Key facts
- Names: Cynthia “Cindy” Ardina Leslie and Jackie Lynn Leslie (sisters)
- Born: Cindy — February 1, 1959; Jackie — February 15, 1961
- Ages at disappearance: Cindy, 15; Jackie, 13
- Last seen: July 31, 1974, walking together near Baseline and Power roads, Mesa, Arizona
- Location: Mesa, Arizona
- Height / build: Teenage girls (detailed descriptions not publicly confirmed)
- Status: Still missing — both; more than 52 years; case open
- Case numbers: Not publicly confirmed
- Investigating agency: Mesa Police Department, Arizona
Two sisters on a summer day
They had only just moved to town.
For years, the Leslie family — parents Albert “Jack” and Erma, daughters Linda, Cindy, and Jackie — had lived in Page, Arizona. Then in 1974, Jack was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, and the family relocated to a mobile home community in Mesa that June, to be nearer the hospital where he was undergoing treatment.
“The girls liked to go bowling,” their older sister Linda later said. “They liked roller [skating]… we were just really the normal American family.”
On July 31, 1974, 15-year-old Cindy and 13-year-old Jackie were last seen walking together near Baseline and Power roads in Mesa. They never came home.
Fifty-two years later, neither sister has ever been found.
The boyfriend
Little is publicly available about either girl, but one point of friction inside the family is documented: Cindy’s boyfriend. Jack strongly disapproved of him and had forbidden Cindy to see him.
The basis for the disapproval is unclear. The police records in the case — 260 pages in total — have been heavily redacted, making parts of the investigation difficult to follow. In the files, few unredacted details about the young man survive, and his identity has never been revealed to the public. One of the only known facts: he was of a different race than Cindy. Whether that played into Jack’s dislike is unknown.
In 1974, in a new town, with a dying father and a forbidden boyfriend, a 15-year-old girl’s world was already complicated. Whether any of it connects to what happened on July 31 is the question the redactions won’t let anyone answer.
A case in a filing cabinet
The Leslie sisters’ case has lived most of its life in the quiet dark of a cold-case file — 260 pages, much of it blacked out. There were no national headlines in 1974, no podcast in 1994, no viral campaign in 2014. What there was: a family that lost two daughters in a single afternoon and a father who died without knowing what happened to them.
In recent years, independent researchers have begun pulling the case back into the light — notably a detailed 2026 investigation by Meaning Mint, “The Strange Disappearance of Cindy and Jackie Leslie,” which worked through the redacted files and the family’s history. Decades later, the sisters’ surviving loved ones are still fighting for answers.
The facts that survive the redactions are these: two sisters, walking together on a summer day in Mesa, vanished. No confirmed sightings since. No remains found. No one charged.
Theories: what might have happened
Abduction by someone they knew. Two teenage girls walking together are hard to take by force without witnesses — which suggests, if they were taken, that they went willingly with someone they trusted. The forbidden boyfriend is the obvious name in that sentence. What supports it: Jack’s strong disapproval, the secrecy around the relationship, the redacted files’ focus on him. What is unproven: his identity has never been made public, and no charges were ever filed against anyone. He — whoever he is — is presumed innocent.
They ran away. Cindy was 15, in a new town, with a dying father and a boyfriend she was forbidden to see. Running away is the theory every 1974 investigator would have started with. What undercuts it: two sisters running together and never once contacting family in 52 years — not their mother, not Linda — stretches the runaway theory past breaking.
A stranger. Baseline and Power in 1974 was the growing edge of Mesa — new roads, open desert nearby. A stranger with a car and a plan is the theory with the least evidence and the hardest to disprove. The redactions make it impossible to know what investigators thought.
Have information?
Contact the Mesa Police Department in Arizona, or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST). In an emergency, dial 911.
Timeline
- February 1, 1959 — Cynthia “Cindy” Ardina Leslie is born.
- February 15, 1961 — Jackie Lynn Leslie is born.
- 1974 — Albert “Jack” Leslie is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer; the family moves from Page to a Mesa mobile home community in June.
- July 31, 1974 — Cindy (15) and Jackie (13) are last seen walking together near Baseline and Power roads, Mesa. They never return.
- 1974–2026 — No confirmed sightings; no remains found; no charges. The 260-page police file remains heavily redacted.
- 2026 — Meaning Mint publishes “The Strange Disappearance of Cindy and Jackie Leslie,” a detailed reinvestigation.
- Today — Still missing, more than 52 years on. Cindy would be 67; Jackie would be 65.
FAQ
Are Cindy and Jackie Leslie still missing?
Yes. As of October 2026, both sisters have been missing for more than 52 years. Neither has ever been found.
Were Cindy and Jackie Leslie ever found?
No. No trace of either sister has ever been located, and no one has been charged in their disappearance.
Where did the Leslie sisters disappear from?
Mesa, Arizona. They were last seen walking together near Baseline and Power roads on July 31, 1974 — just weeks after the family moved there from Page so their father could be near his cancer treatment.
How old would Cindy and Jackie Leslie be today?
Cindy was born February 1, 1959 — she would be 67. Jackie was born February 15, 1961 — she would be 65.
How can I help?
Share this case file. Anyone with information — including anyone who knew the family in Page or Mesa in 1974 — can contact the Mesa Police Department or NCMEC at 1-800-843-5678.
Sources
- Official / law enforcement: Mesa Police Department, Arizona (260-page case file, partially redacted).
- News: Contemporary Arizona press (via research sourcing).
- Reference: NamUs; The Charley Project.
- Media: Meaning Mint, “The Strange Disappearance of Cindy and Jackie Leslie” (2026).
Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 2026.