SUSPICIOUS DEATH
CASE #: 1989-45
Cindy Elizabeth James
Status:
Open
Date of Death:
Date of Death:
Jurisdiction:
Death Location:
Richmond, British Columbia, Canada
Summary:
Cynthia Elizabeth James was a Canadian nurse who disappeared from Richmond, British Columbia, on May 25, 1989. She was found deceased approximately two weeks later in the yard of an abandoned house, hogtied and with a nylon stocking wrapped around her throat. An autopsy indicated that she had died of an overdose of morphine, diazepam, and flurazepam. The coroner ruled that her death was not suicide, an accident, or a murder. They determined that she died of an "unknown event."
Vital Statistics
Circumstances of Death:
On May 25, 1989, Cindy James disappeared. The day she vanished, she had deposited her paycheck from her new nursing job, purchased a gift for a friend's son, gone to a beauty salon, and bought groceries. Cindy was last seen several hours later purchasing groceries at a Safeway supermarket and visiting a Bank of Montreal at the Blundell Shopping Centre. A bank patron told police they had stood in line behind Cindy at the bank's ATM, where she deposited her paycheck at approximately 7:59 p.m. Her car surfaced at a shopping mall parking lot with blood on the driver's side door and items from her wallet beneath the vehicle, with the groceries and wrapped gift still in the back seat. On June 8, 1989, Don Vinish, a city employee, stumbled upon her body in the yard of an abandoned house. Gordon Starchuck, a municipal paving worker, discovered Cindy's body in the backyard of an abandoned house at 8111 Blundell Road, Richmond. Her body was hogtied with rope behind her back, and a black nylon stocking was bound tightly around her neck. Cindy's right leg lay beneath a bramble of blackberry bushes, and her coat was found lying near her body.
Additional Details:
In the seven years before she died, Cindy reported nearly 100 incidents of harassment. Five were violent physical attacks. According to Cindy, the harassment began shortly after the divorce in 1982. It started with unsettling phone calls, but soon escalated to notes, break-ins, and physical violence. Over time, the police began to doubt her stories. During the investigation Cindy's ex-husband, Roy Makepeace, was a suspect along with Pat McBride, a lover of her who was a policeman. Roy Makepeace was never charged with any crime related to the harassment, disappearance, or death of Cindy James. Cindy's doctor committed her to a local psychiatric ward, believing she was becoming suicidal. Ten weeks later, she left the hospital. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) eventually concluded that Cindy had died by suicide, theorizing that she had tied herself up after injecting the drugs. The police concluded that Cindy James had committed suicide and closed this case in July 1989. The coroner ruled that her death was not suicide, an accident, or a murder. They determined that she died of an "unknown event". But Cindy's parents never doubted that their daughter was murdered. Melanie has written a book about her sister's death and has set up a dedicated website, Who Killed My Sister, My Friend. This followed 14 years of research into Cindy's final days, including police reports, notes from the autopsy and the toxicology report.
Case Last Updated:
Timeline of Events
On June 8, 1989, Gordon Starchuck, a municipal paving worker, discovered Cindy's body in the backyard of an abandoned house at 8111 Blundell Road, Richmond.
On May 25th, 1989, after years of reported stalking, harassment, and assaults, 44-year-old Cindy James was reported missing. That same day, Cindy's abandoned car was located in the parking lot of a shopping plaza not far from her home in Richmond, British Columbia.
On October 26, she came home from work and was attacked in her carport. She was later found unconscious in her car, nude from the waist down.
11th December, 1985, Cindy was found by some motorcyclists, semiconscious in a ditch 6km from her house, wearing a single glove and men's work boots.
April 16th, 1986, Cindy woke Agnes and her husband as she heard something in the house. They found that another fire had been started in the basement. When they tried to call the fire department, the landline was dead.
One of the most alarming incidents occurred in January 1983, when Cindy was found in her garage, semi-conscious and with a stocking tied tightly around her neck. She told authorities that she had been attacked from behind while getting out of her car.
The first came on Oct. 7, 1982. Cindy began receiving threatening phone calls shortly after her separation.
In July 1982, Cindy separated from Roy.
Associated Persons
Roy M. (Spouse) - Deceased
Agnes W. (Friend) - Living
Otto H. (Father) - Deceased
Pat M. (Person of Interest) - Living
Tillie H. (Mother) - Deceased
Case Content Disclaimer: The details on this case page are sourced from numerous locations to include family, friends, news postings and government public releases. Solve the Case, Inc. does not guarantee the accuracy of any content as case pages are living documents that frequently update as case details expand.
