1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:03,760 Speaker 1: Hi everyone, It's me Josh and for this week's Select 2 00:00:03,960 --> 00:00:07,440 Speaker 1: I chose our two thousand eighteen episode on the Mystery 3 00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:10,600 Speaker 1: of the Yuba County Five. I was actually inspired to 4 00:00:10,680 --> 00:00:13,280 Speaker 1: choose this one because I was recently a guest on 5 00:00:13,320 --> 00:00:18,120 Speaker 1: another podcast called The Yuba County Five hosted by Shanon McGarvey. 6 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:21,160 Speaker 1: And it's actually a really fascinating deep dive into this 7 00:00:21,239 --> 00:00:24,800 Speaker 1: long standing mystery, and it expands on and actually does 8 00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:27,080 Speaker 1: a lot of updating on what we talked about in 9 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:30,040 Speaker 1: this episode. So if this one strikes your fancy, go 10 00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:33,640 Speaker 1: check out the Yuba County Five podcast from Mopac Audio. 11 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:36,720 Speaker 1: And in the meantime, I hope you enjoy our episode 12 00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:44,919 Speaker 1: on it. Welcome to Stuff You Should Know, a production 13 00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:54,200 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio. Hey, and welcome to the podcast. 14 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:57,200 Speaker 1: I'm Josh Clark, and there's Charles W Chuck Bryant, and 15 00:00:57,200 --> 00:01:03,600 Speaker 1: there's Jerry over there. So this is stuff you should no. Yes, 16 00:01:03,760 --> 00:01:07,160 Speaker 1: how you doing, Chuck? Do I look tired? Do you 17 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:12,200 Speaker 1: seem a little a little LOGI tired? Man? What's going 18 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:15,399 Speaker 1: on with you? I've just been waking up like too 19 00:01:15,480 --> 00:01:17,960 Speaker 1: early for no reason, going to bed too late though, 20 00:01:17,959 --> 00:01:20,479 Speaker 1: because if you go to bed early and wake up early. 21 00:01:20,520 --> 00:01:26,319 Speaker 1: You're fine, well, going to bed late, sometimes not getting 22 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:28,720 Speaker 1: enough sleep, then going trying to go to bed super 23 00:01:28,760 --> 00:01:32,240 Speaker 1: early to make up for it. But I don't know 24 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:34,480 Speaker 1: about this making up for a sleep depisode. I don't 25 00:01:34,480 --> 00:01:36,440 Speaker 1: buy all that. I feel like we talked about it 26 00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:40,280 Speaker 1: before that there's that that that doesn't actually work. Yeah, 27 00:01:40,280 --> 00:01:43,440 Speaker 1: I'm just tired, that's all I can say. Sorry, man, Sorry, 28 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:46,760 Speaker 1: I'll live all right. I'm glad we killed some time 29 00:01:46,800 --> 00:01:50,400 Speaker 1: before we got into this very mysterious sad story. It's 30 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:53,400 Speaker 1: a good one, though, isn't it. It is extraordinarily sad, 31 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:56,800 Speaker 1: probably the saddest true well, I don't know it's up 32 00:01:56,880 --> 00:02:00,200 Speaker 1: there as far as true life true crime. Disappeared his 33 00:02:00,280 --> 00:02:05,960 Speaker 1: go um, and it's the one about Gary Matthias. That's 34 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:08,720 Speaker 1: what they call it. They call it the Gary Matthias disappearance. 35 00:02:08,720 --> 00:02:10,840 Speaker 1: But that really doesn't do it much justice, or it 36 00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:14,000 Speaker 1: doesn't serve it well, because it was a lot more 37 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:17,079 Speaker 1: than Gary Matthias involved. Yeah, I've seen it more so 38 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:21,520 Speaker 1: called the Uba County five. But you know, I guess 39 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:23,400 Speaker 1: it just depends on where you're looking. I had not 40 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:26,280 Speaker 1: run across that. Oh yeah, Oh god, that makes me, 41 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:29,440 Speaker 1: wonder what all stuff I missed? Well, you know there 42 00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:34,200 Speaker 1: were five guys, what so, No, there actually were five guys. 43 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:37,839 Speaker 1: There were five friends. Um, Gary Matthias was one of them, 44 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:41,640 Speaker 1: and there were four others. There was Ted Weir who 45 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:45,640 Speaker 1: was the oldest, he was thirty two. There was Jackie 46 00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:49,280 Speaker 1: Hewitt he was the youngest, he was twenty four. There 47 00:02:49,520 --> 00:02:53,640 Speaker 1: was Jack Madruga. I'm not sure what Ah was, but 48 00:02:53,720 --> 00:02:56,079 Speaker 1: he was definitely between twenty four and thirty two. I'll 49 00:02:56,120 --> 00:03:00,680 Speaker 1: tell you Bill Sterling. And then again Gary are Matthias 50 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:03,040 Speaker 1: And those five guys were a set of friends and 51 00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:09,959 Speaker 1: they met at the Yuba City UH Vocational Rehabilitation Center 52 00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:14,280 Speaker 1: for the what you would call today UM cognitively impaired 53 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:20,320 Speaker 1: or cognitively challenged. Yeah, because three of these guys, UM. 54 00:03:20,360 --> 00:03:23,240 Speaker 1: Of course, this one article you have from nine seventy 55 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:26,960 Speaker 1: eight doesn't use appropriate terms anymore. But three of these 56 00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:33,120 Speaker 1: guys were intellectually disabled UM or developmentally disabled. Not an 57 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:35,440 Speaker 1: exact like it's kind of hard to get an exact 58 00:03:35,480 --> 00:03:42,160 Speaker 1: DIA diagnosis from these terms, really, but h. Madruga was undiagnosed. 59 00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:46,080 Speaker 1: But according to his mom, uh, he was generally thought 60 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:49,960 Speaker 1: of as she said, as quote slow end quote. And 61 00:03:49,960 --> 00:03:55,880 Speaker 1: then Matthias was the only one not diagnosed with a 62 00:03:55,920 --> 00:04:01,600 Speaker 1: developmental disability, but he was under drug treatment for schizophrenia. Right, 63 00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:05,160 Speaker 1: So all five of these guys had some sort of 64 00:04:05,200 --> 00:04:07,800 Speaker 1: challenge going on in their life, right, exactly. So, so 65 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:09,560 Speaker 1: there's a lot of details you can kind of glean 66 00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:13,520 Speaker 1: because you're absolutely right, Like reading the really great Washington 67 00:04:13,680 --> 00:04:17,080 Speaker 1: Post article, which is basically the comprehensive document on the 68 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:23,600 Speaker 1: case from UM, you can kind of glean uh an 69 00:04:23,640 --> 00:04:26,719 Speaker 1: idea picture of these guys. So they're just five friends, 70 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:31,280 Speaker 1: thickest thieves. Even within this this tight little group of friends, 71 00:04:31,320 --> 00:04:36,320 Speaker 1: there's subgroups of even tighter friends like um Ted Weir 72 00:04:36,640 --> 00:04:41,039 Speaker 1: and Jackie Hewitt were particularly close, and Bill Sterling and 73 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:44,760 Speaker 1: Jack Madrugo were particularly close. Um. They had like they 74 00:04:44,760 --> 00:04:47,560 Speaker 1: were just these these five guys known as the Boys, right. 75 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:50,480 Speaker 1: They all lived at home with their parents. They were 76 00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:52,400 Speaker 1: always going to live at home with their parents. It 77 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:56,760 Speaker 1: was just what what the plan was, um, Like I 78 00:04:56,800 --> 00:05:03,560 Speaker 1: think Ted ted Weir had a had a job, um 79 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:05,599 Speaker 1: as a janitor and then later on as a snack 80 00:05:05,640 --> 00:05:11,560 Speaker 1: bar clerk. Um. Basketball, Yeah, that was another one, and 81 00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:14,160 Speaker 1: they actually all played together on the basketball team for 82 00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:16,840 Speaker 1: the Vocational Rehab Center, basically like their hang out, the 83 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:19,719 Speaker 1: place where they hung out. They played basketball on that team. 84 00:05:19,960 --> 00:05:23,479 Speaker 1: But um Jack madrew God's worth saying head a driver's license, 85 00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:25,919 Speaker 1: whereas three of the other ones didn't, although Gary Mathias 86 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:28,679 Speaker 1: did as well. So these guys, they just they were friends. 