Cindy Lou McLane -September 9, 1958 - Willow River, British Columbia

Are you Cindy Lou McLane?

Little Cindy Lou McLane was last seen by her mother at 9:15 am on Tuesday, September 9, 1958 happily playing with the neighbour's kitten, Pepper. It was first thought that she may have wandered off in pursuit of Pepper, but the kitten was found nearby shortly after. It was reported that a few minutes later she was seen running down the main street of Willow River, with a dog pulling on a stick she was carrying. Another newspaper reported that she was seen being chased down a street in front of her home by a barking dog. Cindy Lou was wearing white and red Oxford saddle shoes, a white blouse, light blue trousers with black fleck, and a brown cotton sweater when she went missing. The McLane's had just moved to their new home on Sunday, September 7, 1958. Their former home was only a mile away.

In 1958, only 250 people lived in Willow River, a small sawmill community 15 miles east of Prince George. The majority of the 14,000 residents of Prince George were involved in the search for Cindy Lou in some way. Sawmills and business were closed so workers could help search. Many children skipped school to help search for the spirited tot, who had only just turned 2 on July 5. On Wednesday, schools were closed to allow more children to help search. Residents who were not actively searching provided equipment and food for the searchers.

Wednesday night, Cindy Lou's neighbour heard a strange cry coming from the bush. Five other men heard the sound as well and they described it as "exactly like a child whimpering". This area was thoroughly searched, and the bush trampled, but there was no sign of the little girl. Searchers described some of the bush they encountered during the search, including the hill behind the McLane's home, as so thickthey could barely make it through.

On Thursday, September 11, 1958, newspapers were reporting that: "A blood-stained handkerchief found near the McLane home is believed to have belonged to one of the searchers".

On Friday, September 12 police had requested 100 children to awaken prior to 5 am to cry out the toddler's name in unison while walking around the outskirts of the community, in hopes she would respond to the childrens' voices. Cindy Lou's father participated in the searches, staying close to a tracking dog named Chamounte, who had successfully found its targets in 3 of its last 4 searches in the same area. Chamounte, owned by Helen Peters of Prince George, sniffed Cindy Lou's teddy bear and went to work, twice leading searchers to the nearby Willow River. He began running in a tight circle near the river bank. Helen Peters said there was something strange about his behaviour and she was far from certain Cindy Lou actually went into the water. Still, a diver and boatsmen thoroughly searched the river, which was shallow, and were sure Cindy Lou was not in the river. A police tracking dog had been flown in late Tuesday from 200 miles away but rain early Wednesday was said to have washed away any useful scent. Could Cindy Lou's scent have been washed in the rainfall to that spot on the river?

The Friday morning headline of all of newspapers suggested Cindy Lou may have been killed by a bear. RCMP expressed their concerns of this possibility Thursday night when searchers discovered the den of a large black bear only 200 yards away from the McLane's backyard. The RCMP appealed to those who had dogs trained in tracking bears to come forward.

Newspapers were also reporting on Friday that police had ruled out foul play. The Toronto Star reported "police have definitely ruled our any foul play." The Province reported, "RCMP said they had carefully checked out every known sex deviate and stranger in the vicinity, and were convinced the little girl had not been abducted".

On Friday crews of divers searched the Willow River and others dragged the body of water. Other searchers "blew" some of the river's potholes. There were numerous searches conducted in Willow River, a team of searchers combed through the brush everyday, and in the first few nights, when the toddler had the most chance of surviving the elements, searchers stayed awake all night, listening for any sounds of the toddler, hoping she may have been sleeping and upon awakening would cry out. Air searches were conducted as well.

By Saturday the police were reporting that hunters found no sign of a bear in the area, leading people to believe the bear attack theory was less likely. However, by Monday, September 15, 1958 RCMP reported there was no doubt Cindy Lou was dead, unless she had been abducted. They said of all the theories of what could have happened to little Cindy Lou, the most probable was that she was carried off by two black bears seen in the area, even though hunters had still been unable to find the bears by that point. On Monday, September 15, 1958 a big black bear was shot near the scene of the disappearance but RCMP determined it had nothing to do with Cindy Lou's disappearance.

The official searches for Cindy Lou McLane ended on Tuesday, September 16. Relatives of the toddler, including 6 of her uncles, continued to search on their own. For months afterwards, Cindy Lou's father published a reward for any information leading to finding his daughter.

To date, there have been no traces of Cindy Lou found. The RCMP now state there is a strong possibility Cindy Lou may have been abducted. Cindy Lou has a small scar on her head.

If you have information on this case, please contact any of the following:

1. Prince George RCMP (250)561-3300 Reference Case#: 1997-4594

2. Crime Stoppers: 1-800-222-TIPS(8477) or online at https://www.canadiancrimestoppers.org/submit-a-tip/submit-a-tipCrime Stoppers provides anonymous tipping

3. Send email to the National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains at: canadasmissing-disparuscanada@rcmp-grc.gc.ca