September 28, 2025 • 15 mins
Five friends set out to watch a basketball game in Chico, California… but instead of heading home, their car was later found stranded high in the Sierra Nevadas. What led them onto that lonely mountain road? Why did only four return? And what became of the fifth man who was never found? In this episode, we wander through the quiet night of 1978 and into one of America’s most haunting unsolved mysteries — the story of the Yuba County Five.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Appo Cha Production.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Hi. Welcome to Silent Secrets, a bedtime podcast for curious minds.
I'm jay, I'm glad you're here. This is your time
to let go of today, to settle in and slow down,
and let curiosity gently carry you towards sleep. In each episode,
(00:41):
I'm going to share a true story of the unexplained,
not to alarm you, but to quiet your mind, to
remind you that the world is full of wonder and
some things we'll never truly understand. So take a deep breath,
feel your body sink into comfort, let the weight of
(01:05):
the day drift away as we begin tonight's story. Tonight,
let's travel back nearly fifty years to a quiet town
in California's Central Valley and to one of the strangest
mysteries in American history. It's a story about friendship, a
(01:30):
simple trip to watch a basketball game, and a drive
that ended on a lonely mountain road. This is the
mystery of the Yuba County five. Yuba City in the
(01:58):
nineteen seventies was a small, familiar place, rows of tidy
houses and orchards stretching beyond the edge of town. People
knew their neighbors afternoons were unhurried, evenings were quiet. Among
(02:20):
the residents were five friends, young men who shared a
love of sport, laughter, and routine. Ted thirty two, tall
and gentle, known for his easy smile, Jack thirty, who
had once served in the military and was proud of
(02:41):
his new car, a turquoise Mercury Montego, Bill twenty nine,
who enjoyed listening to the radio and spending time with
his friends, Jack the youngest at twenty four, who still
had a boyish enthusiasm about him, and Gary twenty five,
(03:02):
who lived with his parents and was adjusting to life
after serving in the army. Together, the five formed a
close circle. They looked out for each other. They played
basketball for a local team, the Gateway Gators, which competed
in tournaments organized by the Special Olympics. On Friday evening,
(03:28):
the twenty fourth of February nineteen seventy eight, the men
prepared for a night out. Their team had a big
game the next day, one they'd all been looking forward to,
but first they wanted to watch another match, a college
game in Chico, about an hour's drive away. The air
(03:50):
was crisp that night. The Central Valley winters could be chilly,
but the roads were clear. Jack drove as he usually
did his car. The mercury gleamed un of the street lights.
They set off full of energy. The game UC Davis
(04:13):
versus Chico State was lively. Chico won, and by all accounts,
the five friends enjoyed every moment. After the final buzzer,
they made one last stop at a convenience store. They
bought candy bars, soft drinks, pies, and milk. The clerk
(04:38):
remembered them clearly laughing together as they left. It was
just after ten pm. From there the story becomes a puzzle.
(05:01):
Instead of heading south towards Yuba City, turned east, climbing
into the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Why no one knows. The
road was narrow, winding and in winter, often treacherous, but
(05:23):
the men drove on into the cold and dark. Hours later,
the car was found abandoned high in the National Forest,
far away from where it should have been. Snow surrounded it.
The tires had spun caught in drifts, but the car
(05:45):
itself was unharmed. It still had fuelled in the tank.
Inside were candy wrappers and food from the convenience store,
but the five friends were gone. When the men failed
to return home, their family grew worried. The next day,
(06:09):
the gators were to play their tournament, and none of
them would have missed it willingly. Authorities began searching. Police,
forest rangers, volunteers, helicopters flew over the snowy ridges. Officers
checked cabins, barns, and streams. The car gave them a
(06:33):
starting point, but beyond that there were no footprints, no trails,
no sign of where the fire had gone. The mountains
kept their silence. Days turned into weeks. The families waited
(07:01):
by their phones, hoping for news. Parents describe their sons
to reporters, their quirks, their routines, the things they loved.
Ted's mother said he never went anywhere without telling her first.
Jack's family said he never left home without his coat.