87 00:05:28,720 --> 00:05:34,160 Speaker 1: They like had a tight kinship together. They had very normal, 88 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:39,680 Speaker 1: reliable lives that were basically home centric, and when they 89 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:42,800 Speaker 1: were out doing stuff, you could expect them home for 90 00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:46,000 Speaker 1: dinner kind of thing, like it was just a given. Yeah, 91 00:05:46,040 --> 00:05:48,680 Speaker 1: I think that's that's super worth pointing out here. Early on, 92 00:05:48,800 --> 00:05:51,679 Speaker 1: as they saw them more than one place, they said 93 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:56,400 Speaker 1: they referred to their lives as very predictable and scheduled, 94 00:05:57,600 --> 00:06:02,159 Speaker 1: which is why this interesting. The events that occurred on 95 00:06:02,200 --> 00:06:06,480 Speaker 1: February nineteen seventy eight were very very unusual. Right, So 96 00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:10,800 Speaker 1: on February eight, the boys that's what their families all 97 00:06:10,800 --> 00:06:13,560 Speaker 1: call them, because apparently all their families were at least 98 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:16,120 Speaker 1: in touch, if not friendly, with another. Yeah, I think 99 00:06:16,120 --> 00:06:18,440 Speaker 1: they kind of supported one another. It sounds like as 100 00:06:18,480 --> 00:06:22,400 Speaker 1: much as anyone did in ninety eight. Uh So, on 101 00:06:22,520 --> 00:06:26,680 Speaker 1: this night, February twenty four, there was a Friday night. Um, 102 00:06:27,040 --> 00:06:31,520 Speaker 1: the boys left their homes around Maryville and Ubis City 103 00:06:31,560 --> 00:06:35,760 Speaker 1: in California, and they traveled I think about fifty miles 104 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:39,719 Speaker 1: north to cal State Chico which is now called Chico 105 00:06:39,800 --> 00:06:42,760 Speaker 1: State University, and they went to go see their team. 106 00:06:42,800 --> 00:06:45,560 Speaker 1: The cal State l A team beat up on cal 107 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:48,920 Speaker 1: State Chico and cal State l A actually eighty four, 108 00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:52,600 Speaker 1: which would have pleased the boys tremendously. So they went 109 00:06:52,640 --> 00:06:54,800 Speaker 1: to the game. That much is known, and then they 110 00:06:54,880 --> 00:06:57,600 Speaker 1: left the game. That much is known too, because around 111 00:06:57,600 --> 00:06:59,359 Speaker 1: ten o'clock when they left the game, they went to 112 00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:03,760 Speaker 1: a convenience store called Bear's Market and they bought some stuff. Yeah, 113 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:06,440 Speaker 1: apparently that they were trying to kind of close up, 114 00:07:06,440 --> 00:07:08,680 Speaker 1: and so the clerk was a little bit annoyed that 115 00:07:08,680 --> 00:07:10,920 Speaker 1: they showed up. And these are the kind of details 116 00:07:10,920 --> 00:07:14,200 Speaker 1: that aren't so important, but it just shows that, you know, 117 00:07:15,280 --> 00:07:19,600 Speaker 1: they really did their investigating pretty thoroughly, including well, we'll 118 00:07:19,600 --> 00:07:22,040 Speaker 1: we'll get to sort of the the lead investigator in 119 00:07:22,040 --> 00:07:25,000 Speaker 1: a minute. But yeah, they bought just a few things. 120 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:29,080 Speaker 1: They bought a Hostess cherry pie, um, a Langendorf lemon pie, 121 00:07:29,200 --> 00:07:33,280 Speaker 1: snickers bar, a Marathon bar, a couple of pepsis, and 122 00:07:33,400 --> 00:07:36,280 Speaker 1: a court and a half of milk, which is to say, 123 00:07:36,920 --> 00:07:39,680 Speaker 1: it's not like they were stocking up on food. They 124 00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:44,920 Speaker 1: just got some uh some some snacks, right exactly for 125 00:07:44,760 --> 00:07:48,880 Speaker 1: the drive back home fifty fifty miles about an hour. Yeah. 126 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:53,679 Speaker 1: The thing is is they they would have been fully 127 00:07:53,680 --> 00:07:56,760 Speaker 1: expected back home, not just because there was you know, 128 00:07:56,920 --> 00:07:59,880 Speaker 1: this was it wasn't like any of them to spend 129 00:07:59,880 --> 00:08:03,440 Speaker 1: the night away, right except Matthias. He he had friends 130 00:08:03,440 --> 00:08:06,120 Speaker 1: and he would stay out with friends sometimes. But um, 131 00:08:06,320 --> 00:08:09,160 Speaker 1: the other four like they slipped in their bed at 132 00:08:09,200 --> 00:08:12,080 Speaker 1: home every night. That's just what they did. So their 133 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:15,440 Speaker 1: families fully expected them to come back. Um. And another 134 00:08:15,480 --> 00:08:17,840 Speaker 1: reason why they expected them to come back was because 135 00:08:17,880 --> 00:08:21,080 Speaker 1: the next day, Saturday, they had a basketball game for 136 00:08:21,120 --> 00:08:25,760 Speaker 1: their vocational rehab team, the Gateway Gators, and they they 137 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:29,880 Speaker 1: apparently were all extraordinarily excited about this game. Yeah, which 138 00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:32,920 Speaker 1: again is just another point being made that there was 139 00:08:33,280 --> 00:08:36,640 Speaker 1: these guys had every intention on coming home super excited 140 00:08:36,640 --> 00:08:40,240 Speaker 1: about the game. I think Matthias even was kind of 141 00:08:40,320 --> 00:08:43,800 Speaker 1: driving his mom a little batty, saying, you know, don't 142 00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:47,280 Speaker 1: let me oversleep. Got this big game. Apparently the guys 143 00:08:47,280 --> 00:08:50,120 Speaker 1: had their clothes laid out. Uh, and they were all 144 00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:53,520 Speaker 1: super excited about this basketball game. Uh. And then they 145 00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:57,120 Speaker 1: don't come home, and you know, these parents and grandparents 146 00:08:57,120 --> 00:08:59,360 Speaker 1: start waking up at various points in the middle of 147 00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:01,680 Speaker 1: the night or in the morning and start getting in 148 00:09:01,679 --> 00:09:05,120 Speaker 1: touch with one another, you know, all verifying like your 149 00:09:05,160 --> 00:09:07,880 Speaker 1: kids not there, your your kids not there. And they 150 00:09:07,960 --> 00:09:10,560 Speaker 1: started to freak out. And by eight o'clock that evening, 151 00:09:10,960 --> 00:09:15,840 Speaker 1: I believe the mother of Madruga actually finally called the cops. Yeah, 152 00:09:15,880 --> 00:09:19,160 Speaker 1: and the cops, um, we're kind of I don't have 153 00:09:19,200 --> 00:09:21,160 Speaker 1: the impression that they were like, well this is I'm sure, 154 00:09:21,200 --> 00:09:23,319 Speaker 1: this is fine. I think they got involved pretty early on. 155 00:09:24,080 --> 00:09:27,760 Speaker 1: But things really picked up when I think on a Tuesday, 156 00:09:27,840 --> 00:09:30,440 Speaker 1: that was that was Saturday night that they finally called 157 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:35,160 Speaker 1: the cops. And on Tuesday, Uh, Jack Madruga's car was discovered, 158 00:09:35,520 --> 00:09:39,320 Speaker 1: and it was discovered in a very very unusual place, right, Yeah, 159 00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:43,439 Speaker 1: what was this thing in old Mercury, Montego Yeah, sixty 160 00:09:43,520 --> 00:09:47,640 Speaker 1: nine Montego a land yacht is what it was. And 161 00:09:47,679 --> 00:09:50,160 Speaker 1: they found it. Um. And this was, by the way, 162 00:09:50,200 --> 00:09:54,120 Speaker 1: this is Jack Madruga's prized possession. Like no one else 163 00:09:54,200 --> 00:09:57,720 Speaker 1: drove the thing. He took pristine care of it. It 164 00:09:57,800 --> 00:10:00,600 Speaker 1: was like his baby. His car was right, So to 165 00:10:00,640 --> 00:10:03,840 Speaker 1: find it abandoned with the window one of the windows 166 00:10:03,920 --> 00:10:08,320 Speaker 1: rolled down up a mountain road, which was, um, I think, 167 00:10:08,440 --> 00:10:13,120 Speaker 1: seventy miles away from the basketball game, in a different 168 00:10:13,160 --> 00:10:16,320 Speaker 1: direction away from their house. Right, so the basketball game 169 00:10:16,360 --> 00:10:20,840 Speaker 1: was north of their homes. This was east of southeast 170 00:10:20,880 --> 00:10:23,880 Speaker 1: of the basketball game and up a mountain road. It 171 00:10:23,960 --> 00:10:27,480 Speaker 1: was extremely bizarre and also I'm sure quite worrying. When 172 00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:30,360 Speaker 1: the families were already worried, I think finding this car 173 00:10:30,440 --> 00:10:33,920 Speaker 1: like this probably really set them into panic mode. Well yeah, 174 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:36,959 Speaker 1: and here's where, uh in this article is very clear 175 00:10:36,960 --> 00:10:39,840 Speaker 1: to say from that point on, nothing made any kind 176 00:10:39,880 --> 00:10:42,640 Speaker 1: of sense. So here's a few things about the car 177 00:10:42,760 --> 00:10:47,040 Speaker 1: that definitely don't add up. You might think, all right, there, 178 00:10:47,080 --> 00:10:50,080 Speaker 1: you know, there was a snowstorm, so they drove up 179 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:53,440 Speaker 1: here and they got stuck. Apparently that is not true. 180 00:10:53,480 --> 00:10:56,319 Speaker 1: The car stopped at about the snow line, and they 181 00:10:56,320 --> 00:10:58,600 Speaker 1: said they did confirm that the wheels had spun some, 182 00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:02,120 Speaker 1: but the car wasn't stuck, and these five dudes could 183 00:11:02,120 --> 00:11:05,760 Speaker 1: have pushed it free pretty easily. Apparently, right, this thing 184 00:11:05,880 --> 00:11:08,400 Speaker 1: number one, thing number two is that it had a 185 00:11:08,480 --> 00:11:10,640 Speaker 1: quarter tank of gas still, so they didn't run out 186 00:11:10,640 --> 00:11:13,600 Speaker 1: of gas. Right then when the cops hot wired the car, 187 00:11:13,640 --> 00:11:16,440 Speaker 1: the keys were gone. Uh. And when the cops heartwired 188 00:11:16,480 --> 00:11:19,360 Speaker 1: the cars started up immediately. There wasn't any engine trouble 189 00:11:19,480 --> 00:11:22,480 Speaker 1: or anything like that. Yeah. The last thing they found 190 00:11:22,480 --> 00:11:27,079 Speaker 1: were all these maps of California and um, so it's 191 00:11:27,120 --> 00:11:29,240 Speaker 1: not like they had no way of knowing where they were. 192 00:11:30,120 --> 00:11:31,800 Speaker 1: And then they found all the you know, all the 193 00:11:31,840 --> 00:11:36,400 Speaker 1: rappers from the food items. Uh. The only thing, ironically 194 00:11:36,800 --> 00:11:40,880 Speaker 1: that wasn't fully eaten was the marathon bar um, living 195 00:11:40,920 --> 00:11:44,880 Speaker 1: up to his reputation. Right. See, I guess the toughest 196 00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:47,440 Speaker 1: candy bar to get