Yuba County Five: An Overview
Perhaps one of the most-requested episode topics Astonishing Legends receives is that of the Yuba County Five. Often mistakenly referred to as the ‘American Dyatlov Pass’ (despite few commonalities), it is one of the most interesting mysteries to arise and involves countless strange elements. Although one blog post could hardly cover everything, because this was requested for #blogstonishing, I am going to do my best to tell the story of Gary Mathias, Bill Sterling, Jack Huett, Ted Weiher, and Jack Madruga.
It was February 24th, 1978, and the five young men, ages ranging from mid-20s to early 30s, were headed back from a basketball game at California State University. These men all became friends through Gateway, a group that brings together those with mild intellectual disabilities, brain injuries, and/or mental illnesses. The one thing about these five ‘boys’ (as they would come to be known thanks to a now-infamous Washington Post article) shared a passion for was basketball. They played together on a team through Gateway and often went to games and other sports-centric outings. Not to mention, they had a game the next day where the winner would receive a paid week-long trip in LA, which the boys really wanted to win.
I’m mentioning all this simply to say that there was nothing unique about this fateful night.
On their way home to Yuba County, the men decided to stop at a gas station and buy some snacks. They had all piled into Jack M’s Mercury Montenegro. This would be the last time any of these five young men would be seen again. After they failed to return that night, the parents of the young men (most of whom lived at home) began to worry and filed police reports. Bill, Jack H., and Ted were diagnosed as mentally delayed, Jack M. was not diagnosed but his mother referred to him as “slow”, and Gary was under active drug treatment for schizophrenia and psychotic depression, although the latter had not resurfaced in two years. Just a few days later, search parties would begin roaming hoping to find Gary, Bill, Jack H., Ted, and Jack M.
On Tuesday, February 28th, a park ranger working in the Plumas National Forest reported an abandoned car that matched the description of Jack M’s. The car was in the snow on an unpaved road. Strangely, the car was found nowhere near where the Yuba County 5 were headed. In fact, it was 2.5 hours from Chico in the opposite direction from the way they were supposed to head home. Not to mention, they had driven up the mountain to 4,500 feet elevation. Why? And where the young men?
It is unclear, initially, why the men were not in the car. It did not appear Jack M’s car was stuck and the gas tank was still a quarter full. Maps were neatly folded in the glove compartment. The car’s underside was surprisingly undamaged, despite the mountain road. This is a bit odd, as, according to the police: “The driver had either used astonishing care and precision, the investigators figured, or else he knew the road well enough to anticipate every rut.” Although the keys were gone, when police hot-wired the car it started without trouble. Why had these men driven up the mountain? Why had they left a totally functioning car? And where were they headed?
And, before you harken to the men’s intellectual disabilities as the only reason for getting out of the car, they had often made trips like this and were well aware of travel procedures.
After the investigation details had been released, Joseph Schons came forward. Schons shared with the police that he had been on the same road as the Yuba County 5 that night - he had been checking out skiing conditions at a lodge he owned. Schons’ reports have been quite strange over the years and somewhat varied. One of the most accepted goes that in the mountains, he became stuck in the snow and as he was working to dislodge his car from the snow he realized he was having a heart attack. So, he returned to his car, turned on the heat and lights, and stayed put.
Roughly six hours later, a car pulled up behind his. He reported six people got out of the car, and one appeared to be a woman holding a baby. He called out to them for help, but the unknown car’s light went out. Some time passed, and he reported seeing flashlight beams and so he called for help again. After a few calls, the lights went out. Running out of gas, Schons realized that he had no choice but to walk. As he walked the 8 miles down, he noticed Jack M’s car on the alk down.
The search teams found themselves unable to continue through the snow. So, they paused the search after and were left with no known physical evidence. They would return and resume the search when the weather cleared.
On June 4th, a small group of motorcyclists wandered into a deserted forest service trailer camp at the end of the road. They smelled something disgusting and what they said was worse. They immediately contacted forest services. The trailer was roughly 20 miles from where Jack M’s car had been and would be a difficult hike in the snow, especially without proper equipment. But, somehow, Ted Weiher had ended up there. Shockingly, after his autopsy was done, it was found that he had lived somewhere between 8-13 weeks after the fateful night. He had lost over 100 pounds and grew a beard.
It was believed that someone else had been in the cabin with him, as several bedsheets were tightly tucked ver his body. His shoes were missing. However, his nickel ring, gold necklace, wallet (with cash), and a gold watch were all found next to him. None of the families recognized the watch. Ted’s feet were severely frostbitten.
Within the cabin, though, there seemed to be plenty of materials that could have been used to start a fire, such as playing cards, books, wooden furniture, and heavy clothing. A propane tank, which was fuel, was never used. Yuba County Lt. Lance Ayers said, "All they had to do was turn that gas on, and they'd have had gas to the trailer, and heat."
Ayers was passionate about the case, and those in his life said it all but consumed in. He had a personal connection - he had attended Marysville High School with Weiher and his brothers. He seemed haunted that these five young men had met their ends in such a strange, unexplained way. He said countless tips had come in while the investigation had paused, but Ayers was able to punch holes in all of them.
Even more shocking, in the storage shed outside the cabin, there was an entire year’s supply of c-rations. 36 of the meals were missing, but dozens and dozens remained untouched. Furthermore, there was a surprising amount of freeze-dried meals that could have been used.
Just one day after Ted was found, they also found the remains of Jack M and Bill. They were found on opposite sides of the road that led to the trailer, around 11 miles from the car. Jack M’s remains had been partially eaten by animals and believed to have been dragged. Bill was located in a woody area by the road, however, his remains consisted only of bones.
Two days after Bill and Jack M’s remains were found, Jack H’s remains were discovered. Sadly, Jack’s own father was the one to find the first remains of his son - a backbone. However, Mr. Huett knew it was his son’s because a pair of his ripple-soled ‘Get There’ shoes were found nearby. These remains were found northeast from the trailer. Just a quarter-mile away, forest service blankets and a two-cell flashlight were discovered by the side of the road.
No remains of Gary Mathias were ever uncovered. However, the shoes he was wearing that night were found in the forest trailer. It is believed, since Ted was found without shoes, that Gary may have taken Ted’s leather shoes to keep moving.
Jack M’s mother said, "They wouldn't have fled off in the wood like a bunch of quail. We know good and well that somebody made them do it. We can't visualize someone getting the upper hand on those five men, but we know it must have been."
Thanks to Moth J. Man for the blogstonishing suggestion!
The blog’s image depicts a road (not the exact road) during winter in Plumas National Forest. It is licensed in the public domain.