Much thanks for that Vanished episode. So they lived on the Montauk Highway, which ultimately runs into Sunrise Highway, I believe, from looking on the map. She sounds like she was on the introverted side and a very thoughtful, contemplative type of person. Very outdoors-oriented. The location she was interested in with the muskrat had served as a skating pond at times. The family dog, labrador, came back soaking wet, but she'd had him in the ponds. The brother believes she was taken at the railroad tracks, and you could have seen her from the highway at that time. The dog evidently had to cross the busy highway to return. Not an aggressive animal, evidently very friendly and would not have menaced an interloper. According to that episode, the way the family acquired the dog was dog was wandering around the area of the family home and they took the dog in.
A labrador is a large dog, how'd this person that approached Cynthia know the dog wouldn't attack? It may have been someone she knew, but it may also have been someone that came up asking if he could pet the dog. It may have been near the point where she'd have been visible from the highway, so perhaps she felt safer at that point, visible to others. She disappeared at the height of summer, July 11. She didn't voluntarily get in a vehicle without the dog, moo. They're discussing the possibility of Bundy on the episode, I see someone mulling over Cottingham. Definitely possible. I wonder about the railroad tracks aspect of it. Tracks, both when in and out of use for purposes of transportation, seem to be a draw for explorers of all stripes.
I see a newspaper clipping from 1972 noting ongoing planning of a bicycle path that was supposed to run from West Sayville to Oakdale. Cynthia's father owned a bike shop, so I'm wondering if that may have drawn someone to his shop, for some reason. I'm also seeing something about some club that was about a 6 minute drive from the area where Cynthia would have been in the woods, a place called South Side Sportsmen's Club. Catered to wealthy gentlemen in the area for hunting and fishing, closed in the 70s after a name change. This whole area was HUGE for hunters and outdoorsmen from all over New York, from what I can see on sources. At one time way back when, LIRR had a stop between Oakdale and Great River especially for the club. I see one gentleman who the club acknowledges on their webpage as being prominent I guess in the club, he raised championship labradors in the 50s and 60s. Am also seeing that many from the club decided to make Oakdale the site of their homes early in the club's history, so there's an incredibly strong association between Oakdale itself and this club. I'm wondering if the Constantine family dog may have originally wandered off those club grounds. And then could someone have seen Cynthia walking and recognized the dog, either specifically or as the "type" of dog associated with the club? They had kennels at that club, they used labrador retrievers in the hunting. The family dog according to Cynthia's relative would go after any animal, but the relative was sure the dog would NOT have gone after any human being, I'm gathering even in a threatening situation. That sounds like a dog very well trained almost exclusively for hunting. Am very much wondering about this club, and I believe they held weddings and other events there. July 11 1969 was a Friday, people coming in for the weekend. And that club employed many, many people as guides, cooks, etc. The state owns that club's grounds now, and I guess was leasing it for a time to the owners when the club's name was changed. The relative is noting the dog had left "scatter marks" where Cynthia's tracks end, so at this point, I think the killer may have brandished a weapon and made physical contact with Cynthia at that point. Maybe an SK, but one with some big card he had to play because he'd have had to dispose of the body and it even now has never been found, this doesn't always happen even with proficient SKs. Maybe his "big card" was familiarity with the area, maybe he came through that area specifically associated with the club and knew of a good place to hide the body, or maybe he came through often just generally for hunting trips. Maybe someone who took the LIRR. If I had to guess on this case at this point (which is difficult jmo with no body, no witnesses, not much left at the scene), I'd guess some kind of association with that club.