through. Yeah, that's that's how they 197 00:11:47,480 --> 00:11:50,679 Speaker 1: build it, some weird cartoon cowboy. Yeah, so you know, 198 00:11:50,960 --> 00:11:53,640 Speaker 1: that's the deal. The underside of the car wasn't damaged, 199 00:11:54,120 --> 00:11:57,840 Speaker 1: which they say was pretty interesting because on this road, 200 00:11:57,840 --> 00:12:00,360 Speaker 1: apparently there were a lot of deep, deep ruts. This 201 00:12:00,440 --> 00:12:03,120 Speaker 1: thing kind of hangs low anyway, has a low hanging muffler, 202 00:12:03,600 --> 00:12:07,360 Speaker 1: has these five dudes inside, these grown men. Uh. And 203 00:12:07,640 --> 00:12:10,080 Speaker 1: there was no damage under the underside of this car, 204 00:12:10,200 --> 00:12:12,640 Speaker 1: which means, you know a couple of things. If you 205 00:12:12,720 --> 00:12:15,640 Speaker 1: kind of are surmising, which is the either the driver 206 00:12:15,880 --> 00:12:18,920 Speaker 1: kind of knew where they were going and drove through 207 00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:22,280 Speaker 1: the darkness with a lot of precision, or they just 208 00:12:22,440 --> 00:12:26,240 Speaker 1: maybe drew drove really slow. Yeah, I think it was 209 00:12:26,320 --> 00:12:30,280 Speaker 1: the ladder because I think Madruga did was probably would 210 00:12:30,320 --> 00:12:32,559 Speaker 1: have been very unhappy that his car was on this 211 00:12:32,679 --> 00:12:34,920 Speaker 1: road now. So I just took it slow and took 212 00:12:34,920 --> 00:12:37,080 Speaker 1: it super slow. I saw somewhere that there wasn't even 213 00:12:37,120 --> 00:12:40,439 Speaker 1: a large mud spot on it. It was they had 214 00:12:40,440 --> 00:12:44,800 Speaker 1: taken it that easy. Yeah, And apparently Madruga uh didn't 215 00:12:44,840 --> 00:12:46,960 Speaker 1: like the cold, he didn't like camping, so he wouldn't 216 00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:49,040 Speaker 1: have known that road. It's not like there's a lot 217 00:12:49,120 --> 00:12:52,839 Speaker 1: else to do up there but that, right, And evidently, uh, 218 00:12:53,120 --> 00:12:56,680 Speaker 1: none of the boys were big into outdoorsy type stuff. 219 00:12:57,360 --> 00:13:00,800 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, that's a really good point, Chuck. So like 220 00:13:00,880 --> 00:13:03,240 Speaker 1: that none of them had any connection to that, to 221 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:06,200 Speaker 1: that area, and certainly not to that mountain. One of them, 222 00:13:06,640 --> 00:13:11,080 Speaker 1: I think Sterling, Bill Sterling had been had gone camping 223 00:13:11,080 --> 00:13:14,240 Speaker 1: with his family there eight years before. Yeah, and he 224 00:13:14,320 --> 00:13:16,800 Speaker 1: didn't even like I think they went back again and 225 00:13:16,840 --> 00:13:18,520 Speaker 1: he was like, no, I don't want to go right, 226 00:13:18,559 --> 00:13:21,080 Speaker 1: So he didn't like the outdoors, he didn't like the cold. 227 00:13:21,240 --> 00:13:25,520 Speaker 1: And then I think ted uh Ted Weir had gone 228 00:13:25,720 --> 00:13:29,560 Speaker 1: deer hunting or something once with friends way west of 229 00:13:29,600 --> 00:13:32,680 Speaker 1: the area. Um but still, I mean enough that you 230 00:13:32,679 --> 00:13:34,520 Speaker 1: could that was it was a lead that the cops 231 00:13:34,559 --> 00:13:37,480 Speaker 1: were to chase down. Um. But but then too, he 232 00:13:37,520 --> 00:13:40,079 Speaker 1: didn't enjoy himself and he didn't like the woods either, 233 00:13:40,160 --> 00:13:43,480 Speaker 1: So there was no let's go hang out in the 234 00:13:43,520 --> 00:13:46,800 Speaker 1: woods kind of thing going on here. Just everything about 235 00:13:46,840 --> 00:13:48,920 Speaker 1: the fact that they found this car and where they 236 00:13:48,920 --> 00:13:50,600 Speaker 1: found it, in the state they found it in was 237 00:13:51,080 --> 00:13:54,000 Speaker 1: really bizarre and really worrying. Should we take a break? 238 00:13:54,160 --> 00:13:56,000 Speaker 1: I think we should. Man, all right, you and I 239 00:13:56,040 --> 00:13:58,640 Speaker 1: are going to go hang out in the woods and 240 00:13:58,679 --> 00:14:25,480 Speaker 1: we'll be back right up to this. So I've never 241 00:14:25,520 --> 00:14:28,720 Speaker 1: swept the woods before. That was really interesting, right, It's 242 00:14:28,800 --> 00:14:33,200 Speaker 1: not spick and span out here. So um, So they 243 00:14:33,200 --> 00:14:35,800 Speaker 1: find the car, and when they find the car, Chuck. 244 00:14:35,840 --> 00:14:39,280 Speaker 1: I think it was the next night after they had 245 00:14:39,360 --> 00:14:43,000 Speaker 1: gone missing, a storm blew into the area and it 246 00:14:43,120 --> 00:14:45,680 Speaker 1: dumped like almost a foot of snow on the mountain. 247 00:14:45,720 --> 00:14:49,440 Speaker 1: This is February in the mountains in California. UM, I 248 00:14:49,440 --> 00:14:53,480 Speaker 1: would guess the Sierras, is what it sounds like, right, So, yeah, 249 00:14:53,600 --> 00:14:57,120 Speaker 1: Cheek is in the Chicos, in the Sierra Nevadas. I 250 00:14:57,120 --> 00:15:01,320 Speaker 1: think it's north of Sacramento. So it would be very 251 00:15:01,440 --> 00:15:03,680 Speaker 1: very cold and the snow would be pretty tough to 252 00:15:03,680 --> 00:15:07,520 Speaker 1: get through. Um So, but they still tried. They got 253 00:15:07,640 --> 00:15:10,880 Speaker 1: guys on horseback, they got helicopters out, they looked for him, 254 00:15:10,920 --> 00:15:16,160 Speaker 1: but they found nothing. They found not one bit of 255 00:15:16,160 --> 00:15:18,600 Speaker 1: of um and not a single trace of these guys 256 00:15:18,640 --> 00:15:21,120 Speaker 1: after just the car and that was it. Yeah, the 257 00:15:21,120 --> 00:15:24,720 Speaker 1: snow certainly didn't help anything because it would not be 258 00:15:24,800 --> 00:15:28,280 Speaker 1: until June. On June four, after this thing, you know, 259 00:15:28,360 --> 00:15:32,480 Speaker 1: the mountain faws out somewhat when these uh Sunday you 260 00:15:32,520 --> 00:15:35,600 Speaker 1: know motorcycle bikers, they'll go right around the mountains. They 261 00:15:35,600 --> 00:15:39,760 Speaker 1: went into an old Forest service trailer camp at the 262 00:15:39,840 --> 00:15:43,600 Speaker 1: end of a road and said, do you smell something 263 00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:48,000 Speaker 1: that smells like perhaps a dead body, And sadly it 264 00:15:48,120 --> 00:15:52,080 Speaker 1: was Ted Weir. And this is where things get even stranger. Yeah, 265 00:15:52,320 --> 00:15:55,120 Speaker 1: so the I think the trailer caught their attention, but 266 00:15:55,160 --> 00:15:57,680 Speaker 1: what caught their attention even further was that a window 267 00:15:57,720 --> 00:16:01,320 Speaker 1: had been broken to get into the trailer and then yeah, 268 00:16:01,360 --> 00:16:03,480 Speaker 1: like you said, what really called their attention was the 269 00:16:03,520 --> 00:16:06,960 Speaker 1: smell in the sight of of ted weirds decomposing body. 270 00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:09,600 Speaker 1: But what got what made it very, very weird is 271 00:16:09,680 --> 00:16:13,720 Speaker 1: one he's wrapped in sheets tucked under his head in 272 00:16:13,760 --> 00:16:16,440 Speaker 1: a way that like he couldn't have possibly tucked himself. 273 00:16:16,440 --> 00:16:19,960 Speaker 1: So somebody had tucked him in like that and he 274 00:16:20,400 --> 00:16:24,320 Speaker 1: ted weird been a portly fellow. Um. Cynthia Gorney, who 275 00:16:24,320 --> 00:16:27,440 Speaker 1: wrote the Washington Post article on this this case in 276 00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:33,000 Speaker 1: calls him, um, beer belly handsome, which I've never heard 277 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:35,520 Speaker 1: those words put together in my entire life. I think 278 00:16:35,560 --> 00:16:39,760 Speaker 1: that's what I am. Sure, sure i'd call you beer 279 00:16:39,800 --> 00:16:43,440 Speaker 1: belly foxy. Okay, okay, so um, but he was beer 280 00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:45,120 Speaker 1: belly hands he was. He was a thick guy. He's 281 00:16:45,160 --> 00:16:47,400 Speaker 1: like five ten, two hundred pounds. He had a few 282 00:16:47,440 --> 00:16:50,320 Speaker 1: extra pounds on him right when they found him, though, 283 00:16:50,760 --> 00:16:54,560 Speaker 1: he weighed about a hundred and twenty a hundred to 284 00:16:54,680 --> 00:16:57,960 Speaker 1: a hundred and twenty pounds, which means that between the 285 00:16:57,960 --> 00:17:01,360 Speaker 1: time that they went missing and the time that he died, 286 00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:05,720 Speaker 1: he'd lost anywhere between eighty and a hundred pounds. Yeah. 287 00:17:05,760 --> 00:17:10,560 Speaker 1: A couple of more interesting tidbits. He his leather shoes 288 00:17:10,600 --> 00:17:14,639 Speaker 1: were gone and missing completely. Um. On the little night 289 00:17:14,720 --> 00:17:17,920 Speaker 1: stand by his bed was his his own ring because 290 00:17:17,920 --> 00:17:20,560 Speaker 1: it had his name engraved on it, his gold yeah, 291 00:17:20,600 --> 00:17:24,879 Speaker 1: ted his gold necklace, his wallet with money uh. And 292 00:17:24,880 --> 00:17:27,879 Speaker 1: then weirdly a watch that was not his. It was 293 00:17:27,920 --> 00:17:32,720 Speaker 1: a gold Waltham watch that had a missing crystal. Uh. 294 00:17:32,760 --> 00:17:35,320 Speaker 1: And all of the families said that this No, none 295 00:17:35,359 --> 00:17:40,360 Speaker 1: of our kids had this watch. So that's one interesting tidbit. 296 00:17:40,400 --> 00:17:44,040 Speaker 1: And the other is that he had a big, full 297 00:17:44,080 --> 00:17:48,040 Speaker 1: beard that indicated that he lived in that cabin for 298 00:17:48,119 --> 00:17:51,800 Speaker 1: anywhere from eight to thirteen weeks. And what's really really 299 00:17:51,880 --> 00:17:55,399 Speaker 1: underving about the thirteen week one thirteen week number is 300 00:17:55,440 --> 00:17:57,960 Speaker 1: that if he survived thirteen weeks, that means that he 301 00:17:58,080 --> 00:18:01,679 Speaker 1: would have died just days before for his body was found. 