The Cindy Wanner Case: A 35 Year Cold Case Finally Breaks Open

In November 1991, Cindy Wanner disappeared from her sister’s home in Granite Bay, California, leaving behind her 11 month old daughter, her shoes, her coat, and her car. Her missing purse and a later ATM transaction were among the few clues investigators had to work with.

Nineteen days later, Cindy was found in a remote area of the Sierra Nevada foothills. Investigators determined she had been held for nearly two weeks before her death, turning the disappearance into a murder investigation that would remain unsolved for decades.

For 35 years, detectives revisited the evidence without finding a suspect. Then in 2026, new DNA testing pointed investigators toward James Lawhead Jr., a man with a prior violent criminal history who had spent years living under different identities. Investigators eventually located him in Arizona and arrested him in April 2026.

Lawhead now faces a murder charge with additional special circumstances connected to the case. The arrest marks a major breakthrough, but for Cindy’s family, the search for justice after more than three decades is not over.

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