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This is Jessica Knoll, host of the new series Back in Crime. If you're a follower of true crime, you're probably familiar with some of the most shocking stories from our history. Horrific tragedies like the Columbine Massacre. He turned the gun straight at us and shot. Oh my God, the window went out. And the kid standing there with me, I think he got hit. Okay. Oh God. And notorious criminals like cult leader Charles Manson.
In a scene described by one investigator as reminiscent of a weird religious rite, five persons, including actress Sharon Tate, were found dead at the home of Miss Tate and her husband, screen director Roman Poliansky. But what if we were to turn back the hands of time and relive these events as they unfolded? Follow along each week as we take a fresh look at crimes from the past. Back in Crime is available now.
Voices for Justice is a podcast that uses adult language and discusses sensitive and potentially triggering topics, including violence, abuse, and murder. This podcast may not be appropriate for younger audiences. All parties are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Some names have been changed or omitted per their request or for safety purposes. Listener discretion is advised. My name is Sarah Turney, and this is Voices for Justice.
Today I'm discussing the disappearance of Evelyn Lucinda Cindy Guido, known as Cindy.
On April 12th, 2017, 60-year-old Cindy was reported missing from Gilbert, Arizona. No one had seen or heard from her in almost a week. According to Cindy's roommate, she was picked up on the evening of April 6th. She didn't say where she was going, but she did say that she'd be back. After months of investigating, it became clear to detectives that some of the men in her life were pointing fingers at each other.
Then a search of her apartment confirmed her family's worst fears. Cindy's family reached out to me in hopes of sharing her story, generating leads, and finally getting some answers. This is the case of Cindy Guido.
On April 12th, 2017, Cindy Guido was reported missing by her daughter Lisa. Cindy was supposed to have heart surgery on April 13th. Lisa planned on driving her mom to the procedure, but she couldn't get a hold of her. She said she tried calling a few days earlier, but her mom didn't answer or call her back. Lisa told police that on August 14th, Cindy's roommate, 29-year-old Jonas Oswald, called her, asking if she'd seen Cindy. Lisa said she hadn't.
and Jonas said he hadn't seen or heard from her since eight days earlier on April 6th, when Cindy left their apartment. Jonas told Lisa that on that day, Cindy had a loud argument on the phone with her son Ryan, who was living with them at the time. The fight was about Ryan using Cindy's debit card without her permission.
Jonas said that after the argument, around 8.30pm, a man wearing a blue polo shirt and khaki pants came to pick up Cindy. This is the last time Jonas says he saw her. Lisa explained to Officer Richard Templeton from the Gilbert PD that Cindy didn't have a car or know how to drive. She relied on other people to give her rides, or she hired transportation services like taxis, Lyft, and Uber.
She also explained that Cindy left her dog at home, and for her, this was a huge red flag. Cindy loved her dog more than anything. Lisa also told the police that she felt like she was getting conflicting information from Ryan, Jonas, and her ex-boyfriend, Michael Castor. After taking Lisa's report, the police got to work. They checked hospitals, jails, and the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office, but there was no Cindy.
Then, detectives went to the apartment Cindy shared with Jonas. Now, Cindy had been living with Jonas for about five months after leaving her boyfriend, Michael. When detectives showed up at the apartment, Jonas and Cindy's son, Ryan, were both there. Jonas invited them in. He repeated what Lisa had already told them. He said he last saw Cindy around 8.30pm on April 6th when she left the apartment. Before leaving, the detectives did do a walkthrough of the apartment. They didn't find any signs of foul play.
Next, detectives contacted Cindy's ex-boyfriend, Michael. He said the last time he spoke with Cindy was on April 4th. They made plans to go to a concert together on the 8th. Michael said that he tried to call Cindy on the 6th, but her phone was turned off. On the 8th, he went to Cindy's apartment to see if she was okay and take her to the concert. She wasn't there, but her roommate Jonas and her son Ryan were.
Jonas told Michael that Cindy had left a few days ago and never came back. With no sign of Cindy anywhere, detectives entered her information into NCIC. April 13th, the day Cindy was supposed to have heart surgery, came and went with no sign of her, and on the 15th, Cindy's vital medications were due to be refilled, and hadn't been. Hoping to gain more leads, detectives contacted Cindy's phone company for records.
But of course, they wouldn't release them without a warrant. Detectives were told there wasn't enough evidence of criminal activity for a warrant. They even went back and tried to narrow the scope of the ask, but they were denied again.
They also tried to get warrants for Cindy's bank records and social media accounts, but they were told again that there just wasn't enough evidence. So detectives just kind of monitored her social media, but she wasn't posting anything. They even tried to message Cindy, saying they were concerned about her dog, but there was no response. At this point, one of the biggest leads in the case is obviously trying to figure out who allegedly picked up Cindy that night.