302 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:04,920 Speaker 1: Is that right? Yes? Did you did you do the math? 303 00:18:05,040 --> 00:18:07,160 Speaker 1: I did the math because think about so they disappeared 304 00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:10,640 Speaker 1: on February and he was found June four, So you've 305 00:18:10,680 --> 00:18:17,919 Speaker 1: got a I really really hope I call on the 306 00:18:17,960 --> 00:18:21,320 Speaker 1: Saints that that not to have been the case, like 307 00:18:21,440 --> 00:18:24,280 Speaker 1: that he perhaps died a couple of days before. Yeah, 308 00:18:24,320 --> 00:18:26,960 Speaker 1: that that he he would have expired like like weeks 309 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:29,119 Speaker 1: before that. There was just no chance for him, like 310 00:18:29,160 --> 00:18:32,240 Speaker 1: if he was destined and doomed to die. I really 311 00:18:32,280 --> 00:18:34,679 Speaker 1: hope it wasn't a couple of days before they found 312 00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:38,119 Speaker 1: his body after starving for thirteen weeks. Yeah. And to 313 00:18:38,240 --> 00:18:41,120 Speaker 1: cap it off, I don't think we we've mentioned yet, 314 00:18:41,160 --> 00:18:45,760 Speaker 1: this cabin was almost twenty miles from their car. Oh yeah, 315 00:18:45,960 --> 00:18:49,240 Speaker 1: so in the middle of the night. Uh. And at 316 00:18:49,280 --> 00:18:50,840 Speaker 1: this point, this is this is all we know is 317 00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:55,840 Speaker 1: about Ted in our story, he walked or ran almost 318 00:18:55,840 --> 00:18:59,119 Speaker 1: twenty miles in four to six ft snow drifts to 319 00:18:59,720 --> 00:19:02,680 Speaker 1: go to this trailer, where he spent the next two 320 00:19:02,720 --> 00:19:07,399 Speaker 1: to three months slowly dying. Yeah. So okay, that's pretty 321 00:19:07,440 --> 00:19:09,639 Speaker 1: weird in and of itself. And they found that his 322 00:19:09,680 --> 00:19:12,720 Speaker 1: feet were terribly frost bitten, right, which is why his 323 00:19:12,760 --> 00:19:15,440 Speaker 1: shoes were off. But again his shoes were missing. Um, 324 00:19:16,359 --> 00:19:19,000 Speaker 1: what gets even weirder. And this is just where the 325 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:22,720 Speaker 1: case truly turns. Bizarres, one of the Yuba County Sheriff's 326 00:19:22,760 --> 00:19:25,840 Speaker 1: deputies are under sheriff, called it Bizaar's Hell is like 327 00:19:25,880 --> 00:19:30,400 Speaker 1: the quote of this story, Um, this this the trailer, 328 00:19:30,440 --> 00:19:33,480 Speaker 1: the cabin was actually like a forest Service trailer and 329 00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:37,520 Speaker 1: it was an emergency trailer from what I understand, and 330 00:19:37,560 --> 00:19:41,119 Speaker 1: it was fully stocked with a year's worth of food 331 00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:44,080 Speaker 1: that would have kept all five of those boys alive 332 00:19:45,240 --> 00:19:47,800 Speaker 1: for a year. It was built to keep you alive, 333 00:19:48,040 --> 00:19:50,840 Speaker 1: yes exactly. And they found it, but they didn't put 334 00:19:50,880 --> 00:19:52,479 Speaker 1: it to use. Now, let's not to say that they 335 00:19:52,520 --> 00:19:57,000 Speaker 1: didn't find the food. There was. There were twelve rations 336 00:19:57,119 --> 00:20:01,520 Speaker 1: like um sea rations like army meals opened and eaten, 337 00:20:02,240 --> 00:20:05,199 Speaker 1: but that was it. The other stuff wasn't touched. There 338 00:20:05,240 --> 00:20:08,280 Speaker 1: was a whole locker of other dehydrated food and like 339 00:20:08,320 --> 00:20:12,359 Speaker 1: fruit cups and stuff that hadn't been touched at all. Okay, 340 00:20:12,480 --> 00:20:15,440 Speaker 1: and bear in mind, this is all right here while 341 00:20:15,520 --> 00:20:20,080 Speaker 1: Ted ted Weir is starving to death. Yeah, so all 342 00:20:20,119 --> 00:20:24,040 Speaker 1: this food is there. Uh, they found out The investigators 343 00:20:24,040 --> 00:20:27,520 Speaker 1: determined that there had not been a fire built, even 344 00:20:27,520 --> 00:20:30,879 Speaker 1: though there were paperback novels, there was wood, furniture, there 345 00:20:30,880 --> 00:20:34,359 Speaker 1: were matches, like everything was there to build a fire. 346 00:20:34,760 --> 00:20:38,320 Speaker 1: And not only that, but there was a propane tank 347 00:20:39,040 --> 00:20:41,159 Speaker 1: that all they had to do, Uh, it was in 348 00:20:41,200 --> 00:20:43,760 Speaker 1: another shed outside. All they had to do was open 349 00:20:43,800 --> 00:20:49,560 Speaker 1: this thing on and they would have actually had gas heat, yes, Het, right, 350 00:20:49,800 --> 00:20:52,560 Speaker 1: they didn't. They also didn't even um cover up the 351 00:20:52,680 --> 00:20:55,720 Speaker 1: broken window that they used to get into the trailer. 352 00:20:56,520 --> 00:21:01,440 Speaker 1: It's just weird, just bizarre decision after bizarre decision, right. Yeah. 353 00:21:01,640 --> 00:21:05,040 Speaker 1: So there's one other thing in the trailer that that is, 354 00:21:05,119 --> 00:21:10,880 Speaker 1: um pretty interesting. They find Gary Matthias's tennis shoes. So 355 00:21:11,080 --> 00:21:15,119 Speaker 1: Gary mathias Is tennis shoes are there, and um, Ted 356 00:21:15,160 --> 00:21:19,760 Speaker 1: Weir's shoes leather shoes are missing. Uh. And what they 357 00:21:19,800 --> 00:21:23,800 Speaker 1: think possibly is that Gary Matthias was in the trailer 358 00:21:23,840 --> 00:21:27,399 Speaker 1: with Ted. Ted had terrible frostbite. Ted would have had 359 00:21:27,440 --> 00:21:31,200 Speaker 1: bigger feet than Gary. Gary probably had frostbite too, so 360 00:21:31,280 --> 00:21:34,399 Speaker 1: he used Ted's shoes to put them on and go 361 00:21:34,480 --> 00:21:38,600 Speaker 1: back out into the wilderness. Yeah. I mean they pretty 362 00:21:38,680 --> 00:21:43,000 Speaker 1: much determined that probably all five of those guys were 363 00:21:43,400 --> 00:21:46,080 Speaker 1: in here at one point. Okay, so I have to 364 00:21:46,080 --> 00:21:49,560 Speaker 1: say that's that's I don't think that's true really because 365 00:21:49,560 --> 00:21:53,959 Speaker 1: that's what I saw. So I think so what I 366 00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:56,720 Speaker 1: saw was that they so, okay, we should probably tell 367 00:21:56,720 --> 00:22:00,919 Speaker 1: everybody that the we should continue on, Chuck. But the like, 368 00:22:00,960 --> 00:22:03,239 Speaker 1: I think a day after they found Ted Weir, they 369 00:22:03,240 --> 00:22:05,960 Speaker 1: started looking around the area and they started finding the 370 00:22:05,960 --> 00:22:10,240 Speaker 1: other boys remains. Yeah, and you know this is thanks 371 00:22:10,280 --> 00:22:13,479 Speaker 1: to what I said would be sort of the lead investigator, uh, 372 00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:17,159 Speaker 1: Uba County Lieutenant Lance Ayers, who actually had gone to 373 00:22:17,240 --> 00:22:20,080 Speaker 1: high school with We're uh didn't know him that well, 374 00:22:20,119 --> 00:22:23,760 Speaker 1: but he was really consumed by this case UM and 375 00:22:23,840 --> 00:22:26,600 Speaker 1: seems sort of obsessed with trying to solve it to 376 00:22:26,680 --> 00:22:30,560 Speaker 1: the point where he was chasing down leads from psychics. 377 00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:33,360 Speaker 1: At one point, Yeah, apparently he met with a psychic 378 00:22:33,400 --> 00:22:37,560 Speaker 1: who um I told him that the boys were in 379 00:22:37,960 --> 00:22:41,359 Speaker 1: Araville or had been murdered in a red house either 380 00:22:41,440 --> 00:22:45,720 Speaker 1: brick or stained in Oraville with the house number UM 381 00:22:45,760 --> 00:22:49,480 Speaker 1: either four four seven to three or four seven five three. 382 00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:52,320 Speaker 1: And Lance Ayers was so consumed with this that he 383 00:22:52,400 --> 00:22:55,640 Speaker 1: actually drove every street of Oraville over a two day 384 00:22:55,640 --> 00:22:58,280 Speaker 1: period trying to find that house based on the tip 385 00:22:58,320 --> 00:23:02,720 Speaker 1: of a psychic. That's how Upset TV came with this case. Yeah, 386 00:23:02,880 --> 00:23:05,800 Speaker 1: so we've put a pen in our were they all 387 00:23:05,840 --> 00:23:09,160 Speaker 1: in the cabin debate? We're coming back to that right right, 388 00:23:09,560 --> 00:23:11,720 Speaker 1: All right, So now we pick up a story of 389 00:23:11,760 --> 00:23:15,160 Speaker 1: a man named Joseph Shoens, and this is where things 390 00:23:15,200 --> 00:23:18,320 Speaker 1: get even more odd. So this guy was fifty five 391 00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:22,000 Speaker 1: years old. He got in touch with the cops because, 392 00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:24,160 Speaker 1: you know, some strange things that had happened that night 393 00:23:24,240 --> 00:23:27,760 Speaker 1: of the disappearance. He was gonna go camping with his family, 394 00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:30,760 Speaker 1: um on you know, up that road, and so he 395 00:23:30,800 --> 00:23:34,840 Speaker 1: decided to take his little Volkswagen Beetle um around five 396 00:23:34,880 --> 00:23:37,040 Speaker 1: thirty that evening just to check out the snow line 397 00:23:37,240 --> 00:23:39,560 Speaker 1: to see if it was passable and if it was 398 00:23:39,560 --> 00:23:42,000 Speaker 1: going to be safe to take his family camping that weekend. 399 00:23:42,440 --> 00:23:44,879 Speaker 1: He found out it was not. Yeah, he got his 400 00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:47,840 Speaker 1: his car stuck right right above the snow line. And 401 00:23:47,920 --> 00:23:51,160 Speaker 1: this was to be about fifty yards further than where 402 00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:56,280 Speaker 1: that mercury would eventually be found. Right, so he has 403 00:23:56,400 --> 00:23:59,159 Speaker 1: um he gets out to push a push his Beetle 404 00:23:59,359 --> 00:24:01,480 Speaker 1: right and has a heart attack. He's he's fifty five 405 00:24:01,520 --> 00:24:04,880 Speaker 1: in this nine, which means he he lived on nothing 406 00:24:04,920 --> 00:24:07,280 Speaker 1: but scotch and steak. So you can imagine that that 407 00:24:07,359 --> 00:24:09,159 Speaker 1: was the outcome, right when you have to push your 408 00:24:09,240 --> 00:24:13,560 Speaker 1: Volkswagen Beetle and um, he's like in a bad spot 409 00:24:13,760 --> 00:24:16,439 Speaker 1: right there. He's a phone in the wilderness at the 410 00:24:16,440 --> 00:24:19,480 Speaker 1: snow line of a mountain eight miles away from help. 411 00:24:19,560 --> 00:24:22,160 Speaker 1: That the place that he had stopped to actually get 412 00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:25,159 Speaker 1: a drink probably of scotch on the way up the 413 00:24:25,160 --> 00:24:27,520 Speaker 1: mountain to check out the snow line had been eight 414 00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:30,880 Speaker 1: miles back in the other direction. So he very wisely 415 00:24:30,920 --> 00:24:33,639 Speaker 1: like leaves his car running with the heater on and 416 00:24:33,720 --> 00:24:36,680 Speaker 1: just lays there and tries to collect himself and gather himself. 