WASHINGTON The mother of late singer Aaron Carter is publicly calling on police to do more to investigate her son's death, accusing authorities of focusing . A 46-mile drive, around one hour. One of the crime scenes from the John Collins murder series. This is a Mopac Audio podcast and is hosted by writer, producer, and podcaster Shannon McGarvey. Shones had gone outside to try to push his car out of the snow. The Yuba County sheriff's office said they wouldn't resume the ground search unless new evidence came forward that indicated that the five men were still in the dense forest. 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. This dark comedy will be available on digital and in select theaters Feb. 12. As mentioned before, they were homebodies. He was pretty sick. [2], Mathias supplemented his Army disability pay by working in his stepfather's gardening business. Shones eventually decided hed have to help himself and hike down the snowy road until he got help. For roughly three days, police had no break in the case, until finally a park ranger noted that he had seen a car matching the description of Madruga's on the night of the 25 th.On February 28, police located the vehicle. (They changed her name to "Dale Harum" in Michigan Murders .) [2], Police in Butte and Yuba counties began searching along the route the men took to Chico. These five friends were part of a locally sponsored team for the mentally disabled called the Gateway Gators. "Not tonight." [2][5], After that, Schons said at first, he recalled a pickup truck parking 20 feet (6m) behind him briefly, and then continuing on down the road. 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. No trace of the men was found other than the car. 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 Prince Andrew fly on Jeffrey Epsteins plane Lolita Express? This proved to be the last time any of them were seen . "Bizarre," says John Thompson, the special agent from the California Department of Justice who had joined the investigation. In 1978, a group of five friends disappeared after attending a college basketball game. The trailer was over 19 miles from the Mercury. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. Weiher was concluded to have died from a mixture of starvation and exposure, but both a heating system and food were readily available. [2] Weiher's family members said that he lacked common sense as a result of his mental disability. The Strange Disappearance Of The Yuba County 5 - America's Dyatlov Pass Incident From the true crime case The Yuba County Five. "Bizarre as hell" was Beechams summary. After his return from Army service in Germany, he would fail to take his drugs and lapse into a disoriented psychosis that usually landed him in a Veterans Administration hospital. These were individual canned, pre-cooked, and prepared meals issued to the U.S. military. [4] Madruga, the only member of the group besides Mathias who had a driver's license, drove the group 50 miles (80km) north to Chico in his turquoise and white 1969 Mercury Montego. This witness told police that he had seen and heard people around the car that night, and twice called for help, only for them to grow silent and turn off their flashlights. Sterling and Madruga, an Army veteran, wereanother set of best friends. If Mathias went for help, where was his body? Since it was locked, they may have believed it was private property, and may have feared arrest for theft if they used anything else they found there. It was February 24, 1978, and Shones was miles from help. They were all homebodies for the most part, but one thing they strongly bonded over was sports. Their favorite? Yet only about 12 cans had been opened, and he had not bothered to turn on the propane tank, which would have provided heat for the entire trailer. [5] Huett's brother said Jack hated using telephones to the point that he would answer calls for Jack whenever he received any from the other men in the group. NOTE: This is an update to my original report found here So while getting pictures together for the page on the Yuba County 5, I stumbled across a Reddit post that had been made 18 days ago. Police were never able to establish evidence for pursuit, but no one could shake the idea that the men seemed to be determined to move forward. They came across a strong stench emanating from some trailers maintained by the Forest Service. There was no sign of the men and no indication of why they had abandoned their operable car. Photo via Pinterest. Four of the Yuba County Five tragically died in the forest. [6], It is assumed that once they found the trailer, the other three broke the window to enter. This week, Georgia and Karen cover the disappearance of the Yuba County Five and the tragic Is there a rational explanation for what happened to the Yuba County Five? [5], Six hours later, lying in the car and experiencing severe pain, he saw headlights coming up behind him. The trailers heating system was never turned on. Thats because they never found it. [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. In this episode, Zack tells us about a very creepy one that is available on Netflix. Why? Hoping he could flag down the passerby, he exited his vehicle and began screaming for help. The vigil is planned for 6 p.m. at Olivehurst Linda Little League field. 