Case Details

Photo URLs:

This person was missing Missing Since 09/26/1981

Missing Since:

Missing Since 09/26/1981

Missing From:

Missing From Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Classification:

Classification Non-Family Abduction

Gender:

Female

Race:

Race Biracial, Hispanic, White

Date of Birth:

Date of Birth 05/13/1968 (56)

Age:

Age 13 years old

Height and Weight:

Height and Weight 5’0, 88 pounds

Clothing/Jewelry Description:

Clothing/Jewelry Description A white t-shirt jersey with dark blue sleeves, the “ZZ Top” logo on front and the number 81 on the back, size 12 slim blue jeans, a rope belt made of braided orange or rust-colored nylon with a leather buckle that has the name “Cinda” tooled in it, and two-tone blue Nike sneakers with black waffle soles.

Distinguishing Characteristics:

Distinguishing Characteristics Biracial (Caucasian/Hispanic) female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Cinda has a small scar below the corner of her left eyebrow. She wore a dental retainer behind her lower front teeth at the time of her disappearance. Cinda’s collarbone was previously fractured. Some agencies spell her last name “Palette.” She is of Mexican descent.

Details of Disappearance:

On September 26, 1981, Cinda and her friend Charlotte disappeared from the Oklahoma State Fair. They’d accepted a job offer from a man claiming to work at the fair, helping unload stuffed animals from a truck. This man was described as tall (6’1″ to 6’3″), heavy (200-250 lbs), with dark hair, a beard, and a mustache. He wore a cowboy hat, boots, and a distinctive yellow badge. He drove a tan Pontiac Grand Prix with South Dakota plates.

After taking the girls and two teenage boys (who he later paid and released) to a truck stop where the truck wasn’t waiting, he drove off with only Cinda and Charlotte. The yellow badge led police to Don Corey, a carnival worker who looked like the suspect, but he had an alibi.

The main suspect became Royal Russell Long, a carnival worker and truck driver. He matched the description, was at the fair that day, and had a history of violence against women. Evidence found in a rented Pontiac Grand Prix he’d used included hair matching Cinda’s, animal hair matching Cinda’s pets, and what appeared to be bloodstains suggesting a body or bodies. However, due to limitations in DNA technology at the time, and a judge dismissing key testimony and evidence, charges against Long were dropped. He remained the prime suspect, even after his death in prison in 1993 for a separate kidnapping.

The case remains unsolved, and authorities believe the girls’ bodies are somewhere in Oklahoma.

Agency:

Oklahoma State Police 405-231-2121

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