Explore the mystery of the Yuba County Five, known as the American Dyatlov Pass. Discover how five men vanished in Plumas National Forest in February 1978.

The mystery isn't just that they got lost; it's that they seemed to bypass every opportunity for salvation. They had a working car with gas and found a trailer stocked with food and heat, yet, one by one, they succumbed to the cold.
The 1978 disappearance of the Yuma County Five (also known as the Jack Huett, Ted Weiher, Bill Sterling, Jack Madruga, and Gary Mathias case).






The Yuba County Five were a group of five men from Yuba County, California: Jack Madruga, Ted Weiher, Bill Sterling, Jack Huett, and Gary Mathias. Often referred to by their families as "the boys," they were a tight-knit social group aged in their twenties and thirties. On February 24, 1978, they disappeared after driving to a basketball game in Chico, leading to one of Northern California's most haunting cold cases.
The case is frequently called the "American Dyatlov Pass" because it defies logical expectations of human behavior and involves evidence that contradicts the tragic outcome. Like the original mystery, this disappearance occurred in a freezing, snow-choked wilderness—specifically the Plumas National Forest. The discovery of abandoned vehicles and untouched survival supplies despite the life-threatening conditions creates a baffling puzzle that has remained unsolved for nearly fifty years.
On the evening of February 24, 1978, the five men drove a turquoise-and-white Mercury Montego to a college basketball game in Chico. They intended to return home to sleep before participating in their own Special Olympics tournament the following morning. Instead of returning, they vanished into the Plumas National Forest, leaving behind their vehicle and questions regarding cognitive vulnerability, psychiatric crises, and the power of the natural world.
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