Found Deceased FL - Tammy Alexander, 16, Brooksville, 8 Nov 1979

[Roselvr]

Full article is on Cali's FB page in case it goes away

Sister hoped 'Cali' escaped toxic life

But, Dyson said, she would not be surprised if Alexander was leaving a turbulent household, one in which a pill-addicted mother could fly into volatile rages and temper tantrums.

"She did prescription drugs," Dyson said of her mother, Barbara. "She was suicidal. I think she had issues back then that they didn't diagnose.

"My mother put Joan Crawford to shame," Dyson said, mentioning the actress, portrayed by her daughter as a domineering abusive alcoholic in the book Mommie Dearest.

In the immediate aftermath of Monday's announcement, Dyson found herself embroiled in online scuffles over the question of whether Alexander's parents reported her missing in 1979. Investigators at the Hernando County, Florida, Sheriff's Office insisted there was no record of a report, while Dyson believes Alexander was reported missing.

"I truly believe from the bottom of my heart that, because of my sister's history, they didn't take it seriously, that she was just another runaway," Dyson said.
Still, she said, her mother "worshipped" Tammy Jo. "My sister was my mom's golden child."
Because of that, Dyson said, she cannot fathom that her mother — despite her erratic mental health — would not report Tammy Jo's disappearance to the police.

http://www.democratandchronicle.com...mela-dyson-cali-missing-girl-murder/22598871/

 

[paul1980]

It was 1979... I would presume that most girls and women back then would have carried a purse, rather than a wallet, especially a girl or woman from a conservative southern state like Tammy. We know that Tammy's pockets were turned inside out and what was inside them had been removed by the killer.

 

[Roselvr]

Democrat & Chronicle reporter Gary Craig wrote a second more detailed story for the weekend issue of their paper.

Very detailed and excellently written.

http://www.democratandchronicle.com...-livingston-county-florida-jane-doe/22657719/

From your article; which I'm also posting on Cali's FB page

I really wonder why no one recognized Tammy; but then again he doesn't say what year it was..

Dyson, who had a different father, moved away from the home when she was around 12 years old. After Alexander's disappearance, Dyson said, there was always talk at family get-togethers and reunions about her possible whereabouts. She said she feels sure a missing-person report was filed by the family.

York said Brooksville, Florida, had its own connection to Jane Doe, even before she was identified. A retired New York state trooper moved there, and plastered the area with the posters of Jane Doe's likeness, York said. Yet none of those posters apparently registered with residents. No one ever called to say Jane Doe looked like a teenager who had gone missing in the late 1970s.

"When I heard that it was Brooksville, Florida, (where Tammy Jo Alexander lived), I almost fell out of my chair," York said. "The irony of that."

 

[OkieGranny]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/02/01/tammy-jo-alexander-slain-teen/22696237/

There is a certain stillness at the headstone, a coating of January snow muffling the murmur of cars on nearby roads. John York is here, as he has been many times before. In a strange way, York has known the teenage girl buried here longer than anyone else...

Then a sergeant, York, who would be elected Livingston County's sheriff a decade later, remembers how the search for Jane Doe's name kept widening. It expanded from the Avon area, to the Rochester region, to the state of New York, to the nation. A handful of clues became dozens, which became hundreds, which became thousands — all leading to frustrating dead ends...

As the years passed, the investigation into Jane Doe began to resemble a roadmap for the advancements in evidence-gathering and forensics...

 

[kate moss]

Hi all! I've been following this case for a while and have lurked for a bit and I cannot describe the relief I feel about Tammy's identification, you all do such great things. I've noticed that many of you believe the red sports jacket did not belong to Tammy as it was so large on her, and I have to agree with this. However, wasn't the pollen that they tested found in both her pants and jacket pocket? Does this mean that if the jacket was really given to her by her killer that he came from the same area Tammy did and they may have traveled together?

