MI MI - Cynthia Coon, 13, Ann Arbor, 19 Jan 1970

[Richard]

Next January will mark the 50 year anniversary of Cynthia Coon's disappearance.

With so few clues to go on, there are numerous possibilities concerning what happened to her.

One strong possibility (in my opinion) is that she may have been a victim of Robert Bowman of Toledo.

Eileen Marie Adams, age 14, from Toledo, Ohio was abducted 18 December 1967, held prisoner, tortured, and then killed. Her body was found 12 days later in Michigan near Highway US 23. (The main highway between Toledo and Ann Arbor at the time).

Some LE and news reporters thought that Eileen's case had many similarities to a series called "The Coed Murders" but it was never officially included or forensically linked.

Eileen's murder remained unsolved until 2011 when Robert Bowman was convicted of torturing and killing her and sentenced to life imprisonment in Ohio. Eileen was not his first victim nor his last.

At the time of Cynthia's disappearance, Bowman was living in Toledo, and obviously traveling up and down US 23 at times. He had kept Eileen alive for almost two weeks after abducting her. She may have been killed and disposed by Bowman because Bowman's wife had discovered her tied up in a basement room.

If it was a usual MO for him to abduct a young girl and keep her prisoner for an extended period, the stories of Cynthia trying to contact home could make sense.

 

[Richard]

Next January will mark the 50 year anniversary of Cynthia Coon's disappearance. She was 13 years old.

With so few clues to go on, there are numerous possibilities concerning what happened to her.

One strong possibility (in my opinion) is that she may have been a victim of Robert Bowman of Toledo.

Eileen Marie Adams, age 14, from Toledo, Ohio was abducted 18 December 1967, held prisoner, tortured, and then killed. Her body was found 12 days later in Michigan near Highway US 23. (The main highway between Toledo and Ann Arbor at the time).

Some LE and news reporters thought that Eileen's case had many similarities to a series called "The Coed Murders" but it was never officially included or forensically linked.

Eileen's murder remained unsolved until 2011 when Robert Bowman was convicted of torturing and killing her and sentenced to life imprisonment in Ohio. Eileen was not his first victim nor his last.

At the time of Cynthia's disappearance, Bowman was living in Toledo, and obviously traveling up and down US 23 at times. He had kept Eileen alive for almost two weeks after abducting her. She may have been killed and disposed of by Bowman because Bowman's wife had discovered her tied up in a secret basement room.

If was a usual MO for him to abduct a young girl and keep her prisoner for an extended period, the stories of Cynthia trying to contact home could make sense.

 

[Richard]

More on Robert Bowman. Could he have been responsible for the disappearance of Cynthia Coon?

Cold-case killer: Robert Bowman is sentenced to life in prison for the murder of 14-year-old Eileen Adams in 1967

--------------------------------

Mugshot: This is a police photo of Bowman from 1962 - five years before the killing.

LINK:

Robert Bowman sentenced to life for 1967 murder of Eileen Adams, 14 | Daily Mail Online

 

[Richard]

Cynthia has been missing for over 50 years now.

 

[Richard]

Cindy Coon went missing at the age 13 in Ann Arbor Township.

ANN ARBOR, MI - Cindy Coon was 13 years old when she left for school in Ann Arbor Township one January morning and never came home...

... Cynthia, called Cindy in Ann Arbor News reports, was last seen about 7:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 19, 1970, leaving her Ann Arbor Township home to walk to Forsythe Junior High School, 1655 Newport Road.

The brown-eyed, 100-pound, 5-foot-4-inch-tall girl had a multi-colored scarf and hat pulled over her brown hair when she left, according to News reports at the time.

She was clad in a tan-colored coat and black boots and was carrying a colored book bag. She had $2 to $3 with her.

Cindy disliked riding the bus and would frequently walk the one mile to school, according to News accounts at the time. She never arrived at school and her parents filed a missing person report when she didn't return home.

By April, reports say police had ruled out foul play. There were reports of sightings of Coon in the Ann Arbor area. But she didn't have a history of leaving home and had been doing well in school, according to original reports.

Cindy was reported to have called her parents twice in a two-hour period in April and, though police believe the calls came from Detroit, she was unable or unwilling to tell the exact location, accounts say.

The family received an extortion-type call on May 5, 1970, according to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System Missing Persons Database.

The Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office, which led the 1970s investigation into the disappearance, could not be reached for comment on the case this week...

LINK:
Ann Arbor girl missing since 1970 tied to search at killer's rural grave site

 

[Brotherfudz]

I’m curious what the family thinks happened to her and if anyone knows if her family is still looking?

 

[Richard]

... Cynthia called her family members on April 1, 1970 and April 2, 1970 [more than two months after she disappeared]. She did not know her whereabouts at the time of the two telephone conversations. Cynthia has not been heard from again. Her relatives received an extortion-type phone call on May 5, 1970, nearly four months after she disappeared. There has not been any other communication regarding Cynthia’s case since that time.”...

