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The Mysterious Yuba County 5 Case: An Unsolved Mystery · The conspiracy

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  Speaker 1: Crime, conspiracy, cults, serial killers, and murder. All things that
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: I love to consume and I know you do too,
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: you sick, beautiful, intellectual-minded freak. And today we are talking
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  Speaker 1: about a very, very interesting cold case. And this particular
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  Speaker 1: cold case is called the Yuba County Five. And I
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: personally haven't heard about this. I think I was scrolling
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  Speaker 1: on TikTok like I do. And the case kind of
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  Speaker 1: came up and it gave like a little two minute overview.
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  Speaker 1: And I was like, I need to know everything about
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  Speaker 1: this and I'll solve it. I didn't solve it. And
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  Speaker 1: I don't know, I just think it's important to talk
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  Speaker 1: about the cold cases, you know, so we don't forget
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  Speaker 1: about them. For those of you who don't know, the
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  Speaker 1: Yuba County Five represents one of the most puzzling cold
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  Speaker 1: cases in California's history. In February 1978, five men from
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  Speaker 1: the Yuba City area disappeared after a basketball game in Chico, California.
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  Speaker 1: And months later, four of them would be found dead
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  Speaker 1: and one never found at all. So in this video,
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  Speaker 1: we're gonna delve into the lives of these five men,
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  Speaker 1: retrace the steps leading up to the disappearances, and analyze
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  Speaker 1: the events, theories, and ongoing questions surrounding this mysterious case.
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  Speaker 1: So without further ado, let's unbuckle your seatbelts, go Mach
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  Speaker 1: 5 down the highway, slam on the brakes, and bust
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  Speaker 1: through this windshield into this crazy cold case together. Also,
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  Speaker 1: for those of you who've been asking in the comments
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  Speaker 1: for me to have a podcast on Spotify, it is
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: on Spotify now. It's crime, conspiracy, cults, and murder. Go
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: check that out. You guys have been asking, I am
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: giving it to you. Okay, so I think we should
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  Speaker 1: talk about the Yuba County Five men first. Known fondly
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  Speaker 1: by their families as the boys. And each had their
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  Speaker 1: own quirks, vulnerabilities, and strengths, forming a very close-knit group
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  Speaker 1: that offered one another companionship and stability in a world
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  Speaker 1: that at times could be very, very unkind. So let's
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  Speaker 1: start with Theodore, aka Ted Wire. Born in 1946, Ted
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  Speaker 1: Wire was a gentle giant who was beloved by his
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  Speaker 1: family and friends for his kindness and warmth. And at
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  Speaker 1: 32 years old, Ted was known to be very friendly
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  Speaker 1: and compassionate with a large heart that matched his robust frame.
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  Speaker 1: And while he could hold down a job, he did
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  Speaker 1: need a certain level of supervision due to his intellectual disabilities,
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  Speaker 1: which all of the men I'm going to be talking
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  Speaker 1: about had a certain level of disability. So his family
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  Speaker 1: often described him as slow, noting that he had some
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  Speaker 1: difficulty with decision-making and would sometimes misinterpret situations, making him
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  Speaker 1: more vulnerable to influence from others. And Ted, like I said,
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  Speaker 1: worked various jobs, including a stint as a janitor at
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  Speaker 1: Yuba Gardens Middle School, and later as a laborer at
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  Speaker 1: Pacific Gas and Electric, where he packaged, wound, and repaired cables.
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  Speaker 1: And in social settings, Ted was very outgoing and gentle,
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  Speaker 1: always very eager to help and rarely showed signs of
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  Speaker 1: any anger. And Ted was particularly close to Jackie Hewitt,
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  Speaker 1: who we're going to be talking about as well, and
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  Speaker 1: who was a part of the Yuba County Five. And
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  Speaker 1: this friendship was one of mutual protection and companionship, with
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  Speaker 1: Ted often looking out for Jackie. Ted was also known
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  Speaker 1: to walk significant distances despite having a poor sense of
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  Speaker 1: direction and deep-seated fear of the dark. He would actually
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  Speaker 1: regularly walk the seven miles to Bill Sterling's house in
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  Speaker 1: Yuba City, showcasing his endurance and his fondness for his friends.
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  Speaker 1: So Ted had a very simple but very full life,
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  Speaker 1: including a budding romantic relationship with a woman he likely
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  Speaker 1: meant at The Gateway Projects, a nonprofit organization for adults
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  Speaker 1: with disabilities where he worked alongside his four friends, which
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  Speaker 1: we'll talk about that a little bit more, so stay
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  Speaker 1: tuned for that, because that situation's a little... But his
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  Speaker 1: life was enriched by these relationships, and he relied on
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  Speaker 1: them for stability and support. And that brings us to
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  Speaker 1: the next man, which is Jack aka Doc Madruga. So
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  Speaker 1: Jack Madruga was born in 1947 to a family of
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  Speaker 1: Portuguese descent, and was affectionately called Doc by family members,
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  Speaker 1: who lovingly referred to his habit of quoting Bugs Bunny
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  Speaker 1: famous lines, What's up, Jack? And Jack, who was 30,
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  Speaker 1: was a deeply private individual. A very introverted man who
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  Speaker 1: valued his independence and was known to take very good
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  Speaker 1: care of his treasured possessions. Especially, especially his 1969 Mercury Montego. Montego? Montego.
