Ted's feet were also badly frostbitten. Were the group together and then decided to separate after Ted's death to try and find help? Ted apparently had a slow and agonizing death from starvation having lost over half his body weight. Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1978/07/06/5-boys-who-never-come-back/f8b30b11-baeb-4351-89f3-26456a76a4fb/, Lakshmi, S. 2021. Similarly, another shed nearby held a butane tank with a valve that, had it been opened, would have fed the trailer's heating system. Why did the men turn east in the first place? One of these kinds of unsolved mysteries is the case of the Yuba County Five. 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. None of them returned. Joe Shones, age 55, was having car trouble and a mild heart attack. As for getting a real answer in the case, we may never know unless someone talks or, maybe, Mathais is found. Heavy forestry clothing, which could have kept the men warm, also remained where it had been stored. Most likely, Madruga and Sterling died of hypothermia about halfway through the long walk to the trailer. Home. The whole case is weird. The Sacramento Bee. Hoping he could flag down the passerby, he exited his vehicle and began screaming for help. 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. The search teams nearly lost men themselves two days later, as their Snow-cats struggled through the drifts. Madruga had never been to Plumas, and a search began. They were all homebodies for the most part, but one thing they strongly bonded over was sports. Advertisement Coins. 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. christ church at grove farm events; peter magaddino obituary; montana academy student death She loves history, true crime, mythology, and anything strange and unusual. A man called Joseph Schons contacted the police after he heard about the disappearance to say he had seen the men between 11-12 pm on the Friday that the group disappeared. yuba county five crime scene photos. The Disappearance of the Yuba County Five is a tragic story and a puzzling mystery. Their families raised a $2600 reward for information, petitioned psychics, and waited by their phones, but heard nothing. One theory was that the boys may have taken a side trip to visit some friends of Mathiass in a nearby town. Joseph Schons of Sacramento told police he inadvertently wound up spending the night of February 2425 near where the Montego was found. The two cars stopped about 20 feet from him. The Other Titanic? Mathias had been in the Army, too, but was discharged because of psychiatric problems. Its called. When he went back outside to yell into the darkness, no one responded to the sound of his voice. When you hear of the Yuba County 5, they tend to be collectively referred to as the boys by those that knew them. 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. The county sheriffs department began searching for the men. Missing Three Flannan Isles Lighthouse Keepers. . rent to own phones no credit check australia; atherton to herberton rail trail; ark magmasaur smelting; what is tamra judge doing now 2021; average height of lpga golfers; lake thunderbird waterfront homes for sale. Learn more on The Deck Investigates.Now available to binge wherever you get your podcasts. Her academic background has inspired her to share the parts of history not in most textbooks. They lay on opposite sides of the road to the trailer, 11.4 miles from the car. The group's car was left open, with gas in the tank and in working order. 24Yuba County Sheriff's detectives are investigating an attempted homicide that occurred earlier this week in the Oregon House area. skiddaw from latrigg car park 0. Search parties were sent to investigate and more bodies were found. Episode Info Jackie Huett This was puzzling because the cabin had a lot of matches, books for kindling, a butane tank for heat, and heavy forestry clothing. Instead, it looked abandoned. Why did the Yuba City men get lost that night and end up on the mountain? Like Mathias, each man lived with his parents, all of whom referred to them collectively as "the boys". This week on Five men attend a basketball game together, only to never be seen again. 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. The trailer was 19.4 miles away from where the Mercury Montego was found. The Latest - Thursday, Aug. 12: 5:05 p.m. Two of the men, whom she identified as Huett and Sterling, were in a telephone booth outside the store, while the other two went inside. Jake Paul He would later say he saw a group of men, one woman, and a baby. "They wouldn't have fled off in the wood like a bunch of quail. The Mercury Montego was slightly stuck in the snow, but it wasnt anything five healthy young men couldnt have handled pushing out. None of them was known to have any business on that part of the mountain. Weihers body was wrapped up in sheets on a bed, and his feet were frostbitten and gangrenous. Become a member of StrangeOutdoors for exclusive content, See the latest Exclusive members-only articles on StrangeOutdoors.com, Read more strange stories from California, Chris Sylvia (The disturbing Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) disappearances), The Yosemite National Park Sightseer Murders and the two faces of evil, The mysterious disappearance of James J. 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Police believe Mathias and maybe Huett, who they had yet to find, were in the trailer with Weiher. Gary Matthias was one of the five who didn't have a mental disability. [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. 