(07:22):
Gary's parents spoke of his gentle nature, how he enjoyed
playing records in his room. As March came, and then April,
then May, the case grew colder. Snow still blanketed the
high country. The car sat where it had been left,
(07:47):
lonely among the pines. The families faced each day with
unanswered questions. Had the men been lost, were they hiding
or had someone harmed them. It was not until early June,
(08:10):
when the snow began to melt the mystery deepened. A
group of motorcyclists exploring forest trails came upon a service
trailer used by forestry workers. It was nearly twenty miles
from where the Mercury had been abandoned. Inside, they found
(08:31):
signs that at least some of the missing men had
made it there. Clothing, blankets, and a few personal items
were discovered. The trailer had supplies, food, fuel, and bedding,
but it appeared that it had not been fully used. Nearby,
(08:55):
in different parts of the forest, searchers eventually found the
remains the four of the friends, Ted, Bill, the two jacks,
but Gary was never located. Only a pair of shoes
believed to be his were found near the trailer. The
(09:24):
discovery answered one question the men had made it into
the mountains, but they opened up many more. Why had
they left the car when it still had fuel and
could have been rocked free. Why had they walked so
far through heavy snow without proper clothing. Why when they
(09:49):
reached the trailer had they not used all the supplies
stored there? And where even now is Gary. Over the years,
many theories have been suggested. Some believed the group became disoriented,
taking a wrong turn after leaving Chico and simply driving
(10:12):
too far into the night. Others wondered if someone misled
them or frightened them into going up that road. There
are even ideas that the friends stumbled upon something they
weren't meant to see that no evidence has ever been found.
(10:36):
Gary's disappearance also adds to the puzzle. Did he set
off to search of help and vanish in the forest,
or did something else happen to him? Entirely for Yuba City,
this mystery was a wound that never quite healed. These
(10:57):
were young men who had been beloved sons, brothers, teammates,
and friends. Their families kept photos framed on mens, reminders
of lives interrupted by an unanswerable question. Even today, locals
remember the story. When we think about the Yuber County five.
(11:21):
It's easy to focus on the puzzle, the car and
the snow, the trailer and the forest, the theories that
swirl around, But perhaps it's also important to remember the
human details. Five friends who loved basketball, who laughed and
shared snacks after a game, who looked forward to their
(11:44):
own match the next day. They were above all companions,
and maybe that's why their story still echoes, Because we
can all imagine piling into a car with our closest friends,
not knowing it would be the last drive we ever
took together. And so the Sierra Nevada Mountains keep their secret.
(12:12):
A car, the road, the snow, and the five men
who vanished into them. Only four returned, and even then
only partly. The fifth was never seen again. What happened
(12:40):
on that February night remains unsolved, the story without an ending.
Some mysteries are like footsteps in the snow. They fade
with time, but they never disappear completely. Thank you for
(13:03):
listening to silent secrets. I hope tonight's story has given
your mind something soft to wander through as you drift
towards rest. But the quieter the night wrap around you now,
and know that mysteries will still be here tomorrow. Close
your eyes, breathe deeply, and let's sleep take over until
(13:29):
we share another secret next time.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Good night, school, screams us Name us
Appo Cha Production.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Hi. Welcome to Silent Secrets, a bedtime podcast for curious minds.
I'm jay, I'm glad you're here. This is your time
to let go of today, to settle in and slow down,
and let curiosity gently carry you towards sleep. In each episode,
(00:41):
I'm going to share a true story of the unexplained,
not to alarm you, but to quiet your mind, to
remind you that the world is full of wonder and
some things we'll never truly understand. So take a deep breath,
feel your body sink into comfort, let the weight of
(01:05):
the day drift away as we begin tonight's story. Tonight,
let's travel back nearly fifty years to a quiet town
in California's Central Valley and to one of the strangest
mysteries in American history. It's a story about friendship, a
(01:30):
simple trip to watch a basketball game, and a drive
that ended on a lonely mountain road. This is the
mystery of the Yuba County five. Yuba City in the
(01:58):
nineteen seventies was a small, familiar place, rows of tidy
houses and orchards stretching beyond the edge of town. People
knew their neighbors afternoons were unhurried, evenings were quiet. Among
(02:20):
the residents were five friends, young men who shared a
love of sport, laughter, and routine. Ted thirty two, tall
and gentle, known for his easy smile, Jack thirty, who
had once served in the military and was proud of
(02:41):
his new car, a turquoise Mercury Montego, Bill twenty nine,
who enjoyed listening to the radio and spending time with
his friends, Jack the youngest at twenty four, who still
had a boyish enthusiasm about him, and Gary twenty five,
(03:02):
who lived with his parents and was adjusting to life
after serving in the army. Together, the five formed a
close circle. They looked out for each other. They played
basketball for a local team, the Gateway Gators, which competed
in tournaments organized by the Special Olympics. On Friday evening,
(03:28):
the twenty fourth of February nineteen seventy eight, the men
prepared for a night out. Their team had a big
game the next day, one they'd all been looking forward to,
but first they wanted to watch another match, a college
game in Chico, about an hour's drive away. The air
(03:50):
was crisp that night. The Central Valley winters could be chilly,
but the roads were clear. Jack drove as he usually
did his car. The mercury gleamed un of the street lights.
