The mystery of a family tied up with wire and massacred while no one heard a sound remains unsolved.
The Keddie murders, a brutal quadruple homicide that occurred in Plumas County, California, US, is still a mystery despite an exhaustive investigation over the years.
On April 12, 1981, 14-year-old Sheila Sharp arrived at cabin 28 on Keddie Resort Road after attending a nearby sleepover.
Her family had recently moved there from Quincy and had been living in the cabin for five months.
Upon entering, Sheila discovered a horrific scene.
Her mother, Glenna "Sue" Sharp, her 15-year-old brother, John Sharp, and her brother’s 17-year-old friend, Dana Wingate, had been brutally murdered.
Sheila ran to a neighbouring cabin to seek help, and the police were alerted.
Miraculously, her two younger brothers and their friend who were also in the cabin during the attack were unharmed. It seemed at the time that they slept through the whole incident.
The victims had been bound with electrical wire and medical tape before being bludgeoned to death with a claw hammer.
Sue and John had also been stabbed and their throats slashed, with Sue having defensive wounds on her arms.
Dana had been manually strangled in addition to being attacked with the hammer.
Blood was found throughout the cabin, including on the walls, ceiling, and furniture.
Tina Sharp, Sheila's younger sister, was missing and a search was conducted, with law enforcement speculating that the killer(s) may have harmed themselves during the attack.
Despite an intensive investigation, which involved eight investigators working on the case around the clock and the implementation of a Secret Witness program, no one was ever charged with the murders.
Two men seen in the area around the time of the murders were identified, but they were never publicly identified as suspects, and no physical evidence was found to link them to the crime.
There has been much speculation over the years about the motive for the murders, with some suggesting that Tina was the primary target due to a possible sexual motive.
However, no conclusive evidence has ever been found to support this theory.
In 1984, Tina's remains were discovered in a remote location about 50 miles from Keddie.
The cause of her death could not be determined due to advanced decomposition, but it is widely believed that she was also murdered.
Despite numerous potential suspects and theories, the case remains unsolved to this day.
The Keddie murders have become one of the most notorious unsolved crimes in California history, and continue to fascinate and intrigue true crime enthusiasts.
Rod DeCrona, the patrol commander for the sheriff's department, had said the fact that crime involved four victims is a rare occurrence.
The officer still feels uneasy when he drives through the area on patrol, as the killer has never been identified.
The Keddie murders have become known as the greatest mystery in Plumas County's history, and the gruesome event marked the downfall of the once-popular northern Sierra mountain resort.
After the murders, fearful tourists began avoiding Keddie, and the town soon became a ghost town in disrepair.
Today, the only visitors to the area are those with a morbid fascination and a desire to seek out cabin 28, where the murders took place. The cabin was eventually demolished in 2004.
Despite the passing of almost four decades, the investigators involved in the case still hold onto the hope that justice will one day be served.
Deputy Lt. Don Stoy believes that the killers have been fortunate to evade capture for so long, but he said he remains optimistic that the mystery will someday be unravelled.
