Gary Dale Mathias | |
|---|---|
 Mathias around the time of his disappearance | |
| Born | October 15, 1952 Yuba County, California, U.S. |
| Disappeared | February 24, 1978 (aged 25) Plumas National Forest, California, U.S. |
| Status | Missing for 46 years, 7 months and 22 days |
| Occupation | Assistant manager |
| Known for | Disappearance in unusual incident where four of his traveling companions died |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) |
Jackie C. "Jack" Huett Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 29, 1953 California, U.S. |
| Died | February 24, 1978 (aged 24) Plumas National Forest, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Hypothermia |
| Body discovered | June 7, 1978 |
Theodore "Ted" Earl Weiher | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 26, 1946 Arizona, U.S. |
| Died | c. May 1978 (aged 32/33) Plumas National Forest, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Starvation/Hypothermia |
| Body discovered | June 4, 1978 |
Jack Antone Madruga | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 18, 1947 California, U.S. |
| Died | February 24, 1978 (aged 30) Plumas National Forest, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Hypothermia |
| Body discovered | June 5, 1978 |
William Lee "Bill" Sterling | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 5, 1949 California, U.S. |
| Died | February 24, 1978 (aged 28) Plumas National Forest, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Hypothermia |
| Body discovered | June 5, 1978 |
The Yuba County Five were a group of young men from Yuba County, California, United States, each with mild intellectual disabilities or psychiatric conditions, who were reported missing after attending a college basketball game at California State University, Chico (also known as Chico State), on the night of February 24, 1978.[1] Four of them—Bill Sterling, 29; Jack Huett, 24; Ted Weiher, 32; and Jack Madruga, 30—were later found dead; the fifth, Gary Mathias, 25,[2] has never been found.[3]
Several days after their disappearance, the group's car, a 1969 Mercury Montego, owned by Madruga, was found abandoned in a remote area of Plumas National Forest, on a high mountain dirt road that was far out of their way back to Yuba County. Investigators could not determine why the car was abandoned, as it was in good working order and could easily have been pushed out of the snowpack it was in. At that time, no trace of the men was found.
After the snow melted in June 1978, four of the men's bodies were discovered. Ted Weiher was found in a US Forest Service trailer some 12 miles (19 km) north from the car.[1] Only bones were left of Jack Madruga, Bill Sterling, and Jackie Huett as result of scavenging animals; but Weiher had apparently lived for as long as three months after the men were last seen, starving to death despite an ample supply of food and heating materials nearby. Weiher was missing his shoes; investigators found Mathias' own shoes in the US Forest Service Trailer, suggesting Mathias also survived for some time beyond the group's last sighting.[4]
A local man later came forward, claiming that he had spent the same night in his own car a short distance away from where the Mercury was found. The witness told police that he had seen and heard people around his car that night, and twice called for help, only for them to grow silent and turn off their flashlights. This, and the considerable distance from the car to where the bodies were found, has led to suspicions of foul play.[5]
- ^ a b Wright, Tony (July 10, 2018). Things Aren't Right: The Disappearance of the Yuba County Five. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Genius Book Publishing. pp. 196–199.
- ^ "3509DMCA: Gary Dale Mathias". The Doe Network. February 9, 2018. Archived from the original on February 21, 2018. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
- ^ Gorney, Cynthia (July 6, 1978). "5 'Boys' Who Never Came Back". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 18, 2018. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
- ^ Wright, Tony (July 10, 2018). Things Aren't Right: The Disappearance of the Yuba County Five. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Genius Book Publishing. pp. 196–202.
- ^ Smollar, Dave (March 10, 1978). "Missing 5: Foul Play suspected". Los Angeles Times. p. 23. Archived from the original on February 17, 2018. Retrieved February 16, 2018 – via newspapers.com.