Just a hunch about the Yuba county five.

This is a what if scenario. It is not made by an expert investigator and may fall apart because of an overlooked detail. It’s just my own personal thoughts on the matter. It’s how I imagine it could have gone down.

It all starts with Jack Madruga. He loved driving. He would haul people around from a to b on numerous occasions. It’s possible he could have driven people home from a night out or from the restaurant he’d worked in. If so, one of the female passengers may have left behind a jacket with gold satin lining at some point. Jack, who liked keeping his car neat may have put this item in the trunk. Maybe it was there for a long time. Maybe not.

Jack was driving the car. He may have had his best friend, Bill in the passenger seat. Giving Bill a good view of the road. I think it’s likely that when you put three men in a back seat, the smallest would be in the middle. To my understanding, that would be Jackie. This also gave him a good view of the road. Bill was compassionate and caring. Jackie was sweet and kind. If one or both witnessed an owl getting clipped by a car, they might have wanted to help.

Owl activity in that area was high. During mating or nesting season, adult owls would be hunting near the road. They take more risks during this time and often miscalculate. This often results in them getting killed or injured. Sometimes they just get clipped by a mirror or hurled to the side of the road from getting too close to a fast moving car. This was at night when owls are most active.

An owl could have gotten clipped by the men’s car or another car and gone into a sort of stunned state. It’s not uncommon for owls to do so. What if the men encountered a stunned owl just near Oroville? It’s my personal opinion that they would have wanted to help it. And my assumption is that the most capable of handling such a bird would be Jackie.

Jackie was to my understanding raised in an area where there are a lot of chickens. He would most likely have seen them being handled and probably handled them himself. He would know to roll the owl up like a burrito. Maybe in his jacket. Maybe in a forgotten woman’s jacket from Jacks trunk. In this what if- scenario, Jackie handles the owl.

The boys wouldn’t stray from their normal routine or risk the big game the next day. But a quick delivery of an owl to a rangers station would be following the routine for finding an injured owl and the game wouldn’t be forfeit by what was supposed to be a quick drop off.

The compassion and caring nature of the men would make them likely to want to help the injured owl in my opinion. Maybe there was a sign with a pine tree on it near the entrance to the Plumas national forest to make them believe there would be a manned rangers station. The likely assumption was that the Bidwell raptor rescue in Chico would be closed that late. A ranger might still be present in the forest, however. I think they drove up to what they thought was a manned rangers station and parked when they thought they’d arrived. There was another car nearby and signs of civilisation. Leaving them to believe they had come to the right place.

Unfortunately there wasn’t a rangers station. Just an unmanned camp site. Rogers cow camp. Upon arriving, Joseph Schons sees them park. He sees a group of people getting out of the car. One of them is Jackie carrying an owl. The owl would look like a baby. Jackie was smaller than the rest and is described as child like. He may not have moved in a very rugged and masculine way. Joseph Schons thought he saw a woman with a baby. I think he saw Jackie with a stunned owl wrapped in a jacket. Possibly a woman’s jacket which further explains why he saw something he perceived as feminine.

Upon hearing the man yell, they have further proof that this is a populated area. All the more reason to park there.

A man who’s scared and in pain can sound angry without knowing it or meaning to. Possibly they think they’re hearing a distant fight. Or even worse, a trigger happy landowner that wouldn’t think twice about shooting a trespasser. It’s unlikely in my mind that they perceived it as a cry for help as they were described as compassionate and helpful. If they thought there was a man in need, they would surely have reacted to it with an immediate response of coming to the man’s aid. Instead they turned off the lights and went silent. An army response that makes sense if they’re faced with a possibly armed and angry person, and that at least Jack and probably Gary would know about, called light discipline. Furthermore a muffled voice from inside a car in a snowy mountain may make a “Hey, get over here” sound like a “Hey, get out of here”

I’m not a local expert but I think it would have been possible that the men grew up seeing signs claiming trespassers would be shot. Even if the law didn’t allow it fully, it could have been the perceived popular opinion that it did. They may even have heard rumours of incidents where trespassers got shot or people boasting that they wouldn’t hesitate to shoot a trespasser. This is only speculation but it could have been possible.

