The Keddie Cabin Murders

In 1979, Glenna "Sue" Sharp and her five children—John, Sheila, Tina, Rick, and Greg—made the courageous decision to leave Connecticut in order to escape an abusive husband/father. They relocated to Quincy, California, where they sought refuge in her brother's trailer.

In her pursuit of stability and providing for her children, Sue took typewriting classes and found a part-time job at the Quincy Elks Lodge. They settled in Keddie, a town that used to be a popular resort but had faced financial difficulties and transformed into affordable housing. The family moved into Cabin 28, which was larger than their previous trailer. Despite living in a remote town with only one road in and out, the Sharps felt optimistic about their improved living situation.

On the evening of April 11th, 1981, two friends of the children, Dana Wingate and Justin, were staying overnight with the Keddie family in Cabin 28.

The next morning, 14-year-old Sheila, who had spent the night at a neighbor's house, came back home to a horrifying sight. She discovered her 36-year-old mother, her 15-year-old brother John, and John's friend, 17-year-old Dana, bound, gagged, and covered in blood in the living room.

The scene was gruesome with blood splattered on the walls, doors, ceiling, and even the porch railing. There were also knife marks on the walls. On the floor, a bloody hammer and a bent steak knife at a 30-degree angle were found.

Sheila, shocked by what she had found, hurriedly went to the Seabolts' house next door, where she had stayed the previous night, to ask for help. Jamie Seabolt, the eldest son, accompanied Sheila back to the Sharp cabin. They peered through the window of Rick and Greg's bedroom and were relieved to see that the boys were safe and sleeping inside.

Jamie assisted Rick (10), Greg (5), and Justin (12) in climbing out of the bedroom window to shield them from witnessing the horrifying blood-soaked crime scene inside the house.

However, Tina Sharp, who was 12 years old, was nowhere to be found in the cabin. Worryingly, her bedding was stained with blood, raising concerns about her safety and whereabouts.

At first, the three boys stated that they had slept through the night and hadn't heard anything unusual, but considering the brutality of the attacks, this seemed unlikely.

Sue Sharp was discovered on the floor, partially undressed from the waist down, but there were no signs of sexual assault. All three victims were gagged and tied up with electrical cords and medical tape. Sue had defensive wounds, suggesting that she had fought against her attackers.

Sue had suffered multiple stab wounds to her chest and neck, along with being struck in the head with the butt of a BB gun. John's throat had been slashed, and his head was brutally beaten with a hammer. Dana, before being manually strangled, had also been repeatedly hit in the head with a hammer.

Investigators concluded that it would have required at least two people to overpower and restrain three individuals. Surprisingly, despite the bloody and chaotic nature of the crime scene, the killers managed to leave no DNA evidence behind. Additionally, there was no forensic evidence indicating that Tina had been present among the victims that night.

Blood-spatter pattern analysis indicated that all three bodies had been moved post-mortem.

Investigation 

When the police interviewed the neighbors of the Sharps, most of them claimed they hadn't heard anything on the previous night. However, the couple residing in Cabin 16 mentioned that they were woken up sometime between 1-2 a.m. by muffled screams.

Some neighbors mentioned seeing an unfamiliar green van parked near Cabin 28 at around 9 p.m. that evening, while others later noticed a brown Datsun with a flat tire. Unfortunately, these leads didn't provide any significant help to the investigation.

The police did not find any signs of forced entry into the cabin. However, they did discover that a toolbox and a second hammer, which were believed to be used as murder weapons, were missing from the scene.

uDuring the early stages of the investigation, Martin Smartt, the stepfather of Justin, emerged as a suspect. Both Martin and his wife, Marilyn, attended the same typewriting class as Sue Sharp and had developed a friendship with her. However, it was alleged that Martin had anger problems, and Marilyn had confided in Sue about his physical abuse towards her. Sue, who had personal experience as a survivor of domestic violence, supposedly advised Marilyn to consider leaving her husband.

There has been speculation that Martin may have murdered Sue as an act of revenge, mistakenly believing that she played a role in the breakup of his marriage.

A friend of Martin's named John "Bo" Boubede, a military veteran suffering from PTSD, had been living with the Smartt family for a while. It was rumored that Bo had feelings for Sue but had been rejected by her on two separate occasions during their brief acquaintance.

Bo, who allegedly had connections to the mob in Chicago, initially informed the police that he and Martin were at a bar between 9:30 and 10 p.m. on the night of the crime. However, he later changed his statement and claimed they were there around midnight.

The investigation uncovered evidence indicating that Martin and Sue had been engaged in an extramarital relationship.

At the beginning of the case, Martin voluntarily mentioned that a claw hammer had been stolen from his garage. This disclosure was made before the public was aware that hammers were used as murder weapons. Several years later, in 2016, a claw hammer matching his description was discovered in a local pond.

Shortly after the murders, Justin, Martin's stepson, came forward and revealed that he had been experiencing nightmares related to the events of that night. This suggested that he may have witnessed certain aspects of what took place. While under hypnosis, Justin provided an account of hearing strange noises and discovering Sue in the living room with two unidentified men.

