But, just shortly after Cynthia left, her dog returned home. And Cynthia was not on the other end of its leash.
Her parents immediately began to panic since their daughter was not one to mess around. In fact, Cynthia was known as a quiet and reserved teen who had no known squabbles with her parents or brother that would drive her away from home.
Moreover, her pet rabbit was even expected to give birth to bunnies that week– something that her family knew Cynthia would never miss.
So, everyone in the Oakdale hamlet began looking for the young teen. Police officers from the Third Precinct coordinated search parties that raked the nearby lake and panned the woods. K9s were even employed to identify traces of Cynthia’s scent.
But, all of these efforts came up short. Soon, Cynthia went from being for missing for a few days to having disappeared for weeks. And despite the rumors and gossip that swirled throughout the small Long Island town, Cynthia’s mother still remained hopeful.
“I just want everyone to know I have a strong hope that she is still alive,” Mrs. Constantine said in an article headlined “MOTHER’S HOPE IS STILL STRONG” on July 24, 1969.
A reward for anyone with information regarding Cynthia’s disappearance was eventually offered. Still, though, no tips ever led to the naming of a suspect or person of interest.
Cynthia’s school friends would eventually return to school, summer trees shed their leaves for autumn, and local headlines stopped featuring the missing teen.
Still, the circumstances surrounding Cynthia’s disappearance have remained a puzzling mystery.
Some residents pointed toward another fourteen-year-old girl’s story, who recalled an encounter with a man driving a red car that had asked her to get in.
For others, the Oakdale train station became a player in the enigma. Would Cynthia have been heard hollering out for help over the engine’s roar? Did the vessel shuttle in a supposed Montauk vacationer who hoped to harm a young girl?