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  Speaker 1: Hopefully I'm saying that right. And despite a below average IQ,
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  Speaker 1: Jack was never formally diagnosed with an intellectual disability, which
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  Speaker 1: was very common at the time. People would often refer
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  Speaker 1: to people who seem to present with a intellectual disability
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  Speaker 1: as just slow. Oh, he's just slow or he's just
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  Speaker 1: not that smart. There was often times where people went
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  Speaker 1: undiagnosed because it wasn't very common at the time. But
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  Speaker 1: he would graduate from high school and he would serve
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  Speaker 1: as a truck driver in the army. And he would
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  Speaker 1: spend two years stationed in Germany before being discharged in 1968.
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  Speaker 1: And his military experience probably contributed to his self-reliance and
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  Speaker 1: strong sense of personal responsibility. And he would later work
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  Speaker 1: as a busboy at Sunsweet Growers, a local business where
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  Speaker 1: he collaborated with Bill Sterling as part of their involvement
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  Speaker 1: in the Gateway Project, mentioning it again. Are you keeping up?
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  Speaker 1: Keep up. And Jack's car was his pride and joy,
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  Speaker 1: like I said. He was fiercely protective of it, and
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  Speaker 1: he would rarely let anybody else drive it. And his
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  Speaker 1: attention to detail extended to his finances, which he managed
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  Speaker 1: with care, ensuring that he remained financially independent, while living
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  Speaker 1: with his mother, Melba. And she would often describe him
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  Speaker 1: as intelligent and fun-loving. But his loyalty was unquestionable. His
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  Speaker 1: closest friend, Bill Sterling, was a constant presence in Jack's life.
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  Speaker 1: So Jack's sense of duty to his friends, his family,
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  Speaker 1: and his car would ultimately make his decision to drive
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  Speaker 1: into the forest on that February night all more perplexing.
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  Speaker 1: And this brings us to his best friend, William slash Bill,
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  Speaker 1: So at 29, Bill Sterling was a deeply religious man,
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  Speaker 1: driven by his faith to help others. Known for his
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  Speaker 1: very gentle and empathetic nature, he regularly volunteered at local hospitals,
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  Speaker 1: reading Bible passages to patients. He was a member to
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  Speaker 1: several local churches, and he belonged to a Californian Christian
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  Speaker 1: singles and social group for single individuals. And though his
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  Speaker 1: family isn't sure if he was involved in any romantic relationships,
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  Speaker 1: Bill's social world revolved around his faith and his friends.
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  Speaker 1: And Bill had been diagnosed with an intellectual disability, likely
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  Speaker 1: falling on the autism spectrum, which made him somewhat naive,
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  Speaker 1: but intensely kind-hearted. And his time at the Gateway Projects
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  Speaker 1: was both a social outlet and a professional anchor for him,
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  Speaker 1: allowing him to work and interact with his friends in
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  Speaker 1: a structured and very supportive environment. And Bell had also
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  Speaker 1: spent time in two mental health institutions between the ages
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  Speaker 1: of eight and 19, reportedly due to hyperactivity that occasionally
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  Speaker 1: led to confrontational situations. However, these experiences seemed to strengthen
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  Speaker 1: his resolve to spread kindness, and he would become known
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  Speaker 1: for his very tenderhearted personality. And he and Jack Madruga
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  Speaker 1: were particularly close and often engaged in physical activities together, including...
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  Speaker 1: Bill was actually a member of the Pin Pickers, a
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  Speaker 1: local bowling team compromised of people with disabilities, where he
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  Speaker 1: was a very committed and very reliable player. So his
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  Speaker 1: steadfast nature and gentle disposition made him a very valued member,
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  Speaker 1: both in his social and faith communities. And that brings
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  Speaker 1: us to our next man, Jackie Charles Hewitt. So at
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  Speaker 1: just 24 years old, Jackie would be the youngest of
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  Speaker 1: the group and often the most shy and reserved. And
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  Speaker 1: his parents often described him as handicapped from birth, a
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  Speaker 1: term commonly used at the time, but a term we
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  Speaker 1: do not use anymore. So I'm just quoting what they
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  Speaker 1: said as parents. He also suffered from asthma and was
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  Speaker 1: reportedly the most intellectually challenged member of the group as well.
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  Speaker 1: Although his family did believe that he functioned well within
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  Speaker 1: the safe bounds of his home and familiar friends. And
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  Speaker 1: Jackie lived with a very large family, including his parents,
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  Speaker 1: his siblings, and his grandparents, who provided him with protective
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  Speaker 1: and a very nurturing environment. But his shyness was often
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  Speaker 1: very visible, marked by a speech impediment and a lisp
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  Speaker 1: that just made him less inclined to speak in public
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  Speaker 1: or in large groups. And he couldn't read or write either.
