The three victims found in the cabin had met a violent end. Their bodies were bound with medical tape and appliance wire; they had been stabbed, bludgeoned, and strangled to death. Examinations revealed that the victims suffered blows from at least two different hammers of varying sizes, and Sue and John had been stabbed repeatedly. Sue had also been bludgeoned with a Daisy Powerline 880 rifle, while Dana Wingate was strangled to death by hand.

Sue was discovered lying on her side by the living room couch and was nude from the waist down. She had also been gagged with a blue bandana and her own panties—they had been secured on her face with medical tape. Her wrists and ankles were also bound with medical tape and two rounds of electrical wire. There was also wire that tied her ankles together—her ankles and wrists were tied so tightly that her legs and knees were drawn toward each other. She had been covered with a blanket and sheet that belonged to Tina.

Johnny’s hands were placed on his abdomen and taped tightly at the wrists with medical tape. His ankles were wrapped twice and tightly knotted with an extension cord. Dana had also been bound with medical tape.

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Although the Sharps' cabin did not show any indication of forced entry, detectives were able to recover an unidentified fingerprint from a handrail that led to the cabin’s back door. Detectives also discovered that the telephone had been left off the hook and the lights had been shut off with all the drapes fully closed.

Various weapons were found at the scene, including a table knife, a butcher knife, and a bloody hammer. Other weapons—including the Daisy rifle—were not recovered. Some evidence, such as a second bloody knife, turned up in a trash bin behind the Keddie general store.

In interviews, Justin Smartt told detectives that he had dreamt details of the murder only to later confirm that he had actually witnessed it. Under hypnosis, Justin claimed that he had seen Sue with two men: one with a mustache and long hair and one clean-shaven with short hair. John and Dana then entered the home and began arguing with the men. The argument became violent. The three were still alive when Tina entered the room. One of the men took her out the back door, before coming back to kill Sue, John, and Dana.

The Unsolved Keddie Murders of California

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