OH OH - Cynthia 'Cindy' Anderson, 20, Toledo, 4 Aug 1981

I saw Cindy Anderson's disappearence profiled on Unsolved Mysteries a couple weeks ago and began researching her a little bit. Her case is pretty fascinating and full of twists.

Quick Summary (links are at the bottom):

Cindy Anderson was a legal secretary in a law firm in Toledo Ohio. She vanished from her work in 1981. Before her disappearence someone had spray painted on the side of a building across from her I LOVE YOU CINDY by GW. It was whitewashed over but the culprit spray painted it again. LE eventually determined the maintenence man for the shopping center the law office was in was the one who did it and they do not believe he had anything to do with her disappearence. THe event scared Cindy so much she had a buzzer installed at her desk to alert someone if she was in danger. She also kept the doors locked at all times. VIsitors had to buzz to be let in. It is reported that she had also began receiving threatening phone calls at work but she would never elaborate.

When the lawyers she worked for arrived for work that day they found the front door locked as usual. Cindy's purse and keys were missing but her car was in the parking lot - locked. Whenever she left for any reason she would place the phones on hold which they were not. They also found her romance novel opened to a part where the lead character is abducted.

A month or so later LE received a phone call from an anonymous person telling them that Cindy was alive and being held captive in a basement nearby.

The lawyer, Richard Neller, that Cindy worked for was arrested in 1996 and charged with felony counts of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, marijuana, and heroine. He was sentenced to 70 months in prison.
After his release he went back to Toledo to begin practicing law again but in 2002 he was officially disbarred. It was uncovered that he had become involved in his defendents (Jose Rodriguez) drug activity while representing him and began advising Jose on how to avoid legal action.

It is a leading theory that Cindy overheard Richard and Jose discussing their drug deals and was killed because of what she knew.

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/a/anderson_cynthia.html

http://www.unsolved.com/ajaxfiles/mis_cynthia_anderson.htm

http://bulk.resource.org/courts.gov/states/Ohio/2003-ohio-774.pdf (court records regarding Neller)

http://www.sconet.state.oh.us/Communications_Office/Summaries/2003/0305/suspension.asp

http://www.romingerlegal.com/Ohio_case_law/1997/1997-ohio-449.html

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=153775 (discussion about Cindy's case)

I read somewhere, probably on the sitcomsonline boards, that someone said the "I love you Cindy" statements painted all over were for her, not Cindy Anderson. This woman said that she and her boyfriend were teens, and that he painted the statements all over the place.

To me it seems like a set up, and that maybe Cindy left of her own accord. Her life was very strict (seems like from the UM segment), but I think she had a new boyfriend? She was trying to lose weight (skipping breakfast) and wearing makeup. Her romance novel was turned to the one page that showed a violent act, a kidnapping. That seems very coincidental to me.

I think Cindy left on her own, but I think something happened later. She was probably fairly naive, maybe too trusting. Maybe she met up with someone who did her some harm. I think if she were alive and able, she would have contacted her family by now. From the UM segment, she didn't seem like the type of girl to leave forever. Or maybe she is alive, and too embarrassed/ashamed to come home? Who knows, but I really think she left on her own.

Thanks Mr. E - you are right about the graffitti. I changed it from Cindy Anderson to Cindy.

Sitcom Boards has a lot of info about this case but no one hardly sites their sources so I have no idea where they are getting this info. The UM segment certainly didn't have all that info I am reading there. They didn't even mention Richard Neller and his criminal history on the show.

I'm still not sure what I think happened. Both scenarios seem pretty plausible to me.

She left her car so she would have had to take the bus or have a ride. From what I understand she did not withdraw any large sums of money and there has been no activity in her bank account. She didn't take anything with her except her purse and keys.
She had a boyfriend she met through church and they were planning on going to bible college together two weeks after her disappearence. Cindy's father really rubbed me the wrong way on UM. Calling her obdient, then saying she was becoming a debutante because she started wearing a little make-up. He just did not seem that concerned to me and the impression I got from him was that if Cindy did runaway and contacted her parents they might stay quiet about it out of embarrassment and concern over what people would think. I think there is a possibility the Anderson's know what happened to their daughter, have disowned her and have kept quiet.
But would CIndy have left her boyfriend? It sounds like maybe she was trying to break out of having only the church as her social life and network of friends so perhaps she was only dating him because she knew that is what her parents expected of her and wanted. I definitely get the impression her family expected her to live a certain lifestyle and behave a certian way and can easily see how she felt trapped. However, I find it hard to believe she did not return after a couple days.
The placement of the book to the abduction scene is a little much and indicitive to me of someone who is trying to manipulate what people thing happened to them - she placed the book to that spot deliberately.
The caller was Cindy herself trying to throw off the police and her family?
She deliberately made up the stories about the nightmares of being abducted.
Cindy decided the only way she could successfully get away from her family is to make them believe she is dead so she put her plan into action. Hell, maybe she even painted the graffitti on the wall herself to make people think she had a stalker - who knows.

