The Wrong Road... Why Didn't They Turn Around?!

The Devil Within

EVIO Creative

True Crime

3.2 • 2.8K Ratings

🗓️ 14 January 2026

⏱️ 20 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

THE DEVIL WITHIN — The Wrong Road (Part One) Five young men leave a college basketball game on February 24, 1978—excited for the Special Olympics tournament waiting the next morning. They should have been home within hours. Instead, they drive into the Sierra Nevada foothills… and the road begins to climb. In Part One, we follow the Yuba County Five—Gary Mathias, Bill Sterling, Ted Weiher, Jack Huett, and Jack Madruga—as the night quietly turns hostile. A familiar drive becomes unfamiliar territory. A dependable car becomes a stranded shelter. And the most unsettling part isn’t what happened to them… …it’s what they did next. The Mercury Montego wasn’t wrecked. It wasn’t empty. It could have kept them alive. But they abandoned it—walking uphill into the darkness, away from help, into a forest that swallowed logic and sound. This isn’t the story of a killer hiding in the trees. It’s a story about panic, cold, and how winter can turn the human mind against itself. Part Two is coming next—deep in the forest, where the real questions begin. 🎧 LISTEN & FOLLOW If you’re enjoying the show, make sure you’re following the entire Evio Creative lineup wherever you get your podcasts—The Devil Within, The Ides of April, Criminal Mischief, Taboo Treasures, Finding ME with Josh Wolf and more—so you never miss a new episode. ⭐ RATE & REVIEW Ratings and reviews genuinely help independent shows grow. If you have a moment, leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify—it helps more than you think, and yes, we read them. 📺 WATCH & SUBSCRIBE ON YOUTUBE You can now watch full video episodes, clips, and exclusives from all Evio Creative shows on our YouTube channel. 👉 Subscribe to Evio Creative on YouTube and turn on notifications so you don’t miss new drops across the network. 📲 FOLLOW ON SOCIAL Follow us on Instagram for updates, visuals, and behind-the-scenes content: • @thedevilwithinpod • @idesofaprilpod • @eviocreative 🌐 VISIT THE NETWORK Explore all of our shows, projects, and upcoming releases at eviocreative.com ✉️ GET IN TOUCH Have a story, tip, correction, or something you think we should cover? Email us at info@eviocreative.com 🔁 SHARE THE SHOW If you know someone who loves true crime, history, horror, or stories that refuse to let go—share the episode. Word of mouth keeps this network alive. 💼 SPONSORS 🧥 QUINCE Luxury essentials at affordable prices. Free shipping + 365-day returns: www.QUINCE.com/MISCHIEF (http://www.quince.com/MISCHIEF) 📱 MINT MOBILE Premium wireless for just $15/month. Switch and get free shipping: http://www.mintmobil.com/DEVILWITHIN 🛰️ EXPRESSVPN Protect your data anywhere. Get up to 4 months free: www.ExpressVPN.com/DEVILWITHIN (http://www.expressvpn.com/DEVILWITHIN) 🌿 MOOD CBD and THC gummies shipped nationwide. 20% off: http://www.mood.com/DEVILWITHIN 🐶 OLLIE DOG FOOD Real, fresh, human-grade meals for your dog. 60% off your first box: http://www.ollie.com/IDES 🔥 MONARCH The only finance app you’ll ever need. For 50% off your first year: http://www.monarch.com/IDES Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:45.3	EEO.
0:47.3	EEO.
0:53.3	There are winters that feel honest. They come roaring across the mountains with teeth and intention.
1:03.0	And they warn you long before they arrive. The sky bruises purple, the wind sharpens. The trees lean into the gusts as though bracing themselves.
1:13.5	In winters like that, you know where you stand. You respect the season because the season
1:19.5	makes its expectations clear. But there's another kind of winter. It's quieter, more deceptive.
1:29.0	Snow lies over everything like a blanket rather than a threat. The landscape glows in pale light. The silence almost seems
1:36.1	peaceful. On nights like that, it feels as though the world is paused for rest, when in truth, it is simply stripped away the noises
1:46.0	that usually make us feel safe. Here in California, in the Sierra Nevada foothills,
1:52.0	winter silence can feel almost holy. The pines stand unmoving. Wind sighs softly through branches.
2:00.0	The world quiets. But beneath that stillness waits a deeper truth.
2:05.2	Winter doesn't have to rage to be deadly. Sometimes all it has to do is wait. On the evening of February 24,
2:13.0	1978, five young men left a college basketball game and headed home along roads that began
2:18.9	straight and familiar. They were laughing, talking, thinking about tomorrow. They had plans.
2:24.8	They had a tournament. They had snacks rattling in those paper bags between the seats. Their
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