Who was the man in the blue polo and khaki pants? Investigators contacted local taxi companies Uber, Lyft, and Comtrans, as their drivers actually wear a blue polo as a part of their uniform. But none of these services had any record of driving Cindy during the time frame she went missing. So they went down the list of the people who last saw Cindy. Detectives wanted to interview her son Ryan, but they couldn't get a hold of him.
Next, they talked to Lisa's other daughter, Carrie. She said that out of Cindy's four children, she was closest to their mom. They talked almost every day. Carrie told detectives that the last time she talked to her mom, she was happy. She was planning on moving to a new place. She mentioned that this was a positive change for Cindy, because she said that she didn't feel safe with her current roommate, Jonas.
Carrie says the last time she had contact with her mom was on April 5th. That day, her mom left a voicemail about her upcoming surgery. After that, Carrie tried to call Cindy again, but her phone went to voicemail every time.
Carrie said she was worried because her mom wasn't known to just disappear without a trace of where she went. Carrie told detectives that her sister Lisa had a conversation with Michael Castor after their mother went missing. According to Lisa, Michael claimed to have talked to Jonas about the night Cindy was last seen. Allegedly, Jonas told Michael he gave her $1,500 to have sex with him before she left in a taxi.
But Michael would also say that Jonas told him it was the other way around, that Cindy propositioned Jonas. Obviously, this was a red flag for investigators that something was just off. And Cindy's daughter Carrie also said she had a hard time believing this story. She pointed out that her mother was unwell, and Jonas already had a girlfriend. It just didn't make any sense to her.
Next, detectives spoke with Cindy's daughter Lisa again. She shared more details about her mom with them. She explained that Cindy had never been able to work full-time because of a disability. She made extra money selling beauty products, something she loved doing. Lisa told detectives that she was very worried about her mom's disappearance, partly because it was very unusual for her to leave her dog at home.
But she also thought that Jonas, Ryan, and Michael were giving conflicting information. Again, everything just seemed off. This episode of Voices for Justice is sponsored by Quince. I can't believe that we are rolling into fall, but we are, which means it's time to refresh your wardrobe. And luckily, Quince offers timeless and high-quality pieces that will not blow your budget.
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On April 19th, one week after Cindy went missing, detectives spoke to the staff of the apartment building where Cindy and Jonas lived. The staff told detectives that they hadn't seen Cindy since the 5th, when Cindy was seen with a younger blonde male in his 20s who was not recognized as a resident of the apartment complex. But other than that, they never heard or saw anything suspicious.
The staff had seen Jonas on April 7th or 8th when he came into the office to wait for a new bed to be delivered. While in the office, he told staff that Cindy was missing. After speaking with the staff, detectives went to Cindy and Jonas' apartment. Jonas was there and invited detectives inside.
They looked around Cindy's room this time, but found no signs of a fight or a struggle. Jonas told detectives that when Cindy left, she took her big pink purse, medicine, and cell phone with her.
Detectives asked Jonas about the delivery he received on the 7th or 8th. He explained that he recently got a new mattress and bed. Before that, he'd been sleeping on the floor. They then asked Jonas to go to the station for an interview. While driving to the station, Jonas called Michael to let him know what was going on. Once at the station, Jonas told detectives that he and Cindy were just roommates and did not have a sexual relationship.
He mentioned that they mostly got along well, but did have occasional disagreements about things like money. Jonas said that he was aware Cindy was scheduled for surgery on the 13th. According to him, Cindy was hesitant because she was worried she may not make it.
Through a series of interviews, detectives asked Jonas to tell them about April 6th, the day Cindy went missing. Jonas said that on that morning, he woke up around 9am and took Cindy's dog out to use the bathroom. When he returned to the apartment, Cindy was not as excited as she usually was and woke up later than usual around 11am or noon. She told Jonas that Ryan had taken her debit card and she wanted to report it.
Jonas reassured Cindy that it would all be okay, and promised to lend her the money Ryan had taken. Jonas discussed Cindy's troubles with a new phone she'd purchased, and said that she seemed upset due to some odd Facebook messages she'd received the night before.
He told detectives that later that day, Cindy went to the neighbor's house to get more help with her phone, and at some point, Cindy left the apartment for around 45 to 60 minutes. When she returned, she had cash, but Jonas wasn't sure where it came from. He says that when he asked Cindy where she got the money, she said that if she told him, she'd have to kill him.
Jonas asked if Cindy was making money by doing sex work, but she didn't tell him. Jonas then asked Cindy to buy him some cigarettes with the money. Cindy said no, because it was for something important. Jonas says that at some point during the day, Cindy mentions that she's going somewhere later on, but wouldn't tell Jonas where. She also told Jonas not to go in her room.