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  Speaker 1: And he had never spent a night away from home
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  Speaker 1: at this point. So his family support was really crucial
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  Speaker 1: to his sense of stability and self-confidence. And Jackie's closest
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  Speaker 1: companion was Ted Wire. And their relationship was one of
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  Speaker 1: mutual dependence and protection. With Ted often looking out for Jackie,
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  Speaker 1: despite his shy nature, Jackie was athletic and he enjoyed hunting, fishing,
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  Speaker 1: and riding his motorbike. Although he did not have a license,
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  Speaker 1: he was a capable driver and relied off his friends
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  Speaker 1: for guidance and companionship. And his role in the group
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  Speaker 1: was somewhat as the heart of the group. The quiet
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  Speaker 1: friend who, despite the shyness, brought warmth and humor to
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  Speaker 1: their gatherings. Which brings us to our last man, which
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  Speaker 1: is Gary Dale Matias. Gary Matias, who was 25, was
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  Speaker 1: the most enigmatic and complicated member of the group. Unlike
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  Speaker 1: his friends, whose intellectual challenges were developmental, Gary's struggles were
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  Speaker 1: rooted in severe mental illness. Diagnosed with schizophrenia while in
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  Speaker 1: the army, he was discharged after a series of psychotic episodes.
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  Speaker 1: And his condition, although managed by medication, often led to
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  Speaker 1: unpredictable behavior. And Gary did take several medications, including Stelazine
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  Speaker 1: and Cogentin Cog... Cogentin? I'm stupid. I don't know. He
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  Speaker 1: took multiple medications. And these medications would allow him to function.
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  Speaker 1: But even with his treatment, his family and friends were
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  Speaker 1: aware that he could exhibit erratic behavior if his symptoms
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  Speaker 1: flared up or if he was to miss doses of
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  Speaker 1: his medication. But despite his challenges, Gary was seen as
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  Speaker 1: the leader of the group, displaying a certain charisma that
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  Speaker 1: the others gravitated towards. And his high school years were
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  Speaker 1: marked by his athletic achievements and his wide social circle
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  Speaker 1: that extended beyond his friends at Gateway Projects. Gary's life
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  Speaker 1: was complicated though by a series of troubling incidents, and
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  Speaker 1: some of which had legal implications. He had been involved
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  Speaker 1: in altercations and even faced with charges of battery and assault.
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  Speaker 1: And he had twice escaped from psychiatric facilities, once walking
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  Speaker 1: over 130 miles from a Veterans Administration hospital back to
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  Speaker 1: his hometown. That's a really long way. So the combination
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  Speaker 1: of his mental illness, his high intelligence, and complex past
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  Speaker 1: made him pivotal and somewhat of a mysterious figure in
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  Speaker 1: the group. But these five men, each with their own
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  Speaker 1: very distinct personality, formed a very tight-knit group were brought
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  Speaker 1: together by the Gateway Projects program, the organization that provided
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  Speaker 1: them with a sense of belonging and purpose through shared activities, employment,
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  Speaker 1: and social interactions. And while each faced personal struggles, together
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  Speaker 1: they formed this protective circle that offered support and acceptance
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  Speaker 1: among themselves. And their deep bonds and just mutual trust
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  Speaker 1: made them like an inseparable group, just a group of
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  Speaker 1: insanely nice, kind-hearted, sweet, intelligent men. So let's get into
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  Speaker 1: the events of the night that they disappeared. February 24th,
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  Speaker 1: 1978 was a day of excitement for the five friends
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  Speaker 1: from Yuba City. For these men, Gary Mathias, Jack Madruga,
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  Speaker 1: Ted Weier, Jackie Hewitt, and Bill Sterling, Basketball was a
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  Speaker 1: shared passion and a point of pride. The men, all
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  Speaker 1: high-functioning despite their disabilities, were planning on gearing up for
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  Speaker 1: the Special Olympics tournament scheduled for the following day. And
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  Speaker 1: the reward for winning was a trip to Disneyland. A
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  Speaker 1: trip none of them would have missed willingly. Yet before
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  Speaker 1: the tournament, they had one final night to see their
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  Speaker 1: favorite college team, the UC Davis Aggies, play against the
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  Speaker 1: Chico State Wildcats. Sorry if I said Aggies wrong. A-G's. Aggies?
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  Speaker 1: I'm sorry. That evening, they would all pile into Jack
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  Speaker 1: Madruga's well-kept 1969 Mercury Montego, driving north from Yuba City
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  Speaker 1: to Chico. So they would reach the Art Acker Gymnasium
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  Speaker 1: at Chico State in time for the 7.45 p.m. game
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  Speaker 1: and took their seats in the bleachers. UC Davis would win,
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  Speaker 1: a victory that would have thrilled the five friends as
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  Speaker 1: they chatted and savored the evening. And after the game,
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  Speaker 1: they would make a quick stop at Bear's Market at
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  Speaker 1: around 10 p.m., buying snacks to share during their hour-long
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  Speaker 1: drive home. And their route should have taken them directly
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  Speaker 1: south along Highway 70 back to Yuba City. But as
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  Speaker 1: they departed Chico, they would soon make an unexpected turn
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  Speaker 1: that would lead them far, far from home and into
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  Speaker 1: the icy isolation of the Plumas National Forest. So instead
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  Speaker 1: of following the straightforward route home, the men inexplicably veered
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  Speaker 1: east towards Oroville and into the mountains. And they were
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  Speaker 1: now far off course, climbing into increasingly remote and treacherous
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  Speaker 1: territory on the Oroville-Quincy Highway. And Madruga, as we know,
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  Speaker 1: was known to be very protective of his card, was
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  Speaker 1: even hesitant to drive off of pavement, let alone into
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  Speaker 1: the forest in the dead of winter. So this was
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  Speaker 1: very strange behavior. So investigators would later speculate that something
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  Speaker 1: unusual must have happened that compelled him to continue down
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  Speaker 1: the unmarked mountain road, eventually reaching an elevation of 4,400 feet.
