19/06/2022
Cynthia "Cindy" Arnold
By Karen Knuckols'Phillips
On December 4, 1975 a beautiful baby girl was born in Atlanta, Texas. Her parents, Katherine Stone and Danny "Skipper" Lundy were proud to welcome their bundle of joy. Although her Dad's nickname for her; "Pete"; hints he may have been expecting a boy. Six years later "Pete" was followed by 3 brothers but she remained the apple 🍎 of her parents eyes.
Her Mom, Kathy and others describe Cindy as a fun loving kind woman. Her mother told me as a child, she had to keep a watchful eye on Cindy's pockets, where she frequently found random items such as special rocks and dead insects! Miss Kathy told me how Cindy loved the outdoors, flowers💐 dragon flies, butterflies, and her dog Emma.
Cindy is a 43 year old mother of three; Laura 23, Kenneth 22, and Madeline 17.
Everyone I spoke to describes Cindy as a sweet person that would help anyone even when she was in need of help herself. Her Mother said that Cindy has had some troubles over the last 4 to 5 years as she battled drug addiction. Cindy is described as "A sweet girl who had some baggage". In this aspect I think we can all relate either of our own accord or through someone we love. Her mother tried different avenues to help her from enabling to tough love and this often caused a strain on their relationship but Cindy knows her Mom loves her no matter what. Her Mother shared this because she cares. She realizes that truth brings change. Isn't trying to help those we love who have made hard decisions often a hard road? Once again a common thing every family goes through on one level or another. Miss Katherine is a mother who loves her daughter beyond words. She has found herself hurled into this nightmare where she is left to feel helpless! Not knowing what to do or who she should turn to. She; like many families in her situation; feel they have had very little help from law enforcement. In fact, it seems to be a common feeling in these cases. I don't know exactly why. Is it a lack of resources or a feeling of prejudice that these are "throw away" people. Maybe both? I see a need in all these cases for changes. A bit more compassion and alot of education, as well as some much needed procedure changes. So I am hoping that these short stories about our missing will help to show that these are people with families that love and care for them. They have lives and people who need them found. Who are hurting and struggling without them. I am hoping this story brings Cindy Arnold to you in a way that is much more than a face on the flyer. More than a woman who vanished under mysterious circumstances to say the least. I want you to see that she is a child, mother, sister, niece, cousin, and friend to many who love and miss her.
Cindy has a home in Arkansas where she was living. Cindy was in a relationship with Donnie Combs who lives in Cass County. She was staying there with him when they both vanished on September 26, 2018. Cindy comes from a regular family who love each other very much. Her cousin Debra Brown told me of how Cindy loved dressing up in pretty dresses and having her hair curled and fixed when she was little. She described her as not only the apple of her parents eyes, but also of "Mamaline's". Mamaline is Cindy's Grandmother, who's house was a favorite gathering place for Cindy and her family while she was growing up. She loved watching Mamaline make homemade bread 🍞 and homemade cinnamon breads. Debra says "She comes from a typical family where love is important. Having family gatherings is important." She added "Shock and disbelief have run rampant since last September when she vanished. Words don't do justice in describing how she is missed by her children, her Mom, and her brothers. It feels almost as if the community doesn't talk about it...it won't be true. But it is true! Cindy is missing and it has been almost a year. She deserves to be back in the lives of those she loves and who love her." This cousin not only wants answers she doesn't understand why they are only finding silence. She said "In a world where mischief abounds and trouble is too closeby. I want people to think that Cindy could be your child, Mom, sister, cousin. Wouldn't you be concerned? Wouldn't you want people helping to find her? Wouldn't you feel confused and bewildered?"
What Debra describes is another common feeling in the plight of the Missing. Remaining silent won't bring Cindy or the others home! It doesn't create much needed awareness to bring about changes to stop this from happening to others either.
Cindy's Aunt Dana Johnson describes her as, "She has a huge heart. She would do anything for anyone even if she was in need herself". She also spoke of how Cindy loved the outdoors and working in her yard. "She could make anything grow!" She always had a beautiful yard. She told me Cindy has a love for anything old, antiques, as well as unique and different things. She said " She has a great imagination and can look at any ugly thing and see something wonderful in it, transforming it from ugly to beautiful! She has an eye that way ". When Dana was 16 and Cindy around 4 or 5 they shared long walks and things. Then Dana got married and Cindy grew up and had a life of her own and the two lost some of their closeness. But the last year and a half before Cindy went missing they had reconnected and were spending alot of time together. Dana told me how they would talk for hours about life and Cindy's kids. She shared how much she enjoyed her time with Cindy.
Cindy's Aunt Rhonda Sheffield, shared with me how Cindy was a flower girl when Rhonda married Cindy's Uncle, Pastor Donald Sheffield 37 years ago. Miss Rhonda sent the meme you see below, that she feels perfectly describes Cindy's personality. Basically saying don't get in front of her because she may want to go in a different direction. Don't expect her to lead, as she may stumble, just stay with her and go through the journey together. This made me think of how Cindy's daughter , Madeline describes her Mom. She said "Describing my Mom is pretty hard, since I haven't seen or heard from her in almost a year!"
Can you imagine how hard that is for a young lady of 17 who is about to begin her adult life soon and is trying to finish up her last year of high school? Her Grandmother, Katherine wasted no time saying how proud and amazed she is of how Madeline was pushing through. Madeline also told me her Mom, Cindy is "her best friend and worst enemy all in one; like most Mom's are". She describes her as funny and dramatic, saying "Everything was always a big deal so everything is always crazy with her." A fact her and her siblings find a funny subject. She said "she is a little; well super; bipolar which has made most of mine and my siblings favorite memories."
Madeline told me her Mom "wasn't a perfect Mom, but that's what made her a perfect Mom. She taught all her kids to work hard and apprieciate things. Especially the things that are given to you." Cindy taught them that life is hard. Madeline told that her mom even used her own mistakes to teach her children. She said "even when she made mistakes and made bad decisions, she was always honest and taught us to learn from her mistakes." Madeline ended her conversation with me by telling me this:
" She taught us to live a little bit, but keep your head on straight. She taught us alot, but there are still so many things we don't know; that we need answers to. We need closure, whatever it may be."
Please take time reading this daughter's words. Can you feel her pain? No child should feel this pain. No family should suffer so much pain.
When there are 8 Missing from our communities who reside no more than 200 miles apart from each other, and there seem to be no answers in sight it is a problem that we as a community need to stand up and cry out for answers! When this woman's children, Mom, and family must continue on with life the best they can with a cloud of questions circulating around them like a storm that never stops. When all those around them remain quiet as if the silence will change any part of this tragic dream that Cindy's family can not awaken from because it is now their everyday real life! The only escape is the TRUTH. I think it is time we address the elephant in the room. It is time we face that we have an epidemic of missing people. It is time for answers to what has happened to Cindy Arnold and Donnie Combs on the evening of September 26, 2018. We must all take their cases and the cases of the others who are missing in our communities as "OUR" problem because it is! It can happen to anyone of us at any given moment. We have to educate ourselves and others to the cases of the missing. Especially the ones in our communities. Take Cindy on as your own. Adopt her if you will. Help find her. Help bring her home to her family. I for one would love meet Cindy and redo some antiques with her. Maybe set in her beautiful yard and share some conversation while we watch the butterflies dance over her flowers. It is time to bring Cindy home.