Now, there are some conflicting statements here. Jonas also told police that Cindy got this money from selling beauty products. Jonas says that around 6pm, Cindy got dressed in blue jeans, a purple shirt, and black shoes, which he describes as half shoes, half flip-flops with black straps. He says that at around 8.30, a man came to the apartment to pick Cindy up.
Now here, again, Jonas ends up telling detectives two slightly different versions of this story. In one interview, Jonas says the driver knocked on the door, and Cindy answered, saying, Hi, how are you doing? So, a seemingly friendly interaction. In a later interview, Jonas said that the man was older, with a black and white goatee and a bigger belly.
Cindy answered the door and said, Jonas told detectives that he thought the man was angry or rude because he didn't reply to Cindy's question.
Ultimately, Jonas describes this man as white, approximately 54 to 64 years old, 6'1 or 6'2, with a regular voice, grayish, blackish, or brownish hair, a goatee, and a big stomach. He had a silver watch on his left arm. Jonas said that he'd never seen the man before that night.
The next morning, Jonas called Cindy's phone, but she didn't answer. He thought she might be sleeping and tried again around noon, but there was still no response. Jonas then called Cindy's son Ryan, but he didn't answer either. Michael came over the next day, and Jonas told him what happened. Michael then called Cindy's daughter Lisa, who then reported her mother missing.
Jonas said that when she didn't come home, he did try to contact hospitals, but he couldn't get through. According to Jonas, Ryan believes Cindy might have been staying in a hotel because she'd done something similar before, but some other people told Jonas Cindy could be at a shelter. Jonas said he wasn't sure what to believe. When detectives asked him about Michael Castor, Jonas said Cindy told him Michael would drink and hit her, be a jerk, and make her pay all the bills.
Jonas said he didn't think Cindy spoke with Michael the day she disappeared. Jonas mentioned that a pastor from a church claimed to have seen Cindy at a Trader Joe's a couple days after she went missing. Jonas described the church as small and white, located on Gilbert and Guadalupe roads, behind a Chevron gas station. But he couldn't remember the church's name or the name of the pastor. Detectives asked Jonas if he could think of anyone who might want to hurt Cindy.
but he said no. He noted that Cindy had a mostly good relationship with Ryan, even though they sometimes argued like a typical mother and son. However, in a later interview, Jonas mentioned an ex-boyfriend who had harmed Cindy in the past. He said this ex tried to kill her by throwing her up against a wall, and he ended up rupturing an organ in her chest. Jonas didn't know the ex's name or where he lived.
Detectives asked Jonas if he could track Cindy's phone since she was on his phone plan, but he explained that he couldn't because his phone had recently been stolen and he had to cancel the entire phone line. Jonas said Michael helped him get a new phone through a different phone company.
Next, detectives go back to Michael Castor again. But just like with Jonas, I'm going to summarize what he said throughout a variety of interviews. Otherwise, it can be very confusing. Michael said he believed counselors made Cindy leave him back in December 2016. He thought they convinced her that he wanted to harm her. He told detectives that he never hurt Cindy. He took her to doctor's appointments and cared for her health during the four years they were together.
He added that after Cindy left him, she got sick and had to go to the hospital. Michael went to see her there and they made up. They stayed in touch, but decided to just be friends. Michael said that he was making amends with Cindy around the time of her disappearance, so he didn't understand why she would leave without calling him.
He also said that he was concerned that Jonas and Ryan didn't report Cindy missing when she didn't arrive home on the 7th. Michael told detectives that he thought Cindy was planning on moving to a new home. He then theorized that she might have been staying at a shelter, because she left her dog behind without planning for someone to take care of it. Detectives also asked Michael if Cindy left anything behind. He mentioned that Cindy left her sunglasses in the apartment.
He said that this was really odd because Cindy always had her sunglasses with her. The beauty products she sold were left behind at the apartment as well. This was surprising to him. He says Cindy always took her products with her, even when she was running errands. He also said he believed it was possible Ryan stole some of Cindy's electronics that were now missing, a digital camera, her iPad, and a vape pen. They also discussed Cindy's missing debit card.
Michael said that he knew Ryan had taken the card because a week before Cindy went missing, she called Michael to tell him she didn't have enough money for cigarettes. She explained that Ryan had taken her card and spent her money. According to Michael, he believes Cindy gave Ryan her card to make a purchase, but Ryan didn't give it back and used it to buy other things.
Michael said Jonas told him Cindy was very upset at Ryan for spending her money. This caused them to have a falling out. And here's something that especially piqued their interest. Michael told detectives that he was able to check Cindy's bank account. He explained that when they were together, they set up a username and password so that Michael could see Cindy's account and keep an eye on her spending.
so of course they want to know about any recent transactions. He says he checked her bank account after she disappeared and saw a charge in Phoenix on the 7th and another for food on the 12th. After that, there were no more purchases.
