On the last day of 1978, a night of heavy drinking among three individuals culminated in the tragic death of 20-year-old Cindy Carlton Stewart. Originally from Columbus, Georgia, the young female's life was cut short in Pasco County, Florida. It was determined that on December 31, 1978, Stewart was with Robert M. Hardagree and another man named Eddie Ray Harvard. The evening took a dark turn when Hardagree drove Stewart to a swampy, remote area and murdered her. Her body was later discovered by a hunter on January 15, 1979, in an area known as a lovers' lane. For a period, she was unidentified and referred to as the "Tattooed Lady." Police estimated she had been killed approximately ten days before her discovery.
The investigation into Stewart's death unfolded as part of a larger, more complex series of homicides in the Tampa Bay area, which had instilled fear in the community. A special unit of fifteen law enforcement officers from three counties was formed in October 1977 to investigate the string of murders, which included victims who were often sex workers or lived transient lifestyles. While numerous theories were considered, including the work of a single serial killer nicknamed the "Gulf Killer" or feuds among pimps, the cases remained a puzzle. Several suspects were considered for the various murders, and another man, Gerald Stano, even confessed to some of the killings, though his confessions were later questioned.
Ultimately, the investigation into Cindy Carlton Stewart's murder led to a breakthrough. On April 2, 1980, 23-year-old Robert M. Hardagree was arrested and charged with her murder. The details that emerged painted a grim picture of her final hours. After a night of excessive drinking with Hardagree and Harvard, she was taken to a swamp and killed. Hardagree stood trial for the crime and was found guilty. On October 15, 1980, he was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Cindy Carlton Stewart. While his conviction brought a resolution to her specific case, it was just one piece of a much larger and more terrifying series of events that haunted the Florida Gulf Coast during that time. The arrest and sentencing of Hardagree provided a definitive answer to who was responsible for Stewart's death, though the broader mystery of the other unsolved murders in the area continued to linger.