417 00:24:37,040 --> 00:24:39,320 Speaker 1: And that is a mild heart attack, we should point out, 418 00:24:39,600 --> 00:24:42,160 Speaker 1: but enough that if you, Joseph shown, you are probably 419 00:24:42,280 --> 00:24:46,320 Speaker 1: freaking out on not trying to u diminish like his 420 00:24:46,440 --> 00:24:50,440 Speaker 1: danger level. But it wasn't like, uh, he was like 421 00:24:50,640 --> 00:24:53,320 Speaker 1: laying there near death like he would eventually hike eight 422 00:24:53,320 --> 00:24:57,400 Speaker 1: miles out right after this heart attack. Yes, so he 423 00:24:57,480 --> 00:24:59,760 Speaker 1: but but while he was laying there trying to like 424 00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:04,120 Speaker 1: gather his strength again. So this happened about five thirty 425 00:25:04,200 --> 00:25:08,240 Speaker 1: And he said a couple hours after that, some um 426 00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:11,199 Speaker 1: a car at least one but probably two cars, and 427 00:25:11,240 --> 00:25:13,520 Speaker 1: one of them would have been a pickup truck, came 428 00:25:13,600 --> 00:25:15,800 Speaker 1: up and had their lights on, and he saw the 429 00:25:15,800 --> 00:25:18,439 Speaker 1: silhouettes of some men and a woman with a baby, 430 00:25:18,960 --> 00:25:22,400 Speaker 1: and he said he called out to them, and they 431 00:25:22,440 --> 00:25:25,400 Speaker 1: ignored it and turned off the lights, and he got 432 00:25:25,440 --> 00:25:28,040 Speaker 1: back in his car, and he said he laid there 433 00:25:28,080 --> 00:25:32,600 Speaker 1: for another few hours before he heard some whistling sounds 434 00:25:32,680 --> 00:25:36,719 Speaker 1: and some flashlight beams a little further down the mountain, 435 00:25:36,960 --> 00:25:40,080 Speaker 1: probably about fifty yards. Uh. And that would have been 436 00:25:40,119 --> 00:25:42,320 Speaker 1: a couple of hours, probably about five or six hours 437 00:25:42,359 --> 00:25:47,000 Speaker 1: after his um his heart attack. And they think that 438 00:25:47,080 --> 00:25:51,600 Speaker 1: the second group at least was the the five boys 439 00:25:52,600 --> 00:25:55,199 Speaker 1: with Gary Matthias. Yeah, and well I think at this 440 00:25:55,240 --> 00:25:58,000 Speaker 1: point they were right outside his car window. Yeah. So 441 00:25:58,119 --> 00:26:02,000 Speaker 1: again he gets out, calls for help, and the whistling 442 00:26:02,040 --> 00:26:05,240 Speaker 1: sounds stopped, and the flashlights get turned off, and so 443 00:26:05,280 --> 00:26:07,399 Speaker 1: he goes back in his car and lays back down, 444 00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:10,680 Speaker 1: and he's like to two groups of people have come 445 00:26:10,760 --> 00:26:13,320 Speaker 1: up this mountain. I'm having a heart attack here, and 446 00:26:13,359 --> 00:26:15,679 Speaker 1: somehow calling for help has chased both of both of 447 00:26:15,720 --> 00:26:19,760 Speaker 1: them off, both groups off. Yeah. So that that Volkswagen Beetle, 448 00:26:19,840 --> 00:26:21,920 Speaker 1: like I can tell you from experience, had of like 449 00:26:21,960 --> 00:26:25,760 Speaker 1: an eight gallon gas tank, so it eventually runs out 450 00:26:25,760 --> 00:26:30,119 Speaker 1: of gas. Um it Also now they think about it 451 00:26:30,119 --> 00:26:34,040 Speaker 1: doesn't have a very efficient heating system, like, uh, my 452 00:26:34,080 --> 00:26:37,280 Speaker 1: first Beetle didn't even have a fan. We just called 453 00:26:37,320 --> 00:26:39,680 Speaker 1: it the ankle burner, Like if you when you turned 454 00:26:39,720 --> 00:26:43,000 Speaker 1: on the heat, it literally just opened vents on the 455 00:26:43,040 --> 00:26:47,400 Speaker 1: floorboard that like came straight off the engine. Wow, that's 456 00:26:47,640 --> 00:26:50,639 Speaker 1: that's sharp design. So you wouldn't even like you had 457 00:26:50,680 --> 00:26:52,720 Speaker 1: to be moving for there to be actually a hot 458 00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:56,320 Speaker 1: air running through it. Man. But I do know that 459 00:26:56,560 --> 00:26:59,560 Speaker 1: I had another Beetle that had that did have a 460 00:26:59,560 --> 00:27:02,600 Speaker 1: little fan end. So let's just presume that Shans had 461 00:27:02,600 --> 00:27:05,200 Speaker 1: the fan. I'm not going to I'm going to presume 462 00:27:05,240 --> 00:27:07,879 Speaker 1: the opposite, Okay, I'm going to presume that this was 463 00:27:07,920 --> 00:27:10,760 Speaker 1: a hellish experience for him in every way, all right. 464 00:27:10,880 --> 00:27:14,280 Speaker 1: So eventually the car runs out of gas. Uh, it's 465 00:27:14,320 --> 00:27:17,080 Speaker 1: still dark, and he manages after this heart attack, like 466 00:27:17,119 --> 00:27:20,399 Speaker 1: I said earlier, to walk eight miles to a lodge 467 00:27:20,440 --> 00:27:22,359 Speaker 1: called the Mountain House. Is that where he had gotten 468 00:27:22,359 --> 00:27:24,960 Speaker 1: the drink? Yeah? All right. So he comes back and 469 00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:29,840 Speaker 1: they're like Showans, and he's like, don't shows me. You 470 00:27:29,880 --> 00:27:32,600 Speaker 1: have no idea what I've been through. Uh. It turns 471 00:27:32,600 --> 00:27:35,800 Speaker 1: out it's pretty serious. And on the way out he 472 00:27:35,880 --> 00:27:39,240 Speaker 1: passes this Montego sitting empty in the middle of the 473 00:27:39,320 --> 00:27:42,440 Speaker 1: road about fifty yards further down the mountain behind his car, 474 00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:45,240 Speaker 1: where he stopped at the snow line. That's right. So 475 00:27:45,520 --> 00:27:48,280 Speaker 1: Showance doesn't think much of this. He just is like, Okay, 476 00:27:48,280 --> 00:27:49,840 Speaker 1: well there's a car in the middle of the road 477 00:27:49,880 --> 00:27:51,920 Speaker 1: the snow lines here. I'm not the only one who 478 00:27:51,960 --> 00:27:54,280 Speaker 1: got stuck last night. Those guys are jerks for not 479 00:27:54,560 --> 00:27:57,119 Speaker 1: coming to my aid when I shouted for help. And 480 00:27:57,160 --> 00:27:59,639 Speaker 1: he he doesn't think much of it until all of 481 00:27:59,680 --> 00:28:02,880 Speaker 1: a sudd on the news he starts seeing these reports 482 00:28:02,880 --> 00:28:04,959 Speaker 1: of these five guys who went missing the same night 483 00:28:05,080 --> 00:28:06,840 Speaker 1: that he had his heart attack on the same road, 484 00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:10,359 Speaker 1: in the same mountain, and he came forward and the 485 00:28:10,480 --> 00:28:14,840 Speaker 1: cops figured out like that, Joseph Shohnes was probably the 486 00:28:14,920 --> 00:28:20,240 Speaker 1: last person to see those five guys alive. Uh. Well, yeah, 487 00:28:20,359 --> 00:28:23,920 Speaker 1: they're silhouettes at least. Yeah. Uh should we take a break? 488 00:28:24,359 --> 00:28:26,320 Speaker 1: I think so. Man, all right, we're gonna take a 489 00:28:26,320 --> 00:28:29,600 Speaker 1: break and get to some more uh sad discoveries right 490 00:28:29,600 --> 00:28:59,560 Speaker 1: after this. Okay, we're back, Chuck, we are you promised, 491 00:28:59,600 --> 00:29:02,760 Speaker 1: more said discoveries laid on him. All right. So the 492 00:29:02,800 --> 00:29:06,160 Speaker 1: next day, after Weird's body had been found, you know, 493 00:29:06,240 --> 00:29:09,000 Speaker 1: the search is really on at this point. Uh, they 494 00:29:09,040 --> 00:29:13,240 Speaker 1: found a few things. They found the remains of Sterling 495 00:29:13,240 --> 00:29:16,880 Speaker 1: and Madruga there on different sides of the road. Uh, 496 00:29:16,920 --> 00:29:19,440 Speaker 1: that same road that led to the trailer, but about 497 00:29:19,920 --> 00:29:23,239 Speaker 1: eleven and a half miles from the car, right, so 498 00:29:23,280 --> 00:29:27,440 Speaker 1: presumably another what nine miles from the trailer, Yes, which 499 00:29:27,480 --> 00:29:29,440 Speaker 1: is why I think that they never made it to 500 00:29:29,520 --> 00:29:35,240 Speaker 1: the trailer. Put a pin in that. Uh. Madruga had 501 00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:39,239 Speaker 1: very gruesomely been partially eaten by animals, of course up 502 00:29:39,240 --> 00:29:43,040 Speaker 1: there on the mountains, probably after he had died though, Yeah, yeah, yeah, 503 00:29:43,320 --> 00:29:45,720 Speaker 1: I think it sounds like all of this was they 504 00:29:45,920 --> 00:29:48,840 Speaker 1: succumbed to nature and then the animals kind of took 505 00:29:48,840 --> 00:29:52,120 Speaker 1: it from there, right. Uh, So they dragged his body 506 00:29:52,200 --> 00:29:55,520 Speaker 1: to a stream. Uh, he's laying their face up, they said, 507 00:29:55,560 --> 00:29:58,560 Speaker 1: with his hand curled around his watch. And then Sterling 508 00:29:58,680 --> 00:30:02,320 Speaker 1: was in the woods and very gruesomely they said that 509 00:30:02,400 --> 00:30:05,160 Speaker 1: his remains were, or his bones I guess, were scattered 510 00:30:05,160 --> 00:30:09,040 Speaker 1: over about fifty ft yes. And then I think a 511 00:30:09,120 --> 00:30:11,600 Speaker 1: day or so after that, there was another search party 512 00:30:11,640 --> 00:30:15,040 Speaker 1: that was launched, and Jackie Hewitt's father insisted on being 513 00:30:15,280 --> 00:30:18,120 Speaker 1: a part of it, and Jackie Hewitt was still missing, 514 00:30:18,240 --> 00:30:20,760 Speaker 1: and very sadly his dad was the one who discovered 515 00:30:20,800 --> 00:30:25,240 Speaker 1: his remains. He found um, his son's I think spine 516 00:30:25,600 --> 00:30:28,080 Speaker 1: is what he came upon. Yeah, in the same road, 517 00:30:28,200 --> 00:30:31,080 Speaker 1: a lot closer to the trailer though, but he right, 518 00:30:31,480 --> 00:30:34,960 Speaker 1: like just a quarter mile or something, right, Uh yeah, 519 00:30:34,960 --> 00:30:37,640 Speaker 1: I think that's about right, something very very close to it. 520 00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:41,800 Speaker 1: And they also found, um, his his clothes. They knew 521 00:30:41,800 --> 00:30:44,000 Speaker 1: it was him because he was His levies and his 522 00:30:44,080 --> 00:30:47,320 Speaker 1: shirt were also found nearby, and so were um. He 523 00:30:47,440 --> 00:30:51,960 Speaker 1: was wearing very stylish platform shoes called get Their's, which 524 00:30:52,000 --> 00:30:54,800 Speaker 1: I had to look up and they were actually pretty fresh. Yeah, 525 00:30:54,960 --> 00:30:56,400 Speaker 1: not nothing the kind of shoes that you want to 526 00:30:56,400 --> 00:30:59,240 Speaker 1: be hiking around the snowy woods in. No, definitely not. 527 00:30:59,320 --> 00:31:02,840 Speaker 1: I mean again, platform shoes. They're like, um, you know 528 00:31:02,920 --> 00:31:06,560 Speaker 1: that that uh that rubbery sold thing that like you 529 00:31:06,600 --> 00:31:10,080 Speaker 1: find in like Clark's, like Clark Wallabyes, like the thick 530 00:31:10,160 --> 00:31:12,920 Speaker 1: rubbery so I think it's called crepe sold They were 531 00:31:12,960 --> 00:31:17,320 Speaker 1: like those, but platform shoes and like a rippley bottom. Yeah, 532 00:31:17,720 --> 00:31:21,040 Speaker 1: probably look at these things. Yeah, they're probably the worst, 533 00:31:21,640 --> 00:31:24,640 Speaker 1: the worst hiking shoes you could ever imagine what these 534 00:31:24,680 --> 00:31:28,880 Speaker 1: would be good for actually catching ladies? Probably, right, I guess. 