Michael informed detectives that he decided to move in with Jonas instead of continuing to stay at the hotel where he'd been living for the past several months. He said that he was staying in Cindy's room and had cleaned it up. Detectives also asked Michael about Jonas' phone. If you recall, Jonas previously told police that his phone had been stolen, and Michael helped him get a new one. Michael told detectives that Jonas' phone had not been stolen. He gave it to a neighbor.
Detectives asked Michael if he could think of anyone who had issues with Cindy, and he said yes. He then provided two possible scenarios of what might have happened to Cindy. The first scenario he discusses was the night of April 6th. He theorizes that Cindy went to a guy she used to date's home. I'll call him Andrew. Michael wondered if Cindy walked in and caught Andrew with another person. Maybe she got super jealous and attacked him. He
He says Cindy was not afraid to hit men and had an explosive temper. Now, Michael didn't really elaborate much on what he thought happened next. He just went on to say that he thought Andrew was a suspect because he didn't contact the police, Jonas, or Cindy's family when she went missing.
Now, Jonas would eventually speak up on Andrew as well. He says that he heard Andrew on speakerphone about one to two weeks before Cindy disappeared. Andrew wanted to see Cindy again. Now, Jonas told detectives that he didn't know what Andrew looked like, and he wasn't sure if it was the guy who picked up Cindy on the 6th. He said Cindy used to spend weekends with Andrew when they were dating. She'd even move some of her stuff into his place a few months before she went missing, things like a toaster oven and a TV remote.
But Jonas said Cindy was not planning on living with Andrew. Now, I'll get back to Andrew in just a minute.
In the other scenario, in Michael's mind, this involved Ryan and a drug deal gone wrong. Michael said that before Cindy disappeared, she told him that she had to be out of the apartment by April 6th. Michael believed this meant Cindy and Ryan were planning on moving, which would require money neither one of them had. According to Michael's theory, Cindy and Ryan came up with a plan to get the money they needed. They
They decided to buy drugs and then sell them in Peoria. Michael thought they picked that specific area because Ryan's father lived there, and Ryan would often stay with him if he wasn't at Cindy's place. Michael also told detectives that he thought Ryan was using and buying drugs from that area as well. Basically, he says that maybe on the night of April 6th, Cindy took the cash that Jonas had seen her with and met up with Ryan.
They went to buy drugs with the intention of selling them, but something went wrong during the process and Cindy got into trouble. Michael told detectives that his theory that Cindy met Valpley made sense because her body had not been located. He also said that he didn't think Ryan killed Cindy, but instead he witnessed Cindy being killed as a part of a gang-related drug deal that went bad. He believed they dumped her body.
Michael then encouraged them to speak to Ryan, who he thought would have more information about what happened that night. Now, Michael did agree to let detectives search his phone to find any messages between him and Cindy prior to April 6th, but he mentioned that all of his contact with Cindy prior to the 6th was already deleted because it took up space on his phone. In the end, he did agree to leave his phone at the station overnight so it could be analyzed. His phone was checked, and there were no messages from Cindy.
Now, after a few interviews with Jonas and Michael, detectives were still trying to contact Cindy's son Ryan, but he still wasn't returning their calls. So, they went to Facebook and said that Cindy's loved ones were concerned for her well-being. They asked anyone with information to come forward, but unfortunately, no tips came in.
Now, detectives had to circle back to that neighbor who Jonas said had helped Cindy with her new phone on the day she disappeared. The neighbor, who lived above Cindy and Jonas, told detectives that he didn't know what they were talking about. He did help Cindy set up a phone back in mid-March, but not on the day she went missing. He added that when he was helping Cindy, she said she wanted Jonas' number blocked because she was going to be moving, and she didn't want Jonas to be able to contact her.
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In early May, detectives finally got a hold of Ryan, and he agreed to meet them at the station to talk, but he didn't show. A few weeks later, closer to the end of May, detectives finally spoke with Ryan. He explained that he didn't show for the earlier interview because there was a warrant out for his arrest. Ryan shared that back in December 2016, Cindy felt uneasy about her new living situation with Jonas.
She said Jonas made inappropriate sexual comments and tried to convince her to have sex with him. So Cindy asked Ryan to come stay with her at the apartment. He ended up sleeping on the couch pretty often. He would sometimes stay there for weeks, then go back to Phoenix and stay with his dad for a few days before coming back again. Ryan told detectives that he saw Cindy and Jonas argue a lot, but he never saw them physically hurting each other.
They argued about things like Jonas turning off the power at night and other roommate issues.
According to Ryan, the last time he was at Cindy's apartment was on April 6th, the last day Cindy was seen. He said he left the apartment between noon and 2pm to go to Phoenix for a doctor's appointment the next day. When he left, Cindy was acting depressed, which he said was normal for her. He told detectives that Cindy wasn't happy with where she lived or her health, so she often felt down. But on April 6th, Ryan thought everything was okay.