According to Justin's recollection, John and Dana attempted to assist Sue and fought against the two men. He provided a description of the perpetrators, which the police used to create composite sketches.

According to Justin's account, one of the men had a mustache and short hair, while the other was clean-shaven with long hair. Both individuals were described as wearing glasses.

Composite sketches of the two alleged assailants as described by Justin while under hypnosis

 

After Martin's marriage ended, he moved to Reno, Nevada, and sought counseling. In 1981, his counselor revealed that Martin admitted to killing both Sue and Tina. He claimed it was in revenge for Sue allegedly convincing his wife to leave him. However, Martin denied any involvement in the boys' murders.

The Department of Justice disregarded this claim as unverified information and did not pursue it further.

A letter written by Martin to Marilyn attracted attention, mainly because of one particular line.

 

“I’ve paid the price of your love & now that I’ve bought it with four people’s lives you tell me we are through.”

 

 

The sentence, when considered in isolation, appeared to carry potentially incriminating implications. However, when viewed in the context of the three-page letter, it seemed that Martin was not referring to murder but expressing remorse about sacrificing significant time with his own four children from a previous marriage in order to be with Marilyn and her children.

 

On April 22, 1984, a man who was collecting bottle caps in Feather Falls, located around 100 miles from Keddie, discovered a partial human skull and a jawbone. He promptly reported this finding to the authorities.

At first, investigators thought that the remains might belong to a Native American person. However, their perspective changed when they received an anonymous phone call about the remains. The call, which investigators suspected was intentional and not random, took place on the three-year anniversary of the murders.

 

CALLER: Hello I was watching the news and they were talking about the skull they found at the Feather Falls and they asked for any help.

DISPATCHER: Uh-huh.

CALLER: And I was just wondering if they thought of the murder up in Keddie up in Plumas County a couple years ago where a 12-year-old girl was never found?

 

The anonymous caller strongly suggested that the discovered remains belonged to Tina Sharp, who had been missing for three years at that time.

Subsequently, through DNA analysis, it was confirmed that the remains did indeed belong to Tina Sharp. Unfortunately, the cause of her death could not be determined. During a search conducted in the area, a blue nylon jacket, Levi's jeans, and an empty medical tape dispenser were found.

Disturbingly, the recording of the anonymous call was never presented as evidence and was later discovered at the bottom of a bag.

The identity of the anonymous caller remains unknown, and it is unclear how they were aware that the remains belonged to Tina. 

The caller's identity remains a mystery to this day.

 

Investigation Reopened

 

In a 2008 documentary, Marilyn expressed her belief that both Martin and Bo were responsible for the murders. She alleged that she discovered Tina's bloodstained jacket in the basement following the killings and promptly handed it over to the police. However, there is no official record confirming this. Marilyn also mentioned that Martin harbored strong animosity towards John Sharp.

 

Martin Smartt and Bo Boubede both passed away, with Martin in 2000 and Bo in 1988. However, in 2018, DNA from a piece of tape discovered at the crime scene was matched to an unknown living suspect.

Over the years, the Keddie Resort deteriorated, and in 2004, Cabin 28 was demolished.

 

In 2013, Special Investigator Mike Gamberg and former Plumus County Sheriff Greg Hagwood reopened the Keddie case. They publicly stated that the case was solvable and that crucial mistakes were made during the initial investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and local deputies. These mistakes included unlogged evidence, tampering with the crime scene, and inadequate follow-up on leads.

Gamberg and Hagwood specifically believe that the tape containing the anonymous caller's voice was deliberately concealed to allow a suspect to leave the town without being identified.

The families of the victims, including Sheila Sharp, also hold the belief that there was a cover-up. Sheila stated, "I was informed that the suspects were told to leave town, so to me, that indicates a cover-up."

For Investigator Gamberg, the case was personal since he knew all the victims and had provided martial arts lessons to the boys. Sheriff Hagwood, who was 15 years old at the time, was also acquainted with the victims.

 

According to Gamberg and Hagwood, they believe that there are at least two individuals who are still alive and were accomplices after the fact in the Keddie case. One of these individuals is likely the anonymous caller, who displayed specific knowledge about the fate of Tina Sharp.

Hagwood expressed his belief, saying, "In my opinion, there were more than two people involved in the entire crime, including the disposal of evidence and the abduction of the young girl. We strongly believe that there are several individuals who played such roles and are still alive."

 

Gamberg and Hagwood remain steadfast in their commitment to solving the Keddie murders and bringing closure to the community of Keddie, which has been haunted by the quadruple homicide for more than four decades.

They express confidence that they are now closer than ever to unraveling the case. In recent years, the investigators have conducted DNA testing on the hammer and knife to search for potential DNA evidence, while the FBI has examined the anonymous call for a potential voice match.

Regarding the individuals who are still alive and suspected of involvement, Gamberg asserts, "They should be prepared because we are actively pursuing this. We are continuing our investigation, conducting interviews, and have identified several persons of interest."