The views and opinions expressed in Cold and
Missing are exclusively those of the hosts. All
parties mentioned are considered innocent until
proven guilty in a court of law. Cold and Missing
also contains adult themes and languages. Listener
discretion is advised. I'm your host, Ali McLaughlin
-Sulkowski. And I'm your co -host, Eli Sulkowski.
And this is Cold and Missing, where we cover
cold cases and missing person cases. Hello everyone
and welcome back to Cold and Missing. I'm your
host Ali. And I'm your co -host Eli. Welcome
back everyone. Just a quick note here at the
top. Thank you so much to everyone who's left
us reviews, either on Apple Podcasts, in Spotify,
like commenting on the episodes, or on our website,
www .coldandmissing. We've seen so many come
in this past few weeks, and it's been so helpful.
So thank you so much for giving us those five
stars. It helps others find these cases, and
many times we're one of the few podcasts covering
the cases here. So thank you again for doing
that. on behalf of all the cold and missing cases
we do. Yeah, I will say while I don't go and
read the comments and reviews, Ali does send
some of the positive ones my way, especially
when I'm at work or we've spent a few days apart
because of work. And it's always such a joy to
hear that the podcast is doing what we want it
to do and that you all see that as well and that
you're using your own platforms as amplification
for these cases. So thank you so much again.
So if you have time today, leaving us a review
can really help get these cases out there, but
we will leave that alone for now and we will
just get right into this week's case. That's
right. We are in a missing person case this week
and this is episode 145. Let's get into it. Let's
do it. So just as a bit of a content warning
at the top, this case does involve a young person
and there are some brief mentions of sexual assault.
Today, We are talking about the missing person
case of Danyel Sparpana, and this takes place
in West Sacramento, California in November of
1985. But first, a little bit about Danyel.
Danyel is three years old in 1985. She's living
in West Sacramento, California with her mother,
Cynthia. They have a cozy and clean home on the
1900 block of Manzanita Way. a quiet neighborhood
where everyone knew everybody else. Danyel
was born on June 23rd of 1982, so she was just
three years old before she disappeared. Danyel
was small, about three foot tall and weighing
around 40 pounds. She had curly blonde hair,
a dimple on her chin, and a birthmark on her
left knee. Her ears were pierced and she still
sucked her thumb at this time. But what people
remember most is how bright she was. Neighbors
said Danyel could carry on a full conversation
with anyone who stopped by. If you passed their
home, she might tell you about her swing or a
new toy she was proud of, or she might ask you
where you'd been and where you were going next.
Even at three years old, she was described as
curious, articulate, and full of life. Her mother
is 27 -year -old Cynthia Sparpana. She was a
stay -at -home mom. She was receiving social
security due to back problems, but she was known
in her neighborhood for keeping a tidy, cheerful
home. Inside of their house were signs of love
and care. Cynthia had supplies laid out to make
their own Christmas ornaments for the upcoming
holiday season. And now, a timeline of events.
Thursday, October 31st, 1985. That year, Halloween
fell on a Thursday. It was also Cynthia's birthday,
and she decided to celebrate with friends and
neighbors a combined Halloween and birthday party
at her home. People remembered laughter and music.
For many of them, that evening would be the last
time they ever saw Cynthia alive. The following
night, so this is Friday, November 1st, Cynthia
spoke on the phone with her friend Sylvia around
9 p .m. The two chatted casually until Cynthia
said she needed to go, but she promised to call
Sylvia back later that night. However, Cynthia
never calls. The next day, Saturday, November
2nd, Sylvia tried calling on Saturday morning
and then later again that evening, but Cynthia
still didn't answer any of the calls. She tried
several more times throughout the weekend, but
the phone just rang and rang. Tim, reported seeing
little Danyel playing in the front yard. He
told police he had, quote, no doubt that it was
her. Quote, she was playing with a ball and I
waved at her. There's no doubt in my mind it
was her. However, during this period, no one
is able to get a hold of Cynthia. Her friends
are calling, her family is calling, and still
the calls go unanswered. Again on Monday, November
4th, Another neighbor reported seeing Danyel.
