The episode about the secretary who was stalked & then disappeared?

[mysterymomma]

Does anyone remember the info for the episode about the woman who was being stalked and then disappeared from her work? She was in her 20's, I think, and someone had spray painted something like, "I [heart]" plus her initials or name on an object that she could see across the parking lot from her desk, plus she was getting creepy calls before vanishing? I would really like to know what happened with this case but can never even find the original info, much less an update.

It aired in the late 80's or 1990 to 1991 era.

[nohwheregirl]

This is the Cindy Anderson case. If you do a search on this discussion board, you'll find plenty of posts on it. Unfortunately, Cindy's case was never solved and she is still missing.

[Tretsy]

I do believe it indeed was solved. The update on UM states that one of the lawyers in the firm where she worked was 'charged in the disappearance'. They did not ever mention that they found a body or anything. Apparently there was either money laundering or drug activity going on in the office and Cindy found out 'too much'. I watch on the Mystery Channel weekdays and it does indeed have an update.

[crystaldawn]

I do know there was speculation it could have been someone who worked at the law firm but according to her page on the Charley Project website no one has ever been charged and the info was last updated just a few months ago. Here's what it says:

Details of Disappearance

Anderson was employed as a secretary at the law offices of James Rabbit and Jay Feldstein on East Manhattan Boulevard in Toledo, Ohio in 1981. She was last seen at the business on August 4 of that year. Her employers discovered that the radio was turned on and their desks were prepared for the day upon their arrival at work. Unclaimed mail had been placed inside the front door handle and a book Anderson was reading was opened on her desk. There was no sign of her elsewhere in the building. Her purse and keys were missing, but her vehicle was locked in the parking lot outside of the office. Anderson has never been seen again.
Anderson had received suspicious phone calls at work in the weeks prior to her disappearance which seemed to disturb her. Her family reported that she also suffered from nightmares during the summer of 1981. The message "I love you, Cindy" had been spray-painted on a wall of the plaza where Anderson was employed shortly before she vanished. It was signed with the initials of a maintenance worker from the area. The man in question has since died and it is not known if he was connected to Anderson's disappearance.

Anderson's employers installed an emergency buzzer at her desk and also told her to lock the office's doors when she was alone during the summer of 1981 due to the harrassing calls and omnimous messages.

There have been several suspects in Anderson's disappearance, none of which have been officially ruled out in her case by investigators. Anthony and Nathaniel Cook, two brothers convicted of nine murders in the Ohio area between them in the 1980's, have denied any involvement in Anderson's case. Another convicted murderer currently imprisoned in Ohio is thought to possibly be involved in her disappearance as well, though any connection has never been established and the man has never been identified.

Convicted drug dealer Jose Rodriguez Jr. and his attorney, Richard Neller, are also suspects in Anderson's case. Neller worked with Anderson's law firm during 1981 and authorities theorize that she may have overheard conversations between Neller and Rodriguez concerning drug deals prior to her disappearance. Investigators believe the information may have led to Anderson's possible abduction and/or murder, though this has never been proven. An informant testified at Rodriguez's trial in 1995 that Rodriguez confessed to killing Anderson, but the testimony was ruled to be unreliable. Both Rodriguez and Neller are currently imprisoned due to drug convictions. No one has been charged in connection with Anderson's disappearance and her case remains unsolved.

Anderson is described as a devout Christian fundamentalist who enjoyed her job and family life. She had a boyfriend in 1981 and her family has stated it would be extremely uncharacteristic of her to vanish without explanation for her loved ones.

[CanadianUMFan]

Originally Posted by Tretsy

I do believe it indeed was solved. The update on UM states that one of the lawyers in the firm where she worked was 'charged in the disappearance'. They did not ever mention that they found a body or anything. Apparently there was either money laundering or drug activity going on in the office and Cindy found out 'too much'. I watch on the Mystery Channel weekdays and it does indeed have an update.

