DE DE - Tina Kemp, 14, Felton, 3 Feb 1979

[Sweetluv]

Felton, DE in 1979 was rural agricultural. Many desolate farming and waterway areas..so I wonder how much of a foot search was done? Especially with the February ice and snow. I'm interested how far away the boyfriend lived...the route Tina would have taken to get there..

 

[chaddylex]

Tina's disappearance has always been one of my pet cases that I would loved to see solved.

 

[Sweetluv]

Henry Lee Lucas was considered a possible suspect in Tina's disappearance. Especially if she set out to hitchhike that morning. But her coat was left behind and it was extremely cold out that day. I wonder if Tina was the type of kid to not wear one ?

 

[theshadow45]

Today is Tina’s birthday.

 

[Sweetluv]

February 3, 1979..what happened to Tina!?

 

[Mfcovent]

Praying for answers!

 

[theshadow45]

Tina has been missing for 46 years today.

 

[Sweetluv]

The fact that Tina didn't bring a coat is interesting. Feb in Delaware is cold. Esp if Tina was walking in the early AM hours. Did Tina get a ride? Where was she heading to?

 

[Sweetluv]

It would be helpful to know where Tina would run off to the prior times she ran away. Boyfriends? Race track?
Was it "normal" for Tina to not wear a coat? Would she leave by herself or would a friend join her?

 

[Beekarina]

Not wearing a coat makes me think she might have just jumped into a car not intending to stay in the vehicle. This is just brainstorming on my part, but as an example sometimes one of my friends or sisters will call even now and say "Hey I was in your neighborhood, I'm outside." and I will just go as I am and hop in their car and talk for a few minutes or go down the street and get a drive thru coffee with them.

I could see Tina doing something similar. You don't really need a coat if you're coming right back.

 

[Sweetluv]

Yes, I wondered the same about getting into a warm car that was waiting for her! Wish we knew more about who Tina associated with.

 

[methodwriter85]

Not wearing a coat makes me think she might have just jumped into a car not intending to stay in the vehicle. This is just brainstorming on my part, but as an example sometimes one of my friends or sisters will call even now and say "Hey I was in your neighborhood, I'm outside." and I will just go as I am and hop in their car and talk for a few minutes or go down the street and get a drive thru coffee with them.

I could see Tina doing something similar. You don't really need a coat if you're coming right back.

Maybe she was cagey about telling her family about it because it was an older man who wasn't her boyfriend but someone she was talking to anyway?

 

[Beekarina]

Maybe she was cagey about telling her family about it because it was an older man who wasn't her boyfriend but someone she was talking to anyway?

Sure, that could be. Tina was known to hang around racetracks, so she could have come into contact with just about anyone. Maybe she borrowed money from someone, or maybe someone was grooming her, or a friend of hers even was like "Hey just come with us for a few minutes" and then something went wrong?

She was so young, at that age it is pretty common to think you know everything and you can easily get mixed up in stuff way over your head. I know times were definitely different, but a 14 year-old girl known to hang around at racetracks, even when she loved horses, seems a bit weird. It's not like having a job at a riding stable or something, kwim? All kinds of creeps probably hanging around.

 

[Sweetluv]

I read an obituary once for a family member of Tina's...uncle, maybe (?)
It said he liked to visit the horseracing tracks. I assume Tina would go with him?
In Feb, I would think they are closed due to the weather, not sure if its a year around thing...
I wonder if the boyfriend was interviewed?
Why did Tina run away times before?

 

[Alleykins]

I read an obituary once for a family member of Tina's...uncle, maybe (?)
It said he liked to visit the horseracing tracks. I assume Tina would go with him?
In Feb, I would think they are closed due to the weather, not sure if its a year around thing...
I wonder if the boyfriend was interviewed?
Why did Tina run away times before?

Our local harness racing track, which I believe is what Delaware's horse racing is primarily, doesn't race in the winter. But the barns are open all year long for boarding and training. The track and grounds are maintained all year, too, for training and exercising the horses. I'm not in DE, but I'm thinking the set up was/is similar to ours. The track was most likely more popular and active back in the 70s, most tracks were, until Rockingham Park in NH burned down, because it was the hub for harness racing. The sport kind of fell apart after that. But when Tina went missing, I bet there were more owners, drivers, and trainers on site in the off season than there is today.

 

[Beekarina]

That is all helpful to know. If Tina was there in the context above it makes a bit more sense than a young girl just hanging around a racetrack randomly. I remember another case where a 9 or 10 year-old boy who disappeared used to hang around racetracks too, so just sticks in my mind personally as kind of an unsavory place for a kid to be. I can see the stable element though. Otherwise I'm picturing lots of seedy guys gambling and worse.

JMO.

 

[Beekarina]

This has probably come up before and I just need a refresh, but was Tina's boyfriend a peer similar in age? Or was he older?