Neighbor Marie, who lived about 10 houses away,
said, Danyel was standing in front of her house
when I drove by about 3 p .m. on Monday. I believe
it was her. So even though Cynthia wasn't answering
her phone, several neighbors were certain they
saw Danyel outside and alive over the weekend
and into that Monday afternoon. On Tuesday, November
5th, Cynthia's father, Dennis Winger, Hadn't
heard from his daughter in several days. Concerned,
he went to her house to check on her and his
granddaughter. When he arrived, he saw that the
front door was open. He called out for Cynthia
and Danyel, but there was no answer. Dennis
walked through each of the rooms calling for
Cynthia and Danyel. The home was still clean.
Nothing was really out of place. However, when
Dennis enters the back bedroom, his daughter's
bedroom, he finds Cynthia Sparpana. laying face
up in her bed, covered with a comforter. The
bed was soaked with blood. She had been dead
for at least two days. Dennis called police immediately.
When investigators arrived, they confirmed that
Cynthia had been deceased for some time, likely
since the weekend. Because of her decomposition,
they couldn't determine the cause of death at
the scene. But one thing was immediately clear.
Danyel was missing. Police began canvassing
the neighborhood and talking with residents.
That's when they hear the stories of Danyel
being seen outside of her house, the one from
Marie and Tim. Others said that the last time
they had seen little Danyel was on Halloween
night when she was trick -or -treating. As search
efforts ramped up, one possibility emerged. Based
on what neighbors reported, police believe that
it could be possible that Danyel could have
been alive in the home for two, maybe even three
days after her mother's death. A sheriff's spokesperson
says, quote, It's bizarre, but the possibility
exists that the little girl lived in the house
while her mother was dead. She was a bright little
girl, able to feed herself. You can speculate
a million ways. Maybe she went into shock and
didn't realize her mother was dead. Or maybe
she got tired of waiting and walked away. Police
were hopeful due to these sightings of Danyel.
If neighbors had really seen her on Sunday and
Monday, there was a chance she was still alive.
They searched the home for fingerprints looking
for any sign of who might have been there. And
then they began an intensive ground search for
Danyel. Scent dogs are brought in and helicopters
are launched. The search continues throughout
that night, ending around 1 a .m. on Wednesday.
During their canvassing, they talk to more neighbors.
Another neighbor reported hearing strange noises
in the days before Cynthia's body was found.
They heard barking dogs, gunshots, and the sound
of a diesel truck idling outside of Cynthia's
home. One woman said she saw a white man resembling
Cynthia's ex -husband taking Danyel out of
the home on Friday night. Cynthia's ex -husband,
Ted, was a truck driver, and he also had a twin
brother. But when police tracked down her ex
-husband in Michigan, they ruled him out as a
suspect. Police say that he had been staying
with his parents at the time of Cynthia's death
and his parents confirmed his alibi. Cynthia's
body is also sent for autopsy. The autopsy revealed
that Cynthia had been beaten with a blunt object,
strangled, and shot in the back of the head with
a small caliber weapon. Investigators estimated
she'd been dead for two to three days before
she was found. During the search of the home,
police discovered that Cynthia's .22 caliber
gun, which she had recently purchased for protection,
was missing. Cynthia had been sexually assaulted
in the past, and she bought a gun for protection
in her home. In the days after Danyel was discovered
missing, November 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and on,
Police searched through gullies, the entire neighborhood,
and open land. Volunteers also joined in the
search effort, but no trace of Danyel was found
during that time. Police also discovered that
her light blue nylon coat with white fur trim
was missing from the home, along with the mother's
gun. By late November, weeks after Danyel’s
disappearance, police begin to question whether
neighbors might have been mistaken about seeing
Danyel after the murder. But officially, they
continued to treat her as a missing child, hopeful
she might still be alive. In December of 1985,
a man named Lionel Ernest Tholmer emerged as
a possible person of interest. Police believe
that Tholmer and Cynthia were acquaintances,
but stressed that Tholmer was, quote, just another
person we want to talk to. On December 12th,
tholmer was arrested in connection to another
murder. the killing of his ex -father -in -law,
John Meadows. The Meadows murder happened two
days after Cynthia's body was found. While in
custody, Thulmer initially refused to speak with
investigators about Cynthia and Danyel, but
just a week later, he allegedly confessed to
a detective. He told detectives that John Meadows
had been a child molester and that he had killed
Cynthia and kidnapped Danyel. He claimed to
have traded the little girl to meth dealers.
