Cindy Wanner: A 1991 Granite Bay Cold Case, Solved After 35 Years
Cindy Wanner: A 1991 Granite Bay Cold Case, Solved After 35 Years  
Podcast: Crime Salad
Published On: Sat Nov 07 2026
Description: Three days before Thanksgiving in 1991, Bob Wanner walked into his sister-in-law’s house in Granite Bay, California, and heard his baby crying. His 11-month-old daughter was strapped into her high chair with dry Cheerios still on the tray. His wife, Cindy, was supposed to be there cleaning. Her shoes, her coat, and her car were all still there, but Cindy was gone.Cindy Wanner was a young mom from Dickinson, North Dakota, who had moved her family to the Sacramento area to start over. She disappeared from a house on Auburn-Folsom Road in the middle of a Monday afternoon, and nobody saw a thing. For decades, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office had a $40 ATM withdrawal and very little else. This week on Crime Salad, Ashley and Ricky cover the Cindy Wanner case, from the afternoon she vanished to a piece of evidence so small that detectives almost didn’t test it.Content warning: this episode discusses kidnapping, sexual assault, and murder.Placer County Sheriff's Office tip line (cold cases, including any connection to James Lawhead Jr.): 530-889-7835RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673, or chat at rainn.org988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988 Thanks to our sponsors! Ka'Chava: Go to kachava.com and use code CRIMESALAD for 15% off your first order.Primal Queen: For a limited time, shop their biggest sale of the year, the holiday sale, at primalqueen.com. After you buy, they'll ask where you heard about them, so please tell them Crime Salad sent you.Sources: Placer County Sheriff's Office release (Apr 27, 2026); the sheriff's Apr 27, 2026 press conference; Sacramento Bee (Nov to Dec 1991, Mar 2009, May and July 2026); Bismarck Tribune (Dec 19, 1991); CBS Sacramento; A&E; AZFamily; CNN.Thanks for supporting Crime Salad Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.