Chevelle "Chevy" Wheeler, a 16-year-old Caucasian female, disappeared on October 16, 1985, after skipping school in Stockton, California. She was last seen getting into a red pickup truck outside Franklin High School. Before leaving, she told a friend she was going with a male acquaintance to Valley Springs, California, and expressed apprehension about the trip. She asked her friend to inform her father if she did not return by the end of the school day.
When she failed to come home, her father was notified, and authorities quickly identified her companion as 19-year-old Wesley Shermantine Jr., who was acquainted with Wheeler's family. Shermantine owned a red pickup truck, matching the description of the vehicle she was last seen entering.
Investigators questioned Shermantine, who denied any involvement in Wheeler’s disappearance. However, police suspected he was lying. They discovered that his family owned a cabin in San Andreas, California, and upon searching it, they found blood and hair evidence. Although the blood samples matched Wheeler’s blood type, forensic technology at the time was not advanced enough to definitively confirm her identity. Without conclusive DNA evidence, authorities lacked the necessary proof to charge Shermantine with her murder.
Years later, advancements in DNA technology allowed investigators to reanalyze the evidence collected from the cabin. The results confirmed that the blood and hair samples belonged to Wheeler. This breakthrough led to Shermantine’s arrest on March 18, 1999, on suspicion of murder. He was later charged with Wheeler’s murder, along with the kidnapping and murder of another victim, 25-year-old Cyndi Vanderheiden. Shermantine and his childhood friend Loren Herzog, collectively known as the "Speed Freak Killers," were suspected of numerous murders spanning from 1984 to 1998. The duo was notorious for their methamphetamine abuse and violent crimes.
In 2012, Shermantine, who was on death row, provided authorities with information about burial sites containing victims' remains. Investigators searched locations linked to Shermantine and Herzog, including property once owned by Shermantine’s family. They discovered human remains wrapped in a blanket, along with clothing matching the description of what Wheeler was wearing on the day she disappeared. DNA testing confirmed the remains belonged to Wheeler, finally providing closure to her family after nearly three decades.
Shermantine was convicted of multiple murders and sentenced to death. Herzog, who had initially been convicted of several murders, had his convictions overturned and was later paroled. However, he committed suicide in 2012. The case of Chevelle Wheeler remains a tragic example of the violent crimes committed by the Speed Freak Killers, whose reign of terror left numerous families searching for answers for years.
