Cynthia Anderson

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Real Name: Cynthia Jane Anderson
Nicknames: Cindy
Location: Toledo, Ohio
Date: August 4, 1981

Bio

Occupation: Legal Secretary
Date of Birth: February 4, 1961
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 115 lbs
Marital Status: Single
Characteristics: Caucasian female with brown hair and brown eyes. She has two scars: a fishhook shaped one on the inside of her right knee and a chicken pox one on her forehead.

Case

Details: In 1980, twenty-year-old Cindy Anderson was plagued by several bizarre and frightening dreams in which she was abducted from her home and murdered by a stranger. She told her mother about them, but she did not take them seriously. The nightmares plagued her for the next year.
On August 4, 1981, Cindy arrived at the legal office where she worked as a secretary. During the mornings, she normally worked alone, so she always kept the door locked. At 12pm, two of her coworkers arrived to find the office empty. The doors were locked, mail was in it, and a radio, the lights, and the air conditioner were all on. One coworker was surprised to find that the book Cindy was reading was opened to the only violent part, and found other evidence that suggested that she met with foul play. It appeared that she had been abducted, despite having all of the doors to the office locked and an alarm to alert the store next door.
Cindy's family found no reason for her to disappear, especially because she was raised in a strict religious environment. Also, she was planning on quitting her job in two weeks and going to a Bible college with her boyfriend. Her father, however, noticed that she had been dieting and focusing more on her appearance around the time of her disappearance.
When investigating this case, police found that the only items missing were Cindy's car keys and purse, and that there was no evidence of forced entry or struggle in the office. Based on the fact that no calls were answered by her after 10am, it is believed that she was abducted around that time. Foul play is suspected in her disappearance, and she has never been found.
Suspects: A client of Cindy's, Larry Mullins, claimed that the day before she vanished, she received a strange call from an unidentified person and that she was apparently upset or scared by the caller, who phoned the office twice while he was there. He asked her if there was something wrong, and she stated that they had been receiving several similar phone calls. However, she did not say what they were about. It is unknown if they are connected to this case.
Another lead police had was about an unidentified man writing "I Love You Cindy - By GW" on a wall near the office. Cindy had first noticed it ten months before her disappearance. It had been visible for six months before it was covered up. She was disturbed when, just a few weeks later, it appeared again. Police were uncertain if it had anything to do with her disappearance. They questioned several people with the initials GW, including a maintenance man who happened to have keys to the office. However, there was no evidence that could directly tie him to her disappearance.
In September 1981, a month after Cindy vanished, police received an anonymous tipster who claimed that she was being held against her will. The tipster appeared nervous and refused to give the investigator her name. She claimed that Cindy was being held in the basement of a white house and that there were two houses side-by-side that were owned by the same family. Apparently, they were out of town, but their son was home and he was the one holding her captive. However, the tipster did not give the address. When the investigator tried to ask her for more information, the call ended. A few minutes later, she called back. When another investigator tried to listen on the extension, she hung up again. She has not called back since, and it is unknown if her information is legitimate.
Extra Notes: This case first aired on the January 3, 1990 episode.
Results: Unsolved. In November 1995, a federal grand jury handed down a twenty-five count indictment of nine individuals and charged them with involvement in a large drug distribution ring in Toledo. Two of those indicted were Cindy's employer, Richard Neller, and his friend. Jose Rodriguez, Jr.. Rodriguez was allegedly the ringleader of the drug ring that Neller was also involved in. That same month, police announced that they believed that Cindy had been killed by Neller because she overheard conversations between him and Rodriguez about their operation.
While Rodriguez was on trial for the drug charges, a witness testified that he had confessed to killing Cindy. He allegedly did so to "send a message" to Neller because he did not adequately represent him at his previous trial. However, police could not confirm this confession and this case officially remains unsolved. Both Neller and Rodriguez are currently serving prison sentences for drug trafficking and remain suspects in this case.
The person who wrote the message has since been identified and is not believed to have any connection with this case.
Cindy's mother passed away in 1982, prior to the broadcast, and her father passed away in 2008.
Links:

• Cindy Anderson on Unsolved.com
• Cindy Anderson on The Charley Project
• Cindy Anderson on Ohio Attorney General
• Kidnapping suspected - August 7, 1981
• Disappearance remains mystery - August 10, 1981
• Police hunt for leads on missing secretary - January 7, 1982
• Secretary Sought After 10 Months - June 8, 1982
• Toledo woman still missing after 10 months - June 8, 1982
• 10-month search fails to find girl - June 8, 1982
• Secretary sought after ten months - June 8, 1982
• Toledo case to be on TV - June 10, 1989
• Lawyer suspect in killing - November 3, 1995
• Drug ring could hold key to woman's disappearance - November 3, 1995
• United States vs. Rodriguez - February 12, 1999
• Court rejects appeals of Neller, 3 others - August 29, 2000
• Dad clings to hope for daughter who disappeared in '81 - July 29, 2001
• Father still has faith that daughter will come home - August 5, 2001
• Woman's disappearance a mystery after 30 years - August 4, 2011
• Michael Anderson on Find a Grave

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