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  Speaker 1: But somewhere else around 11 p.m. that night, another car,
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  Speaker 1: a Volkswagen Beetle, was stranded along the same rugged road.
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  Speaker 1: Its driver, Joseph Shones, trapped in a harrowing situation. While
• 13:19
  Speaker 1: attempting to push his car out of the snow, Shones
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  Speaker 1: would suffer a mild heart attack. And stranded, he would
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  Speaker 1: just lay weakened in his own car, struggling through the
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  Speaker 1: freezing night. And at one point, he would claim to
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  Speaker 1: see a set of two headlights approaching, one from a
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  Speaker 1: car and one from a pickup truck. And desperate, he
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  Speaker 1: tried signaling for help from these lights that he saw
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  Speaker 1: and people that he heard, but the lights would abruptly
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  Speaker 1: go off, and the voices would fall silent soon after.
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  Speaker 1: And as dawn approached, he managed to walk eight miles
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  Speaker 1: to a nearby lodge to seek medical help. And on
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  Speaker 1: his way, he noticed Madruga's Mercury Montego parked on the road.
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  Speaker 1: It was empty when he saw it, and he assumed
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  Speaker 1: whoever had left it there had found their way back
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  Speaker 1: down the mountain. And Shone's account was chilling but clouded
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: by doubts. And his reputation for dishonesty and drinking raised
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: questions as well in the reliability of this testimony. But
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: it's interesting nonetheless. So by the next morning, the five
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: men still hadn't returned. Their families, obviously deeply concerned, filed
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: missing persons reports, prompting a frantic search along the highway
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  Speaker 1: between Yuba City and Chico. And when no clues emerged,
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  Speaker 1: the families began searching remote areas of Oroville and Plumas
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  Speaker 1: National Forest. And four days later, a U.S. Forest Service
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  Speaker 1: worker named William Burris discovered Madruga's car, eerily parked in
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  Speaker 1: the middle of an unpaved road near Rogers Cow Camp.
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  Speaker 1: around 70 miles from Chico. It was undamaged with the
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  Speaker 1: windows rolled completely down, and they also noticed that the
• 14:47
  Speaker 1: fuel gauge indicated some gas was still in the tank.
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  Speaker 1: So they didn't leave the car because they ran out
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  Speaker 1: of gas. So that's interesting to know. And inside, authorities
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: would find wrappers from snacks the men had bought at
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: the Bears Market, and maps and a basketball program. However,
• 15:04
  Speaker 1: there was no sign of the $ 5. And investigators were
• 15:07
  Speaker 1: baffled as to why Madruga's car would be parked in
• 15:10
  Speaker 1: such an isolated area. The road was rugged, lined with
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: snowbanks 10 to 12 feet deep, and certainly no place
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  Speaker 1: to be if you didn't have any winter gear, which
• 15:19
  Speaker 1: they didn't. Yet despite the steep, treacherous climb, Madruga's car
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: showed no signs of damage. It was as if the
• 15:25
  Speaker 1: group had driven there deliberately, and for reasons beyond comprehension,
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  Speaker 1: abandoned the car in freezing temperatures. And a blizzard would
• 15:33
  Speaker 1: hit soon after the car's discovery, dumping fresh snow all
• 15:37
  Speaker 1: over the area, forcing searchers to pause their search. And
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: the investigation then expanded into the surrounding counties. But without
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: any leads, the mystery grew colder as the weeks turned
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: into months. And it wasn't until early June 1978, after
• 15:52
  Speaker 1: months of searching and speculation, when the spring thaw began
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: to reveal the haunting remnants of what happened to the
• 15:58
  Speaker 1: Yuba County Five. A series of grim discoveries in the
• 16:02
  Speaker 1: Plumas National Forest provided a partial answer to the mystery,
• 16:05
  Speaker 1: though each new detail seemed to raise even more questions.
• 16:09
  Speaker 1: So on June 4th, 1978, a group of off-road motorcyclists
• 16:14
  Speaker 1: exploring the Plumas National Forest took a detour past the
• 16:18
  Speaker 1: Daniel Zink Campground located about 19 miles from the location
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  Speaker 1: where Jack Madruga's Mercury, Montego, had been abandoned. And as
• 16:25
  Speaker 1: they navigated through the campground, the group spotted a trailer
• 16:29
  Speaker 1: used by the U.S. force during fire season. But what
• 16:32
  Speaker 1: drew their attention, however, was the overpowering stench emanating from inside.
• 16:37
  Speaker 1: A smell unmistakable linked to to decomposition. So peering inside
• 16:43
  Speaker 1: through a broken window, the motorists could see a body
• 16:46
  Speaker 1: lying on a bunk bed. And disturbed by the sight,
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  Speaker 1: they promptly reported their discovery to local authorities who arrived
• 16:52
  Speaker 1: to investigate. And inside the trailer, they found the body
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: of Ted Wire lying on a lower bunk. and his
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  Speaker 1: body was completely emaciated, wrapped meticulously in eight layers of
• 17:03
  Speaker 1: bed sheets that covered him up all the way to
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  Speaker 1: his chin. And his feet were severely frostbitten and gangrenous,
• 17:09
  Speaker 1: and this just revealed the extent he suffered in the cold.
