Unsolved Keddie Killings Still Haunt Surviving Family Member

KEDDIE (CBS13) – The stretch of I-70 in the Feather River Canyon appears to be one of the most peaceful settings in Plumas County, but three decades ago, a monster invaded the town of Keddie.

Sheila Sharp, who was only 14 years old in 1981, said she will never forget the sight of walking into her family's cabin on the morning of April 12.

"When I opened [the door], I saw… apparently I did say it was my brother, but I don't remember it being my brother," Sheila said.

On the floor of Cabin 28, Sheila found the lifeless bodies of her 16-year-old brother, his 17-year-old friend, and his mother. They had been beaten with a claw hammer, stabbed and strangled.

Sheila's 12-year-old sister, Tina, was missing. CBS13's archived footage of an interview with a detective shows the confusion and utter lack of clues as to where the young girl was in the hours following the discovery.

"We're trying to locate Tina, we believe that she's an integral part of this and that she may be the clue that we're looking for," the investigator said.

Three years later, Tina's skull would be found in a remote area 60 miles from the murder scene.

"My mom and I were close, all of us were close, but Tina, I call her my angel," Sheila said.

Sheila wasn't home that night because she was spending the night at a friend's cabin.

"Sometimes I sit there and think if I was there maybe it wouldn't have happened, but I can't think that way because in my mind I think it would really mess with me," she said.

She returned to the scene of the murders 30 years later to try to connect with the memory of her family and raise awareness of the unsolved murders.

The questions for her family's killers have echoed in her mind for too many years, she said, and she hopes someone out there has information on the culprits and is ready to share it.