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 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. It was impossible to tell just how long it had been there. It was about an hour away from their homes, but it was a pretty straight shot there and back. They made it to the game, but none of these "boys," as they came to be called, ever returned home.. In one version, whilst he lay in his car, at about 11:30, he saw two sets of headlights coming up behind him - one was a car, and the other a pickup truck. 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. Out in the Cold: Were 4 mentally disabled men set up to die in the California woods? The car was found several thousand feet up in an area above the snow line in a completely different direction. The five friends decided to go to a basketball game together to cheer on the UC Davis team. ), 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. Mar. He made it home safely that night, but when the police found Madrugas Mercury Montego it only left them more confused. April 30, 2023 2:25 PM. [6], Even knowing that four of the five men had died in the Sierra, investigators still could not completely explain what had led to their deaths. but hadnt been diagnosed as mentally disabled and both he and Gary had served in the U.S. Army and had drivers licenses. However, the discovery of the car raised more questions than it answered. Nearly 40 years have passed since the day a Sutter County sheriff's deputy dug . 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. 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. Basketball. 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. Yet there was evidence that Weiher was not alone in the trailer the whole time. Weiher was concluded to have died from a mixture of starvation and exposure, but both a heating system and food were readily available. 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. The keys to the vehicle were gone. Rockyeah T-shirt best clothing in the world. The trailer was 19 miles away from the car. For months and months, they searched for signs of Matthias. In the first part of this double-feature, we discuss the Dyatlov Pass incident of 1959. Why do that unless something more frightening was right behind them? Bill Sterling was 29 years old and intellectually disabled. "Went haywire," is how Bob, his stepfather, put it. - Yuba County Undersheriff Jack Beecham, February 1978 The Yuba County Undersheriff simply could not think of a better choice of words to describe how five grown men, who had attended a basketball game an hour's drive from their homes on a Friday night . Miles away from help, Shones thought he could flag down help. Besides, who knows. Could be violent to some. ", "There was some force that made em go up there." 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. Could they have been searching in the snow and been freaked out by his cars for help in this isolated area? Their names were Ted Weiher, Gary Mathias, Jack Madruga, Jack Huett, and Bill Sterling. The junk food had been consumed, save for one half of a candy bar. In the early morning hours of February 25, Shones made it to the lodge and was able to get medical treatment. When authorities lifted the veil, they found Weiher, his shoes missing and his feet badly frostbitten. They werent the type to stay out very late or make spontaneous plans. Inside the trailer, authorities found heavy clothing, matches, playing cards, books, wooden furniture, and other materials which could have easily been used to start a fire. Four of them would, in the warmer months, be found dead. What had brought them to the middle of nowhere and why had Shones seen them with a woman and a baby? yuba county five crime scene photos; matt dalton abington ma obituary; abril 20, 2023 . How did a murder in a small town with eye witnesses go unsolved for nearly four decades? Our interactive experience takes you through the victims' stories, providing clarity to deepen your knowledge about what happened and why. This cold case is so intriguing because the reason and what exactly happened to the Yuba County Five is still a mystery. Unfortunately, snowstorms caused the search to be closed two days later, but the police asked the public for any information related to the missing Yuba County Five. Gary was in the army, and while in West Germany, he used drugs heavily. He saw a group of men, a woman, and a baby walking together, but they ignored him calling for help. [2][4], The five men's favorite leisure activity was sports. [2], Searchers returned to Plumas, following the road between the trailer and the site of the Montego. The Strange Disappearance of The Yuba County Five An article by: Emily G. Thompson 13th January 2019 5 min read In 1978, five mentally disabled men abandoned their car in the Yuba County wilderness & vanished without a trace. 