Gary Mathias Missing from Oroville, California age 25

Case Description

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Gary Mathias, a 25-year-old man from Yuba County, California, went missing on February 24, 1978, under mysterious circumstances. That evening, Mathias and four friends—Jack Madruga, Bill Sterling, Ted Weiher, and Jackie Huett—drove to Chico, California, to attend a college basketball game. However, the five men never returned home, and their abandoned car was found days later on a remote mountain road in Plumas National Forest, about 70 miles away from their intended route.

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Last Seen: Feb 24, 1978

Links to Additional Sources (10)

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Yuba County Five - Wikipedia

The story of the Yuba County Five: Disappearance, investigation

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Victim Details

created

Mar 31, 2018

Case Added

Jul 15, 2024

firstname

Gary

lastname

Mathias

Current Age

71

Age at Disappearance

25

Height

70 inches

Weight

175 lbs

ethnicity

White / Caucasian

gender

Male

Last Seen

Feb 24, 1978

City

Oroville

State

California

County

Yuba County

Tribal Land

No

vehicles

376

Agency ID

32148

Agency Name

Yuba County Sheriff's Department

Agency City

Marysville

Agency State

California

Agency County

Yuba County

Agency Zip Code

95901

Agency Contact

Lyndsey Deveraux

Contact Job Title

Community Service Officer, Dispatch

Agency Address

720 Yuba Street, California

Agency Phone

5307495116

Agency Jurisdiction

County

Agency Type

Law Enforcement

Agency Website

http://sheriff.co.yuba.ca.us/

Agency Case #

78-0534

Primary Agency

Yuba County Sheriff's Department

Hair Color

Brown

Left Eye Color

Hazel

Right Eye Color

Hazel

Last Updated

11/29/2025

Area Last Seen:

Gary Mathias
Missing

Case Description

Links to Additional Sources (10)

Victim Details

Forum Posts (3)

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