535 00:31:29,240 --> 00:31:32,280 Speaker 1: I mean they're pretty they're pretty cool that that wavy 536 00:31:32,640 --> 00:31:35,160 Speaker 1: soul though looks so strange. Well I look that up. 537 00:31:35,200 --> 00:31:37,400 Speaker 1: It's it's to keep your center of balance when you're 538 00:31:37,440 --> 00:31:41,240 Speaker 1: way up there. Okay, yeah, well that makes more sense. Then. Yeah, 539 00:31:41,360 --> 00:31:42,880 Speaker 1: there were there was a lot of thought put into 540 00:31:42,920 --> 00:31:48,360 Speaker 1: those shoes. Uh. And then finally the next day there 541 00:31:48,440 --> 00:31:52,160 Speaker 1: was a skull discovered about a hundred yards downhill, and 542 00:31:52,240 --> 00:31:57,760 Speaker 1: that was the final remains from Jackie Hewitt. So they 543 00:31:57,800 --> 00:32:02,440 Speaker 1: found everybody, every dy that is, except for Gary Matthias. 544 00:32:02,560 --> 00:32:05,440 Speaker 1: He was still missing and he's he still is. Actually, 545 00:32:05,440 --> 00:32:08,640 Speaker 1: if you go on the Yuba County Sheriff's website on 546 00:32:08,680 --> 00:32:11,680 Speaker 1: their missing person's page, he's still listed there. Yeah, his 547 00:32:11,720 --> 00:32:16,760 Speaker 1: shoes were inside again and that trailer um, which you 548 00:32:16,800 --> 00:32:19,120 Speaker 1: know that They can't say anything for sure, though, but 549 00:32:19,440 --> 00:32:21,280 Speaker 1: it suggests that he was in there at one point, 550 00:32:21,680 --> 00:32:23,880 Speaker 1: and they surmised that he may have, like you said, 551 00:32:23,920 --> 00:32:26,960 Speaker 1: taken them off to where the leather shoes guests, presumably 552 00:32:26,960 --> 00:32:30,720 Speaker 1: because they were warmer, or his feet were frost bitten 553 00:32:30,720 --> 00:32:34,560 Speaker 1: and had swollen, so he needed the bigger shoes um 554 00:32:34,600 --> 00:32:38,080 Speaker 1: to strike out back outside like he was. He was like, 555 00:32:38,120 --> 00:32:40,400 Speaker 1: I can't go out there barefoot, and I can't get 556 00:32:40,400 --> 00:32:43,360 Speaker 1: my tennis shoes on any longer. Yeah, And so to 557 00:32:43,400 --> 00:32:45,640 Speaker 1: deal with Matthias, like we said, he was under treatment 558 00:32:45,680 --> 00:32:49,560 Speaker 1: for schizophrenia. UM. He was in the army in Germany, 559 00:32:49,640 --> 00:32:53,840 Speaker 1: and apparently UM had occasions post war where he had 560 00:32:53,880 --> 00:32:56,600 Speaker 1: become violent. He was charged with the salt a couple 561 00:32:56,640 --> 00:33:01,080 Speaker 1: of times. But UM all accounts say that for the 562 00:33:01,160 --> 00:33:04,000 Speaker 1: at least the last two years he had really been 563 00:33:04,040 --> 00:33:07,240 Speaker 1: on his meds. He had been working in his stepdad's business. 564 00:33:07,880 --> 00:33:10,360 Speaker 1: He was They called him one of the our sterling 565 00:33:10,480 --> 00:33:13,560 Speaker 1: success cases, as doctor did. Yeah, and they were really, 566 00:33:13,720 --> 00:33:16,440 Speaker 1: you know, he was really coming around and hadn't had 567 00:33:16,480 --> 00:33:18,840 Speaker 1: any what is his dad he said, he called them 568 00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:21,840 Speaker 1: haywire episodes. Yeah, I hadn't had one of those in 569 00:33:22,400 --> 00:33:25,680 Speaker 1: in a in a couple of years. And the stepfather 570 00:33:25,760 --> 00:33:28,080 Speaker 1: said that he had. He had been taking his meds 571 00:33:28,080 --> 00:33:30,680 Speaker 1: the week he disappeared, right, and his stepfather would know 572 00:33:30,760 --> 00:33:33,840 Speaker 1: because his stepfather owned a gardening business, and um Gary 573 00:33:33,880 --> 00:33:36,440 Speaker 1: Mathias had been working with him side by side for 574 00:33:36,480 --> 00:33:39,160 Speaker 1: a couple of years by that time. So he he 575 00:33:39,200 --> 00:33:42,560 Speaker 1: also didn't seem like one to really mince words or bs. 576 00:33:42,640 --> 00:33:45,040 Speaker 1: So I take him for his word that his his 577 00:33:45,120 --> 00:33:49,080 Speaker 1: son was fully medicated and his schizophrenia was under control. 578 00:33:49,080 --> 00:33:53,840 Speaker 1: It sounds like so. Um, the problem is is he 579 00:33:54,040 --> 00:33:58,920 Speaker 1: hadn't taken his pills with him, so if he did survive, Um, 580 00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:02,480 Speaker 1: he he had, he had gone without him. He left 581 00:34:02,560 --> 00:34:04,120 Speaker 1: him at home, and the reason why he left him 582 00:34:04,160 --> 00:34:06,320 Speaker 1: at home is because he fully expected to be back 583 00:34:06,320 --> 00:34:10,960 Speaker 1: home a couple hours after he left for the basketball game. Yeah, 584 00:34:11,320 --> 00:34:15,000 Speaker 1: no more evidence that, Like, it's just really bizarre that 585 00:34:15,080 --> 00:34:17,759 Speaker 1: they went anywhere but home, and that raised a lot 586 00:34:17,840 --> 00:34:22,839 Speaker 1: of questions for the families. Um. Back in the day, 587 00:34:22,640 --> 00:34:29,120 Speaker 1: the I think Madruga's mom, Mabel, was very vocal about 588 00:34:29,120 --> 00:34:34,640 Speaker 1: her belief that, um, somebody had either tricked or threatened 589 00:34:35,239 --> 00:34:38,279 Speaker 1: her son and the other boys into going up that 590 00:34:38,320 --> 00:34:43,920 Speaker 1: mountain or um it was somebody else was was responsible 591 00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:48,960 Speaker 1: for for this series of decisions. Yeah. So they learned 592 00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:53,360 Speaker 1: a few things afterwards that are sort of clues but 593 00:34:53,840 --> 00:34:57,080 Speaker 1: never ended up solving anything. Um. One is that a 594 00:34:57,480 --> 00:35:00,560 Speaker 1: snow cat for a service snow cat had been up 595 00:35:00,560 --> 00:35:03,320 Speaker 1: that road. I think what the just the day before 596 00:35:03,840 --> 00:35:07,000 Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, I think and packed in a path of 597 00:35:07,040 --> 00:35:10,719 Speaker 1: snow so it was walkable. So they you know, it 598 00:35:10,840 --> 00:35:14,160 Speaker 1: led up to that trailer, and they surmised that the 599 00:35:14,200 --> 00:35:16,320 Speaker 1: boys may have this might have been the only walkable 600 00:35:16,360 --> 00:35:19,040 Speaker 1: path forward, so they might have followed that path to 601 00:35:19,080 --> 00:35:22,239 Speaker 1: the trailer. Uh. They hired a water witcher at one 602 00:35:22,239 --> 00:35:27,319 Speaker 1: point and uh he was in Paradise, California, and he 603 00:35:27,360 --> 00:35:30,760 Speaker 1: said that he fixed his little uh is it dibbening 604 00:35:30,840 --> 00:35:35,120 Speaker 1: or divining divining rod to pick up human minerals and 605 00:35:35,120 --> 00:35:38,799 Speaker 1: traces of humans. That led them to another cabin where 606 00:35:38,840 --> 00:35:43,080 Speaker 1: they found a disposable lighter and this was about three 607 00:35:43,160 --> 00:35:47,200 Speaker 1: quarters a mile from the trailer where they found the body. 608 00:35:47,400 --> 00:35:50,160 Speaker 1: And all the parents said, no, like, they didn't have 609 00:35:50,239 --> 00:35:52,920 Speaker 1: a lighter like this. The guys didn't carry a lighter, right, 610 00:35:53,600 --> 00:35:55,600 Speaker 1: So there were a lot of dead ends like that. 611 00:35:55,920 --> 00:35:58,120 Speaker 1: And then like that, for example, that watch that had 612 00:35:58,120 --> 00:36:00,359 Speaker 1: been found with Ted weird that it was sing it's 613 00:36:00,360 --> 00:36:03,120 Speaker 1: crystal and you know, all the families said, that wasn't 614 00:36:03,120 --> 00:36:06,319 Speaker 1: any of our boys watch. I mean, it could be 615 00:36:06,360 --> 00:36:09,600 Speaker 1: totally meaningless. It could have been a forest ranger who 616 00:36:09,680 --> 00:36:11,759 Speaker 1: had left the watch behind because it had broken or 617 00:36:11,800 --> 00:36:15,520 Speaker 1: something like that. But that's most of the evidence in 618 00:36:15,560 --> 00:36:18,520 Speaker 1: this case, or just those just little dead ends. Yeah, 619 00:36:18,520 --> 00:36:21,960 Speaker 1: that Gary Mathias apparently knew some people, and they're really 620 00:36:22,040 --> 00:36:25,480 Speaker 1: just sort of reaching at this point new people in Forbestown, 621 00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:29,400 Speaker 1: which is about halfway between Chico and Uba City, And 622 00:36:30,320 --> 00:36:33,120 Speaker 1: apparently the turn is easy to miss, and there was 623 00:36:33,239 --> 00:36:36,400 Speaker 1: some speculation like maybe he was taking his buddies to 624 00:36:36,400 --> 00:36:40,160 Speaker 1: go see these people he knew got lost, but apparently 625 00:36:40,200 --> 00:36:42,200 Speaker 1: those friends were like, we hadn't seen him in years, 626 00:36:42,239 --> 00:36:44,160 Speaker 1: and it would be really like unlikely that he just 627 00:36:44,360 --> 00:36:46,839 Speaker 1: would have randomly come to visit. Yeah. I could also 628 00:36:46,880 --> 00:36:49,239 Speaker 1: see the other boys not wanting to go along with 629 00:36:49,280 --> 00:36:52,120 Speaker 1: that too, because they had that basketball game in the 630 00:36:52,160 --> 00:36:54,799 Speaker 1: morning that they all wanted to be um fresh as 631 00:36:54,840 --> 00:36:57,720 Speaker 1: a daisy for it too. Yeah. And and like Gary 632 00:36:57,719 --> 00:37:00,239 Speaker 1: Mathias had been badgering his mom, I think, like you said, 633 00:37:00,239 --> 00:37:02,600 Speaker 1: to make sure he didn't oversleep the next morning because 634 00:37:02,600 --> 00:37:06,120 Speaker 1: he was excited about that basketball game too. Yeah. So 635 00:37:06,200 --> 00:37:08,719 Speaker 1: the thing