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. There was never any accounting for their strange decision to turn toward unfamiliar territory. Explore Gaming. The disappearance at Dyatlov Pass is perhaps one of the most famous snowy mysteries the world over. Several paperback booksperfect for fireswere also left untouched. Had the group been abducted and the perpetrator was preventing access to food or was Ted suffering from gangrene caused by frostbite. True crime memes: Your strange obsession in a nutshell, 'The Kalief Browder Story': Most insane true-crime show ever. The Disturbingly Mysterious Disappearance of the Yuba County Boys. Weihers decaying body was found lying on a bed wrapped in eight sheets. This was completely uncharacteristic behavior for the boys. Available at: https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article226777394.html, Gorney, C. 1978. Around nine inches of snow dropped on the upper mountain. "Not tonight." The men did live at home with their respective parents but were independent, and some held jobs. 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. Why was a common question for investigators and the relatives of the men, but no answers were forthcoming. The keys were gone and there was evidence of the boys having stopped at a convenience store for snacks. Sadly, these men were able to cheer on UC Davis, but they never made it to their own basketball match. Updated on: December 14, 2022 / 7:40 AM / CBS San Francisco YUBA COUNTY -- Tennessee state authorities were trying to unravel a possible murder-for-hire plot that led to the shooting deaths of. The car had become stuck in some snow drifts, and there was evidence that the men had tried to spin the wheels to get out of it; police noted that the snow was not so deep that five healthy young men would not have been able to push it out. These five men were great friends. When the game ended at the California State University at around 10 pm, they stopped three blocks away at Behr's Market, mildly annoying the clerk (who was trying to close up), and bought one Hostess cherry pie, one Langendorf lemon pie, one Snickers bar, one Marathon bar, two Pepsis and a quart and a half of milk. Top Image: Police seraching for the Yuba County Five eventually found four bodies, but Gary Mathias, an army vet, has never been found. He was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia after being honorably discharged from the army following a drug related incident. 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. The incident . Miles away from help, Shones thought he could flag down help. Later, he saw more lights from behind him, this time flashlights, that also went out when he called to them. Later, he saw what he believed were flashlights. 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. There was a whole shed full of canned food but it appeared only a dozen had been opened and eaten. An impromptu road trip was definitely out of character. The fireplace looked to have never been lit despite the availability of matches and kindling. The Russian case is as mysterious as the Mathias Group in Californias Plumas National Forest. There was no news for months as the spring snows melted on the mountains. Not only were they stoked to spend a night out, they were also super excited to play in a basketball match themselves the very next day. (No, thats not a typo. "He was either tricked or threatened.". yuba county five crime scene photosselma times journal shooting. [2][4], None of the men were seen alive again after that point. However, in 2017 David Bruckner directed a movie that seems to be largely based on the Yuba County Five. En 1978, un grupo de amigos con diferentes Los 5 de Yuba CIty, El Dyatlov Americano - Parte 2. 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. Many people knew this group of friends around town. But authorities would later realize the biggest story to emerge from that dark, desolate road wasn't his brush with death. Mathiass mental health was brought up as a theory. Four decades later, the fifth man from the car has never been found. However, the police felt that the five men, who were in good health, could have easily pushed the car out of the drift. He weighed just 120 pounds at the time of his death. Find us on Elle Crime and Mo Tibbs comin' in hot with another unsolved crime. No trace of the men was found other than the car. Marduga still had the keys to the Mercury. . A ranger from the Plumas National Forest had told investigators he saw a Mercury Montego parked along one of the roads in the forest on February 25. Mathias, his feet perhaps also swollen from frostbite, could have decided to put Weiher's shoes on instead if he had ventured outside. Shones said he cried for help but got no reply. They were supposed to play a basketball game of their own on February 25, part of a tournament, with a free week in Los Angeles if they won. Hours into his ordeal and with his car still stuck and now out of gas, Shones felt well enough to begin walking down the mountain road and toward a lodge roughly eight miles away. More baffling, Weiher was emaciated. The Yuba County 5 remains one of the most baffling puzzles within the true crime community. They werent missing this game. However, police discovered that Mathias friends hadnt seen or heard from him in over a year. 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. In the process of trying to free it, he realized he was beginning to experience the early symptoms of a heart attack and went back in, keeping the engine running to provide heat. A forest service Snowcat ran up the road to the trailer on February 23rd, leaving a packed path in the snow that the men might have followed. Dyatlov Pass refers to the unsolved deaths of nine hikers in the northern Ural Mountains in the Soviet Union (now Russia) between 1 February and 2 February 1959. 