Cindy Lynch, by all accounts, was an absolute wonderful woman. She was a hard worker and owned the Bangles Salon located in Swainsboro, GA. She was a terrific mother, loving friend and all-around beautiful human being. She was living on a yacht in Thunderbolt, GA with her husband, Chet, at the Thunderbolt Marina. She seemed to have it all going for her, but on the evening of January 17, 2005 things changed dramatically.

Cindy had a troubled marriage and confided as much to her close friends and family. She had also made statements expressing concern about her future. Cindy spoke of the ghastly feeling that something horrible was going to happen to her. What was going on behind closed doors to make her feel this way? Why was she so fearful? Her husband made a point to bring up her drinking on multiple occasions after her blood alcohol level was released. But did anyone question why she may have been drinking that night or why she even drank at all? I’m not saying she had an alcohol problem. I honestly don’t believe she had a problem; I believe she needed an escape from the hell she was living in. Let’s see what unfolded on that last evening.

On the evening of January 17, 2005, Cindy spent most of the evening on the phone. Here is the timeline I have and then we will discuss them.

6-8pm~Chet claims to have been on the phone with Connie, Cindy’s sister. 8:00pm~Cindy spoke with her sister, Connie, briefly. 8:15-8:45pm~Cindy and Chet had an argument. 9-9:45pm~Cindy made calls to her work colleague. 9:30pm~Chet claims he laid down. 10:10pm~Chet claims to have gone upstairs for water, close the door and go back to the bedroom. 9:55-11:18pm~Cindy was on an 83 minute call to a neighbor at the marina. 11:30pm~Security guard, at the marina, saw Cindy in the parking lot and Chet claims to have called her saying he was ready to go to bed. 1:00pm (the following day)~Chet reports Cindy missing.

Ok, so from 6-8pm, Chet was possibly on the phone with Connie. I haven’t personally spoken to Connie about that call so I’m not 100% sure what was said, but Chet has said he spoke of their marriage and their troubles. I will admit, it’s a little odd to me that he and her spoke that long about a subject that is normally between sisters. But I also have to add it’s understandable as well. Perhaps Connie was trying to mediate between them and help find a solution. Perhaps Chet was just venting and she was being a sweet sister-in-law. It’s totally possible.

Sometime between 8:00-8:15pm Cindy spoke with Connie about some rodeo tickets. At least, that’s what I was told…

The 8:15-8:45pm argument is key, in my opinion. I know all my questions and thoughts are speculation but one has to wonder all possible scenarios due to the tragedy that unfolded later that night. What did they argue about? Could he have been angered by something Connie said? Did she let something slip that Cindy told her? Did one or both of them accuse the other of something? Did they discuss divorce? Whatever was said and/or done in that 45 minutes led Cindy to leave the yacht and spend the rest of the evening away from it.

9-9:45pm Cindy made a call to her colleague. Here again, I haven’t personally spoken with neither the colleague nor her sister about the calls. (If either one of you are reading please feel free to reach out and clarify the calls and I’ll update this post for accuracy!) I’ve been told Cindy and her colleague spoke about an appointment that had been set for the following day. I was also informed that she had spoken earlier with Connie about personal issues within her marriage but I’m not sure if it was a call earlier that particular day. I don’t think the two spoke for 45 minutes but I’ll hopefully find out soon.

9:30pm and 10:10pm are questionable to me but…anyway, Chet claims to lay down at 9:30pm and get up at 10:10pm. He says he went upstairs to get a drink of water and noticed the door cracked open. He claims that he didn’t see Cindy so he shut the door, went back to the bedroom, talked on the phone and watched tv. This makes NO SENSE to me at all! The door is open and he didn’t look for his wife or call out for her? Why didn’t he go outside to find her? Why didn’t he call her right then? Who did he talk to when he went back downstairs? Did he really close that door and go back to the bedroom or did he go find Cindy? Could he have spied on her? Did he hear her conversation with her neighbor? There’s tons of possibilities here. One thing I know for sure….people always talk! I hope someone comes forward and tells what they know about that night.

