Five men. One car in the mountains. And a case that makes less sense the longer you stare at it.

This week on Cursewords and Crayons: TRUE CRIME, we’re diving into one of the most baffling and heartbreaking mysteries we’ve ever covered: The Yuba County Five.

In February 1978, five young men—friends, coworkers, and beloved members of their community—set out for what should have been a simple trip to a basketball game in California.

They never made it home.

Their car was later found abandoned on a remote mountain road… miles away from where they were supposed to be. No damage. No obvious reason it stopped. Plenty of gas. And all five men? Gone.

…and then things get weird.

What follows is a search that turns into a nightmare and a discovery that will absolutely make you yell “WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!” at your phone:

🚗 A perfectly functional car abandoned in the mountains

Only four of the five men were ever found. One—Gary Mathias—has never been located.

And just to make your brain itch even more:

…but nothing ever came together.

This case is equal parts mystery, tragedy, and pure frustration. Because the biggest question isn’t just what happened—it’s why did they go up that mountain at all?

This episode is full of twists, theories, and that deeply unsettling feeling that we’re missing one key piece that would make everything click… and it’s just not there.

💬 Tell us what you think: exposure and confusion, outside involvement, or something even stranger?

👻 Follow the chaos:

Until next time: trust your gut, stay out of the mountains at night, and don’t ignore the signs right in front of you.