Missing Since: March 21, 1979 from Burlington, Vermont
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date of Birth: April 24, 1962
Age: 16 years old
Height and Weight: 5'4, 110 - 120 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Brown hair, blue eyes. Winegar's ears are pierced. Her nickname is Cindy. She has a cross-shaped scar on her left ankle and a slight gap between her front teeth.
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A green and white striped shirt, blue jeans, low-top sneakers and rings on every finger.
Details of Disappearance
Winegar was last seen watching television at her family's home in the 100 block of Forest Street on March 21, 1979. Prior to her disappearance she had fallen in with a bad crowd and smoked marijuana. Her family, and Winegar in particularly, had gotten threatening phone calls until the family got an unlisted telephone number.
Investigators believed Winegar ran away from home, but her family thinks otherwise. After her disappearance, her family got an anonymous tip that Winegar had been murdered and her body was in the Winooski River. Investigators never searched the river and the tip has not been verified. One of her sister's friends says she found a clump of blonde hair while fishing in the river in 1985, however.
Winegar was a student at Burlington High School at the time of her disappearance, and her religion was Roman Catholic. She is the youngest of six children; her next sibling is thirteen years older than she is. Her parents are now deceased, but her siblings continue to search for her. Her case remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Burlington Police Department
802-658-2700