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  Speaker 1: And Wire had reportedly lost near a hundred pounds by
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  Speaker 1: the time of his death. And the presence of his long,
• 17:19
  Speaker 1: unkept beard suggested that he had survived possibly as long
• 17:23
  Speaker 1: as two months after their initial disappearance in February. And
• 17:27
  Speaker 1: an autopsy would later reveal that he died of hypothermia
• 17:30
  Speaker 1: and starvation. But strangely, while there was a large supply
• 17:34
  Speaker 1: of food in the outside locker, like canned sea rations
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  Speaker 1: left behind by the forest service, only a few of
• 17:41
  Speaker 1: these cans had been opened and consumed. A P-38 military
• 17:45
  Speaker 1: can opener would be found near the food supplies as well,
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  Speaker 1: which suggests that Gary Mathias, with his army background, might
• 17:53
  Speaker 1: have helped with opening some of the cans, indicating that
• 17:56
  Speaker 1: he might have been in the trailer with wire at
• 17:58
  Speaker 1: some point. Again, this is all speculation, but would make sense. since.
• 18:03
  Speaker 1: And there was also a propane tank near the trailer
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  Speaker 1: that could have provided heat, but it had not been used.
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  Speaker 1: And this led investigators to wonder whether Weier or whoever
• 18:13
  Speaker 1: else might be with him simply did not know how
• 18:15
  Speaker 1: to operate the tank possibly, or if some other factor
• 18:19
  Speaker 1: prevented them. from doing so. So two days after Wire
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: was found on June 6th, a search team would uncover
• 18:25
  Speaker 1: the bodies of Jack Madruga and Bill Sterling, roughly three
• 18:29
  Speaker 1: miles from the trailer along the same snow-covered road. And
• 18:32
  Speaker 1: their bodies were located in the opposite directions along the road,
• 18:36
  Speaker 1: as if the two had split up in a desperate
• 18:38
  Speaker 1: attempt to find help. Jack Madruga's partially decomposed body was
• 18:41
  Speaker 1: found lying face up in a shallow ditch on the
• 18:44
  Speaker 1: northeast side of the road. His right hand tightly clutching
• 18:47
  Speaker 1: his watch and strangely the keys of his Mercury Montego.
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: And this odd detail kind of puzzled investigators as Madruga,
• 18:56
  Speaker 1: who was known to be extremely protective of his car,
• 18:59
  Speaker 1: was found far from it in really harsh weather conditions.
• 19:02
  Speaker 1: And he had also died of hypothermia, likely after attempting
• 19:05
  Speaker 1: to walk back to the car or find a route
• 19:08
  Speaker 1: to safety. He wore only light clothing, including a jacket
• 19:11
  Speaker 1: and thin pants, which were very inadequate for the freezing
• 19:14
  Speaker 1: temperatures on the mountain. And Bill Sterling's remains were found
• 19:17
  Speaker 1: just across the road from Madruga in a more advanced
• 19:21
  Speaker 1: state of decomposition. His bones were scattered across a 50
• 19:24
  Speaker 1: square yard area and investigators would conclude that animals had
• 19:28
  Speaker 1: likely disturbed the remains. And like Madruga, Sterling had also
• 19:31
  Speaker 1: succumbed to hypothermia. And the distance they had traveled suggested
• 19:35
  Speaker 1: that they had initially set out from the car on foot,
• 19:38
  Speaker 1: or perhaps looking for help or a familiar landmark, but
• 19:41
  Speaker 1: were eventually overcome by the cold. And the following day
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: on June 7th brought another heartbreaking discovery, one that struck
• 19:48
  Speaker 1: particularly close to home. Jackie Hewitt's skeletal remains were found
• 19:52
  Speaker 1: about two and a half miles from the trailer, hidden
• 19:54
  Speaker 1: in a dense thicket of trees. And the discovery was
• 19:57
  Speaker 1: made by Hewitt's own family. father who had joined the
• 20:00
  Speaker 1: search efforts in hopes of finding his son. As he
• 20:03
  Speaker 1: combed through the woods he would find pieces of Jackie's clothing,
• 20:06
  Speaker 1: scattered bones, and a pair of shoes which he recognized
• 20:10
  Speaker 1: as belonging to his son. It's just so absolutely heartbreaking.
• 20:14
  Speaker 1: Autopsies would suggest that he, like the others, had likely
• 20:18
  Speaker 1: died of exposure, overwhelmed by the brutal cold and disoriented
• 20:21
  Speaker 1: in the wilderness. And despite the exhaustive search, Gary Mathias
• 20:26
  Speaker 1: was never found. However, authorities did find Mathias' tennis shoes
• 20:30
  Speaker 1: in a trailer alongside Weier's body, suggesting that he possibly
• 20:34
  Speaker 1: swapped his shoes for Wire's larger boots, perhaps to better
• 20:38
  Speaker 1: navigate through the snow. The theory was that Gary might
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: have left the trailer in a final attempt but perished
• 20:44
  Speaker 1: somewhere out in the wilderness and his body was just
• 20:47
  Speaker 1: concealed by the dense forest or by natural elements probably.