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. What had led them there? They appeared to have died from exposure perhaps before reaching the trailer. He was schizophrenic, a condition controlled by medication he hadnt bothered to bring along. All five lived at home with their parents and were bound together by a love of sports. To date, there hasnt been any evidence to contradict him. 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. Mar. A California Highway Patrol officer fatally shot a man in Yuba County after being dragged by a vehicle that crashed through a fence, reports state. Weiher seemingly walked nearly 20 miles to the trailer in frigid conditions, despite having left his coat at home. They made it to the game, but none of these "boys," as they came to be called, ever returned home. . The store owner corroborated her account. The trailer was 19 miles away from the car. Talking to Shones proved even more frustrating. Its players were in their 20s or early 30s and suffered from some form of . For most of them, their fate was to die in snow-capped mountains. A day after search parties were sent out, Madruga and Sterlings bodies were found about 11 miles from the Mercury Montego. The autopsy showed that he had died of a combination of starvation and hypothermia. 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. [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. 1971 Press Photo Bridgeport Covered Bridge S Yuba River Nevada County CA. [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. A woman reported seeing the five men in a red pickup truck on Saturday and Sunday, about an hours drive from the site of their abandoned car. For months and months, they searched for signs of Matthias. It was a man named Joe Shones who alerted them about it. The Yuba County Sheriff's Department said 10-year-old Frankie Rosiles [] ", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yuba_County_Five&oldid=1142230284, 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 1 March 2023, at 06:22. He would later say he saw a group of men, one woman, and a baby. They had reached 4,400 feet (1,300m) in elevation along the road, about where the snow line was at that time of year, just short of where the road was closed for the winter. Sadly, these men were able to cheer on UC Davis, but they never made it to their own basketball match. They continues walking, ignoring him. The evening before, the five decided to make the 50 mile drive to the city of Chico to watch a college basketball game. Joe Shones, age 55, was having car trouble and a mild heart attack. Police have no idea. 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. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1971 Juan Corona arraigned at Yuba City California 9X8 Vintage Press Photo at the best online prices at eBay! Search parties were sent to investigate and more bodies were found. Deputies think that one of them may have given in to the need to sleep that comes with the last stages of hypothermia, while the other stayed by his side and died the same way. At the time, Shones was preoccupied with his own emergency. I think we've finally sorted out our audio issues! He was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia after being honorably discharged from the army following a drug related incident. She owned a store there, where two of the men came in to buy food. On Friday, February 24th, the five men drove about 50 miles north from Yuba to Chico to attend a college basketball game. "They seen something at that game, at the parking lot," says Ted Weiher's sister-in-law. [6], Two days later, as part of one of the other search parties, Jack Huett's father found his son's backbone[2] under a manzanita bush[6] 2 miles (3.2km) northeast of the trailer. Helicopters surveyed the area from above. "They might have seen it and didn't even realize they seen it.". On Tuesday, February 28, authorities found the Mercury on the same mountain road where Shones had last seen it, and where a park ranger had reported its location after hearing the missing persons bulletin. The Yuba County Five were a group of young men from Yuba City, California, with mild intellectual disabilities or psychiatric conditions, who attended a college basketball game at California State University, Chico, on the night of February24, 1978. Several months later, in June, the body of Ted Weiher was found in a trailer with missing shoes and badly frostbitten feet. in which some students try to find out what happened to the Russian hikers who died in Dyatlov Pass. Unfortunately, as he did, he started suffering a heart attack. 