is, though, Chuck, is even if let's say 636 00:37:08,719 --> 00:37:10,520 Speaker 1: that is the case, Let's say that they all got 637 00:37:10,560 --> 00:37:12,399 Speaker 1: a wild hair and they decided to go see Gary 638 00:37:12,440 --> 00:37:16,920 Speaker 1: Mathias's friend and they started up this mountain because they 639 00:37:16,920 --> 00:37:19,239 Speaker 1: got lost. They missed the turn off and ended up 640 00:37:19,320 --> 00:37:21,959 Speaker 1: on a mountain road at the snow line. I thought 641 00:37:22,000 --> 00:37:26,839 Speaker 1: the car was stuck. What why why would all of them, 642 00:37:26,880 --> 00:37:30,160 Speaker 1: all of them collectively and individually, say well, let's go 643 00:37:30,320 --> 00:37:34,000 Speaker 1: up rather than back down. Let's go up into the snow. 644 00:37:34,280 --> 00:37:37,759 Speaker 1: Supposedly the snow driss for six eight ft um and 645 00:37:37,760 --> 00:37:39,480 Speaker 1: even if it was packed down with the snow cat, 646 00:37:39,480 --> 00:37:44,160 Speaker 1: it doesn't make sense to go forward unless they thought, well, 647 00:37:44,320 --> 00:37:47,680 Speaker 1: the last side of civilization behind us was too far right, 648 00:37:47,840 --> 00:37:50,560 Speaker 1: Maybe there's something up here which is a thing that's 649 00:37:50,600 --> 00:37:53,879 Speaker 1: a that's an economic theory called sunk cost, where you're 650 00:37:53,920 --> 00:37:56,560 Speaker 1: so invested in something, you're so far along that you 651 00:37:56,600 --> 00:37:59,360 Speaker 1: don't want to just stop and turn back or or quit. 652 00:37:59,719 --> 00:38:02,440 Speaker 1: So it's possible that that was that aided in their 653 00:38:02,440 --> 00:38:05,279 Speaker 1: decision making. But again, okay, so then let's say that 654 00:38:05,320 --> 00:38:08,000 Speaker 1: they're like, okay, the snow cat track is gonna lead 655 00:38:08,080 --> 00:38:10,640 Speaker 1: us to safety or something. When they get to the trailer, 656 00:38:10,719 --> 00:38:13,040 Speaker 1: like why not eat the food? Why not make a fire? 657 00:38:13,120 --> 00:38:15,520 Speaker 1: I can I can even see missing the propane tank, 658 00:38:15,840 --> 00:38:19,359 Speaker 1: just not being you know, um, just with it enough 659 00:38:19,560 --> 00:38:22,640 Speaker 1: from the harrowing experience that you could just totally miss 660 00:38:22,680 --> 00:38:25,000 Speaker 1: the propane tank. And I even think that your trailer 661 00:38:25,040 --> 00:38:26,640 Speaker 1: is going to have that kind of thing. But the 662 00:38:26,680 --> 00:38:29,640 Speaker 1: food that you've already started to eat, that you already 663 00:38:29,640 --> 00:38:31,719 Speaker 1: show you have a can opener and know how to 664 00:38:31,840 --> 00:38:34,120 Speaker 1: use it. Like, how do you just starve to death 665 00:38:34,160 --> 00:38:37,320 Speaker 1: after that? Well, I mean the food. The other food 666 00:38:37,360 --> 00:38:40,359 Speaker 1: was in a locker they never opened apparently. But like, 667 00:38:40,480 --> 00:38:44,360 Speaker 1: if you're there, especially for two to three months, like 668 00:38:44,400 --> 00:38:48,720 Speaker 1: you're turning over everything, You're lighting a fire with whatever 669 00:38:48,760 --> 00:38:50,560 Speaker 1: you can get your hands on. Those plenty of stuff 670 00:38:50,560 --> 00:38:54,360 Speaker 1: to make a fire. Uh. What's up with the supposed 671 00:38:54,360 --> 00:38:57,880 Speaker 1: woman and the baby? That could be chalked up maybe 672 00:38:57,880 --> 00:39:02,160 Speaker 1: pretty easily to uh what was his name? Snopes, shoots shows, 673 00:39:02,400 --> 00:39:07,319 Speaker 1: Shans Snopes snoop talk that could be chalked up to 674 00:39:07,400 --> 00:39:09,400 Speaker 1: him in the state of a heart attack in the 675 00:39:09,400 --> 00:39:11,879 Speaker 1: middle of the night, just sort of seeing things could 676 00:39:11,880 --> 00:39:14,160 Speaker 1: have been or could have just been an entirely different 677 00:39:14,200 --> 00:39:17,080 Speaker 1: party of people who had nothing to do with it 678 00:39:17,200 --> 00:39:20,359 Speaker 1: or everything to do with it, But it could have 679 00:39:20,440 --> 00:39:22,200 Speaker 1: They could have been there too. I mean it was 680 00:39:22,680 --> 00:39:25,080 Speaker 1: you know, it was a mountain. Some people lived on it. 681 00:39:25,360 --> 00:39:28,880 Speaker 1: Some people apparently like camp there, which is what Shones 682 00:39:28,960 --> 00:39:31,839 Speaker 1: was scouting for. You know, how did Matthias never get 683 00:39:31,840 --> 00:39:35,280 Speaker 1: found at all? I don't know I saw him. I think, Uh, 684 00:39:35,400 --> 00:39:40,399 Speaker 1: I think. At the end of the WAPO article, um 685 00:39:40,640 --> 00:39:45,440 Speaker 1: Cynthia Gorney, the journalist, says that, um, probably, you know, 686 00:39:45,560 --> 00:39:48,719 Speaker 1: he laid there on the snow somewhere that they just 687 00:39:48,760 --> 00:39:52,000 Speaker 1: didn't find or overlooked, or he got buried in the snow, 688 00:39:52,040 --> 00:39:53,920 Speaker 1: and then when the thaw came, he sunk down to 689 00:39:53,960 --> 00:39:57,600 Speaker 1: the ground and was covered over by some some mountain vines. 690 00:39:58,080 --> 00:40:00,200 Speaker 1: I guess so. But it seems like after all these 691 00:40:00,280 --> 00:40:04,000 Speaker 1: years a bone or one of those leather shoes or 692 00:40:04,120 --> 00:40:07,840 Speaker 1: something would have been found. Yeah, you'd think both of 693 00:40:07,880 --> 00:40:10,440 Speaker 1: those would still be intact. Yeah, I mean, what I 694 00:40:10,480 --> 00:40:13,799 Speaker 1: did not see was any sort of speculation that he 695 00:40:13,880 --> 00:40:19,040 Speaker 1: had had any nefarious like actions. Um, but we did 696 00:40:19,120 --> 00:40:23,000 Speaker 1: put a pin in something. I don't remember what it was. 697 00:40:23,160 --> 00:40:25,880 Speaker 1: I saw a couple of theories that they they speculate 698 00:40:25,960 --> 00:40:28,799 Speaker 1: that all of these guys went to the cabin at 699 00:40:28,840 --> 00:40:33,479 Speaker 1: one point and maybe, uh, we are wasn't doing so well, 700 00:40:33,520 --> 00:40:36,600 Speaker 1: so they all set out independently to go look for 701 00:40:36,680 --> 00:40:41,520 Speaker 1: help and each died or maybe in pairs, maybe since 702 00:40:41,520 --> 00:40:43,800 Speaker 1: the two guys were kind of found together. But I 703 00:40:43,800 --> 00:40:45,839 Speaker 1: don't know. I mean, it's all just speculation. You saw 704 00:40:45,920 --> 00:40:50,080 Speaker 1: that they don't think they were all there? Yeah, what 705 00:40:50,200 --> 00:40:54,719 Speaker 1: I saw was that um Jackie Hewitt and um Bill 706 00:40:54,800 --> 00:40:59,160 Speaker 1: Sterling and um Jack Madruga hadn't had never made it 707 00:40:59,200 --> 00:41:01,600 Speaker 1: to the to the trailer, that they would have split 708 00:41:01,680 --> 00:41:04,960 Speaker 1: up on the way up. No, No, that they were, 709 00:41:05,360 --> 00:41:11,440 Speaker 1: That they had um or died during that twenty mile hike. Yes, interesting. 710 00:41:11,560 --> 00:41:15,920 Speaker 1: And then Ted and Gary had continued on upped and 711 00:41:16,000 --> 00:41:18,040 Speaker 1: made it, made it to the trailer, and then what 712 00:41:18,120 --> 00:41:22,360 Speaker 1: I think happened after that was Gary nurse Ted. Gary 713 00:41:22,400 --> 00:41:24,640 Speaker 1: had been in the army and the can opener that 714 00:41:24,719 --> 00:41:27,360 Speaker 1: was there was actually a very simple thing called the 715 00:41:27,440 --> 00:41:30,279 Speaker 1: P thirty eight, but you kind of had to have 716 00:41:30,360 --> 00:41:33,080 Speaker 1: been in the army to to know how to use it, 717 00:41:33,239 --> 00:41:35,319 Speaker 1: and Ted wouldn't have been and Gary would have been, 718 00:41:35,880 --> 00:41:40,040 Speaker 1: So I think Gary may have stayed, probably fed both 719 00:41:40,080 --> 00:41:42,600 Speaker 1: of them, and then like you said, seeing Ted was 720 00:41:42,640 --> 00:41:45,440 Speaker 1: not doing so well, set out again with Ted shoes 721 00:41:45,520 --> 00:41:49,960 Speaker 1: and died um going off to get helps somehow, That's 722 00:41:49,960 --> 00:41:52,520 Speaker 1: what I think happened. Yeah, I would have think they 723 00:41:52,600 --> 00:41:54,000 Speaker 1: get split up on the way up though, Like I 724 00:41:54,320 --> 00:41:57,680 Speaker 1: just don't even know, like these guys would have died 725 00:41:57,880 --> 00:42:00,879 Speaker 1: that quickly on on the way on this twenty mile hike, 726 00:42:01,160 --> 00:42:05,439 Speaker 1: I mean six to eight foot snow drifts. That's cold. Yeah, 727 00:42:05,480 --> 00:42:08,720 Speaker 1: but they're also on this snow packed trail supposedly. Sure, 728 00:42:08,880 --> 00:42:13,040 Speaker 1: but they also have like they're dressed for mild weather, 729 00:42:13,120 --> 00:42:16,240 Speaker 1: Like they didn't have jackets, sweaters, their shoes were like 730 00:42:16,239 --> 00:42:20,600 Speaker 1: like like converse kind of things, aside from the the 731 00:42:20,680 --> 00:42:25,120 Speaker 1: platform shoes that, like I did, it's entirely possible that 732 00:42:25,400 --> 00:42:30,640 Speaker 1: twenty mile hike up a mountain they succumbed to the weather. Yeah, 733 00:42:30,680 --> 00:42:34,000 Speaker 1: And you also, like it was hard to determine what 734 00:42:34,120 --> 00:42:41,600 Speaker 1: level of intellectual impairment these boys had, so I don't 735 00:42:41,600 --> 00:42:44,359 Speaker 1: know how much that plays into it, if at all. 736 00:42:45,200 --> 00:42:47,920 Speaker 1: Like when they get to this cabin, like did um 737 00:42:48,120 --> 00:42:50,959 Speaker 1: Matthias is because you know he didn't have his meds 738 00:42:51,000 --> 00:42:54,080 Speaker 1: after that, did he start kind of breaking down with 739 00:42:54,080 --> 00:43:00,120 Speaker 1: with some episodes of schizophrenia and leave? Did the other 740 00:43:00,160 --> 00:43:02,239 Speaker 1: guy not fully understand? I mean at that point, he's 741 00:43:02,239 --> 00:43:06,960 Speaker 1: exhausted and maybe hurt and scared. Was he not even 742 00:43:07,080 --> 00:43:09,600 Speaker 1: able to figure out maybe to light a fire light 743 00:43:09,640 --> 00:43:12,120 Speaker 1: of fire or how to use that can opener or 744 00:43:12,239 --> 00:43:14,520 Speaker 1: maybe he felt he couldn't get out of bed because 745 00:43:14,560 --> 00:43:18,760 Speaker 1: of his feet. Yeah, and he he was just stuck 746 00:43:18,840 --> 00:43:22,200 Speaker 1: there after Gary struck out to go get help that 747 00:43:22,280 --> 00:43:24,239 Speaker 1: there was nothing he could do, and the poor guy 748 00:43:24,320 --> 00:43:26,839 Speaker 1: starved to death. But what were they doing up there 749 00:43:26,840 --> 00:43:30,600 Speaker 1: to begin with? That's the basic root of this whole thing. Yeah, 750 00:43:30,640 --> 00:43:34,040 Speaker 1: but that's that's why they call this the American diet 751 00:43:34,080 --> 00:43:37,319 Speaker 1: law pass Right, we gotta do an episode on that 752 00:43:37,360 --> 00:43:39,640 Speaker 1: one too. But because there's some there's like a mystery 753 00:43:39,640 --> 00:43:41,879 Speaker 1: within a mystery within a mystery, there's so many many 754 00:43:42,040 --> 00:43:45,920 Speaker 1: like other mysteries. Yeah, that that just kind of um 755 00:43:46,280 --> 00:43:49,799 Speaker 1: crescendo from the first mystery, which is what were they 756 00:43:49,840 --> 00:43:53,200 Speaker 1: doing there? Yeah? Well, like and like you said, some 757 00:43:53,239 --> 00:43:56,640 Speaker 1: of the parents firmly believe like they witnessed something at 758 00:43:56,640 --> 00:44:03,520 Speaker 1: this basketball game and we're then chased up this mountain. Yeah, 759 00:44:03,680 --> 00:44:05,719 Speaker 1: Like I don't even know what that means, like like 760 00:44:05,760 --> 00:44:08,799 Speaker 1: they witnessed a crime, I came after him or something. 