Adding to the mystery, the three youngest boys in the cabin were unharmed and reportedly unaware of the horrific events, despite a woman and her boyfriend in the neighboring cabin waking up around 1:30 a.m. to what they described as muffled screams. Unable to determine the source, they eventually went back to sleep.

Although initially, the three boys, Rickey, Greg, and their friend Justin Smartt, claimed to have slept through the tragic events, Justin later changed his statement. He reported seeing Sue Sharp with two men in the house that night. According to his description, one man had a mustache and long hair, while the other was clean-shaven with short hair, and both were wearing glasses.

Additionally, Justin mentioned that one of the men was carrying a hammer.

Justin later recounted that John and Dana came into the home and got into an argument with the two men, leading to a physical altercation. He also claimed that one of the men took Tina out of the cabin through the back door.

At the time, a significant amount of potential evidence was gathered at the scene. However, as this was before the advent of DNA testing, very little of it proved to be useful in the investigation.
Sheriff Thomas reached out to the Sacramento Department of Justice, which sent two special agents from their organized crime unit, rather than from homicide. This decision was seen as unusual by many observers.

The initial primary suspects were Justin Smartt's father and the Sharps' neighbor, Martin Smartt, along with his houseguest, ex-convict John “Bo” Boudebe. Boudebe was known to have connections to organized crime in the area. Both men had been spotted in suits and ties, acting strangely in a bar the night before the murders.