Cindy James
| Cindy James | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 12, 1944 |
| Disappeared | May 25, 1989 |
| 💀Died | June 8, 1989 (age 44) Vancouver, British Columbia, CanadaJune 8, 1989 (age 44) |
| Cause of death | Strangulation, barbiturate overdose |
| Body discovered | Richmond, British Columbia, Canada |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| Known for | Potential murder victim |
Cindy James was a Canadian woman who disappeared in May 1989 and was found dead in the backyard of an abandoned house in the Richmond neighborhood near Vancouver, British Columbia two weeks later.[1] In the seven years prior to her death, James reported over one hundred incidents of harassment and stalking which ultimately were unable to be corroborated by police. As of 2015, the case of James' death remains unsolved. It is considered by nearly all of the officials involved to be self-inflicted.
Background
Cindy James was born in 1944, and completed nursing school in 1966. She worked with disabled children and, during the time of her alleged harassment and disappearance, was working as a pediatric nurse.[1] In 1981, after splitting up with her husband, James reported receiving a series of threatening phone calls. She reported the threatening calls to Vancouver police, who began investigating. Over the next three months, the reported harassment increased. At night, James reported that she heard prowlers outside her house. Her porch lights were smashed and phone lines severed. According to Cindy’s friend, Agnes Woodcock, Cindy said bizarre notes began to appear on her doorstep.
According to James' sister, Melanie, James also received photos on her windshield depicting a covered corpse being wheeled into a morgue on a stretcher, raw meat delivered to her house, and found dead cats hanging from trees outside of her home accompanied with threatening notes.[2] She also experienced damage to her property, including broken windows, a slashed pillow, cut phone wires, and arson.[2][3]
Five of the incidents reported by James to police were violent physical attacks, one in which James was discovered unconscious in her home by the private investigator she'd hired, and directed to meet her, with a nylon stocking tied around her neck, and a threatening note pinned through her hand with a paring knife.[1] Due to the increasingly violent nature of James alleged harassment, she made efforts to hide her identity, which included moving houses, painting her car, and changing her last name. Despite the private investigator's surveillance, no attacks were ever witnessed on James, which led many members of the police department to believe James had been manufacturing the attacks herself.
Shortly before her death, James was discovered lying in a ditch six miles from her home, again with a nylon stocking around her neck, suffering from hypothermia and wearing a man's work boot and glove.[1] James was covered in bruises and cuts, but could not recall how she had gotten to the ditch. Following the incident, James was checked into a psychiatric facility after being thought suicidal. She checked out ten weeks later.
On May 25, 1989, James disappeared. Her car was discovered in a local neighborhood, with groceries and a wrapped gift in the backseat and blood found in the car. Items from Cindy's wallet were found lying underneath the car. Two weeks later, on June 8, James' body was discovered in the backyard of an abandoned house, with her arms hogtied behind her back. Autopsy reports concluded James had died as a result of a barbiturate overdose and possible strangulation. Police conclude that James had committed suicide. However, the coroner ruled that her death was not suicide, an accident, or a murder. It was determined that she died of an "unknown event.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Cindy James". Unsolved.com. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Hack, Melanie (2009). Who Killed My Sister, My Friend? (excerpt). Retrieved 2014-03-16. Search this book on
- ↑ "The 10 Most Compelling Unsolved Mysteries". Thought Catalog. 2013-02-10. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
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