Cindy didn't tell him she was planning to be away for a long time, and she didn't say anything that made him worry about her safety. He added that it was unusual for Cindy to be gone for this long. And of course, detectives ask Ryan about Michael Castor. He said Michael could be a dangerous person, especially when he was drinking. Ryan says he saw Michael yell at Cindy and throw things at her.
He added that Michael acted like a stalker after Cindy broke up with him. He was always trying to contact her and get her to spend time with him. Ryan said that he thought Michael was capable of hurting Cindy. He added that Cindy had once told him that Michael put morphine in her food and tried to make her overdose.
In mid-June, detectives finally found Cindy's supposed ex-boyfriend, Andrew. But he said he and Cindy were just friends, and he didn't even know her that well. He hadn't seen Cindy since late February or early March 2017. This is when she and her dog stayed at his apartment for about three weeks due to issues with her roommate.
Andrew said he last talked to Cindy about a week before her surgery was scheduled. He said that she sounded normal. She was nervous that she might not make it through the surgery, but if she did, there would be another surgery a month later. After the date of Cindy's surgery passed, Andrew called to ask how everything went, but he says Cindy's phone wasn't working. He also noticed that Cindy hadn't been active on Facebook, which was unusual because she used that account for work to sell her beauty products.
Andrew added that he was concerned that Cindy left her dog with her roommate Jonas, especially because they had a volatile relationship that sometimes got physical. Andrew said he believed Ryan moved in with Cindy to protect her from Jonas. At this point, it seems like Andrew, Jonas, Ryan, and Michael were all just pointing fingers at each other.
Not long after this, Cindy's daughter Lisa connected with detectives and let them know that Michael called her to ask if she could pick up some of Cindy's things, because he and Jonas were going to move out of the apartment at the end of the month.
Lisa said that when she went to go pick up her stuff, she got a really odd feeling from Michael and Jonas. She says both of them were hovering over her, her aunt, and her cousin as they tried to look through Cindy's things. Michael kept telling Lisa that some items were valuable, and she should try to sell them.
but then also refused to let Lisa take an expensive jacket he bought for Cindy. Lisa also said that Michael was asking a lot of questions about the status of the investigation. In fact, he was so pushy that Lisa's aunt intervened and told Michael to leave Lisa alone. Lisa also mentioned that Michael was kind of joking around the whole time, and overall just seemed really inappropriate for the situation.
And good for Lisa, because she took pictures of the apartment to give to detectives. And they found something. They noticed a big pink purse on a shelf in Cindy's room. This purse matched the description of the one Jonas said Cindy took.
Then, on April 2nd, detectives were informed that Jonas and Michael moved out of the apartment. They were there the next day to search, and what they found confirmed their worst fears. When walking through Cindy's former bedroom, they found blood and traces of blood all over the room. It was on the closet door and the outside of the bedroom door. A smear stain was located on the door jamb of the bedroom door, and spatter stains were found on two of the walls.
And right under the doorframe, the carpet was discolored, like it had been cleaned. And in Jonas' former bedroom, detectives found more blood. There were stains on the carpet in one of the bedroom corners, as well as the carpet on the inside of the closet.
Other areas of the carpet appeared to be discolored, again like they'd been cleaned. There was a spatter stain consistent with cast-off on one wall and just inside the bedroom door. There were additional spatter stains on the inside of the closet and on the back side of the closet sliding door. A transfer stain was found on the same sliding door. The sinks were also tested for blood, and the bathroom sink came back positive.
As they were cutting out some of the carpet to take for testing, they noticed that in some areas, blood had soaked all the way through to the underside of the carpet and onto the padding. But there was one area that really stood out. When the carpet was cut in Jonas' closet, a large oval blood stain about 3 feet long and 1.5 feet wide was found on the bottom of the carpet. The blood continued through the carpet pad and onto the subfloor.
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In mid-October, Lisa spoke to the East Valley Tribune. She said that she was very hopeful her mother was alive, though she did have her doubts. Lisa didn't think her mom had run away due to being scared about her upcoming surgery. She said Cindy had a, quote, long history of illness and had undergone many other surgeries. She added that her mom had no reason to leave and not tell anyone.
But then, at the end of October, not long after this interview, the results from the blood at the apartment came back, and the blood in both bedrooms belonged to Cindy. But just when it seemed like detectives were finally making some progress, they found out that Cindy's roommate, Jonas Oswald, was dead.
Jonas had been in the hospital since October 26th, after suffering a possible overdose. On November 2nd, he became agitated and erratic. He started acting impulsive and yelling out, and it seems like he might have been hearing and seeing things. Jonas struck hospital staff with his IV tower and kicked a security guard in the head.
Numerous staff members had to restrain Jonas to the bed, and then, at some point after that, Jonas was found unconscious and not breathing. He was ultimately pronounced dead.
