Who Killed Cindy Joy Elias After Leaving Sammy's Bar and Lounge in Virginia, Minnesota?

Cindy Joy Elias

"In Gods Care"

She was vibrant, happy-go-lucky and a hard worker. She liked to help people.

She was born on December 17th, 1957 in St. Louis County, Minnesota to Edward Elias and Audrey Elaine Erlandson Elias. She was the youngest girl out of her seven siblings. She graduated from Paramount California high school in 1976. Cindy was a college student in Virginia, Minnesota, who planned to become a social worker.  She was working as a waitress at Virginia's Dutch Treat coffee shop at the Coates Motor Inn.

Cindy was last seen just after midnight on March 23rd, 1977 at Sammy's Bar and Lounge in Virginia, Minnesota. Acquaintances said Cindy was going to hitchhike home since none of her friends were in good enough shape to give her a ride. A day later, her body was discovered hidden under a pile of brush along a rural logging road just north of Aurora. An autopsy report indicated that she was killed by several massive blows to the head and died not long before her body was discovered. It is believed that the perpetrator or perpetrators are local people or truck drivers that were familiar with the area where she was found.

There was one guy at the bar that was never seen drinking and people thought he was a little weird. That is all i know about that.

If you have any idea what happened to her, please call the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office at (218) 749-7134. There is a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer(s).

Cindy's body was exhumed on November 3rd, 2008 and examined by St. Louis County Medical Examiner Dr. Tom Uncini. I cannot find what led to the exhumation or whether any fruitful information has been gleaned.