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: But Gary's fate remains the most elusive part of the
• 20:53
  Speaker 1: mystery and his family continues to hold on to hope
• 20:56
  Speaker 1: for years that he might still be alive. The lack
• 20:59
  Speaker 1: of evidence regarding Gary's whereabouts has led to to a
• 21:03
  Speaker 1: range of theories. From him perishing in the wilderness to
• 21:06
  Speaker 1: more speculative ideas that he might have managed to survive
• 21:10
  Speaker 1: and somehow escaped. The autopsies of the men were inconclusive
• 21:14
  Speaker 1: in many ways. There were no signs of physical trauma
• 21:17
  Speaker 1: or foul play on any of the bones, leading investigators
• 21:20
  Speaker 1: to conclude that they probably just succumbed to natural elements
• 21:24
  Speaker 1: rather than violence. But the forensic findings left lingering questions
• 21:28
  Speaker 1: that could not easily be answered. First of which was
• 21:31
  Speaker 1: why did Weier starve when there was food available? because
• 21:34
  Speaker 1: despite the abundant food supplies, Weier had lost an alarming
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: amount of weight, suggesting he had eaten very little. And
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: the fact that some cans were open suggests that he
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: might have consumed a small amount of food, but not
• 21:46
  Speaker 1: nearly enough to sustain him for two months. And the
• 21:49
  Speaker 1: other question was why hadn't they turned on the propane
• 21:52
  Speaker 1: tank or used any other available resources for warmth? Because
• 21:55
  Speaker 1: the propane tank was basically untouched, but it was an
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: industrial tank that may have required specialized knowledge or equipment
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: to operate. And the blankets, while used to cover Weimer,
• 22:06
  Speaker 1: were not used effectively for warmth. So this led questions
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: of whether they simply just didn't know how to access
• 22:12
  Speaker 1: the propane or were perhaps too disoriented to think clearly,
• 22:17
  Speaker 1: which is very fair as well. And there was the
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: absence of Gary Mathias' body. So let's talk about some
• 22:22
  Speaker 1: of the theories of what potentially happened. So the first
• 22:25
  Speaker 1: one is the coercion or foul play theory. One of
• 22:29
  Speaker 1: the most enduring theories is that the men were coerced
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: and forced into the Plumas National Forest by an unknown
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: person or group, possibly under threat. Key evidence supporting this
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: theory includes Jack Madruga's car and his apparent unwillingness to
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: abandon it. Known to be very meticulous about his car,
• 22:45
  Speaker 1: Madrigal was unlikely to drive it down such a rugged
• 22:48
  Speaker 1: road that was snow-packed and was unpaved unless he had
• 22:52
  Speaker 1: a very compelling reason. He was also known to actually
• 22:55
  Speaker 1: retrace his steps if he made a wrong turn, further
• 22:58
  Speaker 1: questioning why he would continue up an unfamiliar mountain road.
• 23:02
  Speaker 1: And Madruga's family maintains that Jack would not have left
• 23:04
  Speaker 1: his car willingly in such conditions, especially with the driver's
• 23:08
  Speaker 1: side window partially rolled down. And this, combined with the
• 23:11
  Speaker 1: reports that Madruga was seen as one of the leaders
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: of the group, suggests that something or someone may have
• 23:17
  Speaker 1: overridden his judgment. And adding to the suspicion of foul
• 23:20
  Speaker 1: play are unconfirmed rumors of a red pickup truck seen
• 23:24
  Speaker 1: near the abandoned car, which has been connected to various
• 23:27
  Speaker 1: sightings and reports. According to multiple witnesses, a red truck
• 23:30
  Speaker 1: was seen in the forest around the same time of
• 23:33
  Speaker 1: the disappearance. And it was suggested that Matthias may have
• 23:36
  Speaker 1: been acquainted with someone in Forbes Town, an area that
• 23:39
  Speaker 1: was accessible by the Oroville-Quincy Highway. Additionally, local accounts circulated
• 23:43
  Speaker 1: about a bully guy who, with his group, might have
• 23:47
  Speaker 1: been responsible for intimidating or harming the men. But we
• 23:50
  Speaker 1: don't know if Matthias or the men were actually headed
• 23:53
  Speaker 1: to Forbes Town in the first place, so it's all speculation.
• 23:56
  Speaker 1: And the next theory is the misguided search for a
• 23:59
  Speaker 1: friend or shelter. So the men, possibly disoriented or misguided,
• 24:03
  Speaker 1: may have taken a wrong turn deliberately to seek out
• 24:06
  Speaker 1: a friend. or shelter or assistance in the forest. And
• 24:09
  Speaker 1: this theory often centers around Gary, who's schizophrenic, though reportedly
• 24:14
  Speaker 1: under control at the time, could have influenced the group's
• 24:17
  Speaker 1: decision making. Gary's stepfather noted that Gary had friends in
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: Forbes Town, like I was saying before, which was reachable
• 24:24
  Speaker 1: by the Oroville Quincy Highway. And it's possible that the
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: men went through the mountain as a shortcut through the forest. However, again,
• 24:30
  Speaker 1: we don't know if they were actually heading to this
• 24:32
  Speaker 1: person's place, so... speculation again. But some of the family
• 24:35
  Speaker 1: members just say that the group would not have taken
• 24:38
  Speaker 1: such a dangerous turn. None of them were particularly familiar
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: with the forest and Madruga, who was known to avoid
• 24:45
  Speaker 1: driving his car in rough terrain like we said, would
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: just not have done that or was very unlikely that
• 24:51
  Speaker 1: he would do that. Even if Gary was able to
• 24:53
  Speaker 1: persuade the others to seek out a friend's home, they
• 24:56
  Speaker 1: were woefully underdressed for the freezing conditions, making this theory
• 25:00
  Speaker 1: implausible without some element of compulsion. And the next theory
• 25:04
  Speaker 1: is disorientation and hypothermia induced delirium, which I think is
• 25:08
  Speaker 1: the most plausible theory. And it's, I mean, it's proven
• 25:11
  Speaker 1: they did pass because of hypothermia, but we still don't
• 25:14
  Speaker 1: know why necessarily. But the theory that the men suffered
• 25:17
  Speaker 1: from disorientation and hypothermia induced delirium is supported by known
• 25:22
  Speaker 1: symptoms of hypothermia, which can cause confusion, poor decision-making and
• 25:26
  Speaker 1: even hallucinations. And it also can cause paradoxical undressing. And
• 25:30
  Speaker 1: if you don't know what paradoxical undressing is, it is
• 25:33
  Speaker 1: the medical phenomenon that occurs when someone removes their clothing
• 25:36
  Speaker 1: despite it being cold, often as a result of hypothermia.
