Mysteries1974
Martha Jean Lambert - Missing since 1985
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This is a case I have been unable to find an exact answer on. The story involves a missing infant who was last seen in her stroller on the beach in Vero Beach, Florida in 1980. Her name was Tori Jean Grant and she has not been seen since. I will detail her full story below:
On October 26th 1980, 18 year old Monique Marie Grant and 23 year old John Ward of Winter Haven, Florida went to visit Vero Beach that afternoon. They took their nine month old daughter, Tori Grant with them on the trip. The family was also accompanied by Monique’s mother, Bonnie Mathis who was 36 years old.
Sketch of Tori Jean Grant (Taken from the Press Journal 10/30/1980 newspapers.com)
The family was at the beach behind the Chesapeake Inn, a central Florida motel located on Ocean Drive. The three adults intended to simply visit the beach, swim, and walk along the shore. Tori was strapped in her stroller which had its back facing the ocean. Her father said they made sure the baby was strapped in secure, making it virtually impossible for her to have gotten out on her own.
(Taken from the Palm Beach Post 10/28/1980 newspapers.com)
The stroller was sitting approximately 10-15 feet away from the ocean and oncoming tide. John and Monique were swimming in the water about 50 feet away from Tori’s stroller while Bonnie was walking along the shore approximately 100 feet away from her granddaughter. At 6:15 pm, Bonnie said she heard a faint cry from a baby and turned to see that Tori’s stroller was overturned on its back and she was nowhere to be seen. The only trace of her found was a single small shoe next to the stroller.
Photo of Tori’s empty stroller (Taken from the Press Journal 10/28/1980 newspapers.com)
Bonnie initially assumed that Tori’s parents had her. However, she noted that they did not have her and they all immediately assumed something terrible had happened. The three of them searched the water before Bonnie ran into the Chesapeake Inn and screamed that her granddaughter had drowned. The clerk called police and reported Tori as missing at 6:30 pm. Police immediately rushed to the scene. They found John Ward swimming in the surf as he was searching for his daughter in the waves.
An ambulance crew stayed in the motel parking lot and helped in the search as well. Searchers combed the beach with flashlights. The dunes and water were searched but no trace of Tori was found. A United States Coast Guard Report stated that the beach had a strong southern rip current. The police escorted Tori’s parents and grandmother to the police station for questioning.
For days afterwards, police searched the shoreline and asked that anyone who visits the beaches in the area to watch out for infant clothing or a body. The local Fire Department, Florida Marine Patrol, the U.S. Coast Guard, and other volunteers also aided in the search. Marine Patrol offered an airplane that could be used to scan larger regions of the ocean for the child’s body.
Divers from the Fire Department searched the waters for her and concentrated their efforts on the area near the motel. This was because in most cases, a drowned individual will often turn up in the same area they became lost in. A lifeguard in the area also stated there was a three foot underwater ledge that often trapped objects. Investigators felt Tori’s body was either trapped on the ocean floor, floating somewhere, or had been swept out of the area completely.
On October 28th 1980, an unidentified man called police and said he believed he had found a piece of a strap that could’ve come from Tori’s clothing. He found the fabric on a beach near Riomar Golf Club. Police looked into the lead and found that the fabric was not connected to Grant’s disappearance in any way.
There was a false rumor that spread which stated Tori’s body had been found floating in an area canal but police confirmed she had not been found. Police stated although the case appeared to be an accidental drowning, they were not 100% certain that Tori was in the water. They stated it was possible that she did end up getting out of her stroller or had been picked up by someone else on the beach.
Tori’s parents and grandmother did not see her being swept into the water or drowning. Normand other witnesses reported seeing anything suspicious or unusual that day. Reports state there were at least a few other if not more people on the beach after 6:00 pm that day while the family was there. The clerk at the Chesapeake Inn confirmed that none of the adults booked any overnight stay at the motel.
Investigators did say they had ruled out any possibility that Tori’s disappearance was a hoax or staged. They debated subjecting her parents to lie detector tests but it’s unclear if this truly happened or not.
Vero Beach Police received assistance from Winter Haven authorities since Tori was from that area. They also sought help from other law enforcement agencies across the state. There was no evidence that Tori had been abducted or the victim of a crime so they did not seek assistance from any law enforcement agencies outside of Florida.
Tori was still missing over five months after her disappearance. In an article from March 1981, it states that police still had no clues or answers about Tori’s disappearance. However, they stated the investigation was still ongoing and they had sent letters regarding her case to law enforcement agencies, hospitals, and other institutions. They asked for any information about Tori or individuals who resemble her.
(Taken from the Press Journal 03/22/1981 newspapers.com)
There is no information on her after this. I was able to find ancestry records for her parents and grandmother. It appears as though Bonnie passed away at some point in 1999, almost two decades after her granddaughter’s disappearance. Her parents are still alive and officially got married in 1983, when Tori would’ve been three years old.
There are no records for Tori anywhere on ancestry such as a death certificate or record. There is also no birth record so I cannot find her exact birthdate at the moment. A search of data websites that show information on people currently living today also yield no information on Tori, only her parents and other relatives.
There are no known photographs of Tori from before she vanished. Her parents worked with investigators to create a sketch of her which was released to the public in order to help spur leads. Tori is described as a white female with strawberry blonde or red hair, blue eyes, and a light complexion. She was last seen wearing a sandy colored velour shirt with a hood, copper colored pants, white ruffled socks, and a pair of white tennis shoes.