LINK:
Missing children cases with just enough details to drive you crazy

 

[Richard]

Cynthia Coon, age-progressed to 59 years old (circa 9/9/2015)

 

[Richard]

Cynthia Coon: 48-Year-Old Missing Girl Case Possibly Connected to Arthur Ream

LINK:
https://crimeola.com/cynthia-coon-missing-arthur-ream/

 

[Alphafuzz]

Cynthia Coon, age-progressed to 59 years old (circa 9/9/2015)

Justice for Cindy and all the Michigan missing.

 

[MadMcGoo]

A few updates to her Charley Project page.

Cynthia Coon – The Charley Project

 

[Richard]

Cynthia Coon, age 13

Cynthia has been missing for 51 years...

 

[Richard]

A killer led police to a girl’s body in a shallow grave. Six more may be nearby.

Back in 2018, it was suggested in this article that Cynthia's disappearance might be connected to several others...

LINK:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...ls-in-vacant-field-after-reopening-cold-case/

 

[Brotherfudz]

A killer led police to a girl’s body in a shallow grave. Six more may be nearby.

Back in 2018, it was suggested in this article that Cynthia's disappearance might be connected to several others...

LINK:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...ls-in-vacant-field-after-reopening-cold-case/

This was so disappointing. Thought many families were finally gonna get some closure. Though I’m not sure these cases were all connected to Ream or any.

 

[Ozoner]

This was so disappointing. Thought many families were finally gonna get some closure. Though I’m not sure these cases were all connected to Ream or any.

I thought that they might find Kim King's body, but I thought that all of the others were long shots.

 

[Brotherfudz]

I thought that they might find Kim King's body, but I thought that all of the others were long shots.

My thoughts exactly!

 

[Richard]

Cynthia Coon, age 13
Missing since 19 January 1970

Cynthia, circa 1970; Age-progression to age 59 (circa 2015)

• Missing Since 01/19/1970
• Missing From Washtenaw County, Michigan
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Female
• Race White
• Date of Birth 03/24/1956 (65)
• Age 13 years old
• Height and Weight 5'4, 110 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description A tan coat, black boots, and a multicolored scarf and hat. Carrying a colored bookbag.
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Cynthia has straight teeth with no fillings; prior to her disappearance, she had never received any dental care. Her nickname is Cindy. Her hair was shoulder-length when she was last seen.

Details of Disappearance

Cynthia departed from her family's residence in the 1400 block of Warrington in Washtenaw County, Michigan, west of Ann Arbor, at 7:30 a.m. on January 19, 1970. She was en route to her school, Forsythe Junior High School in the 1600 block of Newport Road in Ann Arbor. She didn't like to ride the bus and preferred to walk the one-mile route. Cynthia never arrived as scheduled and has never been seen again. She had no prior history of running away from home and she was a good student. She was carrying only two or three dollars in cash when she vanished.

There were possible sightings of her in the Ann Arbor area in the days following her disappearance, but none were confirmed. She called her parents twice during a two-hour period on April 1 or April 2, 1970. The calls reportedly came from the Detroit, Michigan, but during the conversations Cynthia claimed she didn't know her exact whereabouts. She has not been heard from again. Her relatives received an extortion-type phone call on May 5, 1970, nearly four months after she disappeared. There has not been any other communication regarding her case since that time.

In 2018, authorities announced Arthur Ream was a possible suspect in Cynthia's case and in the disappearances of Kimberly King, Kim Larrow, Nadine O'Dell and Kellie Brownlee. A photo of Ream is posted with this case summary. He was convicted of sexual assault in the 1970s and, in 1986, murdered Cindy Zarzycki, a thirteen-year-old girl who was dating his son. He was convicted of her murder and afterwards, in 2008, he lead authorities to her body, which was buried in a shallow grave 30 miles from Detroit, Michigan.

Arthur Nelson Ream

While in prison, Ream reportedly told cellmates he was serial killer with four to six victims. In May 2018, police began digging at the same property where Cindy had been buried, expecting to find the bodies of other missing girls there. No human remains were located, however, and the digging stopped after a week. All the cases remain unsolved.

Investigating Agency

• Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office
• 734-971-3954
• 734-973-7711

Source Information

• Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office
• The Miami Herald
• The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
• The Ann Arbor News
• The Huffington Post
• WXYZ 7
• Ann Arbor girl missing since 1970 tied to search at killer's rural grave site
  
• Cynthia Coon – The Charley Project

 

[Richard]

Cynthia has been missing for over 52 years - since January 1970.

Her disappearance occurred shortly after what was considered a series of murders of young women and girls in the Ann Arbor area, but was not linked to them because the main suspect, John Norman Collins had been arrested and his trial was pending at the time.

It is quite possible that her disappearance had nothing to do with the other cases, but one has to wonder if there might have been more than one killer preying on the Ann Arbor victims, or if there might have been some connection with at least some of the other cases.

To date, no suspects have been identified. Cynthia remains missing.

 

[Brotherfudz]

Seems so strange that a girl goes missing in Ann Arbor and after 1970 seems like not mentioned again until she was lumped in the Arthur Ream situation. Would love to hear if she has any remaining family looking for her, and what they think happened, also odd she wasn’t listed in her fathers obit.

 

[Richard]

Cynthia Coon, age 13
Missing since 19 January 1970

LINK:

Cynthia Coon – The Charley Project