She Was an NFL Cheerleader and a Rising Star – Then She Vanished Just as Her Acting Career Was Taking Off

She was young, beautiful, and chasing stardom in Los Angeles. But before she could make it big, Linda Sobek vanished, leaving behind a trail of heartbreak, unanswered questions, and a case that shocked the nation.

Linda Sobek was a former NFL cheerleader and a rising star when she suddenly vanished. Her death came as a shock to many, occurring just as her modeling and acting career was beginning to take off.

Her father, Bob, was a retired Los Angeles aerospace engineer, while her mother, Elaine, was a homemaker. They saw their daughter’s achievements as extraordinary — especially considering she hadn't always been the graceful young woman who would later appear on national TV.

"She would do pirouettes across the room, and it was so funny," Elaine recalled. "She was so klutzy, and I was pretty near trying to keep from laughing."

After graduating from high school and Cerritos Community College, Sobek set her sights on a modeling career. Although she moved out several times, she always returned home, often homesick after just a few weeks or months. She remained especially close to her family, especially her brother, Steve.

The 5'4" blonde followed a well-trodden path to stardom — cheerleading for the NFL's Los Angeles Raiders. She beat out 1,000 other applicants to win one of just 40 coveted spots on the squad.

She quickly became one of the most popular members, serving from 1988 to 1993. Even after leaving the team, she stayed in close contact with many of her fellow cheerleaders.

In addition to cheering, Sobek worked as a model. She specialized in calendars, swimwear shoots, beer ads, car magazines, and commercial catalogues.

"Linda was making it really big, staying really busy," said Los Angeles calendar producer Roy Morales.

Her hard work paid off when she landed a small role on "Married... with Children." While her looks helped, it was her professionalism that made her stand out.

The Morning She Disappeared

On the morning of November 16, 1995, Sobek was living in a beachside cottage in Hermosa Beach with three roommates. That day, she spoke to her mother on the phone, saying she was running late for a photo shoot and would call later that evening to talk about weekend barbecue plans. She never called back.

Elaine grew concerned and reached out to Brooke Morales, a former Raiders cheerleader and one of Sobek's closest friends.

Morales instantly knew something was wrong. Sobek would never make her mother worry like that – she'd always been dependable and never skipped out on appointments.

She soon discovered that Sobek had missed three appointments that day, including a costume fitting for "Married... with Children."

Knowing this, Morales contacted the police, but neither she nor Sobek's other friends could say where she'd had gone that morning. So, by Saturday, they opted to reach out to newspaper outlets and news agencies in hopes of finding Sobek alive.

Thanks to those media alerts, a breakthrough came — from a random trash can.

A road crew worker in the Angeles National Forest discovered photos of Sobek, a datebook, and a receipt for a Lexus 450 loan dumped by the highway.

At first, he kept the photos and thought little of them. But on Sunday, after seeing a news report about Sobek's disappearance, he called police. The Lexus receipt was signed by a Charles Rathbun.

Police soon tracked Rathbun to his Hollywood home. When they arrived, he was drunk, holding a pistol, and threatening to kill himself. Moments earlier, he had slightly wounded a female companion.

Rathbun was taken into custody and confessed to killing Sobek. However, he claimed it was an accident.

The Confession, the Grave, and the Investigation

He told police the two had been headed north of Los Angeles for a photo shoot involving a new Lexus SUV. According to him, Sobek was standing outside while he demonstrated "doughnuts," a high-speed 360-degree maneuver. He claimed he accidentally struck and killed her with the vehicle.

Fearing a murder charge, he drove to the Angeles National Forest and buried Sobek in a shallow grave, less than two feet deep. He dug the grave with his bare hands and makeshift tools he found nearby.

Within hours of his arrest, Rathbun led police to the site. Sobek's body was exhumed. She was found fully clothed, with one arm jutting through the pebbled surface.

According to forensic reports, she displayed no obvious signs of blunt‑force trauma typical of a car collision. Rathbun, meanwhile, continued to act distraught.

Friends of the family confirmed Sobek's identity through a photo taken at the scene. Her parents never looked at the picture, on the advice of close friends.

Despite everything, the Sobek family clung to hope that Linda had not suffered — and that Rathbun's story of an accident might somehow be true.

While in custody, Rathbun attempted suicide by cutting his wrists with a disposable razor. Authorities said the wounds were superficial.

As investigations continued, X-rays showed that Sobek no broken bones or signs of major impact injuries. However, they started to look at another angle of the investigation after they learned about Rathbun's past.

In 1979, Rathbun had been charged with rape in Worthington, Ohio. During that case, he reportedly told the victim: "He was sick, but no one would believe him." He was acquitted after claiming the act was consensual.

During his murder trial, Rathbun changed his story again. This time, he claimed he had asphyxiated Sobek accidentally during an argument in the back of the Lexus.

He testified that the two had been drinking tequila and engaged in consensual sex. He submitted photographs of a woman's torso, claiming it was Sobek, to support his version of events.

The Trial and Conviction

Rathbun went on trial in 1996. Over five weeks of testimony, prosecutors laid out a case built on forensic evidence, witness statements, and inconsistencies in Rathbun's versions.

Prosecutors said Rathbun's story didn't match the facts. He lied, buried the body, and showed clear signs of guilt.

Nearly a year after leading authorities to her grave, Rathbun was officially charged with sexually assaulting and strangling Linda Sobek.

A senior deputy coroner confirmed that her injuries were consistent with strangulation, not accidental asphyxiation.

Rathbun was convicted of first-degree murder and sodomy. On December 16, 1996, a judge imposed the life sentence without possibility of parole.

Jurors said afterward that while they believed Rathbun's actions were "monstrous," they could not conclusively say he intended to kill her from the outset.

"Somewhere along the line, something snapped," added one juror from Redondo Beach.

After the verdict, a tearful Elaine Sobek thanked the jury for bringing justice to her daughter's tragic death. She wore a gold heart pendant holding a photo of her daughter.

"Now he is going to pay for what he did to our beautiful daughter," she said, as she, Bob, and Steve embraced prosecutors. "I hope Rathbun gets his due and he suffers," added Bob.

Linda Elaine Sobek was just 27 years old. She is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California.

Even with the conviction, Linda Sobek’s death remains haunting for her family, her fans, and those who follow cold cases to this day.