Ever since I created my website that focuses on the mysterious death of my sister, Cindy James, and before my book was finished, people have been contacting me through it.
It has been wonderful to receive so many messages from people all over the world. And it is very rewarding to have contact with real people having genuine affection and empathy for Cindy’s ordeal.
It is also interesting to hear the different theories from people as to what they believe happened to Cindy.
There have been hundreds of messages from people ranging from, “I can’t believe that she killed herself” to “I’m 60% sure she did it all to herself” to “I don’t believe she intended to kill herself. That much I believe was an accident!” to “I too am torn as to how she died.”
Some people believe she was a victim of a serial killer and that her murder was the perfect crime. Others believe Cindy had multiple personalities or was a paranoid schizophrenic or had a borderline personality disorder. Some people think her death was an assisted suicide.
“She didn’t act like a normal victim would act but there were other instances where it seemed like she couldn’t be responsible,” commented one person.
Although Cindy’s case is seen as “mind boggling” with “a lot of theories,” the undercurrent of love and empathy for Cindy touches my heart and gives me hope that maybe people do understand that this is more than just a tragic story—it has affected real people:
“This is really a sad case. I really felt bad for Cindy” and “I truly feel bad for Cindy. She was a beautiful lady whose life was wasted.”
“I really look forward to hearing your thoughts and theories about what happened to Cindy and why. Also, I really admire your strength and courage. May God bless you and your family,” wrote one person to me.
Thank you, everyone, for your interest, your support and your encouragement. And please feel free to comment directly on this Blog and any of my other Blogs.
Melanie Hack
Author of Who Killed My Sister, My Friend
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TV Shows and Clips about the death of Cindy James
Hi, Melanie:
It’s great to hear that so many people have written in support of you and your family regarding Cindy’s death. I can’t imagine enduring the ordeal that you all went through.
As for my opinion on what happened to Cindy, I think I’ll have to reserve judgement until after I have read the book. However, regardless of anyone’s take on the case, it is undoubtedly a fascinating – yet tragic – story, one that provokes a countless number of opinions and theories.
Take Care,
January 10, 2008 @ 5:36 amAdam
Dear Melanie
September 1, 2009 @ 10:53 amI think Cindy James had a mental illness and she was an extraordinarily angry depressed woman. I believe 100% she staged all the events, all the unpleasant incidents. She was pretty, at one time apparently and had a reputation with men so I am sure she could entrap some into helping her by just telling them she needed to have some “proof” of the previous attacks being bona fide. She could easily have conned them into the phone calls and tying her up. They would have thought they were just lend a hand to her so she could get attention for her “case”, when in reality there was no case because she was the author of all the turmoil.
Do you consider the amount of money spent investigating her “cases” and now all the money spent trying to decide how she died? How do you feel about that when you must know deep down that there was no threat to her…just her. Just a very sick woman putting everyone through hell. I feel great pity for her illness but I also see her as tremendously devious and manipulative like many mentally ill people are. Her looks, even when faded from the ravages of her madness, could get men to carry out and assist her in her tricks. I know according to the one book, she slept with men quite easily so you can imagine she could easily have had plenty of help.
It’s a shame Roy Makepeace was devastated and disparaged to ruins over this. I feel he is owed a great apology by your family. I don’t know why you want to do this book and continue to perpetuate the insult against innocent people. You are naming people all over again and all their guilt was, was to be associated with a mentally unbalanced woman. Many felt pity for her it seems and she was willing to let them suffer to get the attention she desired. She was a once pretty woman….fading…who could not stand that loss of admiration from men. Pretty simple. Pretty sad.
I don’t see her as a victim in fact her type makes it much worse for authentic victims of violence or domestic abuse. She will forever have caused a cast of suspicion on women when they make a report…police will remember Cindy James and her lies and discount women who need help. If anything your book should expose the truth of what your sister did and the ramifications for legitimate victims when people cry wolf. Instead, you are rewarding her, albeit posthumously, for her deception which will tarnish the reports of authentically petrified terrorized women.
I hope you reconsider the book and write instead about mental illness and the dangers of it going untreated. I think that would help you heal as your blog is extremely depressing and focuses bizarrely on every death you seem to encounter….from a fawn to Michael Jackson and Princess Diana, I feel you yourself have an unhealthy obsession with death and misery. That must be difficult for your family to live with. I was depressed after reading just a few pages of your blog because it’s so focused on death, death, death.
I wish you a HAPPY LIFE. LET GO OF CINDY. Don’t make her your only focus and don’t live vicariously through her death and drama. Create your own identity.
Karen Miller
I grew up in Richmond so this story had particular interest to me. I’ve read a book on Cindy’s death and in all honesty I felt that her ex, Makepeace had something to do with it. His comment to her when she separated from him, something to the affect of ” it can be very scarey living alone”. Why make such a comment? I mean the guy was a shrink or something, he knew all the ins and outs of the mind. I believe that he was resentful of the split and as most controlling people do, wasn’t about to let her go so he set out on a campaign to destroy her, mentally and finally physically and I can’t believe the police didn’t look at this guy alittle more closely. I wish taht they had solved this case instead of just taking the easy way out and calling it a suicide. I feel for your loss.
September 16, 2012 @ 3:06 pmSadly it seems like your sister’s mental illness won the fight resulting in the end of her life. I wish your family peace.
April 28, 2018 @ 2:14 pmThere’s no way Cindy did this to herself. Police horribly mismanaged this case.
January 4, 2021 @ 11:20 pmShe and Roy both worked with numerous mentally ill patients. Odds are one is involved. The issues began when she became single. It’s likely a patient of Roy’s or a parent of one of her patients. No way this is self harm. Find a similar case anywhere in the world. You won’t. This is stalking and likely a patient or even another medical person. Just my surface look after listening to casefile. The dead cats. She wouldn’t. The drugs, she wouldn’t. The dig up gardening, she wouldn’t. These are things that would have been dear. Or the perpetrators thought they were. So they meant to discredit her. Attack her life. Maybe the ex wife and family but seems like an obsessive male. Jealous beyond thought. Prayers for resolution. Police have budgets. Property crimes etc.
February 2, 2021 @ 10:03 pmNo way she did it to herself, her actual death is way to sus. Someone got away with murder.
February 11, 2021 @ 8:37 pmWell you’ve certainly done your part to bring attention to this case. I’m sure your sister would be proud. I hope you’re able to find some measure of peace through this tragedy & not let it or the opinions of strangers drag you down forever. I don’t think Cindy would want to be remembered by how she died but by how she lived. <3
January 24, 2023 @ 11:54 pm