The three images on the right are age-progressed to 42, 47 and 53 years.
The three images on the right are age-progressed to 42, 47 and 53 years.
Name: Cynthia Lynn Sumpter
Case Classification: Endangered Missing
Missing Since: April 27, 1974
Location Last Seen: San Jose, Santa Clara County, California
Date of Birth: July 18, 1968
Age: 5 years old
Race: White
Gender: Female
Height: 3'8"
Weight: 55 lbs.
Hair Color: Blond/Strawberry
Eye Color: Blue. Her eyes may appear dark blue to hazel in color.
Nickname/Alias: Cindy
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Cowlick on the right side of her hairline and a small cleft chin. A mole on her left shin, left side of her neck and left side of her back.
Dentals: Not Available
Fingerprints: Not Available
DNA: Available
Clothing: Sleeveless red and white striped shirt with a blue star on front and long purple slacks. No footwear.
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Unknown
Sumpter was last seen playing outside her apartment complex on Elm Street in San Jose, California. Her mother discovered her missing between 1:30 p.m. and 1:45 p.m. She searched on her own for about a half hour, called her parents to see if they had her and then 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. Witnesses reported they had seen her in a blue car driven by a mysterious young man with blond hair and a mustache; these sightings have not been confirmed.
At first, police considered Cindy's father a suspect, as the parents were divorced. Sumpter's parents had had a bitter divorce a year before her disappearance and each one accused the other of hiding her. Eventually, both parents took lie-detector tests that showed they knew nothing of Cindy's whereabouts. Police decided they were no way involved.
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 her disappearance. He was the stepfather of one of her friends and only lived about 100 yards from her apartment. Madrid committed suicide two days after Sumpter's disappearance. 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 and foul play is suspected in her case.
Agency Name: San Jose Police Department
Agency Contact Person: Sergeant Quan
Agency Phone Number: (408)-537-1340
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: 7483994
NamUs Case Number: 6703
NCIC Case Number: M-136918861
NamUs
NCMEC
National Missing Persons Directory
California Department of Justice
Facebook
Added: 10/8/2011; Last Updated: 10/07/2023 - By: kc
Questions or comments? Please contact appropriate member of the Area Team
** Listed information is from the time of disappearance.
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