A few weeks after Jonas' death, detectives spoke to Michael about Jonas and his possible role in Cindy's disappearance. Michael said he felt there was only a, quote, 1-2% chance Jonas was involved. He told detectives that Jonas promised he loved Cindy and did not hurt her. Detectives then asked Michael if he ever saw any of this blood while he was living in the apartment.
Michael said no. He didn't notice any evident blood. He admitted to seeing red marks on the wall and the lampshade in Cindy's room, but he assumed they were makeup. Following the interview with Michael, detectives kept trying to get in contact with Ryan. On December 12th, they showed up at his dad's house and found him there. They noticed immediately that Ryan was impaired, and he admitted that he had relapsed after his mother went missing.
They questioned him about what happened on April 6th. He told them that he began the day at his mom's place, but had to go to the doctor later. After leaving home, he spoke to Cindy on the phone and discussed her debit card. He told detectives that Cindy let him use her debit card, but he forgot to return it before he left. He said there was no argument during their phone conversation, and that was the last time he ever spoke to her.
Ryan told detectives that he stayed at his dad's house for a few days after his doctor's visit. Later, Jonas called Ryan and said Cindy had packed her stuff and left. After hearing this, Ryan went back to the apartment. He says he moved out when Michael Castor moved in. A few days passed, and Ryan and his girlfriend went back to the apartment to pick up his belongings. They spent the night there and left the next morning with his things.
Ryan explained that he slept in Cindy's bed at the apartment, but didn't notice anything unusual or broken. He also didn't see anything strange on the walls. Everything seemed to be normal, besides she had taken her medication with her. Ryan also mentioned that he talked to Jonas about Cindy leaving. Jonas told Ryan that Cindy seemed okay, and she'd be back in a few days.
Detectives then asked Ryan if he knew that Jonas had passed away. He replied that he didn't. Then, detectives asked Ryan about Jonas' relationship with Cindy. He said Jonas did pursue Cindy romantically, but she had turned him down. Both Cindy and Jonas had told him this. Detectives asked Ryan if he noticed any behavioral issues with Jonas. He said he might have noticed some anger.
He said Jonas, quote, would hear voices, and he'd say God or angels were talking to him. But when detectives pressed Ryan about Jonas' anger issues, Ryan said he, quote, never really personally saw his anger too much.
Detectives then told Ryan about the blood found in the apartment, and he again stated that he never saw any blood during his stay. Now, detectives eventually showed Ryan pictures of the bloodstains and asked if he knew what had caused them. Ryan stated he thought it was possible Cindy was hit with a blunt object or something similar.
And outright, detectives asked Ryan if he would tell them about what happened to Cindy. He said he didn't know what happened to her, and reiterated that he was in a different city when Jonas called him and told him that Cindy packed her things and left. They also outright asked Ryan if he had anything to do with removing Cindy's body out of the apartment. Ryan again denied this, and said he didn't assist in cleaning any blood either.
And they keep pressing. They asked if he had any ideas about where Cindy's body might be now, or how Jonas could have taken her body out of the apartment. He responded, quote,
Ryan told detectives that he wanted to know what happened to his mom. He even agreed to a polygraph test, but detectives were later unable to get in contact with him to set one up.
Now, about a week after this, detectives go back to Michael Castor. He said that he was aware of Jonas' death since they'd been living together when Jonas apparently got into his girlfriend's pills. Michael told detectives that Jonas was a generally nice person. He says Jonas was a, quote, violent person when he's not on his meds.
Michael talked about some of the things that he'd seen in the past, including Jonas throwing and breaking things around the apartment. Michael said that after Cindy disappeared, Jonas invited him to live at the apartment to take care of Cindy's affairs. Michael moved in and scrubbed the apartment, including the walls. And they ask him, did you see anything wrong with the walls or the flooring? And he says no. When asked if he cleaned Jonas' room, Michael stated, quote,
No, I never cleaned it. No, I wouldn't even go in there. He says the only time he went in there was to help move furniture when they moved out. He says he only cleaned Cindy's room, the kitchen, the family room, and the bathroom.
Then detectives tell him about the blood found in the apartment. At this point, Michael starts changing his story and says, quote, Now I did find what I believed was some blood spots. And detectives just tell him they found a lot of blood, not just a few spots. Michael replied, quote, So Jonas killed Cindy. I had an inkling that could have happened.
And detectives keep going after Michael. They say that there was still a significant amount of blood on the floor, walls, and the blinds, despite all the cleaning he did. They said now was the time to tell the truth about what he knew about Cindy. But Michael said he had no idea about what happened inside the apartment. And they keep pressing. They say all that blood was confirmed to be Cindy's. And Michael says again he doesn't know. What he saw he thought was makeup.