 

[CarlK90245]

Yes, I would say it is likely that the jacket belonged to her killer. It was reported in the Tampa Bay Times that Tammy was last seen by her family on 03-Nov-1979 (i.e., the day after her 16th birthday), according to authorities.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/public...micide-identified-as-brooksville-girl/2215169

If that is true, then there wouldn't have been enough time to travel to California, and back through the Sierra Nevadas and the Rocky Mountains to New York (as was also indicated by the other types of pollen found in addition to the Australian Pine pollen). She probably traveled directly from Florida to New York, and if pollen analysis was correct, the person wearing the jacket while traveling from California to New York would probably not have been Tammy.

By the way, it wasn't ever clear whether the pollen was in just the jacket, or whether it was in any of her other items of clothing.

 

[kate moss]

Ah, for some reason I thought I had read that the pollen was found in both her pants and jacket, so I figured that if the pollen was the same in both pockets but the jacket was from her killer, they must've been coming from the same place. Thanks for clearing that up, Carl!

 

[four4rock]

Yes, I would say it is likely that the jacket belonged to her killer. It was reported in the Tampa Bay Times that Tammy was last seen by her family on 03-Nov-1979 (i.e., the day after her 16th birthday), according to authorities.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/public...micide-identified-as-brooksville-girl/2215169

If that is true, then there wouldn't have been enough time to travel to California, and back through the Sierra Nevadas and the Rocky Mountains to New York (as was also indicated by the other types of pollen found in addition to the Australian Pine pollen). She probably traveled directly from Florida to New York, and if pollen analysis was correct, the person wearing the jacket while traveling from California to New York would probably not have been Tammy.

By the way, it wasn't ever clear whether the pollen was in just the jacket, or whether it was in any of her other items of clothing.

I'm not convinced that the jacket was the killers. But, if it was, it should be coated with important DNA, right? If nothing else, that should be able to rule in/out the still suspected serial killers.

 

[Steely Dan]

I'm not convinced that the jacket was the killers. But, if it was, it should be coated with important DNA, right? If nothing else, that should be able to rule in/out the still suspected serial killers.

IIRC, she and her friend ran away and hung with truckers. I think the killer was probably a trucker. JMO

 

[HP@82]

All that I know is they owned a truck stop. We have a family member posting; perhaps she can fill in some blanks. I'm not so sure how much she can say since this is now a murder investigation.

Lol, you know all to well... I'm creeping on the page! I live in Pasco County one county south of Hernando County. Both are for sure good-ol boy towns... Mind you I am a fan of Pasco's Sheriff right now, with that said even TODAY... Runaway teens and getting them reported is a HUGE issue! I am not sure how long Tammy and her family lived in Brooksville before she went missing. That is something I've never understood... A business in the community has a missing child and it's not taken serious... So I don't have a good answer.
When I was a teenager, I worked in a small restaurant in Brooksville just out of high school. Brooksville, is a town with a lot of "old money" and the "who's who" of the town know everybody's business... However, Tammy's mom was an implant, she wasn't from there. So I don't know how established they were... If any of that small town crap makes sense?!?

I've considered going to the select few that I know there, and asking if they know of anything. If they knew them. If they remember them having a daughter, and if they know what happened to her. I mean. I only know one maybe two that I could ask that wouldn't be like, why the hell are you asking me this.

I know, I've read through the comments as you've guys have rehashed things to see what you may or may not know about her murder/case. Of course, I am hesitant to say or ask anything. I have no desire to cause an problems in solving her case, and nobody has drawn a line (not even an imaginary line) as to what is safe to say and what isn't. I just want for them to find out who did this to her.

I read through all the comments on all of the pages, and some of them make me think... Though many of them make me ask myself... Is that person reading the same thing I am?!? I try to read and reread until I know that I fully understand it. Makes me want to dive into Forensic Nursing!

I believe I also read something about someone posting flyers at one time in Florida of "Jane Doe" if it was the sketches... Unless it was the one that Carl drew, I honestly would never have looked at any of them and said... Hey mom look it's Tammy! Now Carl's sketch... I mean, even the hair matches the photo... It's eerie to say the least. However, it would have had to be that picture to make me even look twice. Though, I honestly wasn't looking for a dead person... The girl I was always told about, just had to be alive!