On October 26th 1980, 18 year old Monique Marie Grant and 23 year old John Ward of Winter Haven, Florida went to visit Vero Beach that afternoon. They took their nine month old daughter, Tori Grant with them on the trip. The family was also accompanied by Monique’s mother, Bonnie Mathis who was 36 years old.
Sketch of Tori Jean Grant (Taken from the Press Journal 10/30/1980 newspapers.com)
The family was at the beach behind the Chesapeake Inn, a central Florida motel located on Ocean Drive. The three adults intended to simply visit the beach, swim, and walk along the shore. Tori was strapped in her stroller which had its back facing the ocean. Her father said they made sure the baby was strapped in secure, making it virtually impossible for her to have gotten out on her own.
(Taken from the Palm Beach Post 10/28/1980 newspapers.com)
The stroller was sitting approximately 10-15 feet away from the ocean and oncoming tide. John and Monique were swimming in the water about 50 feet away from Tori’s stroller while Bonnie was walking along the shore approximately 100 feet away from her granddaughter. At 6:15 pm, Bonnie said she heard a faint cry from a baby and turned to see that Tori’s stroller was overturned on its back and she was nowhere to be seen. The only trace of her found was a single small shoe next to the stroller.
Photo of Tori’s empty stroller (Taken from the Press Journal 10/28/1980 newspapers.com)
Bonnie initially assumed that Tori’s parents had her. However, she noted that they did not have her and they all immediately assumed something terrible had happened. The three of them searched the water before Bonnie ran into the Chesapeake Inn and screamed that her granddaughter had drowned. The clerk called police and reported Tori as missing at 6:30 pm. Police immediately rushed to the scene. They found John Ward swimming in the surf as he was searching for his daughter in the waves.
An ambulance crew stayed in the motel parking lot and helped in the search as well. Searchers combed the beach with flashlights. The dunes and water were searched but no trace of Tori was found. A United States Coast Guard Report stated that the beach had a strong southern rip current. The police escorted Tori’s parents and grandmother to the police station for questioning.
For days afterwards, police searched the shoreline and asked that anyone who visits the beaches in the area to watch out for infant clothing or a body. The local Fire Department, Florida Marine Patrol, the U.S. Coast Guard, and other volunteers also aided in the search. Marine Patrol offered an airplane that could be used to scan larger regions of the ocean for the child’s body.
Divers from the Fire Department searched the waters for her and concentrated their efforts on the area near the motel. This was because in most cases, a drowned individual will often turn up in the same area they became lost in. A lifeguard in the area also stated there was a three foot underwater ledge that often trapped objects. Investigators felt Tori’s body was either trapped on the ocean floor, floating somewhere, or had been swept out of the area completely.
On October 28th 1980, an unidentified man called police and said he believed he had found a piece of a strap that could’ve come from Tori’s clothing. He found the fabric on a beach near Riomar Golf Club. Police looked into the lead and found that the fabric was not connected to Grant’s disappearance in any way.
There was a false rumor that spread which stated Tori’s body had been found floating in an area canal but police confirmed she had not been found. Police stated although the case appeared to be an accidental drowning, they were not 100% certain that Tori was in the water. They stated it was possible that she did end up getting out of her stroller or had been picked up by someone else on the beach.
Tori’s parents and grandmother did not see her being swept into the water or drowning. Normand other witnesses reported seeing anything suspicious or unusual that day. Reports state there were at least a few other if not more people on the beach after 6:00 pm that day while the family was there. The clerk at the Chesapeake Inn confirmed that none of the adults booked any overnight stay at the motel.
Investigators did say they had ruled out any possibility that Tori’s disappearance was a hoax or staged. They debated subjecting her parents to lie detector tests but it’s unclear if this truly happened or not.
Vero Beach Police received assistance from Winter Haven authorities since Tori was from that area. They also sought help from other law enforcement agencies across the state. There was no evidence that Tori had been abducted or the victim of a crime so they did not seek assistance from any law enforcement agencies outside of Florida.
Tori was still missing over five months after her disappearance. In an article from March 1981, it states that police still had no clues or answers about Tori’s disappearance. However, they stated the investigation was still ongoing and they had sent letters regarding her case to law enforcement agencies, hospitals, and other institutions. They asked for any information about Tori or individuals who resemble her.
(Taken from the Press Journal 03/22/1981 newspapers.com)
There is no information on her after this. I was able to find ancestry records for her parents and grandmother. It appears as though Bonnie passed away at some point in 1999, almost two decades after her granddaughter’s disappearance. Her parents are still alive and officially got married in 1983, when Tori would’ve been three years old.
There are no records for Tori anywhere on ancestry such as a death certificate or record. There is also no birth record so I cannot find her exact birthdate at the moment. A search of data websites that show information on people currently living today also yield no information on Tori, only her parents and other relatives.
There are no known photographs of Tori from before she vanished. Her parents worked with investigators to create a sketch of her which was released to the public in order to help spur leads. Tori is described as a white female with strawberry blonde or red hair, blue eyes, and a light complexion. She was last seen wearing a sandy colored velour shirt with a hood, copper colored pants, white ruffled socks, and a pair of white tennis shoes.