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. The Willow Glen corridor from Timothy L Looking out, he saw a car parked behind him, headlights on, with a group of people around it, one of which seemed to him to be a woman holding a baby. We can't visualize someone getting the upper hand on those five men, but we know it must have been." They would have to have gone east for a long time from Chico, instead of south towards their homes. He had even left a window rolled down, something he would never normally do. Mathias returned to his parents' home in Yuba City and began treatment at a local mental hospital. There was nothing left of him but bones. 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. Along the way, he passed a 1969 Mercury Montego, which belonged to the Yuba County 5. Jack Madruga's mother Mabel says firmly. Based on the length of his beard had grown, the coroner was able to determine that Weiher had lived as long as 13 weeks after he last shaved. In 1978, a Mercury Montego was found abandoned in the Plumas National Forest, and the remains of four men found 20 miles away. They soon started to discover some very strange facts. He was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia after being honorably discharged from the army following a drug related incident. Their families said that when they got together, it was usually to play a game or to watch one. [2][4], On February 25, the Gators were due to play their first game in a weeklong tournament sponsored by the Special Olympics for which the winners would get a free week in Los Angeles. Mathias was a paranoid schizophrenic and did not have his medication with him which would have meant he began hallucinating and might have led the boys from the car in a deluded state. [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 day after Weiher's body was discovered, searchers found the remains of Madruga and Sterling. This week, Carter tells the guys about the strange case of the Yuba County 5. Besides, who knows. Autopsies confirmed their death was caused by hypothermia. These were individual canned, pre-cooked, and prepared meals issued to the U.S. military. It was Weiher who had died under the most mysterious circumstances. When morning came and they had not, the police were notified. [2], Mathias supplemented his Army disability pay by working in his stepfather's gardening business. 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 next day, their car was Five men from Yuba City, California, disappeared in 1978 after a trip to a nearby town. For example, he often asked why he should stop at a stop sign, and one night he had to be dragged out of bed while the ceiling of his bedroom was burning in a house fire because he was afraid he would miss his job if he got up. spencer brown runner letsrun 0. newcastle exhibition beer advert. A Yuba City police photo, left, shows Michael Alexander's backyard during a nighttime search of his family's house on Jan. 25, 2013. They left after it finished and then somehow drove up a mountain into the wilderness and were never seen alive again. Today, we're covering the true crime story of the Yuba County 5. Around 9 a.m. on Monday, a woman suffering from a gunshot wound to the arm walked into the Yuba County Sheriff's Office to report an alleged shooting that had occurred overnight off Begonia Way and Saagennah Trail. The story from here is a little confusing. Since Mathias had presumably not taken his medication, pictures of him were distributed to mental institutions all over California. The wrappers and empty cartons and cans they had purchased in Chico were present, along with programs from the basketball game they had watched and a neatly folded road map of California. [9], It also seemed that Weiher had not been alone in the trailer, and that Mathias and possibly Huett had been there with him. How did five men coming home from a college basketball game travel in the wrong direction and become lost in the woods in the mountains of California? In this episode, Zack tells us about a very creepy one that is available on Netflix. 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. The Strange Disappearance Of The Yuba County 5 - America's Dyatlov Pass Incident From the true crime case The Yuba County Five. Of the group, Gary Mathias had the most severe mental health He was suffering from schizophrenia and was on medication to control his symptoms. Mathiass shoes were found in the trailer, and it looked like the food cans that had been eaten were opened with a military P-38 can opener, which only Madruga or Mathias would know how to operate the device from their time in the army. But as he drove further into the night, snowdrifts slowed his tires. Was it by chance they came across the trailer, or did someone lead them there? [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. Why did Ted Weiher apparently starve to death? He got out of his car to flag them down. He stayed in bed because he was afraid he wouldnt get to work on time if he got up. Kilka dni pniej ich Most of the reports were easily dismissed, but two of the sightings stood out. Mathias, however, could have kept walking after Huett died and was somewhere else. Why did they abandon the trip to Yuba? He was discharged from the army because he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Huetts bones were found not long after. Police believed their bodies had simply given up before they found shelter while Weiher and others marched on.
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