Police said that Thalmar later recanted this
confession, claiming that he had been coerced.
When questioned again, Thalmar said Meadows had
lured him to a remote area to kill him, and then
he shot Meadows in self -defense. After these
initial interviews with police, Thalmar kind
of falls out of media in regards to Cynthia and
Danyel’s case, but he will come back around
again, so I needed to mention him here. Police
continued to search all over for Danyel, but
found no trace of her. Over time, reports and
timelines shifted in the media. Some newspapers
began listing Danyel’s disappearance date as
November 2nd, putting her disappearance when
her mother was murdered, while others still listed
as November 5th, the day that her mother was
discovered. In 1986, so this is about a year
after the murders, Danyel’s photo appears in
national missing children campaigns, even on
milk cartons. The FBI also joined in the search,
and there were reported sightings of Danyel
across the country, but none of these ended up
panning out. Months began to turn into years.
In 1988, investigators determined that Cynthia's
killer had been left -handed, based on blood
wound patterns at the crime scene. But this is
really the only new clue they have in the case.
Then in November of 1989, so this is four years
after the murder and when Danyel went missing,
rumors surfaced that prosecutors were preparing
to charge Lionel Tholmer with the murder of Cynthia
Sparpana and the kidnapping and murder of Danyel.
Eventually, THolmer is charged with both of their
murders, and three years later, in 1992, he was
convicted by a jury on both counts and sentenced
to death. But there were some serious issues
with the case. There was no physical evidence
linking Tholmer to Cynthia's murder or Danyel’s
disappearance. Fingerprints and hair found near
her body did not match Tholmer. Witnesses placed
Tholmer elsewhere. And Tholmer is right -handed,
and it was determined that the killer was left
-handed. Still, the jury convicted him, and he
was sentenced to death. Judge James Stevens overturned
the death penalty, telling the court that there
were lingering doubts about the evidence. He
noted that there was no clear motive and no testimony
placing Tholmer at the scene. Kind of adding
to this uncertainty was Lieutenant John Kane.
He was a Sacramento police lieutenant who had
inserted himself into both Cynthia and John Meadows'
case despite not being officially assigned to
either. Reports written by Kane were later found
to contain inconsistencies and even fabrications.
He had been demoted in December 1985 for manufacturing
evidence and writing false reports, the same
month he claimed to have obtained Tholmer’s confession
in John Meadows' murder. Despite those known
credibility issues, Kane's testimony was central
to Tholmer’s conviction. As of today, 2025, Lionel
Tholmer remains in prison and continues to maintain
his innocence in Cynthia and Danyel’s case.
He has long maintained that he was pressured
into confessing by Lieutenant Kane and other
officers. And through all of this, every appeal,
every year that has passed, little Danyel Sparpana
has never been found. And that is the real tragedy
in all of this case, and that is truly all we
know about her disappearance. So if you know
anything about the disappearance of Danyel
Sparpana in November of 1985 or her whereabouts
today, please call the West Sacramento Police
Department at 916 -375 -6474. So that is the
missing person case of Daneyl Sparpana. Before
we get into it, I just wanted to comment that
this case was kind of... Different from ones
that we have covered prior because essentially
here we have a murder and we have a suspect who
is serving time for that murder. But with him
continuing to say that he is innocent and with
all of the details that came out at the end of
this timeline, I'm curious as to why you've covered
this. Yeah, typically, you know. This is always
unsolved crime. That's a big part of our mission.
