The Keddie Cabin murders
Keddie, Plumas County, California · April 11, 1981
Four people were bound and bludgeoned to death in a tiny Sierra Nevada cabin while three children slept unharmed in the next room, and the case remains unsolved more than four decades later.
Overview
On the night of April 11–12, 1981, four people were killed inside Cabin 28 in the small railroad town of Keddie, Plumas County, California: Glenna 'Sue' Sharp, 36; her son John Sharp, 15; John's friend Dana Wingate, 17; and, it was later determined, Sue's 12-year-old daughter Tina Sharp. Sue's 14-year-old daughter Sheila discovered three of the bodies on the morning of April 12 after spending the night at a neighbor's; three younger children in the cabin were unharmed. Tina was missing from the scene, and her remains were found in 1984 near Feather Falls in Butte County. The quadruple homicide remains officially unsolved despite renewed investigation in the 2010s.
Where it stands
The case remains unsolved. Beginning around 2016, the Plumas County Sheriff's Office and special investigator Mike Gamberg publicly reported new developments, including a hammer recovered from a pond near the crime scene in March 2016 and, announced in April 2018, DNA from a strip of medical tape at the scene that investigators said matched a known living suspect; no charges have resulted. Two long-discussed suspects, Martin 'Marty' Smartt and Severin John 'Bo' Boubede, are both deceased (Boubede in 1988, Smartt in 2000). Investigators have said they believe more than two people were involved and that the original 1981 investigation was deeply flawed.
Persons of interest
The theories below are reported strictly as attributed to the cited sources. Naming a person here is not an accusation. Individuals are named only where they are deceased, were formally charged, were officially named by authorities, or have been publicly cleared.
- Martin 'Marty' SmarttDeceased
According to Wikipedia and reporting by Plumas News, Smartt — a neighbor — was named by investigators as one of two original primary suspects; a letter he sent his wife after the murders was later highlighted by investigators. He died in 2000.[1]
- Severin John 'Bo' BoubedeDeceased
Wikipedia and Oxygen True Crime report that Boubede, an acquaintance staying with Smartt at the time, was identified as the second of the two original primary suspects. He died in 1988.[5]
Sources
- Keddie murders
“The Keddie murders are an unsolved quadruple homicide that occurred over the night of April 11–12, 1981, in Keddie, California, United States.”
- Keddie murders revisited part 1: New evidence discovered links living suspect to grisly scene
“DNA taken from a strip of white medical tape consistent with that used to bind the victims' hands and ankles, and to cover the mouth of one victim, has revealed much.”
- Unsolved Mystery of the Keddie Cabin Murders
“Martin "Marty" Smartt (died 2000 from cancer)”
- The 1980's Cold Case Of The Keddie Cabin Murders Is Heating Up
“On April 11, 1981, Sue's 14-year-old daughter, Sheila, spent the night at a friend's cabin, returning home to her own cabin— the now infamous cabin number 28—to discover her mom, one of her brothers (Johnny, 15) and his friend Dana Wingate (17) brutally murdered.”
- The 1980's Cold Case Of The Keddie Cabin Murders Is Heating Up (suspects)
“Back in 1981, Martin Smartt and Severin John Boubede (sound like bow-buh-DAY) were two of the original suspects. While both men have died...”