CINDY HELLER, 23, was last seen 10/23/84 headed home from a jazz class at the Bruce Lea Dance Factory.1 Her decomposed body was discovered 01/05/85 behind Texas Christian University (TCU) in Fort Worth, Texas.
She moved to Texas from Glencoe, Illinois in 1979 to attend TCU. She lived at Colby Hall Dorms, and was a member of Delta Delta Sorority. Each summer she returned to Illinois to spend time with her parents, who owned a Mercedes Benz dealership. She graduated in 1983 with a degree in Fashion Merchandising.2
At the time of her death, Cindy lived at 5421 Pershing Avenue, and was the business manager for her boyfriend’s (Gaspard) landscaping company.
Friends remember her as a vivacious and friendly competitor in the Miss Fort Worth beauty pageants of 1981-1982. They also remember her as an outgoing young lady who never met a stranger. She loved to sing and dance.
She was survived by parents Mark and Peggy Heller, and three older siblings.
CIRCUMSTANCES OF DISAPPEARANCE
Cindy stopped at a traffic light to help Kazumi Gillespie, a stranded motorist. They spent two hours at Bennigan’s restaurant and bar, eating and drinking, while Gillespie attempted unsuccessfully to call friends for assistance.
She left the Gillespie at 11:20pm, and planned to deliver a note to the woman’s two male friends on her way home.3 1
When questioned by police, the men said they’d returned after midnight and found Cindy’s note pinned to their apartment door.4 The following day Cindy’s car was found by her boyfriend in their parking lot of Hunter Ridge Apartments in southwest Fort Worth.4 2 It’s interior “scorched by fire and a door handle smudged with blood.”3
CRIME SCENE
Cindy’s decomposed body was discovered 01/05/85 in a creekbed behind the Texas Christian University (TCU) Physical Maintenance Plant in Fort Worth, Texas.5
THEORIES & SUSPICIONS
She’s one of five young women believed by some to be victims of a single unknown serial killer:
- Catherine Davis
- Angela Ewert
- Mary Hill / Sarah Kashka
- Lisa Griffin
On 01/11/85, a 30-member task force was formed to investigate the murders of these women, as well as four other slayings and seven rapes.
HAVE INFORMATION?
Fort Worth Police Department is working to solve the Catherine Davis case and bring her killer(s) to justice. If you have information about this crime, please call (817) 392-4330.
Submit corrections/updates here.Sources:
- Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Latest body identified as Fort Worth waitress, front page, published 01/11/85. [↩][↩]
- Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Slain woman made friends easily, page 2A, published 01/11/85. [↩][↩]
- Austin American-Statesman: Mystery attacks leave Fort Worth Stunned, page D1, published 01/20/85. [↩][↩]
- Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Reward offered in search of woman, page 32A, published 10/27/84. [↩][↩]
- Fort Worth Police Department: Cold Cases, accessed 03/14/22. [↩]
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