Podcast Introduction & Personal Updates

• Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant hosting, Jerry producing
• Chuck experiencing sleep issues - going to bed late, waking up early
• Discussion of upcoming Denver trip for live shows
• Chuck planning to attend Avett Brothers concert at Red Rocks (row 70 of 70)
• Josh sharing Pittsburgh baseball stadium experience during Toyota commercial shoot
• Transition to discussing the mysterious disappearance case

The Yuba County Five Background

• Five friends who met at Yuba City vocational rehabilitation center
• Ted Weir (32, oldest) - janitor/snack bar clerk
• Jackie Hewitt (24, youngest)
• Jack Madruga (between 24-32)
• Bill Sterling
• Gary Matthias
• Three had intellectual/developmental disabilities
• Madruga considered "slow" by mother but undiagnosed
• Matthias only one without developmental disability but treated for schizophrenia
• All lived at home with parents, predictable scheduled lives
• Played basketball together on vocational center team (Gateway Gators)
• Known as "the boys" to their families

February 24, 1978 - The Disappearance

• Left homes around Maryville/Yuba City to travel 50 miles north to Cal State Chico
• Watched their team (Cal State LA) beat Cal State Chico 86-84
• Around 10 PM visited Bears Market convenience store
• Bought snacks: Hostess cherry pie, Langendorf lemon pie, Snickers, Marathon bar, Pepsis, quart and half of milk
• Expected home that night - had basketball game next day (Saturday)
• All were excited about upcoming Gateway Gators game, had clothes laid out
• Matthias told mother not to let him oversleep
• Never returned home

Discovery of the Car

• Parents called police Saturday evening after boys didn't return
• Tuesday: Jack Madruga's 1969 Mercury Montego found abandoned
• Located 70 miles from basketball game, different direction from home
• Found up mountain road at snow line with window rolled down
• Car had quarter tank of gas, started immediately when hotwired
• Keys missing, no engine trouble
• Wheels had spun but car wasn't stuck - five men could have pushed it free
• Maps of California found inside
• Food wrappers found (Marathon bar partially uneaten)
• No undercarriage damage despite deep road ruts
• Suggested very slow, careful driving

Joseph Shones' Testimony

• 55-year-old man scouting camping area same evening
• Had heart attack while pushing stuck Volkswagen Beetle
• Around 5:30 PM, 50 yards past where Mercury would be found
• Saw car lights, silhouettes of men, woman with baby - called for help, ignored
• Hours later heard whistling, saw flashlight beams about 50 yards away
• Called for help again, sounds stopped, lights turned off
• Eventually hiked 8 miles to Mountain House lodge after car ran out of gas
• Passed Mercury on way out, didn't think much of it until news reports
• Likely last person to see the five alive

Discovery of Bodies - June 1978

• Snowstorm dumped nearly foot of snow night after disappearance
• Extensive search with helicopters, horseback riders found nothing
• June 4: Motorcycle riders found decomposing body at Forest Service trailer
• Ted Weir's body wrapped in sheets, tucked in (couldn't have done himself)
• Weighed 100-120 pounds (lost 80-100 pounds from original ~200)
• Beard growth indicated 8-13 weeks survival in cabin
• Personal items on nightstand: ring, necklace, wallet with money
• Mysterious gold Waltham watch with missing crystal (not belonging to any of the boys)
• Leather shoes missing, feet severely frostbitten

The Trailer Mystery

• Trailer stocked with year's worth of food for five people
• Only 12 C-rations opened and eaten
• Locker full of untouched dehydrated food, fruit cups
• No fire built despite matches, wood furniture, paperback novels available
• Propane tank in outside shed - just needed to turn on for heat
• Broken entry window never covered
• Gary Matthias' tennis shoes found inside
• Theory: Matthias used Ted's larger leather shoes due to frostbite, left to seek help

Additional Bodies Found

• Day after Ted's discovery: Sterling and Madruga found 11.5 miles from car
• Madruga partially eaten by animals, found by stream with hand around watch
• Sterling's bones scattered over 50 feet in woods
• Jackie Hewitt found by his father quarter mile from trailer
• Wearing platform "Getthere" shoes, clothes found nearby
• Skull discovered 100 yards downhill next day
• Gary Matthias never found - still listed as missing person

Investigation Details

• Lieutenant Lance Ayers led investigation (went to high school with Weir)
• Became obsessed with case, even followed psychic tips
• Psychic claimed boys murdered in red house in Oroville with specific address
• Ayers drove every street in Oroville over two days searching
• Snow cat had packed trail day before, making path walkable to trailer
• Water witcher hired, led to cabin with disposable lighter (families said boys didn't carry lighters)
• Watch mystery never solved

Theories and Speculation

• Matthias knew people in Forbestown (halfway between Chico and Yuba City)
• Theory they got lost visiting these friends, but friends hadn't seen him in years
• Some families believed boys witnessed something at basketball game, were chased
• Car's careful driving suggests not being chased
• Matthias had been stable on medication for 2 years, working in stepfather's business
• Left medication at home expecting to return same night
• Three boys (Sterling, Madruga, Hewitt) likely died during 20-mile hike to trailer
• Ted and Gary made it to trailer, Gary nursed Ted using Army P-38 can opener knowledge
• Gary likely left wearing Ted's shoes to seek help, never returned

Listener Mail Segment

• Emily's PSA about safe sex practices for women/vagina-having people
• Information about dental dams for oral sex protection
• DIY dental dam instructions using regular condoms
• Latex gloves for digital protection
• Emphasis on STI prevention in queer women relationships