MN MN- Cindy Gerdes, 28, interior designer, viciously stabbed @ home, ''her body left in a pose to shock whoever found her'', 8 March,'84.

[dotr]

By C.S. Hagen
Oct 12 2024 rbbm

Killer's profile emerges in Minnesota woman's unsolved murder

Cynthia Anne Gerdes was murdered in her Minneapolis apartment in 1984, and while investigators believed they had a suspect, her case remains unsolved because she 'had no champions, press or family, clamoring for results.'

www.dglobe.com

Cindy Gerdes celebrating a birthday with a brother published in the Star Tribune on June 17, 1984.
Contributed / Newspapers.com
'After finding her roommate, Systrom called the police, who arrived on Saturday, March 10, to discover “a presentation to shock anyone who walked in,” Kulseth said in 1984. Gerdes had been stabbed repeatedly around her neck, chest, back and had a long open wound leading to her sternum, from what appeared to be from a missing French chef’s stainless steel knife out of the kitchen’s butcher’s block.'
''Gerdes’ murder was classified as a “lust murder,” which depicted the killer as disorganized, and that he did not initially intend on killing her. He took a weapon of opportunity — the missing knife from the butcher’s block — and “commenced with a frenzy attack of the victim,” the FBI profile found within Minneapolis police case file reported.
“Something happened between the victim and suspect in the apartment that set the suspect off, possibly he was belittled by Gerdes,” the FBI predicted, adding that Gerdes and her attacker knew each other as there was no sign of forced entry and she rarely let anyone into her apartment.
The killer was determined by Frost to be a single white male, 25 to 35 years old, sexually and socially inadequate, who lived close to Gerdes and knew her schedule and habits.'
“This was probably his first murder and may not kill again as he [has] satisfied some inner needs and feelings. He is fearful of women and has many doubts about himself. He is what is commonly referred to as a WHIMP,” the FBI profile stated.
The suspect was further described as having a latent homosexual drive, with a minimal criminal record including, perhaps, a juvenile record of voyeurism or fire setting.

With a weak or absent father and a domineering mother, the suspect was intelligent, but an underachiever, and was also quiet, not athletic, kept a low profile, but was not irrational.''

Cindy Gerdes photograph published by The Forum in 1984.
Contributed / Forum archives
February 27, 2006

Cold Case: Cindy Gerdes

Cindy Gerdes' unsolved killing in March 1984 was the one of the most horrific crimes I covered as a reporter. Cindy was a 28-year-old interior designer living near Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis when she was viciously stabbed and her body left in a pose to shock whoever found her.

www.cbsnews.com

''(WCCO) -- Cindy Gerdes' unsolved killing in March 1984 was the one of the most horrific crimes I covered as a reporter. Cindy was a 28-year-old interior designer living near Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis when she was viciously stabbed and her body left in a pose to shock whoever found her''.

 

[CooperDyl]

Cold Case: Cindy Gerdes

Cindy Gerdes' unsolved killing in March 1984 was the one of the most horrific crimes I covered as a reporter. Cindy was a 28-year-old interior designer living near Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis when she was viciously stabbed and her body left in a pose to shock whoever found her.

www.cbsnews.com

''(WCCO) -- Cindy Gerdes' unsolved killing in March 1984 was the one of the most horrific crimes I covered as a reporter. Cindy was a 28-year-old interior designer living near Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis when she was viciously stabbed and her body left in a pose to shock whoever found her''.

Interesting that LE mention she had “nobody to champion her case”, including family, when the article by CBS notes that prior to her death she was engaged to be married later in 1984. I wonder if they’re alluding that the fiance may not have done much to keep her case in the public eye, or if it’s just a turn of phrase. While not literally family by marriage yet, you’d assume a fiance could be considered ‘family’, or at the very least somebody who could champion a case, where LE specifically stated that she had no one to do so.

Will be interested to see part two of the article, which by the sounds of it may mention some suspects by name?

 

[Aurora90]

Interesting that LE mention she had “nobody to champion her case”, including family, when the article by CBS notes that prior to her death she was engaged to be married later in 1984. I wonder if they’re alluding that the fiance may not have done much to keep her case in the public eye, or if it’s just a turn of phrase. While not literally family by marriage yet, you’d assume a fiance could be considered ‘family’, or at the very least somebody who could champion a case, where LE specifically stated that she had no one to do so.

Will be interested to see part two of the article, which by the sounds of it may mention some suspects by name?

I caught that too. But no parents or siblings?

 

[asmi106082]

If a friend of hers collected $20,000 for a reward, it doesn’t sound like she has no one championing for her. MOO

 

[dotr]

rbbm

Killer's profile emerges in Minnesota woman's unsolved murder

Cynthia Anne Gerdes was murdered in her Minneapolis apartment in 1984, and while investigators believed they had a suspect, her case remains unsolved because she 'had no champions, press or family, clamoring for results.'

www.pinejournal.com

''After the murder, the suspect may have moved locations, lost weight, taken extended time off work, become more religious, either increased or stopped drinking, attended the funeral or memorial services, proved cooperative with police, but would not confess to the murder and may talk about dreaming a person was killed.

Weeks into the investigation and suspects began to become clear, some more than others, and police followed at least seven leads including a family member, the boyfriend, the roommate, a strange man who showed up at the memorial service, and a downstairs neighbor, who was dreaming of killing Gerdes and “oceans of blood and the streets running full of blood.”

NOTE: This is the first story of the two-part investigation into the 1984 unsolved murder of a Cindy Gerdes. Numerous attempts were made to contact family, former suspects and people who may have known Gerdes, but no calls or emails were returned.''

 

[cenazoic]

Second part: Several suspects questioned, but police can't solve 1984 murder of former Moorhead woman

 

[CooperDyl]

Second part: Several suspects questioned, but police can't solve 1984 murder of former Moorhead woman

The neighbour certainly sounds like an interesting suspect. I’m confused as to how he supposedly matched the blood found near the door, but then agreed to a polygraph because “he was certain it wasn’t his”? What has a polygraph got to do with blood spatter, especially if, as the article alludes, he had already matched the sample?
It also mentions he was cooperative, but LE later stated after the interviewed him they were “never able to interview him again” and mentions other locations around the country he moved. Did they not interview him again because he stopped cooperating? Because they couldn’t find him? Because they never tried? Weird…

 

[Jo in Calif]

The neighbour certainly sounds like an interesting suspect. I’m confused as to how he supposedly matched the blood found near the door, but then agreed to a polygraph because “he was certain it wasn’t his”? What has a polygraph got to do with blood spatter, especially if, as the article alludes, he had already matched the sample?
It also mentions he was cooperative, but LE later stated after the interviewed him they were “never able to interview him again” and mentions other locations around the country he moved. Did they not interview him again because he stopped cooperating? Because they couldn’t find him? Because they never tried? Weird…

The man retained a lawyer, Phillip Cole, halting the test, and outside of a confession, police did not have enough evidence to support a murder charge.

 

[CooperDyl]

Good on me not being able to read *facepalm*
Thanks for that, clears things up a bit