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Cynthia Marie "Cindy" Clements (1961 - 1980)
Overview
In September 1980, Cindy Clements disappeared around 5:30 AM from her night shift job at a convenience store in Pinellas Park, Florida. Though there were no signs of a struggle, it appeared as if she had been taken against her will. The next month, her skeletonized remains were found about 4 miles away from the convenience store. Cindy and her family had only moved to Florida from Alabama less than a month before she disappeared, and she had only worked at the convenience store for a week. There are no suspects in her case, but due to the amount of missing and murdered women around the area at the time, there is reason to think she may be a victim of an unknown serial killer.
Who Was Cindy?
Cynthia, 19, who went by “Cindy,” had moved with her family to Pinellas Park from Birmingham, Alabama only a month prior and started the job only a week prior to her murder. Cindy was born in Ohio but had lived most of her life in Birmingham, where she graduated high school in 1979.
Cindy was the oldest of three children, her siblings being Victoria Louise Clements and John Scott Clements. She was academically successful, quiet, and a hard-worker. The Clements were a devout Baptist (Christian) family. Cindy had written a couple letters to the pastor at the family's Birmingham church detailing how they were looking for a new church in Pinellas.
Cindy's parents are John and Nancy Clements. The family moved to Pinellas Park to be closer to Nancy’s parents. John worked as a tractor trailer (a.k.a semi truck and 18 wheeler) mechanic. Part of Cindy’s earnings from the store went to support the family as John was unable to find a job in Pinellas that paid as well as his previous job in Alabama.
Cindy was not seeing anyone at the time and her best friend, who had joined the Army after graduation, was stationed in North Carolina. Cindy did not have a history of substance abuse or other troubling behavior.
Cindy was the oldest of three children, her siblings being Victoria Louise Clements and John Scott Clements. She was academically successful, quiet, and a hard-worker. The Clements were a devout Baptist (Christian) family. Cindy had written a couple letters to the pastor at the family's Birmingham church detailing how they were looking for a new church in Pinellas.
Cindy's parents are John and Nancy Clements. The family moved to Pinellas Park to be closer to Nancy’s parents. John worked as a tractor trailer (a.k.a semi truck and 18 wheeler) mechanic. Part of Cindy’s earnings from the store went to support the family as John was unable to find a job in Pinellas that paid as well as his previous job in Alabama.
Cindy was not seeing anyone at the time and her best friend, who had joined the Army after graduation, was stationed in North Carolina. Cindy did not have a history of substance abuse or other troubling behavior.
Cindy disappeared from her night shift job at the L'il General Store (a convenience store) on 54th Avenue in Pinellas Park, Florida. She disappeared in the early morning hours of September 1 (Labor Day) of 1980. At the time, she was wearing a white pullover blouse, blue knit pants, and brown sandals when she went to work. Her father had dropped her off at work the evening prior.
She was last seen by a St. Petersburg Times delivery man around 4:30 AM. He was there to deliver the day's newspaper to sell at the store. He spoke to her briefly, and told authorities that nothing seemed unusual when he was there. Around an hour later, when a customer entered the store, Cindy was nowhere to be found. The doors were unlocked and a radio was playing. This customer flagged down a sheriff’s deputy who passed through the area, thus initiating the missing persons case.
During the initial investigation, nothing seemed out of the ordinary in the general store, aside from Cindy’s purse sitting untouched behind her counter. There were no signs of a struggle.
At the time, investigators were unable to discern if she left voluntarily or was abducted; it was later determined a voluntary leave was unlikely, as she had no car and knew next to no one in the area.
She was last seen by a St. Petersburg Times delivery man around 4:30 AM. He was there to deliver the day's newspaper to sell at the store. He spoke to her briefly, and told authorities that nothing seemed unusual when he was there. Around an hour later, when a customer entered the store, Cindy was nowhere to be found. The doors were unlocked and a radio was playing. This customer flagged down a sheriff’s deputy who passed through the area, thus initiating the missing persons case.
During the initial investigation, nothing seemed out of the ordinary in the general store, aside from Cindy’s purse sitting untouched behind her counter. There were no signs of a struggle.
At the time, investigators were unable to discern if she left voluntarily or was abducted; it was later determined a voluntary leave was unlikely, as she had no car and knew next to no one in the area.
Body Found
On Tuesday, October 14, 1980, a body was found in a wooded area off Brian Dairy Road. Brian Dairy Road is southeast of Largo and near Belcher Road, and approximately 4 miles from the Lil General Store. Clothing on the remains described as “skeletonized” matched that of what Cindy was wearing at the time she went missing. Her family requested dental records from her dentist in Birmingham. The dental records confirmed the remains found on October 14 were Cindy’s. I have not been able to find an official estimated date of death for Cindy, but I personally believe she was killed on the day she went missing, or possibly the day after (September 2).
The cause of death is listed as strangulation, but there is nothing to indicate why investigators believe this. For example, there is no mention of a ligature of some kind being present on or near the remains.
The cause of death is listed as strangulation, but there is nothing to indicate why investigators believe this. For example, there is no mention of a ligature of some kind being present on or near the remains.
Possible Victim of Unknown Serial Killer?
In my research, I found a few newspaper articles and blog posts that speculate Cindy may be a victim of a still-unknown serial killer or someone who had done this before. A 1980 article about Cindy’s funeral states that when she disappeared, she was one of five women who had gone missing around the area since November 1979. A few, including but not limited to, are:
Elizabeth Graham (age 19) disappeared from on Sep. 9 in Lakeland. James Winkles was later convicted for her murder.
Melinda Harder (age 21) disappeared July 27 in St. Petersburg.
Bobbie Barkley (age 19) disappeared from her work May 19, 1981 in Pinellas Park.
Carla Hanavin (age 14) a "runaway" whose body was found Halloween 1982. Can't find a "Find a Grave" for her.
Leandra Hogan (age 16) body found December 14, 1982. Can't find a "Find a Grave" for her.
A crime blog post states the following: From 1976 to 1983, at least 35 young women and teenaged girls were murdered inside the city of Tampa. At the time, none of the crimes had been solved. In several of the cases, investigators suspected one or more serial killers were working the area.
As you can see, these selected victims have a similar profile: under 25, white (fair skinned), and many have darker hair based on photos. A few were also abducted from their workplaces.
Elizabeth Graham (age 19) disappeared from on Sep. 9 in Lakeland. James Winkles was later convicted for her murder.
Melinda Harder (age 21) disappeared July 27 in St. Petersburg.
Bobbie Barkley (age 19) disappeared from her work May 19, 1981 in Pinellas Park.
Carla Hanavin (age 14) a "runaway" whose body was found Halloween 1982. Can't find a "Find a Grave" for her.
Leandra Hogan (age 16) body found December 14, 1982. Can't find a "Find a Grave" for her.
A crime blog post states the following: From 1976 to 1983, at least 35 young women and teenaged girls were murdered inside the city of Tampa. At the time, none of the crimes had been solved. In several of the cases, investigators suspected one or more serial killers were working the area.
As you can see, these selected victims have a similar profile: under 25, white (fair skinned), and many have darker hair based on photos. A few were also abducted from their workplaces.
Cindy was laid to rest in Memorial Park Cemetery in Pinellas Park.
Sources:
