Thirteen-year-old Cynthia Jocelyn Zarzycki disappeared from Eastpointe, Michigan in spring 1986. On April 20 she left home to meet a friend at a local Dairy Queen and was last seen there eating an ice cream cone. When she did not return, her family reported her missing and the case grew cold for many years.

Investigators later focused on Arthur Nelson Ream, the father of a boy Cynthia had been dating around the time she vanished. Ream had a criminal history of sexual offenses involving minors and was an early person of interest. A friend of Cynthia’s said Cynthia planned to meet Ream at the Dairy Queen that day; prosecutors say Ream had allegedly lured her with a story about a surprise party. A missing-person flyer for Cynthia was reportedly found among Ream’s belongings.

In 2008 Ream was charged with first-degree murder and a jury convicted him that June based on circumstantial evidence. In July 2008 he admitted to killing Cynthia and led investigators to her remains in a shallow grave in Macomb Township. He was sentenced to life without parole. If anyone knew Cynthia, saw her that day, or has information about the case, please share it with investigators.