761 00:44:08,920 --> 00:44:12,960 Speaker 1: That's what Ted Weird sister in law always believed. And 762 00:44:13,000 --> 00:44:15,840 Speaker 1: speaking of Ted Weir, you got anything else on this, no, 763 00:44:16,120 --> 00:44:18,960 Speaker 1: except to only say if that was the case, then 764 00:44:19,280 --> 00:44:22,520 Speaker 1: why was the car seemingly driven very slowly and carefully 765 00:44:22,560 --> 00:44:25,920 Speaker 1: up this road? If they were being chased. Oh okay, 766 00:44:25,960 --> 00:44:27,600 Speaker 1: So you make a good point. And I think I 767 00:44:27,600 --> 00:44:31,360 Speaker 1: saw that elsewhere too, that that like that virtually proves 768 00:44:31,400 --> 00:44:36,120 Speaker 1: that they weren't chased. If anything, it shows that they 769 00:44:36,160 --> 00:44:38,960 Speaker 1: that that says something happened to them and somebody ditched 770 00:44:39,000 --> 00:44:42,200 Speaker 1: their car. Who who knew the area? I think more 771 00:44:42,280 --> 00:44:46,000 Speaker 1: likely um Jack Madrugo. It just would have driven extraordinarily 772 00:44:46,040 --> 00:44:49,600 Speaker 1: slowly because this is his, his baby car. Yeah, it's 773 00:44:49,600 --> 00:44:51,520 Speaker 1: all just very sad. I think it's just one of those. 774 00:44:52,560 --> 00:44:55,360 Speaker 1: It's probably like Okam's razor. It's probably the most simple 775 00:44:55,360 --> 00:45:00,279 Speaker 1: explanation is you know, maybe they just went on a 776 00:45:00,320 --> 00:45:03,959 Speaker 1: little joy ride, got a little lost, got turned around 777 00:45:03,960 --> 00:45:08,040 Speaker 1: in the woods, and succumbed to nature. Yeah, so I 778 00:45:08,120 --> 00:45:11,279 Speaker 1: find this. I said at the beginning that this is 779 00:45:11,320 --> 00:45:14,680 Speaker 1: just a very sad story to me. And one of 780 00:45:14,719 --> 00:45:17,080 Speaker 1: the things that got me was in that Washington Post 781 00:45:17,719 --> 00:45:20,760 Speaker 1: articles called five Boys Who Never Come Back by Cynthia Gorney. 782 00:45:21,960 --> 00:45:25,840 Speaker 1: You can find it online. But um they she describes 783 00:45:26,560 --> 00:45:31,120 Speaker 1: Ted Weir as you're ready for this that Ted got 784 00:45:31,160 --> 00:45:34,040 Speaker 1: a good chuckle out of phoning Bill Sterling and reading 785 00:45:34,080 --> 00:45:37,160 Speaker 1: from newspaper items or a ball names from the telephone 786 00:45:37,200 --> 00:45:40,000 Speaker 1: book like that's what he was into, that's what made 787 00:45:40,040 --> 00:45:42,279 Speaker 1: him happy. And I'm sure Bill Sterling thought it was 788 00:45:42,360 --> 00:45:44,920 Speaker 1: hilarious too, But like they were just this group of 789 00:45:44,960 --> 00:45:47,319 Speaker 1: friends and can't you just imagine my kid, we're like 790 00:45:47,760 --> 00:45:50,040 Speaker 1: going through the phone book looking for silly names and 791 00:45:50,080 --> 00:45:53,000 Speaker 1: going and picking up the phone and calling his friend 792 00:45:53,120 --> 00:45:55,719 Speaker 1: Bill Sterling and saying, Bill, get a load of this one, 793 00:45:56,120 --> 00:45:58,600 Speaker 1: and Bills just laughing on the other end of the line, 794 00:45:59,080 --> 00:46:01,640 Speaker 1: and like that they just had like this such a 795 00:46:01,719 --> 00:46:06,080 Speaker 1: pure life, like almost like an enviable life in a 796 00:46:06,120 --> 00:46:09,319 Speaker 1: lot of ways, and that they died so horribly is 797 00:46:09,360 --> 00:46:13,080 Speaker 1: just just bitterly sad to me. Yeah, I mean, they 798 00:46:13,080 --> 00:46:17,000 Speaker 1: weren't troublemakers and even um, even the one who had 799 00:46:17,120 --> 00:46:21,720 Speaker 1: had gotten convicted of assault a couple of times. Gary, Yeah, Gary, 800 00:46:21,719 --> 00:46:24,600 Speaker 1: it seems like all signs point to the his mental 801 00:46:24,640 --> 00:46:26,600 Speaker 1: illness is playing a big factor in that which he 802 00:46:26,640 --> 00:46:29,920 Speaker 1: had gotten in check, right, exactly. All very sad. It 803 00:46:30,080 --> 00:46:33,759 Speaker 1: is very sad. Well, if you have any theories on 804 00:46:33,960 --> 00:46:36,800 Speaker 1: the what you call him the Ubi City six five, 805 00:46:37,000 --> 00:46:40,920 Speaker 1: Uba County or Uba City five, Ubis City five, um, 806 00:46:41,160 --> 00:46:43,360 Speaker 1: we want to hear him. You can find all of 807 00:46:43,360 --> 00:46:46,120 Speaker 1: our social media connections on our website Stuff you Should 808 00:46:46,120 --> 00:46:48,399 Speaker 1: Know dot com and if you like, you can also 809 00:46:48,440 --> 00:46:51,640 Speaker 1: send us an email to shoot it off to Stuff 810 00:46:51,719 --> 00:46:55,080 Speaker 1: Podcast at how Stuff Works dot com. Wait, we haven't 811 00:46:55,080 --> 00:46:58,759 Speaker 1: done listener mail, have we know? You're just gonna let 812 00:46:58,800 --> 00:47:01,319 Speaker 1: me keep going, weren't you? You know? All right? Well, 813 00:47:01,320 --> 00:47:04,480 Speaker 1: hold on, everybody, hold on, don't stop yet, don't stop yet. 814 00:47:05,200 --> 00:47:08,240 Speaker 1: Since I said some stuff I'm not supposed to say, 815 00:47:08,560 --> 00:47:13,239 Speaker 1: it's time for listener mail. Yes. And speaking of which, 816 00:47:13,320 --> 00:47:18,600 Speaker 1: this listener mail is rated rated R. Okay, that's all 817 00:47:18,640 --> 00:47:21,600 Speaker 1: I'll say. Use the S word no, but it doesn't 818 00:47:21,680 --> 00:47:24,720 Speaker 1: use curse words. It's just um talks very frankly about 819 00:47:24,840 --> 00:47:27,200 Speaker 1: sex and it's good. P s A though, so we 820 00:47:27,640 --> 00:47:31,120 Speaker 1: know the stuff. Uh. And this is from Emily, not 821 00:47:31,280 --> 00:47:34,600 Speaker 1: my wife. Hey, guys, listen to the Select episode on 822 00:47:34,680 --> 00:47:37,040 Speaker 1: condoms the other day. Thanks for all the great info. 823 00:47:37,480 --> 00:47:41,560 Speaker 1: Appreciate you covering topics maybe slightly controversial or divisive and 824 00:47:41,600 --> 00:47:43,680 Speaker 1: do so with such grace. I wanted to throw a 825 00:47:43,680 --> 00:47:46,640 Speaker 1: little extra P. S A in there though, for your listeners. 826 00:47:47,040 --> 00:47:49,000 Speaker 1: Most people are aware that you can and should use 827 00:47:49,040 --> 00:47:51,680 Speaker 1: condoms to prevent pregnancy and or s t I S 828 00:47:51,680 --> 00:47:54,560 Speaker 1: when a penis is involved, but there's far less awareness 829 00:47:54,560 --> 00:47:57,719 Speaker 1: about protection when you've only got vaginas in the mix. 830 00:47:58,200 --> 00:48:01,320 Speaker 1: Although you certainly can't get pregnant, it is possible to 831 00:48:01,560 --> 00:48:04,800 Speaker 1: spread or contract an s t I from sex between 832 00:48:04,840 --> 00:48:08,279 Speaker 1: two women or other vagina having people. But you can 833 00:48:08,320 --> 00:48:10,719 Speaker 1: greatly reduce your risk of this by using a dental dam. 834 00:48:11,040 --> 00:48:13,680 Speaker 1: It's a sheet of latex placed over the bulba or 835 00:48:13,719 --> 00:48:17,080 Speaker 1: anus for oral sex. That's all, uh, And that's all 836 00:48:17,120 --> 00:48:19,120 Speaker 1: there really is to it. If you don't have one 837 00:48:19,120 --> 00:48:21,839 Speaker 1: on hand, you can safely d I Y one by 838 00:48:21,960 --> 00:48:25,400 Speaker 1: unrolling a regular condom, cutting off the clothes end and bam, 839 00:48:25,440 --> 00:48:28,560 Speaker 1: it's a dental dam. In the case of digital sex, 840 00:48:29,200 --> 00:48:32,680 Speaker 1: not as in computers, as in fingers, latex gloves are 841 00:48:32,680 --> 00:48:35,400 Speaker 1: perfect or perfect for the job. Of course, these can 842 00:48:35,440 --> 00:48:38,000 Speaker 1: also be used by absolutely anyone. There's a lot more 843 00:48:38,000 --> 00:48:41,719 Speaker 1: awareness of protection for heterosexual and male homosexual couples, and 844 00:48:41,760 --> 00:48:45,640 Speaker 1: not a lot for queer women. Well that's my stuff 845 00:48:45,680 --> 00:48:47,640 Speaker 1: you should know, and now you know it. Thanks for 846 00:48:47,680 --> 00:48:50,640 Speaker 1: consistently great work and outstanding effort and educating and entertaining 847 00:48:50,680 --> 00:48:54,000 Speaker 1: us every week and Happy Pride month. Uh And she 848 00:48:54,120 --> 00:48:56,440 Speaker 1: wrote back, I just realized I gave an incomplete d 849 00:48:56,520 --> 00:48:59,279 Speaker 1: I Y instruction. You would cut off the close end 850 00:48:59,280 --> 00:49:03,719 Speaker 1: of the condom uh, and the ring on the open end, 851 00:49:04,760 --> 00:49:09,440 Speaker 1: then cut down the middle and now it's a flat sheet. Bam. 852 00:49:09,480 --> 00:49:12,560 Speaker 1: So that is from Emily. Thanks a lot, Emily, Happy 853 00:49:12,600 --> 00:49:18,920 Speaker 1: Pride Month. Indeed good info. Uh yeah, it was good info. 854 00:49:19,080 --> 00:49:21,280 Speaker 1: And if you out there want to send us good info, 855 00:49:21,440 --> 00:49:23,319 Speaker 1: I already said it. I said it once and I'll 856 00:49:23,320 --> 00:49:25,600 Speaker 1: say it again. You can find all our social stuff 857 00:49:25,640 --> 00:49:27,719 Speaker 1: on stuff you should Know dot com, and you can 858 00:49:27,760 --> 00:49:31,240 Speaker 1: send us an email to stuff podcast at how Stuff 859 00:49:31,280 --> 00:49:36,880 Speaker 1: Works dot com. Stuff you Should Know is a production 860 00:49:36,920 --> 00:49:39,840 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts my Heart Radio, 861 00:49:40,080 --> 00:49:43,080 Speaker 1: visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 862 00:49:43,120 --> 00:49:44,520 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.