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Cindy Fine was born Cynthia Judith Campbell on June 6, 1964, the older daughter of Michael and Natasha Campbell. Originally from Baton Rouge, Michael attended Ole Miss and met Natasha while a student; the two settled down in Oxford after he graduated. Natasha gave up her job at Square Books to enjoy being the prototypical housewife and care for Cindy and her sister, Robyn, born in 1969; Michael worked as a music teacher in the local elementary schools. Michael supplemented his income by teaching private piano lessons, and also played the organ for several local churches. From an early age, Cindy loved accompanying her father on his Sunday rounds and hearing the uplifting songs of the church choirs; when she was old enough, she began reading music, and soon joined the ranks of the children's chorus.
In fact, the entire family participated actively in church life. Natasha was perhaps more devout than her husband, but Michael participated with such gusto in rejoicing at sing-a-longs and pageants that he inspired Cindy and Robyn more than their mother's prim style. Both girls embraced Christianity wholeheartedly, and their social world revolved around church activities, camps and Sunday school friendships.
As the girls entered adolescence, they remained active in church life. Cindy continued volunteering and leading youth retreats throughout her teenage years; at high school, in addition to the choir, she participated in the student fellowship group. Robyn, as the younger child, had more of a rebellious streak; although she continued to attend church every Sunday, she engaged in more typical teenage preoccupations and was more academically ambitious than Cindy, who was considered by her teachers to be a willing, if not especially gifted, student.
The sisters' diverging paths put a strain on their friendship, with Cindy imploring Robyn to avoid unwholesome situations and Robyn dismissing her older sister's preaching. Cindy was hurt by the distance growing between them, and reacted by throwing herself further into church life. Whereas Robyn dated several boys seriously before she graduated, Cindy kept her romances chaste and distanced; she reserved her passion for God.
Cindy graduated from high school in 1982 without much of a plan for the future; from all her years as a camp counselor she'd developed a knack for working with children, but lacked the academic skills to be a teacher like her father. She began working full-time at Oxford Fabric Center, where she could exercise her expertise with a needle and thread; she also sidelined as a seamstress, for which she gained a reputation for quick, accurate, and versatile work.
With Robyn still in high school and enjoying her own social set, Cindy was lonely; when Carl Fine asked her out, she took a more serious interest in him than in any of her high school dates. A quiet and intense young man five years her elder, Carl had been in the church chorus with Cindy, but had felt it inappropriate to ask her out before she graduated from high school. Now she was grateful for his company; with his non-threatening demeanor, Cindy never had to worry that Carl would try to take advantage of her.
Still, Cindy was intrigued by Carl's younger brother, Andy, if only because his character seemed to be exactly Carl's opposite -- he'd been an athlete in high school, was a rambunctious practical joker, and had gotten into a fair share of fights before leaving for a tour of duty in the Navy. Since he'd been back, Andy had settled down just enough to hold down a job and come to church every week, but still had a zest for life Carl seemed to lack.
When Andy began flirting with her, Cindy felt flattered; vowing that she could help set Andy on a more responsible path, she broke up with Carl and began dating the younger brother. Feeling genuinely in love for the first time, Cindy threw caution to the winds and accepted Andy's marriage proposal in 1984, at the age of 20 and a scant six months after they began dating; after the wedding, she moved out of her parents' house and into his apartment.
Married life proved difficult for Cindy; even with Andy's job as a mechanic and her sewing work, there wasn't much money. Moreover, Andy didn't settle down as Cindy hoped, preferring a happy-go-lucky lifestyle rather than devoting himself to work and God.
Cindy's life was considerably brightened by her renewed friendship with Robyn. Cindy's sister had attended Northwest Community College to pursue a general nursing certification and was now working at a medical office in Oxford; with studies behind her, Robyn had more time for her Cindy, and the two sisters again became inseparable. Robyn had met Bill Dykman at college, and when they married in 1990, Cindy was ecstatic to be the matron of honor.
On Monday, July 7, 2003, Cindy reported her husband missing to the Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department when he failed to come home for several days following an evening out on July 3. He had never stayed away so long before and Cindy was worried something had happened to him.
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