If you loved
Cries in the Desert
John Glatt · Book · 2007
What hooked you in Cries in the Desert was the terrifying reality of ordinary people hiding monsters behind the facade of domestic life.
Films on the same thread
An American Crime
Tommy O'Haver · Film · 2007
Explores: Child Abuse, Group Psychology, Mob Mentality.
Like the perpetrators in Cries in the Desert, the protagonist of An American Crime demonstrates how seemingly normal settings can hide extreme abuse and psychological manipulation behind closed doors.
The Poughkeepsie Tapes
John Erick Dowdle · Film · 2007
Shares a thread with Cries in the Desert: Torture.
If the harrowing depravity detailed in Cries in the Desert left you shaken, the disturbing focus on systematic torture and criminal obsession in this film will feel hauntingly familiar.
Series on the same thread
Don't F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer
Mark Lewis · Series · 2019
Explores: Internet Sleuthing, Animal Cruelty, Manhunt.
The relentless investigative drive seen in Cries in the Desert is mirrored here, as amateur sleuths expose a dark criminal underworld that operates beneath the surface of everyday life.
Wild Wild Country
Series · 2018
Explores: Cults, Religious Extremism, Utopian Communities.
This documentary explores the cult-like behavior and isolationist dynamics found in Cries in the Desert, showing how small communities can become breeding grounds for dangerous, unchecked power.
Unbelievable
Susannah Grant · Series · 2019
Shares a thread with Cries in the Desert: True Crime.
The systemic failure and victim trauma you read about in Cries in the Desert are central here, following the intense struggle for justice against a backdrop of institutional disbelief.
The Act
Nick Antosca · Series · 2019
Explores: Munchausen by proxy, Parental abuse, Escaping control.
Similar to the psychological imprisonment depicted in Cries in the Desert, this story examines the suffocating control and manipulation present within a deeply toxic and abusive domestic relationship.
Podcasts on the same thread
Dirty John
LA Times Studios · Podcast · 2026
This podcast explores the same themes of deception and coercive control that defined the criminal dynamic in Cries in the Desert, focusing on the harrowing reality of survival.
Criminal
Vox Media Podcast Network · Podcast · 2026
Explores: moral ambiguity, social justice, human behavior.
Much like the unsettling human behavior examined in Cries in the Desert, this podcast investigates the complex, often dark motivations of those who exist on the fringes of society.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Cries in the Desert based on a true story?
Yes, Cries in the Desert by John Glatt is a true crime account. It documents the 1999 discovery of a tortured woman in New Mexico and the subsequent investigation into her captors, David Ray Parker and Cindy Hendy, who were responsible for the crimes detailed in the book.
What time period does Cries in the Desert cover?
Cries in the Desert primarily focuses on events beginning in the fall of 1999. The narrative follows the discovery of a young woman in a small town south of Albuquerque and the following criminal investigation into David Ray Parker and Cindy Hendy for their actions.
Who are the primary subjects featured in Cries in the Desert?
Cries in the Desert centers on the investigation of 59-year-old David Ray Parker and his 39-year-old fiancée, Cindy Hendy. The book details how a twenty-two-year-old victim escaped their custody and led authorities to the couple following her ordeal of being held, beaten, and tortured.
Should I know the location where Cries in the Desert takes place?
Cries in the Desert is set in New Mexico. The story begins in a small town south of Albuquerque, where a victim was found chained and injured in 1999. The investigation into David Ray Parker and Cindy Hendy subsequently unfolds across the region described in the book.