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. [6], In an area to the northwest of the trailer, roughly a quarter-mile (400m) from it, searchers found three Forest Service blankets and a rusted flashlight by the road. He had lost almost half his body weight and his feet were badly frostbitten. 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. She relishes raving about her favorite shows and turning peoples drafted darlings into polished finished products. All the drama surrounding the duo. Eventually . There are many questions about this weird case. Most of the reports were easily dismissed, but two of the sightings stood out. On February 24, 1978, five men from the Yuba County, California-area vanished in the wilderness of Northern California. Weihers decaying body was found lying on a bed wrapped in eight sheets. 3 While the ground search was called off, a California Highway Patrol helicopter continued to scour the area from the sky. Why didnt they attempt to move the car once it got stuck, instead of walking to nowhere in the middle of the night? A table by the bed held his nickel ring with "Ted" engraved on it, his gold necklace, his wallet (with cash inside), and a gold Waltham watch, its crystal missing, which the families say had not belonged to any of the five men. ), 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. Madruga had been partially eaten by animals and dragged about 10 feet to a stream: he lay face up, his right hand curled around his watch. The Yuba County Five: Terror on the Mountain - The CrimeWire The Yuba County Five: Terror on the Mountain Kimberly Parr Feb 5, 2023 10:21 PM EST The Plumas National Forest wilderness where five young men vanished in February of 1978. One of the first famous crime scene photos was taken on May 5, 1903, in the home of a Parisian woman named Madame Debeinche who had been murdered. In June of that year, a small group of weekend motorcyclists came across an abandoned forest service trailer on a campground site. Joseph spent the rest of the night in his car before walking back down the mountain in the morning. However, watching the creepy flick will remind anyone familiar with the case of the Yuba County Five of those poor, lost young men. [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. Police and the families never ruled out foul play. He Hello and welcome to your favorite podcast that goes bump in the night. At 5:30p.m., about 150 feet (46m) up the road, he, too, had gotten stuck in the snow. Mathias returned to his parents' home in Yuba City and began treatment at a local mental hospital. But they did. But instead of driving south toward their homes roughly 50 miles away, they inexplicably drove east. Johnny Arismendez was arrested on suspicion of murder and Victor Arismendez for . Police believed their bodies had simply given up before they found shelter while Weiher and others marched on. [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. Have you noticed theres been no mention of Matthiass body? About Us. Along the way, he passed a 1969 Mercury Montego, which belonged to the Yuba County 5. Published: 13:22 BST, 5 February 2019 Updated: 15:52 BST, 6 February 2019 Remains aptly named Corpsewood Manor have been abandoned since the owners were Breaking News in Yuba County is a 2021 American black comedy film directed and co-produced by Tate Taylor, from a screenplay written by Amanda Idoko.The film stars an ensemble cast that includes Allison Janney, Mila Kunis, Awkwafina, Regina Hall, Wanda Sykes, Juliette Lewis, Samira Wiley, Jimmi Simpson, Clifton Collins Jr., Bridget Everett, Dominic Burgess, Keong Sim, Chris Lowell, Matthew . Then Colusa County District Attorney John Poyner authorized needed search warrants for the investigation and said he would prosecute the crime if it occurred in his county. Yuba County, California. The more you learn about this night out-gone-wrong, the more questions youll have. The car was found several thousand feet up in an area above the snow line in a completely different direction. [6], With the evidence not pointing to any clear conclusion about what happened the night the five men disappeared, police and the families were not ruling out the possibility that they had met with foul play. His leather shoes were off and missing. [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. Bianca Myrtil is a writer and freelance editor. At 32, Weiher was the oldest, a former janitor who was closest to the youngest of the group, 24-year-old Huett. Hosted by Shannon McGarvey. This week, Carter tells the guys about the strange case of the Yuba County 5. Several paperback booksperfect for fireswere also left untouched. Miles away from help, Shones thought he could flag down help. Huetts skeletonized remains were found shortly after. In the first part of this double-feature, we discuss the Dyatlov Pass incident of 1959. This week on Loose Units, Four months after the disappearance of the Yuba County Five, the thaw came. They played basketball together on a team called the Gateway Gators. 