When I saw the youtube video of Cali Jane Doe (that was my first sight)... I knew it was her, I talked myself out of it by the nose. Knowing that body position and circumstance alone could have changed those factors, but I knew it was her. My mother read and read reread about all her markings, and she knew without a doubt it was her, the only thing that threw her off... The nose! However, the pants and shoes had her so convinced she was grieving months before she would ever get answers. However, the recons didn't look at all like Tammy! Except ONE!

 

[Roselvr]

Lol, you know all to well... I'm creeping on the page! I live in Pasco County one county south of Hernando County. Both are for sure good-ol boy towns... Mind you I am a fan of Pasco's Sheriff right now, with that said even TODAY... Runaway teens and getting them reported is a HUGE issue! I am not sure how long Tammy and her family lived in Brooksville before she went missing. That is something I've never understood... A business in the community has a missing child and it's not taken serious... So I don't have a good answer.
When I was a teenager, I worked in a small restaurant in Brooksville just out of high school. Brooksville, is a town with a lot of "old money" and the "who's who" of the town know everybody's business... However, Tammy's mom was an implant, she wasn't from there. So I don't know how established they were... If any of that small town crap makes sense?!?

I've considered going to the select few that I know there, and asking if they know of anything. If they knew them. If they remember them having a daughter, and if they know what happened to her. I mean. I only know one maybe two that I could ask that wouldn't be like, why the hell are you asking me this.

I know, I've read through the comments as you've guys have rehashed things to see what you may or may not know about her murder/case. Of course, I am hesitant to say or ask anything. I have no desire to cause an problems in solving her case, and nobody has drawn a line (not even an imaginary line) as to what is safe to say and what isn't. I just want for them to find out who did this to her.

I read through all the comments on all of the pages, and some of them make me think... Though many of them make me ask myself... Is that person reading the same thing I am?!? I try to read and reread until I know that I fully understand it. Makes me want to dive into Forensic Nursing!

I believe I also read something about someone posting flyers at one time in Florida of "Jane Doe" if it was the sketches... Unless it was the one that Carl drew, I honestly would never have looked at any of them and said... Hey mom look it's Tammy! Now Carl's sketch... I mean, even the hair matches the photo... It's eerie to say the least. However, it would have had to be that picture to make me even look twice. Though, I honestly wasn't looking for a dead person... The girl I was always told about, just had to be alive!

When I saw the youtube video of Cali Jane Doe (that was my first sight)... I knew it was her, I talked myself out of it by the nose. Knowing that body position and circumstance alone could have changed those factors, but I knew it was her. My mother read and read reread about all her markings, and she knew without a doubt it was her, the only thing that threw her off... The nose! However, the pants and shoes had her so convinced she was grieving months before she would ever get answers. However, the recons didn't look at all like Tammy! Except ONE!

Please give your mom my condolences. I'm so sorry. We had asked her sister & friend; neither were sure. I think I'm still in shock even though I knew the day was coming. It still has not sunk in; but I have been really busy with a stomach virus then my hub came home until the 8th from FL where he's been working for the last 3 months. He even got the stomach virus. Want to hear something weird? My hub was at Brooksville hospital in December lol It made my hairs stand up when I saw it while doing the banking a few weeks ago.

 

[HazelGrace1]

My mom grew up in Brooksville. She is only two years older than Tammy. They probably would've met had my mom not gone to a private Christian school. I'm having her share Tammy's story with her old Hernando high school friends and see if anyone remembers anything about Tammy in the last year of her life.

This really hit close to home for her, since Brooksville has such a small town vibe.

 

[HP@82]

Please give your mom my condolences. I'm so sorry. We had asked her sister & friend; neither were sure. I think I'm still in shock even though I knew the day was coming. It still has not sunk in; but I have been really busy with a stomach virus then my hub came home until the 8th from FL where he's been working for the last 3 months. He even got the stomach virus. Want to hear something weird? My hub was at Brooksville hospital in December lol It made my hairs stand up when I saw it while doing the banking a few weeks ago.

