Paul Edward Beards

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Siskiyou County Sheriffs Department (CA)

Offense Location:

Weed, CA

Summary:

Paul Beards, 34, and his friend Ricky Whitmire had recently moved from Napa to Siskiyou County to work when contact with them ended on July 20, 1983. Whitmire was found dead on August 16, 1983 along a logging road behind College of the Siskiyous in Weed; Beards was found on the same road a month later, on September 15. Both deaths were ruled homicides and remain unsolved.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Offense:

Paul Edward Beards was 34 years old in the summer of 1983. Paul Edward Beards and Ricky Lynn Whitmire were friends who, according to the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office, had recently moved from Napa, California to Siskiyou County to work. The last known contact with them was on Wednesday, July 20, 1983, in the Weed area. On Tuesday, August 16, 1983, Whitmire was found deceased along a logging road behind College of the Siskiyous, the community college on the west side of Weed. One month later, on Thursday, September 15, 1983, Beards was found deceased along the same logging road. The Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office determined both deaths to be homicides. The Sheriff's Office lists the two deaths under the same criminal case numbers, with a separate coroner's case number for each person. No arrest has been made in either death. In February 2025 the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office published its Unsolved Siskiyou website, which lists both cases among the office's open homicide investigations and asks the public for information. The cases remain open.

Additional Details:

The deaths of Paul Beards and Ricky Whitmire are investigated together by the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office at 530-842-8300 (dispatch 530-841-2900) or through the online tip form on the Sheriff's Office website. Tips may be left anonymously. No reward has been announced.

Case Last Updated:

Oct 23, 2026