The last time anyone saw Cindy Elias alive was in 1977 when she was enjoying a night out with friends in the small mining town of Virginia, Minnesota. After she was unable to find a ride home, she decided to hitchhike. Her body was found hours later, discarded in a logging field. For 45 years, investigators in northern Minnesota have been trying to solve her murder.
Courtesy of Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
Episode Info
If you or someone you know has information about Cindy’s murder, please call the St. Louis County, Minnesota Sheriff’s Office at 218-471-7134.
Portrait of Cindy Elias, 19. Photo Courtesy: St. Louis County Sheriff's Office
Dateline NBC covered the Elias cold case in 2017. Photo Courtesy: NBC
A 2003 poster announcing a $50,000 reward. Photo Courtesy: St. Louis County Sheriff's Office
A story from March 29, 1977 appeared in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Photo Courtesy: Minneapolis Star Tribune
An April 2003 article from the Minneapolis Star Tribune - Part 1. Photo Courtesy: Minneapolis Star Tribune
An April 2003 article from the Minneapolis Star Tribune - Part 2. Photo Courtesy: Minneapolis Star Tribune
A 2008 St. Cloud Times article when investigators exhumed Elias’s remains. Photo Courtesy: St. Cloud Times
A map of where Cindy lived, where she was last seen and where her body was found. Photo Courtesy: audiochuck staff