The other possibility seems plausible to me too. She just doesn't strike me as someone who would run away from her family and her life for very long at all.
Speculation:
She had overheard or found out something about Neller and Rodriguez's drug dealings and she was terrified. She began having nightmares about being abducted and killed. It was reported that Rodriguez told Neller he would kill his secretary if their deal went bad as a message to Neller he was not joking around here (according to sitcom board). It also says on sitcom boards that Rodriguez confessed to killing her but again I don't know where that information they are writing is coming from.
Rodriguez or his associates began calling Cindy at the office threatening her they would do harm to her if she told what she knew. They decided it was too much of a risk having her around and to kill her. I htink it is possible Neller knows exactly what happened to Cindy and maybe even gave Rodriguez a key to the front door so he could get in without notifying Cindy he was there.

The caller was Cindy herself trying to throw off the police and her family?

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I thought this, too. The witness said she received two phone calls (I think two), and that she didn't say anything, but her reaction was of shock and horror. What if she used that opportunity to create that memory for him, so add to the stalker theory? It could have been anybody on the other line, and Cindy didn't say anything. It could have been somebody calling the office, and when nobody said anything the first time, hung up and tried calling again.

I think I'm too imaginative sometimes and don't look at the obvious, but it all seems like a movie-of-the-week, like somebody tried very hard to make it seem like someone was after Cindy.

Cindy and her sister appeared close. I wonder if she has any opinions about what happened to Cindy.

Then again, when it comes to Dad she might be afraid to express them. He looks like the kind of guy that TLC would build a whole series around - if you get my drift.

And make no mistake - people would watch.

OilPainter said:

Cindy and her sister appeared close. I wonder if she has any opinions about what happened to Cindy.

Then again, when it comes to Dad she might be afraid to express them. He looks like the kind of guy that TLC would build a whole series around - if you get my drift.

And make no mistake - people would watch.

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Tee-hee.

I think right after 'Toddlers and Tiaras' would be good fit.

I wonder about Cindy's family too. I looked for contact info especially for her sister but did not find anything. I would love to see her post here.

Mr. E said:

I thought this, too. The witness said she received two phone calls (I think two), and that she didn't say anything, but her reaction was of shock and horror. What if she used that opportunity to create that memory for him, so add to the stalker theory? It could have been anybody on the other line, and Cindy didn't say anything. It could have been somebody calling the office, and when nobody said anything the first time, hung up and tried calling again.

I think I'm too imaginative sometimes and don't look at the obvious, but it all seems like a movie-of-the-week, like somebody tried very hard to make it seem like someone was after Cindy.

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I was actually referring to the phone call the police got from the anonymous caller saying Cindy was being held in a nearby basement, etc but you are right, she could have faked the phone calls at work.
It just seems awfully extreme. Most people when they runaway just go without preparing too much. It is hard for me to stomach that she did all of these things purposefully in the weeks and months leading up to her disappearence.
I think the I Love You Cindy graffitti is an unrelated incident with, in hindsight, eerie timing

I don't know.....I think something hinky is going on, with a few coincidences thrown in (the book, maybe the graffiti). I don't think she faked anything.

thefragile7393 said:

I don't know.....I think something hinky is going on, with a few coincidences thrown in (the book, maybe the graffiti). I don't think she faked anything.

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I really don't think so either. I think it is definitely worth considering but after looking at all the facts, the events leading up to her disappearence it jsut doesn't seem likely she did all of those things in a premeditated fashion to make her family believe she had been abducted.

The book is weird but it could be an eerie coincidence that is where she set it down. Or the perp brought the book with them and placed it there on purpose in an attempt to be cryptic and cunning.....not so much, more like really obvious but hey , they tried.

gaia227 said:

Tee-hee.

I think right after 'Toddlers and Tiaras' would be good fit.

I wonder about Cindy's family too. I looked for contact info especially for her sister but did not find anything. I would love to see her post here.