But with this case, with Danyel’s case specifically,
we have never found her. We have never found
a trace of her. So I do think that having answers
with what happened to Danyel is really important
because truly we've never really gotten them.
And while I am not, you know, my passion is for...
cold cases and missing people. It's not in wrongful
convictions. There's a lot of experts out there
doing amazing work in this field. So I am by
no means an expert. But a lot of things just
seemed fishy to me around Tholmer’s confession
and the fact that we just still do not really
have any answers in what happened to Danyel.
And what happened to her mother. I just thought
that this would be an important case to bring
to cold and missing and at least get people talking
about Danyel and looking for her because she
is still missing. Even though there is a conviction
for her murder, we do not know what happened
to her. So she should she should come home. I
couldn't agree more. And I'm so glad that you
brought this case to cold and missing. The mother
and daughter duo sounded like two peas in a pod.
Like a small team of a family brimming with love
and life and it's shocking to me that I didn't
know this story. Cynthia sounded like a devoted
and loving mother and Danyel sounded like just
a warm little star that was just beginning to
glimmer to life. Completely. The mother and daughter
duo in this, like their bond did seem so strong.
And Cynthia seems like such an incredible mother.
And Danyel seems like an incredible, intelligent
child. That was one thing commented over and
over again is how intelligent she seems. So yeah,
the fact that these two were snatched from us
is really unfair. Before we get into the timeline,
I wanted to ask some questions about the eve
of the timeline. Do you think that there was
someone possibly watching Cynthia and Danyel
on the night of October 31st during Danyel’s
birthday party? Judging by the way that she was
murdered, it seemed personal and brutal to me.
Someone that we just that we just don't know.
Yeah. So this was actually Cynthia's birthday,
not Danyel’s. And I do think that, you know,
a stalker is a possibility. I would be curious
if police investigated that went down that road
or if there was any evidence of that, because
like an open house party is kind of. I don't
want to say easy time to do it, but, you know,
the lights are on. People are coming and going,
having a good time, not paying attention, loud
noises, loud people. So it'd be easy to just
kind of watch the coming and goings. But we do
know that Cynthia is on the phone at least the
next day to her friend Sylvia in the evening
hours. So if they were watching on Halloween
night, they didn't make a move that evening.
So as we move into the following days after Cynthia
is no longer picking up the phone, what do you
make of the sightings of Danyel? Because it
sounds like to me the neighbors were very sure
of seeing her. And this wasn't the time of, you
know, you didn't have a cell phone where you
could text like, oh, where they could confirm
that they had seen her to someone else. But I'm
curious to you as I'm wondering if you. thought
that those sightings were legitimate because
i really did yeah you know the people seem so
sure that they saw Danyel both of them spoke
in several newspapers about how they were sure
they saw the little girl outside playing um that
they waved to her you know they interacted they
waved to her so it's i would i would love to
know the true answer to this Because I see it
on both ends. I see it on one. It's like you
rack your brain and you're like, when did I last
see this little girl that's missing so I could
be helpful to the police? And maybe you pull
a memory that happened that week, but it just
happened maybe a little bit later than what they
remembered. Or maybe they remember seeing her
trick -or -treating, you know. It's really both
ways, but it is very curious that two different
people were very sure that they saw her on two
different days. I think that is of note and is
kind of harder to explain away as maybe not real.
Yeah, I think, and this isn't a great way to
say it, but it's a double -edged sword situation.
