Cynthia Dawn Kinney

• Missing Since 06/23/1976
• Missing From Osage, Oklahoma
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Female
• Race White
• Date of Birth 01/17/1960 (64)
• Age 16 years old
• Height and Weight 5'1, 97 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description A peach-colored blouse and blue jeans.
• Associated Vehicle(s) Faded light beige 1965 or 1966 Plymouth Belvedere with a red and white license plate and a dent on the left ear fender
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Cynthia's nickname is Cyndi.

Details of Disappearance

Cynthia was last seen in Osage, Oklahoma on June 23, 1976. She was last seen at Osage Laundromat on Kihekah Street. Her aunt and uncle owned the laundromat and Cynthia worked there. She has never been heard from again After her disappearance, Cynthia's purse and drink were found at the laundromat, as well as a half-finished donut. Witnesses said she left the laundromat at 9:30 a.m. and got into a vehicle with three people.

The vehicle is described as a faded light beige 1965 or 1966 Plymouth Belvedere with a red and white license plate and a dent on the left ear fender. The three people Cynthia left with are described as follows: a white male between 18 and 22 years old with dark shoulder-length hair, acne scars on his cheeks and a ruddy complexion; a white female 25 to 30 years old, about 5'4 and 125 pounds, with medium-dark collar-length hair, a dark tan complexion and painted eyebrows; and a white female 15 to 19 years old, about 5'1 and 110 pounds, with shoulder-length dirty blonde hair, a light complexion, a slim build and painted eyebrows.

After her disappearance, there were several reported sightings of Cynthia. She was supposedly traveling around southern Kansas with a religious group. Authorities were never able to confirm the sightings, however.

A witness reported she had seen Hobart Green with Cynthia just minutes before Cynthia disappeared. The alleged sighting was not reported until 1991. In 1986, Hobart pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of his baby son.

He is also a suspect in the 1961 disappearance of his ex-wife, Maxine Beatrice Green. Her body was never found and Hobart has never been charged in her case, but the couple's daughter, then twelve years old, said she witnessed her father murder her mother and bury the body. Authorities haven't said whether they have verified that Hobart was in fact with Cynthia on the day of her disappearance, or whether he's a suspect in her case.

In 2023, Dennis Rader, the BTK ("Bind Torture Kill") serial killer, stated authorities had interviewed him twice about Cynthia's disappearance. Rader murdered ten people in Wichita, Kansas, two hours away from Osage, between 1974 and 1991. He was identified and arrested in 2005, and subsequently pleaded guilty to ten slayings. He is serving multiple life sentences.

Rader enjoyed taunting the press about his crimes. He sent a homemade crossword puzzle to a Kansas news station in 2004, prior to his arrest in 2005. The puzzle contained words linked to his crimes such as "Wichita", "prowl", "ruse", "serviceman" and "spot victim". It also spelled out the names of BTK's ten confirmed victims and also BTK's home address in Kansas. A second look at the puzzle in 2024 revealed words suggesting involvement in Cynthia's disappearance, such as "Cindy", "Kinney", "Osage", "Laundry Mat", "Kihekah".

Rader's daughter noted Cynthia's apparent abduction does not resemble her father's crimes, which involved stalking and home invasion attacks on victims. He did, however, keep a journal with cryptic notes of his crimes, and one of his 1976 entries was titled "PJ [short for project]-Bad Wash Day", referred to a brunette as "the target" and said he would "watch the nearby Laundry Mat for possible victim." These details match Cynthia's case. He also has multiple connections to Oklahoma, including two relatives that live in Oklahoma City.

Cynthia was a high school junior at the time of her disappearance, was popular, made good grades and had just made the varsity cheerleading team. She is missing under suspicious circumstances and may have been taken against her will.