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. [2], Most puzzling to the investigators was how Weiher had come to his fate. Why did the Yuba City men get lost that night and end up on the mountain? 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. Erin covers the Yuba We're back! The men, panicking, may have believed their car was stuck and that they needed to get help. Turns out I totally missed a book that was published last December full of exclusive new interviews with family . The front window of the trailer had been broken. Mathias's body has never turned up. What puzzled them most was how Weiher was found emaciated, despite the fact that the trailer been stocked with plenty of canned and dried food and a can opener. Well, that part is a little less clear. What had brought them to the middle of nowhere and why had Shones seen them with a woman and a baby? Those kinds of mysteries still pervade the Yuba County Five case, as the men were known to follow patterns rather than deviate from them so drastically and right before a life-changing opportunity. Today, we're covering the true crime story of the Yuba County 5. [2][5], Weiher's mother said ignoring someone's pleas for help was not like her son, if indeed he had been present. As he sat in his car wondering what to do, he noticed two sets of headlights, one belonging to a pickup truck. In the second part of this double-feature, we detail the infamous Yuba County Five, and compare All week, Gary Mathias told his mom "We got a big game Saturday, Don't you let me oversleep." Jack Madruga's mother Mabel says firmly. There was a whole shed full of canned food but it appeared only a dozen had been opened and eaten. "All they had to do was turn that gas on," says Yuba County Lt. Lance Ayers, "and they'd have had gas to the trailer, and heat.". February 24, 1978. When they opened the door, they were overcome by the odor of what turned out to be a decaying body inside. Afterwards, they stopped at a local market for snacks and drinks. The driver had either used astonishing care and precision, the investigators figured, or else he knew the road well enough to anticipate every rut. Their families said that when they got together, it was usually to play a game or to watch one. On Thursday, the New York District Attorney released crime scene photos showing blood spatter and the knife allegedly used by nanny Yoselyn Ortega to kill two young children in her care. They decided to drive to Chico that night to cheer on the UC Davis basketball team in an away game against Chico State. After Weiher died, or after the others thought he had died, they may have decided to try to get back to civilization by different ways, such as walking overland.[6]. The boys parents alerted the authorities after confirming none of them made it home. There are many theories about what could have happened to the five people who went missing in 1978. However, no trace of him has ever been found. 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. Around nine inches of snow dropped on the upper mountain. We know he was in the trailer where he left his shoes, and it's assumed he took Weiher's, which would have fit his frostbitten feet a bit better, but his remains have not been found after 47 years. Valerie Lane and Doris Derryberry [Photo Credit: Yuba County Sheriff's Department] Valerie Lane and Doris Derryberry were two young girls who were murdered by Larry Don Patterson and William Lloyd, and their bodies were found in a wooded area in Yuba County, California, more than 45 years ago. Crime Junkie. On the night of Feb. 24, 1978, five young men with mild intellectual disabilities or psychiatric conditions just . It still remains one of the most baffling cases within the US. $19.99 + $4.99 . 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. The men wore only light coats against the cool temperatures in the upper Sacramento Valley at night that time of year. Melba Madruga, Jack's mother, toldTheWashington Post that she believed "some force" had led the group astray. True crime: This is the terrifying story of the Yuba County Five, Oakland County Child Killer: This unsolved case will give you chills, Los Angeles County is going back to work: Everything you need to know. At the time, he had not considered it significant, since many residents often drove up that road into the Sierra Nevada on winter weekends to go cross-country skiing on the extensive trail system, but after he read the missing persons bulletin, he recognized the car and led the deputies to it on February 28. Some were able to work side jobs, while others couldnt. All five either had slight intellectual disabilities or psychiatric disorders. "And no explanations. Police became aware that Madrugas 1969 Mercury Montego was stranded on the side of a mountain road about 50 miles away from home. They even seemed to be trying to conceal their presence since they momentarily shut off the flashlights they had been shining.