🇺🇸 United StatesThe Keddie Murders
The Story
On the night of April 11–12, 1981, Sue Sharp, her son John, his friend Dana Wingate, and Sue's friend Tina were killed in Cabin 28 at the Keddie resort. Three younger children and a friend slept unharmed in an adjacent room. The case sat cold for decades; a hammer matching the murder weapon was found in 2016.
Images
Timeline
Sue Sharp hosts friends and family at Cabin 28 in Keddie.
A neighbor's child discovers the bodies; three children in the next room are unharmed.
Tina Sharp's partial skull is found near Camp Eighteen, miles from Keddie.
Known Evidence
How well-documented and physically verified the case evidence is.
- Crime-scene photos showing bound victims and multiple weapons including a steak knife bent from force.
- Three children in a neighboring room who heard nothing and were left unharmed.
- A 2016 discovery of a hammer matching evidence photos, submitted to DNA testing.
- Partial composite sketches of two suspects based on witness descriptions from 1981.
Unresolved
What We Still Don't Know
- The identities of the two men seen leaving the area that night.
- Why Tina Sharp's skull was found miles away three years after the murders.
- Whether the crime involved personal motives or random intrusion.
Hypotheses
Theories
Ranked by plausibility — highest first.
Targeted Attack on Sue Sharp
The killers knew Sue and entered Cabin 28 specifically to murder her and eliminate witnesses.
Drug-Related Intrusion
Local drug activity or a botched deal led violent associates to the resort cabin.
Nearby on the map