017 David Bruckner directed a movie that seems to be largely based on the Yuba County Five. We know good and well that somebody made them do it. While Weihers sister-in-law was quoted saying, They seen something at that game, at the parking lot. ), A night out creeps into true crime territory, The cabin in the woods, a mysterious fate, However, in 2017 David Bruckner directed a movie that seems to be largely based on the Yuba County Five. Enable debug mode to see the reason. 19 miles in heavy snow is quite a hike without proper equipment. In February 1978, five young men headed from their home in Yuba County, California to catch a Yuba County, California. Luego de la desaparicin de los chicos el 25 CrimeDoor is a trusted news resource for those seeking the freshest perspective on cases worldwide. Out in the Cold: Were 4 mentally disabled men set up to die in the California woods? Ted Weiher's sister-in-law has theorized that the men may have seen something take place at the basketball game that prompted someone to chase them. These five friends were part of a locally sponsored team for the mentally disabled called the Gateway Gators. Soon, police found two other corpsesthose of Sterling and Madruga4.5 miles away from Weiher's remains.
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