And as they keep pressing, a little bit more keeps coming out. They ask him about what he saw when he moved furniture out of Jonas' bedroom. And now Michael says he saw a big stain, about 18 inches wide. He thought it was maybe urine, but he never got close to the area. Michael says he didn't see any other stains due to how dark the room was.
At this point, Michael asks detectives if Cindy has been found. They say no, and they ask him how Cindy could have been removed from the apartment, and Michael just blames it all on Jonas, saying that he had to have done it. Michael begins crying, and says that he should have called the detective when he saw the small spots of blood in the apartment.
Detectives explain to Michael that because he cleaned up all this blood and didn't tell anyone, the department could not continue its investigation. And Michael continues to tell them that he had nothing to do with Cindy's disappearance, he loved her. And like Ryan, detectives ask Michael if he'll take a polygraph test, and he agrees. Before the polygraph test began, detectives asked Michael if there was anything he wanted to tell them.
Now he says that when he cleaned the apartment, he scrubbed the floor with hydrogen peroxide. He adds that while cleaning one spot in the living room, it bubbled. Michael says that he mentioned this spot to Jonas, but decided that maybe Cindy's dog was in heat, and Michael says that he never cleaned the carpet in Cindy's room or Jonas' room.
Now, following the conversation, Michael went through the polygraph. He was asked the following questions. Do you know for sure who caused the death of Cindy? Do you know for sure who caused the death of Cindy in 2017? Do you have anything to do with Cindy's death? Michael answered no to all three questions.
After the polygraph, Michael was interviewed again. Detectives told him that he had answered deceptively. When asked why the test was showing that he was deceptive, Michael said, quote,
Maybe because I feel partially responsible for what happened. Because she left and put herself in a situation with Jonas, that maybe I'm partially responsible for leaving and moving in with Jonas, and having the events happen that they happened. I didn't foresee what might have happened to Cindy, because she was fearful for her life. Now, Michael says that Cindy previously told him that she was in danger.
So detectives asked him, why didn't you mention cleaning the carpet with peroxide until right before the polygraph? And he responded, quote,
I just want you to understand, detective, that I had nothing to do with Cindy's death or her disappearance. Detectives asked Michael if Ryan killed Cindy. He said he didn't know. They followed up with a question about if Jonas killed Cindy. He again said he didn't know. They then asked if he killed Cindy, and he said no.
Detectives tell Michael that they know something happened in that apartment, and he kept denying, saying he didn't see any bloodstain evidence in Jonas' bedroom. Michael eventually said that he didn't believe the case would ever be resolved because Jonas is dead. He said he didn't believe they would ever find her. Michael then stood up, and the interview was over.
There was little movement in the case following Michael's interview. About a year and a half later, detectives marked Cindy's case as inactive, pending a future witness coming forward or suspect identification.
In April 2022, Cindy had been missing for five years. Lisa spoke to Fox 6 to give an update in the case. She said detectives found enough blood in the apartment to believe Cindy had been murdered. However, without a body, no one was held accountable. But Lisa was still hopeful that someone would come forward with information.
Unfortunately, this is pretty much where Cindy's case is today. Detectives were eventually able to get access to Cindy's Facebook account and her phone records, but there was no activity since April 6th, the day she was last seen. Cindy has never been found, and investigators are still searching for the man in the blue polo and khaki pants.
Cindy's family is obviously extremely distraught and still trying to get the word out about her case. I live in Arizona, and I'd never heard of this case before her family reached out to me, which brings me right to our call to action. Please share Cindy's story and her missing person poster with as many people as possible. The more eyes on this case, the better. As a reminder...
Evelyn Lucinda Cindy Guido was last seen on April 6th, 2017 in Gilbert, Arizona, near the 200 block of Juniper Avenue. She was 60 years old at the time she went missing. She is white, 5'4", and 115 pounds. She has brown eyes and brown shoulder-length hair. She sometimes wore blonde extensions. She has a full set of dentures, a burn scar on her left arm, and a lot of hair on her
and wears wire-rimmed reading glasses. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Gilbert Police Department at 480-503-6500. But as always, thank you, I love you, and I'll talk to you next time.
Voices for Justice is hosted and produced by me, Sarah Turney, and is a Voices for Justice media original. This episode contains writing and research by Haley Gray, with research assistance by Anna Luria, and editing assistance by Keith Murray. If you love what we do here, please don't forget to follow, rate, and review the show on your podcast player. It's an easy and free way to help us, and help more people, find these cases in need of justice.
Welcome to the Secret After Show. The air conditioning is on, the door is open, the dogs have abandoned me, but let's talk about this week's episode. This was a very long time coming. I requested these police records months and months ago after I was contacted by a member of Cindy's family to cover this case. This is a hard one, as usual. I think they're all kind of hard ones at this point. I say it every week, it feels like.
