10 Things To Know About Unresolved Keddie Cabin Murders

Crime scene of the 1981 Keddie murders, showing victim Sue Sharp. Author; Plumas County Police Department. Wikimedia

10 Things To Know About Unresolved Keddie Cabin Murders

Over the night of April 11-12 1981 in Keddie, California, quadruple homicide took place. Glenna Susan ‘Sue’ Sharp, her daughter Tina Louise Sharp, her son, John Steven Sharp, and John’s friend, Dana Hall Wingate were the victims of the murders.

These quadruple homicides are still unsolved even though they received nationwide attention. Several theories, suspects, and questions have surrounded the unresolved Keddie Cabin Murders.

Glenna Susan had separated from her husband and decided to relocate to northern California. She had relocated alongside her five children and lived in a trailer before relocating to house #28 in the locality.

On the morning of April 12, Sheila, her 14-year-old daughter found the bodies of her family in the living room. That is how the investigations began but the murders still remain to be unresolved for all these years.

Below are the 10 Things To Know About Unresolved Keddie Cabin Murders:

1. Glenna had Separated from her Husband and Relocated

Glenna Susan Sharp was born on 29^th March 1945 in Spring Massachusetts and was married to James Sharp. The two were living in Connecticut for several years and were blessed with children.

However, she separated from James Sharp and decided to move away from Connecticut. Glenna Susan relocated to northern California where her brother, Don, was staying at the time of her moving from Connecticut.

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2. Glenna Susan had 5 Children before her Murder

James Sharp and Glenna Susan were blessed with five children before they parted ways and Sue moved to California near her brother’s home. She did not leave any of her children behind with her dad during her relocation. Her children were 15-year-old John Stephen Sharp, 14-year-old Sheila, 12-year-old daughter Tina, 10-year-old Rick, and 5-year-old Greg.

3. The Family Glenna Lived in a Small Trailer Before Moving to House #28 where they were Murdered

Living room interior of Cabin 28; Keddie crime scene. Author; Plumas County Police Department. Wikimedia

Glenna Susan had decided to move to California where her brother Don was staying. She started by renting a small trailer that was initially occupied by her brother at the Claremont Trailer Village in Quincy.

After the fall, Glenna and her family moved from the small trailer to house #28 which was located in the rural Sierra Nevada railroad town of Keddie. This house was much bigger and available, but this is where Glenna, her two children, and one of her children’s friends lost their lives.

4. Tina had Planned to Sleep with their Neighbours but Returned Home that Night

On 11^th April 1981, Sue, Sheila, and Greg had gone to pick up Rick who was in Quincy. On the way, they met John with his friend who was hitchhiking and had plans to visit friends. After the day’s schedule, Sue returned home.

That evening, Glenna’s daughter, Tina had plans to spend her night with the Seabolt family who lived in house #27. Her mother was at home alongside Rick, Greg, and Justin Smartt, her son’s friend.

At 8 pm, Sheila left home and headed to sleep over at the Seabolts for the first time since they moved into the neighborhood. Tina was made to return home by 10 PM where she was also murdered.

5. Sheila Discovered the Bodies of Sue, John, and Dana in their Living Room

Crime scene of the 1981 Keddie murders, showing victim Sue Sharp. Author; Plumas County Police Department. Wikimedia

Sheila slept over at the Seabolts’ home for the first time which saved her from the brutal murders. At around 7:00 am on April 12^th, Sheila returned home as usual expecting to be welcomed by her family.

However, she discovered the dead bodies of her mother, brother, John, and his friend Dana in the living room. She did not find Tina at the home at the moment. The three bodies were bound using medical tape and electrical cords.

6. The Three Younger Children were not Harmed in an Adjacent Bedroom

What shocked many is how the murders were carried out but not everyone in the home was killed by the assailant(s). After discovering the three dead bodies, Sheila made another discovery in the adjacent bedroom.

Her three siblings, Rick, Greg, and Justin were found not harmed physically in the adjacent bedroom. There were initial reports that the young boys were asleep throughout the incident, but this report was contradicted later.

7. The Unresolved Keddie Cabin Murders were Vicious due to the Weapons Used and the Scene

Crime scene photo showing a knife and hammer suspected to have been used in the Keddie murders. Author; Plumas County Police Department. Wikimedia

The scene of the unresolved Keddie Cabin Murders clearly showed that the killings were vicious. Two bloodied knives alongside a hammer were found at the scene of the murders.

A steak knife which was one of the knives was determined to have been used in the murders due to how bent it was. Blood was spattered all over the house which indicated that Sue, John, and Dana were killed in the living room.

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8. Sue and John Died from Knife Wounds and Dana from Asphyxiation

Glenna Sue was found lying on her side near the living room sofa. She was naked from the waist down and was gagged with a blue bandana and her own underwear, which were taped up on her.

There were clear stab wounds in the chest, horizontally in the throat, with the wound going through her larynx and nicking her spine. Sue also had an imprint on the side of her head that matched the butt of a Daisy 880 Powerline BB/pellet rifle.

The throat of John had been slashed. Dana had multiple head injuries and had been strangled to death by hand. A hammer or hammer struck John and Dana in the head, causing blunt-force trauma.

An autopsy conducted showed that Sue and John died from knife wounds and blunt-force trauma. Dana had died as a result of asphyxiation.

9. The Remains of Tina were Discovered 3 Years after the Murders

The former site of Cabin 28 where a quadruple murder occurred in 1981 in Keddie, California. The cabin was demolished in 2004. Author; 3ternalist01. Wikimedia

The remains of Tina were never recovered at the moment the three other bodies were found. Initially, there were doubts that the authorities were dealing with abduction, but this later changed.

The remains of Tina were found three years, and eleven days after the murders on 22^nd April 1984. A cranium portion of a human skull and part of a mandible was discovered 160 km away from Keddie by a bottle collector.

A forensic pathologist confirmed that they were the remains of Tina in June 1984. Besides the remains of Tina were a blue nylon jacket, a blanket, a pair of Levi Strauss jeans, and an empty medical tape dispenser.

10. Multiple Leads and Suspects were Identified but no Charges were Filed

Composite drawings of possible perpetrators of the Keddie murders. Author; Plumas County Sheriff’s Office. Wikimedia

Investigations began immediately with the FBI helping local authorities to try and solve the murders. There were speculations that the murders might have been motivated by a cultic group or committed by drug addicts.

Several leads and suspects were investigated over the years, but no charges were filed up to this year. In the twenty-first century, several new leads were announced, including the discovery of a hammer in a pond in 2016, as well as announcements about the discovery of new DNA evidence.

The unresolved Keddie Cabin Murders still remain to be one of the most gruesome incidents to ever happen in California. Several people were left hurt by the incident, with the close family hoping that these murders will be solved at some point in life.

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