Thanks! Yea, my mother tends to notice small details. She will drive a person crazy with the things she notices! If it's something she finds concerning... She will not let it go until you deal with it! A mark on your face, change in color… “Do you take your Vitamin D? You work nights, I don’t think you get enough Vitamin D”. Though, I think life does that to a person! Love her though! She is amazing!
Hope you're feeling better from your stomach bug! As for the hub, enjoy that time too, sounds like much needed quality time! It is weird how things align, almost like you're getting a warning that something is coming and it is trying to prepare you for what is about to drop out of the sky!

My mom grew up in Brooksville. She is only two years older than Tammy. They probably would've met had my mom not gone to a private Christian school. I'm having her share Tammy's story with her old Hernando high school friends and see if anyone remembers anything about Tammy in the last year of her life.

This really hit close to home for her, since Brooksville has such a small town vibe.

Well if it helps, and you may already know... But the cover photo on Tammy's FB page, I believe is the address to what once was the truck stop. So I have looked to compare it's location. It is on the VERY outside of town. Like way out... Pasco Hernando State College North Campus is on HWY 98 or Ponce De Leon Blvd (love how streets have 2 sometimes even 3 names), this truck stop is past the college. I know I was told this many years ago, but as a child I never realized how far out of town this stop was. Anyway, the address is on the photo on the Tammy Alexander FB page (open knowledge, so I am sharing since you're willing to put her story out there. Maybe someone will be able to put the puzzle together and give detectives the lead they need). I am not sure if WS rules allow me to post the address. However, it is on that page. I am trying to find out the name of the truck stop, because I don't ever remember even hearing the name... Strange as that may seem!

 

[Abigail]

Pam was told by her mother there was a report. I feel like a broken record; have said this many, many times so will paste in my other reply. Times were way different. LE refused to even take a report saying teens ran away. They said the same thing about adults too. Adults are allowed to just up & walk away. SSA's parents were told her sister ran away too; her parents refused to let LE push them around. They knew Deb didn't run away.

I wonder if her mother made a report when Tammy ran away to California in May 1979. If so...LE would have known she was a habitual runaway, so unlikely to do anything about it in November 1979. The likelihood in this case is that Tammy DID run away, again. If witness reports in NY are accurate, she most likely made her way up north with truckers (why heading north as winter approached is a big question) and was wanting to make her way to Boston. I wonder why Boston?

 

[Abigail]

Democrat & Chronicle reporter Gary Craig wrote a second more detailed story for the weekend issue of their paper.

Very detailed and excellently written.

http://www.democratandchronicle.com...-livingston-county-florida-jane-doe/22657719/

It was top center story on the Sunday print edition. I didn't have time to read the paper on Sunday (or yesterday), so looking forward to a good read today.

 

[HP@82]

I wonder if her mother made a report when Tammy ran away to California in May 1979. If so...LE would have known she was a habitual runaway, so unlikely to do anything about it in November 1979. The likelihood in this case is that Tammy DID run away, again. If witness reports in NY are accurate, she most likely made her way up north with truckers (why heading north as winter approached is a big question) and was wanting to make her way to Boston. I wonder why Boston?

That's the same questions I ask... Her entire family are all from the south east... Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. However, when you run away I guess you're not looking for your family, but to get away. Yet, winter and Boston? I would love to know... I have tried to figure it out, still trying to find what could possibly take her in that direction.

 

[four4rock]

... I am trying to find out the name of the truck stop, because I don't ever remember even hearing the name... Strange as that may seem!

It was "Eddie's Drive In".

And here are a bunch of other elements/thoughts/questions:

Lloyd (who was considerably older) & Barbara had to be in the process of retiring at the time Tammy Jo Alexander left. It seems that they sold Eddie's and moved to Lakeland within days/weeks of her leaving. Was Tammy Jo Alexander going to move with them? Was she distressed by the move? A 16 year old girl being uprooted... seems like it could have been a big deal... enough so that she rebelled(?) and left. I'm not even sure that the Lakeland house to which they moved would have had room for her(?). I believe it's been demolished now.

Assuming she was attending Hernando High School in November 1979, what did the school say or do when Tammy Jo Alexander stopped attending? What did the school do with her belongings - if any - that would have been left there (assume they had lockers)?

