The Lost Boys of Yuba County: A Midnight Journey into the Unknown

​In the late hours of February 24, 1978, five young men from Yuba City, California, climbed into a turquoise and white Mercury Montego. They had just finished watching a basketball game and were headed home, excited about a tournament they were supposed to play in the very next day. They never arrived.

​What followed was a disappearance that turned into a grim discovery, centered around a snow-covered mountain trailer and a series of choices that defy human survival instincts. This is the story of the Yuba County Five—a mystery where the "how" is known, but the "why" remains buried in the snow.

​1. The Five: Bound by Friendship

​The group consisted of Bill Sterling (29), Jack Huett (24), Ted Weiher (32), Jack Madruga (30), and Gary Mathias (25). They were close-knit friends, often referred to as "the boys" by their families. Most of them had mild intellectual disabilities or psychiatric conditions, but they were high-functioning, held jobs, and were deeply loved by their community.

​Jack Madruga was the driver, a man who took great pride in his car and rarely drove it on unpaved roads. Gary Mathias was the only one without an intellectual disability, but he suffered from schizophrenia and required regular medication to stay stable.

​2. The Final Night: The Disappearance

​After their favorite basketball team won in Chico, California, the five men stopped at a local grocery store to buy snacks—Snickers bars, Pepsi, and some milk. They were seen leaving at 10:00 PM. The drive home to Yuba City should have taken about an hour on a flat, direct highway.

​Instead, for reasons no one can explain, they drove in the opposite direction. They headed toward the Plumas National Forest, ascending a steep, winding, and treacherous mountain road that was currently being hammered by a winter storm.

​3. The Abandoned Car

​Days later, their car was found stuck in a snowdrift on a high-altitude forest road, 70 miles away from their intended route.

​The scene at the car was the first major puzzle. The car wasn't actually "stuck"; investigators found that five healthy men could have easily pushed it out of the snow. The keys were gone, but the engine was in perfect working order. There was plenty of gas. Most importantly, Jack Madruga—who protected his car like a treasure—had left the windows down in a snowstorm.

​It appeared as if they had jumped out of the car in a state of sheer panic. But what could frighten five men enough to make them run into a freezing, pitch-black forest rather than stay in a warm, dry vehicle?

​4. The Man in the Shadows: Joseph Shones

​While the search was underway, a witness named Joseph Shones came forward with a terrifying account. He had been on the same mountain that night when his car got stuck. He suffered a mild heart attack and stayed in his car, heater running.

​He claimed that during the night, he saw two sets of headlights—one was the Montego. He saw a group of men walking, and a woman holding a baby in the headlights. He called for help, but the lights went out, and the people stopped talking. Later, he saw flashlights. He eventually ran out of gas and walked down the mountain to safety. His account added a layer of "other people" to the mystery that has never been identified.

​5. The Horror in the Trailer

​The snow didn't melt until June. When it did, foresters made a gruesome discovery at a Forest Service trailer located 19 miles away from where the car was abandoned.

​Inside the trailer was the body of Ted Weiher. He was wrapped tightly in eight bedsheets, his feet were heavily frostbitten, and he had lost nearly 100 pounds. He had survived in that trailer for an estimated 8 to 13 weeks before starving to death.

​This is where the mystery becomes truly haunting:

​The Food: There was a massive storage locker outside the trailer filled with enough C-rations (military canned food) to feed all five men for months. Only a few cans had been opened. Ted Weiher starved to death while surrounded by food.

​The Heat: There were matches and plenty of wood/paper to start a fire in the trailer’s stove. They never lit a fire.

​The Watch: Ted’s personal belongings were neatly placed on a table, including a gold watch that didn't belong to any of the five men.

​6. The Fate of the Others

​The remains of Jack Madruga and Bill Sterling were found on the way to the trailer. They had succumbed to hypothermia long before reaching shelter.

​Jack Huett’s remains were found even later, only his bones and his clothing identified by his grieving father.

​But Gary Mathias—the man who needed his schizophrenia medication—was never found. Only his shoes were discovered inside the trailer, suggesting he had been there with Ted Weiher. Did Gary leave the trailer to find help? Or did his mind fracture without his medication, leading him to wander deeper into the wilderness?

​7. The Theories: What Went Wrong?

​A. The "Wrong Turn" and Panic

​The most grounded theory is that they took a wrong turn, got disoriented, and the car got stuck. Because of their intellectual disabilities, they may have panicked. Seeing Joseph Shones (who was also in distress) might have scared them, thinking he was a threat. They began walking, following the road until they found the trailer.

​B. The Fear of a Third Party

​Some believe they were chased up the mountain. Why else would Madruga leave his car windows down? Why would they walk 19 miles through deep snow? The "man, woman, and baby" seen by Shones remains the biggest "X-factor." Was there someone else on that mountain that night?

​C. The "Follow the Leader" Effect

​Gary Mathias had friends in the town of Forbestown, which was in the general direction of the mountain. It is possible he thought he knew a shortcut, and the others, trusting him, followed. Once they were deep in the snow, ego or confusion prevented them from turning back until it was too late.

​8. The Psychological Puzzle: Why Not Eat?

​The fact that Ted Weiher died of starvation with food within arm's reach is the most debated part of the case.

​Was he so incapacitated by frostbite that he couldn't move?

​Was he so terrified that he refused to open the locker?

​Or was Gary Mathias there, and for some reason, "forbidden" him from eating?

​The orderliness of the trailer—the sheets wrapped just so, the watch on the table—suggests someone was there with a very specific, perhaps delusional, logic.

​Conclusion: The Empty Chair

​Every year, the families of the Yuba County Five are reminded of that February night. They lost sons and brothers who were just looking for a fun night out.

​The case of the Yuba County Five isn't just a mystery of survival; it’s a mystery of the human spirit under pressure. It shows how easily the line between a "safe world" and a "deadly wilderness" can vanish. They weren't just lost in the mountains; they were lost in a sequence of events that even the best detectives cannot piece together.

​The mountain still holds the remains of Gary Mathias, and the "why" of that night remains a ghost in the California pines.