I take it that you are Canadian as well as we are fortunate enough to still see UM up here on the Mystery Channel while I believe that our American friends are unable to see the show anywhere at the moment. In Crystaldawn's post below yours, a Rodriguez fellow is talked about and the update that you would have seen recently on Mystery Channel was about his arrest. As you can tell from Crystaldawn's information, nothing came of it however.

The Cindy Anderson case is one that continues to be hotly debated on this forum but my opinion is that she disappeared on her own to get away from an oppressive family. I also have theorized that Cindy was sexually abused by her "creepy" father which would explain why she has never contacted her family since her disappearance but I don't think that anyone on here agrees with me on that.

[Tretsy]

Interesting point of view!!
I am glad now that it is available as back to back episodes here in Canada M-F

[Orange_Sody_84]

Originally Posted by CanadianUMFan

I also have theorized that Cindy was sexually abused by her "creepy" father which would explain why she has never contacted her family since her disappearance but I don't think that anyone on here agrees with me on that.

The father was a very odd Duck. he was far too chipure given the cirumstances. what did he have for Breakfast every morning? Sunshine? of course it's not a crime to be a cheerful person. but he just seemed too upbeat given the fact his daughter was missing.

[SageSlowdive]

This case was, hands down, one of the scariest.

First, those dreams she had, then she starts being stalked! UM definitely outdid themselves in the creepy department with this segment.

[SheRaaa]

Originally Posted by SageSlowdive

This case was, hands down, one of the scariest.

First, those dreams she had, then she starts being stalked! UM definitely outdid themselves in the creepy department with this segment.

Agreed! This case has always chilled me to the bone. I used to work as a secretary in a setup a lot like Cynthia's, only mine was in an industrial park area where there wasn't really anyone around. Occasionally, I'd be the only person in the entire building/office, and this case always reminds me of those long, boring, and slightly creepy days.

It really does seem like a truly baffling mystery -- did she disappear willingly? Was she abducted by someone who is now dead? Did the shady guys in her office have anything to do with it? Her creepy dad? So much to consider in this one...

[justins5256]

It's been awhile since I watched this one, so I genuinely do not remember. Was there any evidence that her father may have been involved in her disappearance?

I remember his demeanor in the segment seemed "off" for a grieving parent, but I hate to seriously base my opinion on how someone presents in the UM interview.

[WishfulDreamer]

I don't believe for a minute that she disappeared willingly. With not only a boyfriend, but a college she was looking forward to attending, it just seems ridiculous that she would walk out. Her father may have been strange and having an odd attitude, but what he did say that actually sounded nice was that she was a kind of daughter you "enjoyed" having. Some people seemed to think that sounded creepy, but I thought it was the most compassionate thing he said during his interview. I don't think he had anything to do with it, but I have no doubts he was strict. I think the law office theory seems believable. They would have access to her and have been able to get close to her.
But that also brings up the graffiti on the wall and the woman calling about her being held in a basement. If these two leads were legitimate, it just sounds so eerie, just horrible to think about- someone stalking her out of obsession then holding her in a basement. But with no leads, for all anyone knows the basement lead could have been a hoax. What I want to know is, did they check the records of landowners and see if any families owned houses side by side, like the call said? And was the graffiti related or not?

And then there's the open book to the abduction scene left on her desk- baffling coincidence or placed there purposely? Such a strange case!

[MegtheEgg86]

Originally Posted by WishfulDreamer

And was the graffiti related or not?

There was a poster from Toledo on one of the other Cindy Anderson threads a while back who said the graffiti was definitely the work of her boyfriend (I think she said his name was Greg, which would've accounted for the "G" in "G.W.") at the time and was intended for her, not Cindy Anderson (obviously, she was also named Cindy). She said she told the Toledo Police about it multiple times years later when, I suppose, the case cropped up again on UM. She seemed to convey she was being deliberately ignored, for whatever reason. Her boyfriend wasn't able to substantiate the claim as he apparently died in a motorcycle accident sometime in the mid-80s.

In any event, she seemed credible to me. That's the most I've ever heard about the graffiti outside the segment.