But it just, it was hard to simplify down into kind of who said what, because this, you know, obviously is an ongoing investigation. A lot of these interviews were done over, you know, larger spans of time.
And a lot of these statements changed in these interviews, so I really just tried to block it up into, like, who said what over kind of all their interviews. So I hope that it made sense to you. I tried to make it as simple as possible because it can be so confusing with all these different statements. Now, please share this case. I know I say that every week, but Cindy's case in particular has very little media coverage, which...
really surprising to me given how many, for lack of a better word, shocking elements there are, right? I think it's no secret that true crime coverage in the news and content creation from independent creators, they usually pick up on cases like this. You know what I mean? You have a woman who goes missing in conflicting statements from people. All of a sudden, her roommate passes away. I
I really don't understand how people haven't picked up this case yet, but I really hope that they do. And of course, the hope is always to generate leads and get some answers for these families. Now, in all transparency, as you guys noticed, there was not an episode last week. And that's because midweek, I was surprised with the news that the ABC 2020 episode was going to come out and...
As much as I try to work through those things, it instantly dissolved all that peace I've been talking about getting in this after show. I had so much peace until the moment I saw that this was coming out and...
It's because it was shocking. One, there was very little notice, which isn't actually unusual. But two, you know, the last I heard about this program, my father refused to speak. I have not watched 2020. I will not watch 2020 because it's...
It just hurts. I don't want to see him speak. I don't want to see his lawyers laughing like I saw in those clips after they spent so much time disparaging Alyssa's memory, and I know that it's their job. Part of me understands that. Everyone deserves a good defense, and he got it all.
Obviously, I just wish it didn't include so much victim blaming on Alyssa. You know, I don't think I need to tell you guys, but Alyssa was a child who reported her abuse and the way she was depicted in court was extremely disturbing. Extremely disturbing and extremely untrue.
So it's just, it's a lot of pain on top of pain. I did explain on my Instagram stories that I was invited to be a part of this program and I declined, along with basically everyone else who ever knew Alyssa. Almost none of us wanted to be involved. I will say that my brother James interviewed under the impression that her father would not be interviewed.
So, it's just, like I said, pain on top of pain on top of pain. I have reached out to them with my concerns, at least to the local ABC affiliate who reached out to me, and I had not heard back from ABC itself, so...
It is what it is. They don't owe me anything. But that's what happened last week, and it just stopped me in my tracks. I had to kind of go into self-preservation mode and just protect whatever piece I had left. But it's been...
not that long. I'm trying to regather this piece and I can't wait to talk to you next week when I tell you about something very special I have planned for Alyssa at the end of this week. I don't want to say it out there yet. I don't want to give you guys any hints, but I will let you know when it's all said and done. I'm very excited. It's something I've talked about all throughout the trial. I kept setting these little milestones for myself, or I guess not milestones, but I kept saying to myself,
After this trial's over, I'm going to do A, B, and C, and looking forward to those things really kept me going, and now I'm finally doing one of them. So I'm okay. Everybody's okay. I am moving on. It's just a lot of pain that I will work through.
That being said, let's get to our segment of hope. Now, because we did miss a week, this is maybe a little bit older to you guys, and it's very big, so I'm not expecting any of you to have never heard of this, but I want to talk about Danny Masterson being sentenced to 30 years. Now, as always in the segment of hope, these are terrible things that we're talking about that have some type of silver lining, and...
For me, that's the fact that he was brought on these charges so much later, so far after the fact that they happened. And he got this massive conviction, this 30 years, which to me just sounds insane. I feel like that never ever happens. I could be wrong. Tell me on social media if you've heard of similar cases. I have not. And of course, I was not one of his victims. I cannot sit here and say that this
erases everything for those victims, because I'm sure it doesn't. But in my book, you know, this is some type of win. I think that this is really encouraging for all victims out there that so many years later, you can get some form of justice, some form of justice through the legal system, if you will.
But that is my segment of hope. I am reading right from BBC.com. Danny Masterson sentenced to 30 years to life for two rapes. I'm sorry, I did not put 30 years to life earlier. I said 30 years, but it is 30 years to life. Let me see here. Prosecutors argued Masterson, 47, had relied on his status as a prominent Scientologist to avoid accountability.
Judge Charlemagne Olmedo allowed the victims of his crimes to read impact statements in court ahead of his sentencing. Now, the article does go on to read that this is the maximum penalty allowed, and I'm not going to go into the details of the victims' stories, that is for them to tell, not me, here, a random person on a podcast.
But again, I think that this definitely deserves to be in the segment of hope because there are so many victims out there. There are so many people that are afraid to come forward. And, you know, without making it about me, of course, it does make me think of Alyssa. So it's really fantastic to see people believed to see this make this much headway in court. And I wish these victims nothing but the best.
But as always, thank you, I love you, and I'll talk to you next time.