The Chilling Unsolved Keddie Cabin Quadruple Homicide in Keddie California

The Keddie Cabin murders stand as one of the most perplexing and brutal unsolved crimes in American history. On the night of April 11-12, 1981, a horrific quadruple homicide occurred in Cabin 28 of the Keddie Resort, a small vacation community nestled in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. The brutal slayings of Sue Sharp, her son John, his friend Dana Wingate, and Sue’s youngest daughter Tina have left investigators, journalists, and true crime enthusiasts baffled for decades. Despite numerous investigations, new leads, and modern forensic techniques, the Keddie Cabin murders remain an unsolved cold case with many unanswered questions.

The Setting: Keddie Resort, California

In the early 1980s, Keddie was a quiet, rustic resort town that attracted vacationers seeking a peaceful retreat in the northern California mountains. However, after the gruesome events of April 1981, Keddie became known for a far darker reason. Cabin 28, a modest wooden cabin located near the center of the resort, was the site of the quadruple murder that would shock the small community and the nation.

The Sharp family had moved to Keddie in November 1980. Glenna “Sue” Sharp, a 36-year-old mother of five, had recently separated from her abusive husband and relocated to Keddie from Connecticut, seeking a fresh start. She lived with her children—John (15), Sheila (14), Tina (12), Rick (10), and Greg (5)—in Cabin 28, renting the home in the hope of providing a safe and stable life for her family.

The Night of the Murders: April 11-12, 1981

The tragic events began on the evening of April 11, 1981. Sue Sharp was at home with her two youngest sons, Rick and Greg, and their friend Justin Smartt. John Sharp and his friend Dana Wingate had spent the evening hanging out in nearby Quincy, a neighboring town, and returned home later that night. Sheila, Sue’s 14-year-old daughter, had spent the night at a friend’s house nearby and would become the first person to discover the crime scene the next morning.

Sometime between 9:30 PM on April 11 and the early hours of April 12, an unknown intruder—or intruders—entered Cabin 28 and brutally attacked the occupants. Sue Sharp, John Sharp, and Dana Wingate were viciously beaten, stabbed, and strangled. Tina, the 12-year-old daughter, was missing from the scene, her whereabouts unknown.

The Gruesome Discovery

At around 7 AM on April 12, 1981, Sheila Sharp returned home from her friend’s house to find a scene of unimaginable horror. Entering through the back door, she discovered the bloodied bodies of her mother, her brother John, and Dana Wingate in the cabin’s living room. The scene was chaotic, with signs of a violent struggle. There were bloodstains throughout the room, and the victims had been bludgeoned and stabbed with such force that the weapons—a hammer and a steak knife—were bent.

Sheila immediately ran to a neighboring cabin to alert the Seabolt family, who then contacted law enforcement. Officers from the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office arrived shortly thereafter, but it quickly became apparent that something else was amiss: 12-year-old Tina Sharp was missing from the cabin. A search of the surrounding area yielded no clues to her whereabouts, and investigators feared that she had been abducted by the killer.

The Victims

The four victims of the Keddie murders suffered horrific fates:

• Sue Sharp, the matriarch of the family, was found lying on the living room floor, bound with electrical wire and gagged. She had been stabbed in the chest and neck, and the brutality of her injuries indicated she may have been the primary target of the attack.
• John Sharp, Sue’s 15-year-old son, had been bludgeoned with a hammer and his throat was slit. He was found lying near his mother.
• Dana Wingate, John’s 17-year-old friend, had been beaten with similar force, suffering multiple skull fractures and injuries caused by blunt force trauma.
• Tina Sharp, the youngest daughter, was initially missing from the scene. It wasn’t until 1984—three years after the murders—that her skeletal remains were discovered at Camp Eighteen, about 50 miles away from Keddie, adding another layer of mystery to the case.

The Crime Scene

The crime scene inside Cabin 28 was disturbingly brutal and chaotic. There were clear signs of a violent struggle, and investigators quickly noted that the killings had been especially savage. Blood spatter covered the walls, and the victims were bound with medical tape and electrical cords. A knife and hammer were found at the scene, both of which had been used to inflict fatal injuries on the victims. A bent steak knife was also found, suggesting the extreme force used during the attacks.

One of the strangest details of the crime scene was the fact that the two youngest Sharp boys—Rick and Greg—and their friend Justin Smartt, who had been sleeping in an adjacent bedroom, were unharmed. Despite the brutality of the murders occurring just a few feet away, they claimed to have heard little of the commotion.