• 25:40
  Speaker 1: And this happens when a person's peripheral vasodilation causes them
• 25:43
  Speaker 1: to feel very warm, like very hot when they're actually
• 25:47
  Speaker 1: extremely cold and it can occur in moderate or severe
• 25:50
  Speaker 1: hypothermia when a person may also become confused or disoriented
• 25:55
  Speaker 1: or even combative. So they feel so hot that they
• 25:58
  Speaker 1: feel like they need to take off their clothes and
• 26:01
  Speaker 1: rid themselves of layers which in turn just makes them
• 26:04
  Speaker 1: even colder in actuality and makes them perish of hypothermia.
• 26:08
  Speaker 1: And this theory suggests that after abandoning the car the
• 26:11
  Speaker 1: men attempted to find shelter and ended up wandering deeper
• 26:14
  Speaker 1: and deeper into the forest until ultimately succumbing to the elements.
• 26:18
  Speaker 1: And Ted Wire specifically, who survived the longest out of
• 26:21
  Speaker 1: the five or four that we know of, may have
• 26:24
  Speaker 1: experienced severe disorientation and impairment leading to his eventual starvation
• 26:28
  Speaker 1: despite the availability of food in the trailer. And however
• 26:31
  Speaker 1: this theory explains the physical toll on the men, it
• 26:34
  Speaker 1: doesn't fully account for why they were in the forest
• 26:38
  Speaker 1: in the first place. But it would explain the delirium
• 26:41
  Speaker 1: and possibly why they left the car in the first
• 26:43
  Speaker 1: place and ended up at the trailer and then left
• 26:46
  Speaker 1: the trailer, it does come into play in most of
• 26:50
  Speaker 1: those scenarios. And the next theory is schizophrenia and the
• 26:53
  Speaker 1: Gary Mathias theory. So Gary's history of mental illness challenges,
• 26:57
  Speaker 1: particularly his schizophrenia has prompted theories that he played a
• 27:01
  Speaker 1: central role in the group's disappearance. Though Matias was reportedly
• 27:04
  Speaker 1: stable at the time, some believe that he may have
• 27:06
  Speaker 1: suffered an episode that influenced the group's actions. Accounts from
• 27:10
  Speaker 1: Madruga's niece, Kathy, reveal that some of the men were
• 27:14
  Speaker 1: allegedly wary of Gary, though they never openly expressed it
• 27:17
  Speaker 1: to him. They kind of walked on eggshells around him sometimes.
• 27:20
  Speaker 1: So if Matias had suffered a psychotic break, he might've
• 27:24
  Speaker 1: convinced or coerced the others to follow him into the forest,
• 27:27
  Speaker 1: possibly in a paranoid attempt to flee an imagined threat.
• 27:30
  Speaker 1: But since he was never found, this is simply a
• 27:34
  Speaker 1: theory leaving the mystery of his actions unsolved. Given the
• 27:37
  Speaker 1: isolated small town setting, another theory speculates that the men
• 27:41
  Speaker 1: may have inadvertently encountered someone with malicious intent, either during
• 27:45
  Speaker 1: their time in Chico or on their way home. And
• 27:48
  Speaker 1: this theory is supported by reports of a town A
• 27:51
  Speaker 1: group of local troublemakers who may have crossed paths with
• 27:54
  Speaker 1: the men at Bear's Market or along the road. And
• 27:57
  Speaker 1: rumors did circulate that the men allegedly confessed to harming
• 28:00
  Speaker 1: the Yuba County Five during a church service. But these
• 28:03
  Speaker 1: claims were never substantiated and small town people love to
• 28:07
  Speaker 1: spread rumors. And according to Out of Bounds, a red
• 28:10
  Speaker 1: pickup truck was reported in the area at the night
• 28:12
  Speaker 1: of the disappearance. But investigators just dismissed it completely. And
• 28:15
  Speaker 1: the next theory is the Gateway Projects. Gateway enabled adults
• 28:19
  Speaker 1: with developmental disabilities or mental health conditions to work, build skills,
• 28:23
  Speaker 1: and transition from welfare dependency to employment. And for the
• 28:27
  Speaker 1: Yuba County Five, Gateway was more than just work. It
• 28:30
  Speaker 1: fostered friendships, a sense of belonging, and social stability. And
• 28:34
  Speaker 1: the men really bonded through Gateway, working various jobs and
• 28:37
  Speaker 1: forming the Gateway Gators, a basketball team that represented their
• 28:41
  Speaker 1: shared interest and camaraderie. Yet Gateway Projects was not without
• 28:45
  Speaker 1: its controversy. Following Sutherland's departure in 1972, the organization got
• 28:50
  Speaker 1: a new director, Donald Garrett, and faced a troubling series
• 28:53
  Speaker 1: of violent incidents, including arson attacks and his own unsolved
• 28:57
  Speaker 1: murder in 1975. And these attacks believed to be linked
• 29:01
  Speaker 1: to a figure dubbed the Weirdo the Fireball Freak. And
• 29:06
  Speaker 1: although there's no direct evidence that these events influenced the
• 29:09
  Speaker 1: Yuba County Five's disappearance, the tense environment of Garrett's mysterious
• 29:13
  Speaker 1: death loomed over Gateway, likely affecting his trainees. But again,
• 29:17
  Speaker 1: there was no evidence suggesting direct connections to the events
• 29:21
  Speaker 1: surrounding the case. gateway. And after all of this happened,
• 29:25
  Speaker 1: the news of the Yuba County Five's tragic deaths spread
• 29:29
  Speaker 1: very quickly, capturing national media attention. Various newspapers and magazines
• 29:33
  Speaker 1: ran stories exploring the mysterious circumstances, sometimes sensationalizing the events.