If Danyel was there, that means she was there
while her mother... was dead. And if she wasn't
actually there, it means she was disappeared
and or kidnapped. So either way, it does not
look good. And I do have to say that Dennis,
Cynthia's father, searching the home and finding
his own daughter in this state is horrifying
and heartbreaking. And again, the thought that
maybe Danyel was in there with her mother is
it's just unimaginable and I think that's why
I'm trying to edit out that she was seen because
I think personally it makes me very uncomfortable
to think about that reality yeah it's it's devastating
to think about Danyel especially because she
was so smart you think she'd have like some awareness
of what was happening even if it was a limited
She would understand it was bad. It's heartbreaking
to think about her feeding herself and taking
care of herself while her mother is in a back
room dead. However, that does make me wonder,
since Danyel was so articulate and, you know,
outgoing, talkative, I wonder if she had seen
somebody, you know, I know one neighbor was in
a car, so maybe she wouldn't have talked to her,
but like if she had seen a neighbor. Would she
have mentioned something like, oh, my mom's been
laying down for days, or, you know, there's a
lot of blood, or would she have mentioned something?
I do wonder about that, if she had an opportunity
to. But yeah, I mean, I can't imagine Cynthia's
father's, the way he felt, the panic of finding
his own daughter, and then the sheer panic of
where's the granddaughter? You know, I would
assume you think you're going to find another
horrifying discovery, and then she's just not
there, and that brings on its own. Horrifying
discovery. So I really feel for the family in
this case, a massive loss in this family immediately.
I do want to circle back to some of the smaller
details of what neighbors and canvassing brought
about, which is. During the days or maybe on
the eve of after finding Cynthia, there were
gunshots heard. There was the idling truck. There
was the possibility of seeing Ted, who also has
a twin brother. There's so many questions around
those little details, and I just wanted to discuss
them with you. Yeah, I would be really curious
about the neighbor who says that she saw, you
know, the ex -husband taking Danyel one evening.
I think it was the Friday evening. So this would
have been like the night that Cynthia was talking
on the phone, but then she never called her friend
back. That was that Friday night. So that is
also the night someone claims they saw the ex
-husband taking Danyel out. I would be curious
to know, like, if that neighbor had lived there
a long time and, like, how long had Cynthia and
Danyel lived there? Like, would she have been
very familiar with what the ex -husband looked
like? You know, would she have recognized him
right away? That's just something I would be
curious to know about that witness. But, you
know, we know her ex -husband is ruled out. Police
rule him out. I assume that they had to have
ruled out the twin brother as well. Since you
see somebody who looks like him, you have to
look at the other person who looks like him.
However, no reports about, you know, if they
ruled him out, how they ruled him out or anything
like that on the twin brother. So that's a question
I have, but I have to assume that was done. It
just feels so obvious if it wasn't. The other
question that I have and. While it was only briefly
mentioned, Cynthia was someone who in her recent
past had experienced sexual assault. Now, I'm
curious to know who that man was, who that man
is, if anyone in her life knew who he was, if
she even knew who he was. Because to me, it just
came up as a red flag to me. While I know you
might not be able to directly answer, I wondered
if you also thought something about this person
as if maybe he was a possibility. Yeah. You know,
Cynthia being sexually assaulted, it did seem
to scare her. And, you know, she told friends
that she was scared of this man. But I don't
know who he is. It's not reported on. And I don't
know if Cynthia knew him or it was just, you
know, him. In general, that she was scared of.
But I don't have answers there. But it is something
that I wonder how far police got down that road.
And were they able to rule it out? When, where,
why? And if not, that is definitely an avenue
that if I was investigating, I would have gone
down because she was scared. She was scared enough
to buy a gun. So I think that's pretty telling.
Yeah, I mean. Of course she was scared, and the
purchase of a firearm to protect oneself after
experiencing something like that is completely
understandable to me. And the description of
her gun, a .22 caliber, is a relatively small
handgun, but it also matches the caliber bullet
wound that she had. Not identically, but it did
say that it was... made from a small caliber
weapon so I'm wondering if that gun was present
and was used on her. I think that is the working
theory that her own gun was used in her murder
due to the small caliber but since they have
not been able to find the murder weapon that
has not been 100 % confirmed but I think that
is the working theory. I am grateful to know
that law enforcement continued to treat Danyel’s
case with the utmost respect and continued to
treat her as a missing child because she was,
she is. And a lot of the times, especially in
cases we've covered, law enforcement has dropped
the ball. And I don't think that that was the
case here. Again, I'm very grateful to hear that
they continued to search for her because more
answers did come. Which brings us to Thulmer.