Initial Investigation and Police Response

The Plumas County Sheriff’s Office, headed by Sheriff Doug Thomas, took charge of the investigation. However, from the outset, the investigation was plagued with issues. Evidence was reportedly mishandled, crime scene protocol was not strictly followed, and crucial details may have been overlooked in the chaotic early hours of the case.

Despite the horrific nature of the murders, the investigation struggled to find a clear direction. Investigators interviewed multiple people, including neighbors and potential witnesses, but no concrete leads emerged in the immediate aftermath. The lack of forced entry into the cabin led some to speculate that the perpetrator might have been known to the family.

The Role of Justin Smartt and His Unsettling Dreams

Justin Smartt, the friend of Rick and Greg who had slept through the attack, played an unexpected role in the investigation. In the days following the murders, Justin began to recount disturbing dreams and fragments of memory that seemed to suggest he had witnessed parts of the crime. His accounts, however, were inconsistent, and there has been much debate about whether these memories were genuine or whether they were influenced by suggestion from adults around him.

In his statements, Justin described seeing a fight between two men, one with a mustache and the other with long hair. This description bore an eerie resemblance to two men who would later be named as prime suspects: Martin Smartt, Justin’s stepfather, and his friend, John “Bo” Boubede.

Martin Smartt and Bo Boubede: The Prime Suspects

Martin “Marty” Smartt, Justin’s stepfather, quickly became a key suspect in the case. Marty had been living in a nearby cabin at the time of the murders and had a volatile relationship with his wife, Marilyn, who later left him. Bo Boubede, Marty’s close friend, had been staying with the Smartt family around the time of the murders.

There were several troubling details about Marty and Bo. Marty had allegedly expressed anger toward Sue Sharp in the days leading up to the murders, blaming her for advising Marilyn to leave him. Furthermore, both men were known to law enforcement; Bo had a criminal record, and Marty reportedly had a history of violent behavior.

Despite these suspicious circumstances, the investigation into Marty and Bo did not yield definitive results. Both men were interviewed and passed polygraph tests, though polygraph results are not always reliable indicators of guilt or innocence. Marty and Bo later left the Keddie area, with Marty relocating to Reno, Nevada, and Bo passing away shortly afterward.

Tina Sharp’s Remains and the Chilling Discovery in 1984

The mystery of Tina Sharp’s disappearance was partially solved in 1984, when a bottle collector found her skeletal remains near Camp Eighteen, about 50 miles from Keddie. Her skull and several other bones were recovered, but the discovery raised more questions than answers. How and why Tina was taken from the cabin, and how she ended up so far away, remain points of speculation to this day.

The discovery of Tina’s remains was accompanied by an anonymous tip to the Butte County Sheriff’s Office, which added to the eerie and unsettling nature of the case. However, like much of the evidence in the Keddie murders, the lead did not result in any conclusive breakthroughs.

Lingering Theories and Unanswered Questions

The Keddie Cabin murders have generated numerous theories over the years, but none have led to a definitive resolution. Some believe that the crime was a result of personal animosity, perhaps centered around Sue’s involvement in Marilyn Smartt’s decision to leave her husband. Others suggest that the murders were more random, possibly committed by transient criminals or someone with a grudge against the community.

The nature of the attack—its brutality and the fact that multiple weapons were used—has led some to speculate that more than one person was involved. The presence of different types of bindings on the victims has also been interpreted as a sign that multiple attackers participated in the killings.

Recent Developments and Renewed Investigations

In recent years, there has been renewed interest in the Keddie case, particularly with the advancements in forensic technology. In 2013, the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office announced that they were reexamining the evidence using DNA analysis and modern investigative techniques. Sheriff Hagwood, who grew up in Quincy and knew the Sharp family, has made it a personal mission to solve the case.

Despite these efforts, the case remains cold, with no arrests or convictions made. However, investigators continue to follow new leads, and the case remains open, with hopes that new evidence or advances in forensic science may one day provide the answers that have eluded detectives for more than four decades.

Conclusion

The Keddie Cabin murders remain a haunting and perplexing cold case that has left a lasting impact on the small town of Keddie, California. The brutal slayings of Sue Sharp, her children, and their friend Dana Wingate continue to perplex law enforcement and true crime enthusiasts alike. As new evidence and investigative techniques emerge, there remains hope that one day the truth about what happened on that fateful night in April 1981 will finally come to light. Until then, the Keddie murders stand as a tragic reminder of the fragility of life and the enduring quest for justice.

If you have information about the Keddie Cabin murders, you can contact the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office at (530) 283-6360.