Independent Detective

Case #54 -  Dana Wingate  

• Date of Incident – April 12th 1981

• Location – Keddie Resort, Keddie, Plumas County, California
• Date of Birth: 02/08/1964
• Case Entry Made: 02/16/2026
• Last Updated: 02/16/2026

Plumas County Sheriff’s Office: (530) 283-6360
Detective Mike Gamberg

Social Media Links:
Facebook Group: Dana’s Unsolved Case Post
Strange Case Files: The Keddie Cabin Murders
Pluma News: Keddie Murders
Find a Grave: Virtual Cemetery for all 4 Victims
Wikipedia: Keddie Murders
Lassen News: Peoples Story on Keddie Murders

This is a unique case that consisted of 4 people who tragically lost their lives in a multiple homicide that is still onging:

Other victims (and links to their pages):

Glenna “Sue” Sharp
John Sharp
Tina Sharp
Dana Wingate

Who Was Dana Wingate?

Dana Wingate was a local teenager and close friend of John Sharp. By all accounts, Dana was like many small-town teens — social, restless, and drawn to the limited nightlife of a rural mountain community.

On April 11, 1981, he accepted an invitation to stay overnight at the Sharp family cabin. It was a casual decision. A sleepover between friends. No one could have imagined it would be his final night alive.

Dana’s connection to the Sharps was not controversial or dramatic. He wasn’t involved in disputes or rumors surrounding the adults. His death underscores one of the most chilling aspects of the case: he appears to have been in the wrong place at the worst possible time.

The Night Inside Cabin 28

Late on the night of April 11 or early April 12, attackers entered Cabin 28 in Keddie, California.

Inside were:

Dana Wingate
John Sharp
John’s mother, Glenna Sharp
Several younger children sleeping in another room

The violence that followed was extreme. Dana, John, and Sue were bound and assaulted using multiple weapons. Investigators later described the scene as chaotic and deeply personal in nature.

What remains one of the most haunting facts: the younger boys in the bedroom survived and reported hearing nothing.

Dana’s presence complicates the narrative of motive. If the crime targeted Sue or the family, why kill a visiting teenager? Investigators have long debated whether Dana was killed as a witness, collateral damage, or part of a broader confrontation that spiraled out of control.

Dana’s Death and the Investigation

Dana’s murder widened the scope of the case immediately. Detectives were forced to consider:

– Whether the attackers knew Dana was present
– Whether his presence escalated the violence
– Whether he recognized the attackers

Early investigative missteps — including evidence handling issues and scene contamination — may have permanently limited what could be learned about his final moments.

The brutality inflicted on Dana suggested rage or panic rather than a clean execution. This has fueled decades of speculation among investigators and independent researchers about how the confrontation unfolded.

For Dana’s family, the case was not just unsolved — it was a sudden, incomprehensible loss. He left home expecting to return the next day. Instead, his name became permanently tied to one of America’s most infamous cold cases.

Latest Investigation Developments

The Keddie murders remain officially open.

DNA Evidence

Modern testing recovered DNA from medical tape found at the scene. Authorities confirmed it belongs to a living individual, though no public arrest has followed. Forensic genealogy is believed to be part of the ongoing effort.

Recovered Physical Evidence

A hammer believed to be linked to the murders was found decades later and reprocessed using advanced forensic methods. Officials have not released full findings but confirmed continued testing.

Renewed Media Attention

Books, podcasts, and documentaries have revived interest in Dana Wingate’s story. Public exposure has generated new tips and kept pressure on law enforcement to continue the case.

Current Status

Plumas County investigators state the case remains active. Detectives have emphasized that cold cases can break unexpectedly with new technology, and Dana’s case is considered solvable.

The Meaning of Dana Wingate’s Story

Dana Wingate represents a different dimension of tragedy: the innocent outsider pulled into violence he never saw coming.

He was not part of the family drama. He wasn’t fleeing anything. He was a teenager spending the night with a friend. His death reminds us that cold cases are not abstract mysteries — they are unfinished human stories.

Dana didn’t vanish into statistics. He was a son, a friend, a kid with plans for the next day.
And those plans ended inside Cabin 28.
————————————————————–

Facebook Post:

In April 1981, a quiet mountain community in Northern California woke up to something it was never meant to carry.

Inside a small cabin at the Keddie Resort, three people were found deceased. A fourth child was missing.

The victims were 36-year-old Sue Sharp, her 15-year-old son John, his friend Dana Wingate, and Sue’s 12-year-old daughter Tina. Three of them were discovered inside the cabin on the morning of April 12. Tina was not there.

Two younger boys and a friend had slept through the night in a back bedroom. They were unharmed.

For three years, Tina Sharp remained missing. In 1984, her remains were found more than 60 miles away in neighboring Butte County. No clear cause of death could be determined.

From the beginning, the investigation was troubled. The scene was not fully secured. Evidence was later described by investigators as mishandled or overlooked. Important leads were not pursued at the time.

Decades later, the case was reviewed again. Investigators publicly criticized the original handling and acknowledged that key opportunities had been missed. DNA was tested. Evidence was reexamined. No arrests followed.

The cabin where the crime occurred was demolished in 2004. The resort itself faded away. But the questions never did.

How did someone enter and leave the cabin without waking the children in the back room?

Why was Tina taken from the scene when the others were left behind?

And did early investigative failures permanently prevent answers?

More than forty years later, the Keddie Cabin Murders remain officially unsolved.

If you know anything, now is the time to come forward.

The full, fact-checked case record is linked above

Sketch Drawing of Suspects

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