AWESOME JOB TONY!!!!-- page 96 in your book Things Aren’t Right, the last sentence had me laughing how funny and true it is. “The good news for law enforcement was that they had a witness, and his name was Joseph Schons. The bad news for law enforcement was that they had a witness, and his name was Joseph Schons.” Excellent job fellas!!!! 🙏
Great show as always guys. Here’s food for thought: Was Doc driving slow up the Oroville Quincy highway partially due to following another vehicle that was also driving slowly? Possibly a VW bug being driven by a partially drunk Schons? It would make sense why doc was lagging behind Joes car a little near Rodger’s cow camp if Joe kept slightly swerving and driving poorly due to his drinking habits. Doc wouldn’t want to risk Joe accidentally hitting hit Montego whilst driving up the mountain road.
The pictures of the four boys ..makes me so sad....they look so innocent and kind...and trusting...may they have peace in heaven with Jesus...Hes probably got a special place for them..
Feb 24, 1978 was a waxing gibbous moon, this is over 90% lit. So they could see at night pretty well on the ridges but would have to be between trees or on the wide road. People who live on flat land in cities laid out in a grid navigate when they are lost using an assumed grid. That line of thinking doesn’t work in the mountains. Could they have thought they could simply take a turn and get back to the highway eventually? Then they encountered Schons. I would be curious to find out what shoes Schons was wearing. Did he try to siphon gas, or get shoes, or money from the boys? How would they have reacted- I’m not thinking all of them would have simply ran unless he had a gun. Did he have a reputation of stealing or using a gun? Heartbreaking and super interesting
I don’t think this was random at all. I believe it was planned. Very simple - some folks didn’t want them to play, so they wouldn’t win. Then what probably started as “let’s get those boys good and lost” turned into a massive tragedy. More than one were involved for sure. But nobody wanted to associate themselves with such a horrible crime.
I agree with you friend. Either the boys were evading someone they feared in Oroville ( possibly town bully ) and ran into Schons OR they encountered someone some/all the boys knew personally and this individual gas light and manipulated the men into driving up that road so they’d get lost and not attend the game on the 25th.
I'm very close to finishing this book and I don't think I can count the amount of times my heart just shattered. Cathy recounting her experience before Doc's body was found had me in tears. Truly such a tragic case all around, my heart breaks for the families 💔
Was a toxicology report done on the bodies and drink bottles / cartons? I’m wondering if they were spiked with lsd or something it would explain the irrational decision to go up to the mountains and people on drugs do get superhuman strength and can’t feel the cold etc so much. No evidence anyone else was involved. I do believe Schons had heart attack his wife saw all the mess following day. I think he saw something but he was half hallucinating so he can’t remember everything.
The only body that could have had a toxicology report was Ted’s. The rest were bones. I will ask Tony. Schons probably did have a heart attack. His wife was not too worried about it as when she got home her first order of business was to go get her VW.
Gary Mathias convinced the boys to go up that road, meet with Shones, a known weed dealer. Gary probably knew this because he had friends that lived in that area and probably knew Schones. Schones, the idiot he was, went up that road before he was supposed to, drunk, had a mild heart attack. His friends in the truck came along later, when they were supposed to, freaked and ran the 5 away. Just a theory.
I think the weed deal meetup part is a good theory but I think Schons was either planning to rob the guys or maybe just Gary. Or, he lured them there with the weed deal as the ruse and some others were waiting up there with plans to do harm to Gary or one/some/all of the boys.
Schons was a known weed dealer and Gary most likely smoked weed at the time, so that’s definitely possible. I think it would have been easier for him to get weed in Yuba City.
One thing that I don't quite understand regarding the theory posted below is this. Why would the boys go deep into the woods when threatened with a gun when they simply could have just hid and waited for GB to leave and then go back to the car and drive out of there ? GB had to have someone driving behind them (red truck ?) to pick him up and take him back. I guess you have to factor in the panic factor in with these young men. I guess I'm looking at this with a normal mindset which I question these boys had when faced with an unfamiliar situation. Not trying to be cruel in any way towards them. My heart breaks for their families especially when you see that family picture of a young Jackie Huett. He looked like a very nice young kid and how anyone would bully these men is just terribly sad. I have grandchildren now and I just do not or have ever understood the need to do that to another human being. There are so many things that are so perplexing about this case. I do feel the Oroville Dam Theory makes most sense.
