MONROE—
A mother from Monroe killed a decade ago.Her murder is still a mystery, but some big clues were left behind.
Washington's Most Wanted's Parella Lewis took on the case.
"We believe that she was killed in another location and then her body was brought out here and dumped in the brush." says Det. Jim Scharf with the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office, as he shows us the decade-old crime scene.
Cynthia Reardon, or "Cyndy", as the 31 year old was known to friends and family, went missing on Father's day in 1999.
She left behind a fiance, and an 8 year old son, Charles, who's now 18. "She was really loving and caring. Great to be around. Always fun. Always came to play soccer with me in the back yard. Very supportive, and just a great lady."
Cynthia worked part-time cleaning rooms at the Monroe Motel. She also lived right next door in a mobile home.
On the night of June 20th, Cynthia had an argument with her fiance and went to a local bar to blow off some steam. Her car was broken, so she walked several miles from her home to the Hay Loft Tavern - the last place she was seen alive.
Det. Scharf says, "We know that she at one time left and went to Joe's Tavern and came back, and she was playing pool with four hispanic males at one point. She was using the payphone that night, and one report was that after using the phone, she left with one man that came and met her."
Another report says she may have left alone though. Her fiance noticed she was missing when she didn't pick up her son from the babysitters.
Cynthia's mom Patty remembers when it all started going wrong. "The fiance called me the next morning and said Cyndy did not come home last night, and I said, 'Oh, she's probably just mad with some friends... she'll be there'. And I said, 'just get Charles off to school and it will be fine.' Well, he called me later that evening at about five and said she's still not home."
Eight months went by with friends and family wondering what happened to her, and then on February 10th, 2000, Cyndy's remains were found. "It was found right here back in this brush, not very far off the roadway. Her feet were closer to the road and her head was back in what was the swampy area at the time."
The body was discovered 7 miles east of where she was last seen in downtown Monroe. Her remains were in such bad condition, that the exact cause of death is still unknown.
Det. Scharf says, "It wasn't determined what caused her death, but there was trauma to her body. It was mostly skeletal. She was identified through her dental records."
But, the killer may have messed up by leaving a big clue at the scene that detectives feel may help solve this case. "She was dressed in a black leather jacket and a black spandex dress, and those clothing items were found here with the body, but we also found a sleeve."
That sleeve has a very distinctive pattern. "What we're hoping is this sleeve that was found with her remains can be identified belonging to someone in the Monroe area. We believe it was a local person and we're hoping that we can identify the rest of the shirt that the sleeve belonged to."
Also unusual is the location where her body were found. "There's a lot of areas out here where someone could dispose of a body. Why they chose a driveway that went down to a residence, when they could have chosen an area just north of here where they could have been just underneath the power lines, that might be a clue as to who did this."
Now, Cyndy's legacy lives on through her son, who says it's past time for this case to be solved. "It wasn't great growing up without a mom. So, I'm not really fond of the person who did it. So, I think they should get whatever they have coming to them."
Cyndy's mom put out a final plea to the public. "I just feel like there's somebody out there. Somebody that knows something, and I would really appreciate it if they would come forward and give us some answers. They're not in trouble if they know something, because somebody's getting away with murder."
Do you recognize the sleeve left at the murder scene, or anything that could give detectives the lead they need?
If you do, call: Crime Stoppers: 1-800-222-TIPS
Cynthia Reardon's family needs closure, as does the case.
Until it's solved - a killer's still roaming free.
