Tiffany was distraught over this, as she knew that every minute of investigation time counted when solving a missing person’s case.
“I went back to my dad, and I was kind of like, ‘I don’t understand what happened.’ And he said, you know, ‘It was a mistake. That’s what her husband thought,'” Tiffany stated.
Cynthia’s mother ultimately reported her missing on February 6, and once authorities were involved, they determined Cynthia had last been seen at a Shell gas station located at 1000 East Criner Street in Grandview, Texas, on February 3. The gas station was approximately 26 miles away from her Crowley home.
Cynthia was spotted on surveillance camera footage leaving the station at about 10:30 p.m. According to witnesses who saw her in the station’s convenience store that evening, her behavior seemed “a little odd.”
Her family shared how, in 2016, Cynthia had suffered from some mental health issues as a result of trauma. They think she might have experienced symptoms the day she went missing.
In the security footage, Cynthia walked around the convenience store before she left. Her car also drove away from the gas station, and she was never seen again.
Then, at about 2:00 a.m. on February 16, her vehicle, a dark blue Mazda, was discovered on Interstate 35 in Waco, Texas, by a state trooper.
The location and timing felt especially suspect for Cynthia’s family because, on February 11, a severe winter storm hit Texas, leaving millions without power. Moreover, Cynthia didn’t know anyone in Waco.
“The whole state was covered with snow and there was no electricity for some people for upwards of a week. So, who’s walking out to start a new life? It just doesn’t make any sense,” Tiffany said.
Still, Cynthia’s family felt that authorities did not properly search the car or for Cynthia herself.
“You expect me to believe my daughter got out of her car in the middle of a blizzard, walked up in the interstate, and locked her car? Nobody would do that,” Tambra explained.
