Random Facts Surrounding The Unsolved Keddie Cabin Murders (13 items)

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  (#11) The Case Has Given Rise To A Huge Number Of Conspiracy Theories

  Because the Keddie Cabin case has been unsolved for so long, it has generated a number of conspiracy theories. Marty Smartt was close friends with the local sheriff, and skeptics suggest that authorities worked to conceal Smartt's involvement in the crime. Later investigations show that the police work on the case was wrought with error and that authorities didn't follow every lead. Additionally, not all evidence was properly documented, such as Smartt's letter to Marilyn and the 911 recording. 

  Organized crime unit officials came to the crime scene, which added fuel to the conspiracy theory fire. People speculate that perhaps Boubede killed Sue for a mob-related reason, given his connections to the Chicago and Vegas mafias.

  Another favored accomplice is Dee Lake, who lived at the address that made the phone call to police about Tina's skull fragment. Lake was also a former vet like Smartt and reportedly drove his buddy to Reno following Smartt’s split with Marilyn. 
   
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  (#1) Sue Sharp Had Just Moved To Keddie, California, With Her 5 Children

  In late 1980, 36-year-old Sue Sharp moved with her five children - Johnny, 15; Shelia, 14; Tina, 12; Rick, 10; and Greg, 5 - to a 3-bedroom resort cabin in Keddie, California. Sue, a recent divorcée, was beginning to date again. The family was getting to know the neighbors and make friends in the rural Sierra Nevada community. 

  Even though they were scraping by on a small income, everything seemed to be going well for Sue and her children.
   
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  (#8) There Were Two Primary Suspects

  Sue reportedly was romantically involved with various men, and while many were questioned, none were pinpointed as major suspects. Instead, police turned their gaze towards Marty Smartt and his friend Severin John Boubede, also known as "Bo." Both men lived close to the Sharps, in Cabin 26, and Sue was friends with Marty's long-abused wife, Marilyn. 

  Having left an abusive marriage herself, Sue encouraged Marilyn to leave Marty. He didn't like Sue's interference, and people believe that he enlisted an ex-con and possible mobster, Boubede, to kill her.

  Additionally, Marty was Justin Smartt's step-father, which investigators theorized may be why the boys' room was never disturbed. A few months after the murders, Marty moved to Reno, Nevada, and allegedly left his wife an incriminating letter. However, neither Smartt nor Boubede were arrested.
   
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  (#3) The Family's Surviving Daughter Found The Three Bodies

  When 14-year-old Sheila Sharp came home from a sleepover on the morning of April 12th, she saw the scene from the front door: Sue, Johnny, and Dana were lying on the living room floor, dead. Shelia then raced back to her friend's cabin next door - where she spent the previous night - to find help. 

  The Seabolts went to the back of the cabin where the boys were sleeping. Greg, Rick, and Justin were unharmed, and the neighbors notified the police. Inside Cabin 28, blood covered the carpet and couch. The bodies had multiple wounds, and investigators determined the victims suffered blunt force trauma. 

  Sue was partially covered with a sheet, and the rest of the room was in a state of disarray, with cushions pulled from the couch and side tables knocked to the ground. There was no sign of Sue's daughter, Tina.
   
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  (#10) A Therapist Told Authorities That Smartt Admitted To Killing Sue Sharp

  Sheriff Hagwood employed the services of private investigator Mike Gamberg to help with the case. The PI tracked down a therapist in Reno to whom Marty Smartt allegedly made a confession. The therapist told officials that he had contacted the police when Smartt initially admitted to the murder of Sue Sharp. 

  The therapist - a counselor at a Veteran’s Hospital - maintained Smartt’s confession occurred only weeks after the deaths at Cabin 28. Reportedly, Smartt also admitted culpability in Tina’s death and explained he attacked her to leave no witnesses. Smartt allegedly stated that his primary target was Sue because she interfered with his marriage. 

  Throughout his sessions, Smartt claimed to suffer from PTSD and mentioned that a Plumas County official, Sheriff Doug Thomas, was a good friend and former Keddie neighbor of his. 
   
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  (#5) Tina Sharp Was Missing For Years

  Hours after the three bodies were discovered inside the cabin, authorities realized that 12-year-old Tina Sharp was missing. Investigators believed that the assailants had taken Tina from the cabin still alive. The police, in conjunction with the FBI, conducted extensive searches for Tina, but there were no leads. 

  In 1984, on the third anniversary of the murders, a hunter uncovered fragments of a human skull approximately 30 miles from the Sharp’s cabin. An anonymous tip made to the Butte County Sheriff’s Office suggested investigators should check to see if the fragment belonged to Tina. 

  The call prompted a more thorough search of the area, and authorities found additional bone fragments. After they tested their findings, they confirmed that the skeleton belonged to Tina Sharp. The anonymous call was never documented, and in 2013, the old tape was recovered from evidence during a fresh look at the case. 
   

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