They set off full of energy. The game UC Davis
(04:13):
versus Chico State was lively. Chico won, and by all accounts,
the five friends enjoyed every moment. After the final buzzer,
they made one last stop at a convenience store. They
bought candy bars, soft drinks, pies, and milk. The clerk
(04:38):
remembered them clearly laughing together as they left. It was
just after ten pm. From there the story becomes a puzzle.
(05:01):
Instead of heading south towards Yuba City, turned east, climbing
into the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Why no one knows. The
road was narrow, winding and in winter, often treacherous, but
(05:23):
the men drove on into the cold and dark. Hours later,
the car was found abandoned high in the National Forest,
far away from where it should have been. Snow surrounded it.
The tires had spun caught in drifts, but the car
(05:45):
itself was unharmed. It still had fuelled in the tank.
Inside were candy wrappers and food from the convenience store,
but the five friends were gone. When the men failed
to return home, their family grew worried. The next day,
(06:09):
the gators were to play their tournament, and none of
them would have missed it willingly. Authorities began searching. Police,
forest rangers, volunteers, helicopters flew over the snowy ridges. Officers
checked cabins, barns, and streams. The car gave them a
(06:33):
starting point, but beyond that there were no footprints, no trails,
no sign of where the fire had gone. The mountains
kept their silence. Days turned into weeks. The families waited
(07:01):
by their phones, hoping for news. Parents describe their sons
to reporters, their quirks, their routines, the things they loved.
Ted's mother said he never went anywhere without telling her first.
Jack's family said he never left home without his coat.
(07:22):
Gary's parents spoke of his gentle nature, how he enjoyed
playing records in his room. As March came, and then April,
then May, the case grew colder. Snow still blanketed the
high country. The car sat where it had been left,
(07:47):
lonely among the pines. The families faced each day with
unanswered questions. Had the men been lost, were they hiding
or had someone harmed them. It was not until early June,
(08:10):
when the snow began to melt the mystery deepened. A
group of motorcyclists exploring forest trails came upon a service
trailer used by forestry workers. It was nearly twenty miles
from where the Mercury had been abandoned. Inside, they found
(08:31):
signs that at least some of the missing men had
made it there. Clothing, blankets, and a few personal items
were discovered. The trailer had supplies, food, fuel, and bedding,
but it appeared that it had not been fully used. Nearby,
(08:55):
in different parts of the forest, searchers eventually found the
remains the four of the friends, Ted, Bill, the two jacks,
but Gary was never located. Only a pair of shoes
believed to be his were found near the trailer. The
(09:24):
discovery answered one question the men had made it into
the mountains, but they opened up many more. Why had
they left the car when it still had fuel and
could have been rocked free. Why had they walked so
far through heavy snow without proper clothing. Why when they
(09:49):
reached the trailer had they not used all the supplies
stored there? And where even now is Gary. Over the years,
many theories have been suggested. Some believed the group became disoriented,
taking a wrong turn after leaving Chico and simply driving
(10:12):
too far into the night. Others wondered if someone misled
them or frightened them into going up that road. There
are even ideas that the friends stumbled upon something they
weren't meant to see that no evidence has ever been found.
(10:36):
Gary's disappearance also adds to the puzzle. Did he set
off to search of help and vanish in the forest,
or did something else happen to him? Entirely for Yuba City,
this mystery was a wound that never quite healed. These
(10:57):
were young men who had been beloved sons, brothers, teammates,
and friends. Their families kept photos framed on mens, reminders
of lives interrupted by an unanswerable question. Even today, locals
remember the story. When we think about the Yuber County five.
(11:21):
It's easy to focus on the puzzle, the car and
the snow, the trailer and the forest, the theories that
swirl around, But perhaps it's also important to remember the
human details. Five friends who loved basketball, who laughed and
shared snacks after a game, who looked forward to their
(11:44):
own match the next day. They were above all companions,
and maybe that's why their story still echoes, Because we
can all imagine piling into a car with our closest friends,
not knowing it would be the last drive we ever
took together. And so the Sierra Nevada Mountains keep their secret.
(12:12):
A car, the road, the snow, and the five men
who vanished into them. Only four returned, and even then
only partly. The fifth was never seen again. What happened
(12:40):
on that February night remains unsolved, the story without an ending.
Some mysteries are like footsteps in the snow. They fade
with time, but they never disappear completely. Thank you for
(13:03):
listening to silent secrets. I hope tonight's story has given
your mind something soft to wander through as you drift
towards rest. But the quieter the night wrap around you now,
and know that mysteries will still be here tomorrow. Close
your eyes, breathe deeply, and let's sleep take over until
(13:29):
we share another secret next time.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Good night, school, screams us Name us
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