At 11:18pm Cindy ends the phone call with her neighbor, Sam Phillis. I’m not sure his name is spelled correctly and I haven’t been able to locate him yet, but I’d love to know what they discussed. I’ve been told her colleague called twice during that call and I’m hoping to find out what Cindy said and how her tone was. But Sam, at the time, didn’t seem too honest about that phone call. I believe he told Cindy’s daughter he didn’t speak with her. I also think he claimed to have only spoken to Cindy for a few minutes and the laid the phone down. That makes zero sense and sounds like complete lie. Why lie? What was he hiding? Did he do anything wrong? Did he witness something? Why did they speak on the phone for 83 minutes and not in person? Was he on his yacht that night? Did they talk in person and just keep the call connected? There’s too many unanswered questions during that call!

At 11:30pm Chet says he called Cindy to ask what she was doing and say he was ready to go to bed. He says she told him that she took out the trash and was loading things into her car. Now explain to me how it took her that damn long to do those two things? Naw, she was staying away from him, in my opinion. There was a security guard who said he saw her in the parking lot at that time too. Now I haven’t heard any statements regarding anything negative or out of sorts about the guard seeing her. As far as I know, he never said she was acting strange. This is the last time anyone claims to have seen her.

January 18, 2005 at 1:00pm~ Chet reports his wife missing. Now why did it take him so long to report her missing? I don’t know. I have lots of thoughts and questions but I just don’t know. That day and the days that followed are so questionable to me. There’s things that simply don’t add up, make sense or leave you wondering how far down the rabbit hole this goes.

During the search for Cindy, Chet made a call in reference to Cindy’s son needing to “come down quick because this wasn’t going to end good.” Many have questioned why he would make such a statement. Was it made because he already knew the outcome or was he simply assuming the worst because his wife had been gone that long with no contact? Chet also referred to her in the past tense during that first two weeks which left Cindy’s family wondering why he’d use that tense before she was even found. He also had his lawyer with him constantly from the beginning. That makes me wonder. Everyone knows that a spouse is always looked at first in situations like this and they’re constantly watched for changes in behavior and such. Having a lawyer present during a time like that, before the missing person has even been located, looks suspicious to many. I forgot to add that his daughter, Stacie, also referred to Cindy in the past tense before she was found. I know some say slips like that mean nothing, and maybe it doesn’t, but every detail matters in cases of missing and/or murdered.

The search for Cindy lasted two weeks. No personal items, like purse or cell phone, were found during that time. The water was searched, nearby areas searched and her car was given a look. At 7:40pm on January 31, 2005, two weeks after being last seen, Cindy Lynch was pulled from the Wilmington River. Fred Beason, of the Bottom Line Echo Company, spotted Cindy. She was 35 feet from her own yacht…

35 FEET FOLKS! After two weeks of “searching”, she was found 35 feet from her own damn yacht! Can anyone riddle me that shit?! I’m sorry but it’s insanely questionable that she was that close plus all the other actions and words of certain people during those 2 weeks! Let me show you the area and you tell me your thoughts.

Do I believe she fell into the water in a drunken stupor? NOPE! Even if she did, everyone I’ve spoken with (and myself) believe she could’ve made it back to the dock, even though Detective Bill Buttersworth stated her blood alcohol level was .30. I have issues with blood alcohol content measured 2 weeks after death and a body submerged in water. No, I’m not a doctor. But I know factors play a role in decomposition and a possible increase of alcohol in the tissues.

Regardless, the security guard heard nothing; no splashes, no yelling for help, nothing. There were reports of cuts and gashes to her hands and face. Now could that have happen in the water, I guess so. But it’s also possible those injuries happened prior to her going in the water as well. And how did she remain in the water for two weeks without being detected, being THAT CLOSE TO HER OWN YACHT???

In closing out this post, I obviously have more questions than answers. What happened to make Cindy fear for her life? What did she and her husband argue about that evening? Why didn’t he look for her sooner? Why did her neighbor lie and where the hell is he? How was she not found sooner? Why did her husband and step-daughter refer to her in the past tense? Why was Chet’s lawyer right there from the beginning? What did she and Sam, her neighbor, talk about? Was Chet on the yacht the whole time that night? Was there any video surveillance of the parking lot and dock? Anyway, dive in and let me know your thoughts. As always, if you know something please come forward! I’ll keep you anonymous. The case is officially closed and needs something drastic to come up to reopen it. I’ll stay on the case until her family gets actual answers! Thank y’all for reading and please let me know your thoughts!