The car was parked in such a way that makes me believe that the group thought they would be right back. They even cracked a window. Not a strange thing if one has ever smelled a car with five grown men inside. The possibility of milk induced gas was also present which makes this even more logical. That car wouldn’t be smelling like a rose. The owl, if there was one, may also have contributed to the air in there being stuffy. I think the state of the car shows a group quickly parking and popping out rather than someone abandoning a car.

Now, there isn’t a ranger station up there to my knowledge. But they may have been looking for one. However, a stunned owl with minor or no significant injury wouldn’t stay stunned forever. My theory is that it came back to life and escaped. Possibly shredding the jacket with its talons to some extent. It wouldn’t be possible for even a routined animal handler like Jackie to hold onto it. It probably burst out of his grip and flew off. The only logical decision now is to return to the car. And we know they came very close to it because Joseph Schons saw flashlights again two hours later. I think they were looking for the car by then. They may even have gotten very close to it after the snow stayed falling without seeing it. Visibility can be extremely limited in such conditions.

Upon hearing that angry voice again they knew they were close to the car. The weather was worsening by that time but possibly still manageable. Had Jack received training for handling blizzards in the army, he would have known to hunker down. However, I couldn’t find any sign of any of these men having knowledge about what to do in a blizzard. Jack, however would have received fog training which is vastly different.

In a tropical climate in the fog, you move forward instead of hunkering down. Moving from one known spot to another. Knowing the car was close and applying the fog training, they may have spread out and tried to communicate with yells and whistles. I think this because it fits with fog training and the sounds heard by Joseph Schons later that night. It also fits with the straps of fabric found tied to the trees which would indicate they either marked a path or marked already searched sectors. They would have figured out pretty quickly that sound isn’t reliable in a winter storm in the mountains and changed tactics to marking sectors. They possibly used the jacket they had swaddled the owl in. A jacket with satin gold lining wasn’t uncommon with the fashion back then. It also most likely was a woman’s garment that they had no better use for. If it was already torn by the owl, tearing it into straps would be quite effortless. Fabric is a coveted treasure for birds or rodents. There may have been more straps but by the time of the search, those may have been long since removed by wildlife and used to line a mouse’s den or birds nest.

I think they must have searched for the car for a long time. It makes no sense that they would give it up easily. They knew it was close because they had heard that voice signifying a close proximity to the car. But in the winter mountain in a beginning storm, they could have missed it anyway. By the time they decided to abandon it, they were already quite depleted and cold.

They didn’t find the car, but they found the cleared path made by the Sno-cat earlier that day. At this point there must have been some serious mixed emotions. Abandon the search for the car and follow the tracks or keep searching for the safety of the car. At this point they have no idea where the car is. They tried to find it for hours, but didn’t succeed. I think this is where they decided that following the tracks was their best bet. Jacks father was a great tracker. Jack himself was a car guy. It’s quite possible he would be able to tell which way the Sno-cat had gone. Especially if they had seen the tracks and maybe even followed them briefly while looking for the ranger station or car. Something must be at the end of those tracks. Maybe people with a snow scooter or a phone or radio. Anything at this point is better than nothing. And they can’t know that the tracks go that far before it ends at the empty trailer. I can see the logic in their reasoning. An exhausted brain in an exhausted body in a serious situation. High elevation and a beginning blizzard. A track that possibly leads to safety.

The next step is form a strategy. Gary with his stamina and strength and military training in the front. His goal is to reach the end of the tracks, come what may, and get help for the rest. The three civilians in the middle. Jack in the back to ensure no one is left behind. The most important thing here: don’t stray from the track! If Gary sends help, the rescue crew will know to follow the track to pick up the others. Visibility is seriously limited in a blizzard, but they can see and feel where the track is. They start the trek with clear instructions and a strategic formation.

Gary eventually reaches the trailer. Possibly accompanied by Ted or shortly followed by Ted. Gary breaks into the trailer by breaking a window. He gets Ted inside. Gary finds food. He likely comforts Ted by opening the cans in front of him. Letting Ted see how he does this,either intentionally as an instruction or more likely as a way to calm him down after that nightmare trek. His immediate need is just for a quick refuel. Not a long stay. It’s likely he only took a small amount of food out of the locker. Just what he and Ted needs right then and there. This is when Gary becomes the real hero.