Mathias Fingerprints were not on or in that Car or on the Steeringwheel or in the Trailer Cabin or on the watch or anywhere. What no one is looking at is: “that was a forestry road., the forestry trucks were red and rusty colored, the snowcats belonged to the forestry service and The Cabin-Trailers belonged to the forestry services. The Truck and Snowcat were forestry and last but not least: it was a forestry service ranger that discovered the missing boys car. So, who is to say that it wasn’t a deranged forestry ranger who killed those boys? Also, if they thought Gary Mathias was the killer, why wasn’t there an immediate arrest warrant issued for his arrest?. I also believe Gary was not found was because he was also a victim of foul play and that, in his psychotic condition as everyone believes, he would have been caught in any town or city because that condition tells on you in public. He would have been caught and never has been because he was a victim himself. That psychotic behavior takes away survival instincts and stay in a fantasy world
If it could be determined how and why they got to where their car was found, that would answer so much. The rest of the puzzle might be far better surmizable...maybe just a FUBAR cluster? This really interests me as I have family with special needs close in age to these men and I lived in Yuba City as a boy in the early 70s. May they rest in peace.
I'm late to this party. I learned about this case via the Netflix Files of unexplained. The rest of that series was pretty lame, but the Yuba county 5 story is so perplexing, I've been obsessed ever since. I read Tony's book in less than a week. I subscribe the theory of Occam's razor. However, it doesn't explain why they went the wrong direction to begin with. What made them go that way? That is the key to the mystery. I want to know more about the bad actors/bully turned preacher, but he is not discussed much because he is still living. To me this is most likely answer. Someone scared them up there and then series of unfortunate events. I do not believe Schons is directly involved but he knew more than he gave. Perhaps out of fear. This case should definitely be made a movie
As someone who has only discovered this case in the last few days, it's striking that some accounts make out that the boys were almost scared puppy dogs, super-averse to confrontation, when in fact they played sport to a high level. Surely, they would have been used to physical confrontation as well as trash talk from opposing fans as well as well as opposing players while playing basketball. If foul play was indeed involved, any threat would have had to be significant enough to trump the sledging they got while playing basketball and interacting with people in what were busy social lives. The idea sometimes posited, that some angry middle-aged drunk (Shones) would scare them up into the wilderness, is not credible.
Great show, very informative. Drew - thank you for keeping all these cases in the public eye. My only constructive suggestion is to not interrupt your guests so much! Otherwise, keep up the good work!
Hooked on the Yuba 5 now...thanks Drew😅...you definitely have the best pods about it...I tell everyone about it... sometimes they just go to the easy 'oh they just got lost'..no...nope.. until you really look into it that's not why they went 70miles out of thier way..up up...we may never know the 'compelling force' that got them up there! Maybe if the preacher bully passes... maybe....? But I seen a few things on Mt Shasta here recently...that's not too far away...lots of weird and mysterious things happen there also...😮...
Just my opinion, but I think Shones withheld a lot of info..I can't believe he had a heart attack. He was walking around in hilly snowy territory. He then walked 7miles back to the lodge, with a heart attack, no way. It doesn't matter now, since he has been dead for some time.
In one of the newspaper clippings in Drew's book it mentions some fabric tied around trees near where the car was found. I don't think Drew mentions it in his text and I've only ever heard it mentioned in passing elsewhere (maybe the podcast) but never explained. Can anyone explain further? Was this ruled out of the investigation as not important?
Schons was on that road some 4-5 hours before the 5 boys came along. So he had nothing to do with the 5 boys driving 70 miles the wrong way. They weren’t chased because there was no damage to the car. That is, the car was driven very slowly. So the question is why did they drive the wrong way if they weren’t chased.
Observations de france . Les garcons suivaient personne, car la voiture de shones bloquée le passage et la montego aussi . Donc comment les ''braqueurs''auraient pût partir bloqué entre les 2 véhicules?Les garcons si ils étaient pourchasser, quel patience des ravisseurs sur la conduite extrêmement prudente de Madruga.... n'importe quel mauvais esprit aurait certainement rentrer dans leur voiture par l arriere , agresser la voiture... Si la vitre etait baissé de Madruga,c'est peut etre shones qui viens leur parler et leur fait peur... Merci pour toutes vos recherches passionnante. ✌️✌️
I have a theory nobody mentioned yet.. maybe the 4 boys got into it with Gary at the game or afterwards..and it went too far...he was hurt or killed..and the 4 boys wanted to hide out...and thought they did such a horrible thing...and wanted to dissapear together in the wilderness....that would supercede the game and everything else....they would've stuck together too...i think they meant to drive farther...but the drunks beetle was blocking the way..so they walked...its possible,..,!