South Sumter High School is in a different county than Brooksville and Eddie's.

Where was Marvin Alexander through all of this?

Was the missing person report only filed with the sheriff... or was the Brooksville PD involved?

Who was at the family gathering for Tammy Jo Alexander's 16th birthday? And where was it held?

Sharon (step-sister) was ~20 in Nov '79, right? Clearly old enough to know what was going on.

Regarding the jacket - IIRC, the Jenkins' had some familiarity/friends/involvement with motor sports. And though daytime highs in early Nov '79 didn't call for a jacket, if Tammy Jo Alexander left at night she certainly may have grabbed a light jacket as nighttime lows were in the mid 50s - which probably seems rather chilly to a Floridian.

I got more, but I'll stop for now.

 

[annegrete]

Re: Boston- I remember reading that it was part of the "Cali story" that she was trying to get a ride to Boston, BUT the ONLY person who remembers seeing Tammy that night was the waitress at the diner. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Re: High school. Did Tammy attend 9th grade at South Sumter and 10th grade at Hernando? Or did she complete 9th (or part of it) and 10th at Hernando?

Re: 79-80 yearbook photos. Are they available? Someone said they saw them. AFAIK, the widely publicized one with Tammy in pink is from 78-79 schoolyear.

 

[annegrete]

Re: Boston- I remember reading that it was part of the "Cali story" that she was trying to get a ride to Boston, BUT the ONLY person who remembers seeing Tammy that night was the waitress at the diner. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Re: High school. Did Tammy attend 9th grade at South Sumter and 10th grade at Hernando? Or did she complete 9th (or part of it) and 10th at Hernando?

Re: 79-80 yearbook photos. Are they available? Someone said they saw them. AFAIK, the widely publicized one with Tammy in pink is from 78-79 schoolyear.

 

[Abigail]

I wonder if Tammy Jo Alexander typically carried a purse (or backpack)?

I was thinking back to the late 1970's (being close to Tammy's age, and growing up an hour away in rural central Florida). Most girls carried purses back then -- teens in my part of the world often had tooled leather purses with a long strap that went over the shoulder. However, if Tammy's pockets were turned inside out, it hints that she may have been more in the habit of using her pockets to hold money and personal items -- at least when she was on the road. Back packs were not much used back then, especially not by girls. We girls just carried our books on our arm to school with the purse slung over the other shoulder. I can't quite remember what the boys did. And I can't really remember what I'd have taken for a short trip -- maybe an over-the-shoulder duffel bag kind of thing.

Tammy must have had some sort of bag with her, with a change of clothes, clean undies, etc. -- unless, she left without planning -- maybe got in a big fight with her mother and just walked out the door. If that were the case, she'd have probably been cold as she traveled north, and may have borrowed that windbreaker from someone.

Do we know what size that red and black windbreaker was? Tammy was petite. If it were a size small (maybe medium) it may have been hers. If larger, it was probably given to her -- but it might have been given her by her boyfriend Kevin back home, or anywhere along the route up to NY (assuming that she road with one or two or more truckers along the way). Not necessarily belonging to the killer.

I was thinking...if Tammy worked at the truck stop, she might have just hitched a ride right from there with a trucker she knew. Like, maybe her mother was on one of her tirades, and she just headed out the house and off to work, and maybe one of the truckers was doing a run up to NY, and she just jumped on with him. She could have ridden with the same trucker all the way up to NY. Or, maybe with a couple truckers. A trucker would have probably headed north through NY on I-390, and then, just south of Rochester, perhaps he was going to head west to Buffalo, and Tammy didn't want to go that direction, so she would have said goodbye to him at that truck stop in the Avon area, in hopes of catching a ride east (I'm trying to think of what would attract a rural Florida girl to Boston -- but it certainly beats Buffalo as a destination, and it's where I-90 ends (they'd have been just a few miles south of I-90 in Avon). It may haven't been Boston that was attractive to her -- but just a different direction where she could then travel either north or south -- from Avon she couldn't go any further north or west without going into Canada or into Lake Ontario.