He starts preparing a rescue mission. He likely knows Jackie can’t be far behind. Maybe even Ted gave him information about this. He envisions the remaining three friends still struggling along the path. Getting closer by the minute. He optimises his chances by taking Teds superior boots and leaving his tennis shoes behind. His army training would most likely include optimising equipment. Like taking the best shoes and three blankets and a better flashlight. One blanket for each missing friend.

To comfort Ted who must be upset and worried about the others, not to mention possibly scared of being left alone, he leaves his watch. Showing Ted that he’ll be back at a specific time. This visual of the watch showing a specific time would be his very smart way of reassuring Ted and giving him a timeline. A specific and visual indication of when this nightmare will end.

Non of the relatives could identify the watch, but Gary was a grown man who could easily buy a watch without it being a big deal. I think the watch belonged to him.

Gary doesn’t prioritise dealing with a propane tank to turn on the heat because he thinks he will be back shortly. Warming up the trailer can wait until they’re all safely tucked inside it. His main objective now is getting the others to safety. The three blankets and flashlight found close to the trailer could mean he got tired and had to ditch the extra weight. Or they blew away as the wind started getting stronger. I don’t think Gary ever made it back. He likely died in the effort when he went out to rescue his friends.

It’s quite likely that Bill would start slowing down. He’s tired after hours searching for the car in the cold. Jack was tasked with being the sweep in the back. He never left Bill when he got tired. He was a strong man who could also have reached the trailer, but both he and Bill were found far from it. He wouldn’t leave his best friend behind. It’s a known fact that if you sit down to rest in a cold mountain, you may not get back up. The heart doesn’t pump warm blood out to the extremities as fast and some may even experience a false sense of warmth and comfort. If they sat down to rest for a minute, it’s highly likely they froze to death before they found the motivation to get back up.

Jackie very almost made it to the trailer. This may be the reason Gary went back outside. He could have assumed that at least Jackie and possibly Jack and Bill weren’t far behind. Getting ever closer.

Gary’s quick refuel with food and a short rest to gather his strength at the trailer wouldn’t last long. My opinion is that he would have crashed out pretty soon. He’s been through a long search for the car and a gruelling trek. He’s carrying blankets and a heavy flashlight at least for part of the rescue mission. This would also deplete his strength at an alarming rate. The high elevation could make the brain foggy too if they were high enough to make the air thinner, but I don’t know this for sure.

This leaves Ted as the sole survivor. But he doesn’t know this. He’s been told Gary and the others will be back. He manages to open the cans of food. Crudely, but he gets them open. He has access to plenty of food, yet he eats very little. Eventually starving himself.

Ted was described as a man who lacked common sense. Apparently he once stayed inside a burning house because no one told him to get out. He may have firmly believed his friends would arrive. The watch would show the time Gary had shown him every 12 hours. He must have been watching it intently. Seeing it as the only thing he could hold onto in a world of uncertainty and loneliness. I think he was still waiting for Gary to return with the others. Carefully rationing the food. Not wanting to take more than his fair share. Starving himself to the point where he was severely malnourished because he didn’t want to steal food from his friends.

It must have been so stressful. Day after day going by. Watching the clock. Waiting. Hoping. Worrying. Making sure there was food left for when his friends arrived at his own expense. As a neurodivergent adult, he would have found comfort in a tight swaddle. It’s a known way to self-soothe. He would have eventually gotten to the point where he was too weak to get up. Frostbitten and gangrenous and starving, he could have rolled around for hours, maybe days. Creating a tight cocoon of comfort for himself until he finally died.

It may not be exactly what happened. It’s just another theory. I think it’s important to recognise that these weren’t lost and incompetent individuals. If this or something similar happened, they made smart strategic decisions based on the knowledge they had. They also showed kindness and compassion. Not to mention incredible loyalty. I think they must have been quite remarkable. As a group they were well functioning. Ted alone, poor guy, is unfortunately another matter. His faith is the most heartbreaking of all.

Gary would have known how to turn the heat on. Ted on his own didn’t figure it out. All he could do was believe in the promise that one day his friends would come, and when it happened, there was enough food waiting for them.

Again; this is pure speculation. Nothing more.