• 29:38
  Speaker 1: The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and the outlets
• 29:42
  Speaker 1: delved into the unusual details, drawing comparisons to the similarly
• 29:46
  Speaker 1: eerie and unsolved 1959 deaths of nine Russian hikers in
• 29:50
  Speaker 1: the Ural Mountains. And the families were very vocal of
• 29:53
  Speaker 1: their dissatisfaction with the handling of the case, criticizing law
• 29:56
  Speaker 1: enforcement for initial lack of urgency and accusing officials of
• 30:00
  Speaker 1: not thoroughly investigating leads. Jack Madruga's parents even consulted a
• 30:05
  Speaker 1: psychic who allegedly described details such as a red truck
• 30:09
  Speaker 1: but these accounts failed to yield concrete evidence. And public
• 30:12
  Speaker 1: interest just intensified as more details emerged. The series of
• 30:16
  Speaker 1: arson attacks at Gateway Projects, which had ceased just a
• 30:19
  Speaker 1: few years before the disappearances, were highlighted in some media
• 30:22
  Speaker 1: accounts as an unsettling backdrop to the case. And the
• 30:26
  Speaker 1: mysterious murder of Donald Garrett, Gateway's former director, compounded public
• 30:31
  Speaker 1: curiosity and led to some to speculate to the men's
• 30:33
  Speaker 1: association with Gateway. could have made them targets. Though again,
• 30:38
  Speaker 1: no link of the disappearances were ever established, so. Just
• 30:41
  Speaker 1: a theory. But despite repeated attempts to piece together the
• 30:45
  Speaker 1: events of the night, the case remains unsolved, unfortunately. And
• 30:49
  Speaker 1: the Yuba County Sheriff's Office, along with other agencies, continued
• 30:52
  Speaker 1: to investigate sporadic leads for years. And occasionally reports surfaced
• 30:56
  Speaker 1: of people claiming to see Gary Mathias after his disappearance,
• 31:00
  Speaker 1: including alleged sightings at a local bar and a hospital
• 31:03
  Speaker 1: where his sister worked. However, none of these reports were substantiated.
• 31:06
  Speaker 1: And the lack of forensic evidence, given that it was
• 31:09
  Speaker 1: the 70s and it wasn't even a thing yet, combined
• 31:12
  Speaker 1: with the severe decomposition of the bodies, made it very
• 31:15
  Speaker 1: difficult to gather additional clues. And decades later, the mystery
• 31:19
  Speaker 1: of the Yuba County Five endures, sparking discussion in books, documentaries,
• 31:23
  Speaker 1: and true crime forums, and... YouTube channels. But this case
• 31:27
  Speaker 1: remains a haunting reminder of the limitations of investigation, especially
• 31:31
  Speaker 1: when environmental factors, possible mental health conditions, and human vulnerability
• 31:36
  Speaker 1: intersect in such a remote and unforgiving location. This case
• 31:40
  Speaker 1: has left a very lasting impression on those involved, with
• 31:43
  Speaker 1: families continuing to search for answers. And even as this
• 31:46
  Speaker 1: mystery seems destined to remain unsolved, I hope that one
• 31:50
  Speaker 1: day it will it will be solved. And I hope
• 31:53
  Speaker 1: that the families can gain some closure. But that is
• 31:56
  Speaker 1: the Yuba County Five. If you guys have any theories
• 32:00
  Speaker 1: or thoughts down below, I would love to see them.
• 32:03
  Speaker 1: I love reading the comments. And if you have any
• 32:05
  Speaker 1: other cases that you want me to go over, let
• 32:07
  Speaker 1: me know down below. I think do not live pass
• 32:09
  Speaker 1: would be really good. And any other cold cases or
• 32:12
  Speaker 1: regular cases or paranormal case, anything, I would love to
• 32:15
  Speaker 1: look over. So let me know down below. But Until
• 32:19
  Speaker 1: next time, I will see your beautiful face in the
• 32:21
  Speaker 1: next video and stay safe. Okay, bye.