http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/s/sumpter_cynthia.html

Cynthia Lynn Sumpter


Left and Center: Sumpter, circa 1974;
Right: Age-progression at age 34 (circa 2002)


Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance

Missing Since: April 27, 1974 from San Jose, California
Classification: Non-Family Abduction
Date Of Birth: July 18, 1968
Age: 5 years old
Height and Weight: 3'8, 35 - 55 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Sumpter has a cowlick on the right side of her hairline. She also has moles on the left side of her neck and on her shin. Her nickname is Cindy and some agencies refer to her by that name.
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A red and white sleeveless shirt with a blue star printed on the chest, long purple slacks, and no shoes.


Details of Disappearance

Sumpter was last seen playing in the front yard of her family's apartment house on Elm Street in San Jose, California on April 27, 1974. She has never been heard from again. Sumpter's mother began looking for her between 1:30 and 1:45 p.m. that same day. When she had searched for half an hour with no result, she called police. A massive search of San Jose turned up no sign of the child. Witnesses report that she was in a blue car driven by an unidentified young man with blond hair and a moustache; these sightings have not been confirmed. Sumpter's parents had had a bitter divorce a year before her disappearance and each one accused the other of hiding her. Both her mother and father passed polygraph tests and police ruled them out as suspects.
Several people claimed to know Sumpter's whereabouts and attempted to extort money from her parents, but none of them really knew anything about her case. Antonio Madrid was investigated for possible involvement in Sumpter's disappearance. He was the stepfather of one of her friends and lived only about 100 yards from her apartment. Madrid committed suicide two days after Sumpter disappeared. After his death, police found a bloodstained shirt belonging to him, and blonde hairs in his car. A convicted murderer named Eugene Joseph Wesley is also a possible suspect. He took two polygraph tests about Sumpter's case and the results indicated that he knew more than he was saying about her disappearance. Wesley was never charged in connection with her case, however, and has since died in prison.

Sumpter's mother has since remarried and moved to Pocatello, Idaho. She believes her daughter is still alive. Police believe Sumpter was abducted. Foul play is suspected in her case.



Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
San Jose Police Department
408-277-4786



Source Information
The National Center For Missing and Exploited Children
California Attorney General's Office
NewsLibrary
Newspaper Archive



Updated 2 times since October 12, 2004.

Last updated February 10, 2004.

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Age-progression at age 34 (circa 2002)

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NCMEC Poster for Sumpter

http://missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet...earchLang=en_US

Missing since April 27, 1974 from San Jose, Santa Clara County, California.
Classification: Non Family Abduction

Date Of Birth: July 18, 1968
Age at Time of Disappearance: 5 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 3'8; 55 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Blonde hair; blue eyes.
Marks, Scars: Sumpter has a cowlick on the right side of her hairline. She has a mole on the left side of her neck, left shin, and left side of her back. Cleft chin.
Dentals: Not available
DNA: Available
Clothing: Red/White sleeveless blouse with blue star on chest, long purple slacks. No shoes.
Nickname: Cindy

Sumpter was last seen playing outside of her residence, on Elm Street in San Jose, California on April 27, 1974. Her mother discovered her missing at between 13.30 and 13.45. She searched on her own for about a half hour, called her parents to see if they had her, then she contacted the police.

One neighbor told police that she had left her small son with Cindy while she dashed to her apartment for a baby bottle. When she returned a moment later, her son was alone. Another witness spotted Cindy from her car and reported that the outgoing little girl had stuck her head in the window to say hello. Others said they had seen her in a blue car accompanied by a mysterious young man with blond hair and a mustache.

At first, police considered Cindy's father, a suspect, as the parents were divorced. Eventually, both parents took lie-detector tests that showed they knew nothing of Cindy's disappearance or whereabouts. Police decided they were in no way involved.

If you have any information concerning Sumpter's whereabouts, please contact:
San Jose Police Department
408-277-4786