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Toddlers and Tiaras...how 'bout those moms?

Anyway, I can't remember the name of her sister (she looked like Cindy) but it would be interesting to have her post here. She could probably give us a lot of newer information.

This woman claims to be the 'real' Cindy meaning the Cindy the graffitti was meant for. She says she was involved with George the maintenance man and she was away at the time because she was in the army and George had a habit of spray painted I LOVE YOU CINDY and CJ+GW around Toledo. Her maiden name is Cindy Jones.

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=153775&page=6

Cindy's sister's name is Christine Savidge.

I think that Cindy just wanted a new life. Something seemed off about her father in those interviews on Unsolved Mysteries. He may have been doing something bad to her. At any rate, it just seemed like she was trying her best to escape something. I never trusted the father from day one. He put out some bad vibes. Everything happening could have been of her own making. She could have easily planned out those calls at her job in advance. Just tell somebody to call her randomly through out the day at work so she would appear scared. That way, the red herrings are already in place when she did decide to make a break for it. Just my opinion, anyway.

Cindy has been missing 29 yrs today. Come home soon.

In the 1969-1970 school year at Rome Elementary in Rome, Ohio Jane was my classmate and had a crush on me. "Would you like to be called Cindy or Jane?" teacher Mrs. Berg aske her and she said "Jane." "When is your birthday?" Jane asked me. "May 7" I said. "I'm older than you." she said. Jane wore her feelings on her sleeve. She made a point of making it especially obvious that she liked me. She was inherently trusting unafraid of being mocked or rejected. I liked her too, but that is as much as I ever got to know her. Jane, Jane's friend Rebecca, me and my friend Dennis were at the top of the class. Then my parents moved from Ashtabula County to Guernsey County and I never saw her or any of them again.

Through the years I often thought about Jane. I had dreams and visions about her, as I suffer from mental illness. In one dream she was tied up and bound on the first floor of a house. In another vision she had been burned alive and was being slowly tapered out of the pain. In hallucinations she called me "soldier," rejected God and believed in evolution. God had betrayed her. Eventually in 2006 I decided to check missing persons and found she had disappeared on August 4, 1981. I thought back. I had written a letter about Jane to a girl I was in love with named Carolyn. Carolyn rejected me and I wrote her offensive letters. 5 months later Jane disappeared. 3 months after that I attempted suicide.


Carolyn was attended George School in Newtown, PA, an expensive eastern secondary prep school. Her home was in Boulder, CO. She would have been at the end of her summer break between her junior and senior year on August 4, 1981. Her father was an economics professor in Boulder

http://tqe.quaker.org/2009/TQE162-EN-Jack.html

On August 4, 1981 I was working on a farm in Columbiana County, OH. I took a break for a week to attend a youth conference in Canada at Camp Nee Kau Nis, which started on August 9, 1981. I suspect Carolyn and her accomplices kidnapped Jane and were counting on me going to Canada through Toledo. Instead I went to Canada through upstate New York. This probably ruined their plans for me.

Carolyn was angry at me for my offensive letters to me and vowed to get revenge on me. She and her father scoured my letters to her, found Jane and developed a plan to kidnap Jane, use her to bait me in and kill us both. However Jane probably outsmarted them and it ended up just her death and not both of our deaths. She martyred herself for me. There is some kind of pact they made not to harm me, but they never forecasted that I'd find out. It would be no loss to them to dishonor the pact and kill me too. It just doesn't make sense. Unless Jane set up a reassurance that they wouldn't harm me. I have been spouting off about this for years without repercussion.

I met Carolyn in 1980 at John Woolman School in California at a YFNA gathering.

Goshem said:

http://jons-math.bravehost.com/

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Someone else please take a look at this and fill me in.

Goshem said:

http://jons-math.bravehost.com/

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No seriously, what is that?
I'm going to have to read through this but. I would love to hear that song.

http://www.toledoblade.com/local/2011/08/04/Woman-s-disappearance-a-mystery-after-30-years.html

Woman's disappearance a mystery after 30 years
Man dies awaiting daughter's safe return

Published: 8/4/2011

When Mr. Anderson died in January, 2008, he was still living at the home Miss Anderson grew up in, 3030 Springbrook Drive. He never changed his phone number -- what if she was trying to get back home. If he left, she would never find her family.

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Good info in the article.

What is that jons_math website about? TIA.

Sorry- does anyone understand what Goshem is saying in those posts? Aren't they a bit concerning?