Chapter 1: The Crime Scene Shirt Sleeve

The Crime Scene Evidence, October 30, 2009

If you were to track the media interest in Cindy's case it would look like this:

Chart

Understandably, interest peaked in 1999-2000 during the time of her disappearance and when her remains were found. Then interest plummeted after no arrests were made. In 2009, interest spiked when the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office released a piece of evidence about Cindy's case. In tandem, a local news station also aired a Crime Stoppers episode featuring Cindy's story. [source]

When Cindy's remains were discovered in February 2000, a partial shirt sleeve was also found at the location. This sleeve was not shown to the public until ten years later after her case went cold. Authorities released this sleeve photo hoping it would lead to new information about Cindy's killer. Again, hopes were dashed when this photo led nowhere. 

[source]

Analyzing the shirt sleeve

Unfortunately, this low-resolution photo is the best image I could find during my research. In case you are wondering, the Sheriff's Office has declined to release any images or information about this case, since it's considered an active investigation.

Only a partial sleeve was found with the remains. It appears to be part of a jersey-knit pullover made of synthetic or cotton blend. We can assume that the sleeve may have been torn or cut from the original shirt. Also, we can surmise that this sleeve was left outside, exposed to the elements for months, next to Cindy's body. Thus, the condition of the sleeve is faded and caked with dirt.

Authorities have confirmed that the shirt sleeve was not part of Cindy's belongings. Yet, they do not know where it came from. How is this sleeve connected to the crime scene? Locating the origin of the shirt will help this case. 

I have spent many hours searching Google to find a match to this sleeve or something similar. I've combed through old clothing catalogs. I've visited vintage clothing sites on Etsy and eBay. 

This zig-zag knit pattern is very unique and may be memorable to people who have seen it. I've shown this sleeve image to flea market and thrift shop clothing vendors hoping they would recognize the print pattern. Each vendor I approached, never fails to ask, Can I see the rest of it? My answer is always Sorry, this image is all I have. Until now.

Using Photoshop, I created a composite of the shirt from the sleeve image. Hopefully, with this larger image, someone would recognize the shirt. For more details of how this was constructed, visit my analysis page. 

Sweater Composite
Click the image for a larger view

How you can help

  1. Can you help identify this shirt?
  2. Do you have expertise in vintage clothing or knitting patterns?
  3. Do you know of or have connections to clothing manufacturers prior to 1999?
  4. Please download and share the image of this shirt and the partial sleeve. The farther these images are circulated the better chance we have of identifying it.
  5. Visit my Sleeve analysis page to review my research and offer suggestions of places to search.
  6. Follow this blog FB page on Facebook.

If you have any information about Cindy's case, anything you may recall but have not told investigators, please contact them using one of these resources:
  • Snohomish County Sheriff's anonymous tip line: 425-388-3845
  • Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound anonymous tip line: 1-800-222-8477 or 

You may also leave a private comment on this post. All comments on this blog are moderated and will not be shared publicly.

Next post coming soon: Retracing Cindy's Last Steps


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