Circumstances of Disappearance
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 1:30 and 1:45 p.m. 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.