I think that Thulmer's confession sounded like
he was scrambling for something, scrambling to
make something up. It sounded like coercion to
me. Lieutenant John Kane, the lieutenant that
inserted himself into this case, sounded like
an officer who did not do his job well, and he
sounded like a liar to me. So I think it's very
possible that this confession is made up and
that the wrong person is serving time for this
crime. I think that's really what's so scary
about this case is that, you know, in a murder
trial, It's beyond a reasonable doubt, especially
in a death sentence case. It should be beyond
a reasonable doubt. And again, I am no legal
expert. I am not an expert on false confessions
or false convictions. But I think it speaks volumes
that a judge in this case overturned the death
penalty. commuted it to life in prison without
the possibility of parole he was already serving
life in prison for the murder of john meadows
but he has maintained his innocence with cynthia
and Danyel’s case and ultimately we just like
still don't have answers around what happened
to Danyel throughout the entire court case
there were no answers about what happened to
her where her body is um nothing so i think getting
answers with what happened to Danyel is a The
utmost importance. I've said it before on this
podcast, but I'll say it again, that there is
no excuse to not know what happened to a child.
I think those are the most important cases that
should be worked by police. Missing children
should always have an answer. I think it's a
shame that we don't have answers in Danyel’s
case. Yeah, again, I think it. is worth mentioning
that it's really important that you brought this
case to us because it did involve a murder, Danyel’s
mother's murder. This case can become very gray
because there's so much information. There is
a full murder and a confession that can... That
can allow this case to go in multiple directions.
And again, like you said, it needs to keep being
brought back to Danyel. What happened to Danyel?
Where is she? If someone took her, who did it?
And where are they? There are so many questions
in this case that need to be answered. And I
believe that it is absolutely possible that those
questions can be answered here. I agree. I think
if we go back, you know, we don't. just have
blinders on and, you know, try to find all the
evidence that leads to Tholmer , if we just go
back and really comb through this, yes, maybe
it does lead back to Tholmer and he's been lying
this whole time, right? Like, then at least we
know beyond a reasonable doubt. So that's what
I need, beyond a reasonable doubt. And I don't
have it. And we don't know where Danyel is.
She is not resting in her final resting spot.
So that is ultimately why this came to cold and
missing, like I mentioned before. We need answers
in Danyel’s case. So if you know anything about
the disappearance of Danyel Sparpana in November
of 1985 or her whereabouts today, please call
the West Sacramento Police Department at 916
-375 -6474. We will have pictures of Danyel
on our Instagram again. With this case, we are
focusing on Danyel, so we'll have a picture
of Danyel and we'll also have an age progression
to what she might look like in her late 20s,
but she would be in her 40s today. So please
keep that in mind. Please share it. Let's get
Danyel’s face out there. Let's get her case
out there. Let's get some energy behind it and
try to get some answers on where she is because
we don't know and we should know. So where is
Danyel? Let's find out. You or someone you
love is hard of hearing. We do have transcripts
of all of our episodes on www .coldandmissing
.com. You can find them all there. Those are
the correct spellings for everything. You'll
notice Danyel’s name is spelled differently
than the typical way you spell Danyel. So if
you want to get that kind of spelling and correctness,
then go over to the official transcripts as the
automatic ones in most podcasts. Most podcast
players I do not have control over. And finally,
like we mentioned at the top, if you could rate
and review us, that would be amazing. It gets
this case out there. It gets these other cases
out there. It gives people some confidence in
us and lets them give us a chance. So thank you
if you've already done it. Thank you if you're
going to do it. And thank you if you're thinking
about it, because maybe one day you will. But
that's all I have for you today. Thank you so
much for listening to Cold and Missing. I'm your
host, Ali . And I'm your co -host, Eli. Have
a good week and stay safe, y 'all. Stay safe,
y 'all.