The Disappearance of Cindy Hyun Jong Song
Cindy Hyun Jong Song went missing on November 1, 2001, after attending a party in Ferguson Township, Pennsylvania. She has not been seen or heard from since.
Cindy Hyun Jong Song
Cindy Hyun Jong Song was born on February 25, 1980. She was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea. In 1995, she moved in with her aunt in Virginia, United States, where she attended high school. After graduating, she attended Pennsylvania State University, where she studied graphic arts.
Background
On October 31, 2001, Cindy attended a Halloween party at the Player’s Nite Club in the 110 block of West College Avenue. Around 2:00 a.m., Cindy left the party and headed to a friend’s house. She hung out with her friend for approximately 2 hours. Another friend of Cindy’s picked her up and took her home to the State College Park Apartment. This was the last time anyone has seen or spoke to Cindy.
On November 4, 2001, Cindy’s friends reported her missing when they had not heard from her since the night of the party. A search of her apartment revealed her backpack and phone were still there. Her phone was off and there hadn’t been any calls placed since the time she arrived home. Her keys and purse were not found in her apartment.
According to her roommate, Cindy left a part of her playboy bunny costume in the apartment before she left, the Centre Daily Times reported. Cindy is 5’1” and weighs about 115 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes. Cindy had both her ears pierced twice and had her belly button pierced. She was last seen wearing a pink shirt with a white skirt, brown knee-high boots, and a red hooded coat.
Investigation
Police did not have many leads to go on. Though there weren’t any outright signs of foul play, they did not rule it out and considered her disappearance to be “highly suspicious”. Searches were conducted in the nearby wooded areas, but there weren’t any traces of Cindy. Police checked the nearby supermarket to see if she may have stopped there, but the videos had been erased already. According to the Press Enterprise, the Ferguson Township Police had also turned to the help of a psychic, which did not generate any leads.
Cindy’s parents and brother traveled from South Korea. They made several televised appearances, pleading for information pertaining to Cindy’s disappearance.
In 2002, police considered changing Cindy’s case status to inactive, due to the lack of evidence. The Song’s family lawyer went on TV and asked the police not to give up. A group of college students also wanted the search for Cindy to continue and felt the police were not handling her case appropriately. They gathered of 15,000 signatures and presented them to the governor. The governor, in turn, asked the state police to take on the case full time.
Potential Leads
Over the years many several leads have come to the authorities’ attention. None have led to the whereabouts of Cindy.
Tip from Philadelphia
A witness contacted authorities and reported that she had seen a female who looked like Cindy inside a vehicle calling for help. The male, who has never been identified, was described as having a “olive or light brown complexion with medium length hair”. The woman tried to intervene, but the man told her to leave.
Investigators have stated the witnesses story has changed several times and police have never substantiated these claims.
Fake Tips
In January 2002, two 17-year-old females called the tip line and told the operator she may have received a phone call from Cindy. The tipster stated the female who called her said her name was Cindy and “had an Asian accent”, the York Daily Record reported. The caller told the tipster that her leg was bleeding and she needed help. Police traced the call back to the two unnamed teenagers and determined they made the story up. They were cited for disorderly conduct.
In July 2002, Edmund Shirreffs and John Zaharoff made an AOL account that contained Cindy’s name and a derogatory word. They used this account to instant message two students. One female responded to the message, only to receive a message back that stated “I have her”. The other female received messages telling her she was next on their list. Both females called the police. Both Shirreffs and Zaharoff were charged with harassment.
Hugo Selenski
In 2003, a tip came in that a convicted felon and murderer, Hugo Selenski, had killed Cindy with an accomplice. The tipster, Paul Weakly, had told police that Selenski confided in him he and a man named Michael Jason Kerkowski, kidnapped Cindy and left her in a safe until she died. This claim has never been substantiated.
Information
There has not been any leads or updates on Cindy’s case, though it is still being actively investigated. Anyone with information is asked to call the Ferguson Township Police at (814) 237-1172 or Crime Stoppers at (800) 472-8477.