IN IN - Christine 'Lynn' Hillis, 17, & Tami Gifford, 16, LaPorte County, 9 Dec 1988

[LR1]

Tami and Christine were last seen in Florida on December 9 1988. They left school early in the day and were seen later that day hitchhiking north out of Florida. Tami had relatives in Indiana and had lived in Knox, IN. years earlier. On March 11 1989 Tami was found by a fisherman in a canal off State Rd. 8 in LaPorte county. Christine was found two days later, further down the same canal. Both were badly decomposed and were fully dressed except for underwear. Both girls had been strangled.

There's not much on the web that I could find on this case with the exception of an old crime stoppers video, a little discussion on Topix and a old angelfire site I suppose was created by Tami's family. Its on no Indiana unsolved or cold case site that I can find.


The angelfire site
http://www.angelfire.com/in/tamigifford/

https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kT8gAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ynoEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5917,6258874

This appears to be the canal they were found according to the video.
https://goo.gl/maps/aFAVK8WbqnB2

 

[LR1]

The Crime Stoppers video

[video=youtube;oAIsdN_E09E]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAIsdN_E09E[/video]

 

[margarita25]

:bump:

 

[kat913]

Anything???

 

[Fede]

Here http://www.topix.com/forum/city/knox-in/TTAT8Q4D9GK3CS14K/tami-gifford-murdered


Somebody wrote "I remember this when this happened.RUMOR went around that Walt Troy had something to do with this.He went to prison shortly after but is out now.May still be in this area."


And Tami´s mother answered this "According to the police, it was just a rumor. I for one think it is all just a cover up. The cops did a lousy job on both my daughters case and the one of all the teens at walter troys house. I think they are connected. My daughter was in Knox, the cops say she was not. There were wittnesses that saw my Tami. Last I checked, Troy was in South Bend Ind."

Who is this Walter Troy?????

 

[dotr]

August 22 2025

Investigation renewed in 1989 La Porte County cold case for dead teens

LA PORTE COUNTY, Ind. -- The La Porte County Sheriff's Office announced several weeks ago detectives from the Criminal Investigations Division began reviewing the case file for the 1989 cold case involving the finding of two dead Florida teens.

www.abc57.com

Tamara Gifford, Christina Hillis
''Specifically, detectives are looking into the cause and manner of both deaths.

On March 11, 1989, deputies responded to S.R. 8 about a mile west of S.R. 39 for a body found in a water-filled ditch.

The body was identified as 16-year-old Tamara Gifford of Florida. Gifford was found to have relatives in Starke County.

On March 13, 1989, deputies found 17-year-old Christina Hillis, also from Florida, in the general area where Gifford had been located.

Officials estimated the deaths of Gifford and Hillis to have occurred in December 1988.'

 

[dotr]

Aug 28, 2025
LAPORTE COUNTY, IN (WSBT) — Police and the families of two murder victims killed more than 30 years ago are beginning a new search for answers.
Aug 27 2025

Cold Case: What happened to two Florida teens found dead in LaPorte County in 1989

Police and the families of two murder victims killed more than 30 years ago are beginning a new search for answers.The bodies of 16-year-old Tami Gifford and 17

wsbt.com

 

[friendlysleuther]

Aug 28, 2025
LAPORTE COUNTY, IN (WSBT) — Police and the families of two murder victims killed more than 30 years ago are beginning a new search for answers.
Aug 27 2025

Cold Case: What happened to two Florida teens found dead in LaPorte County in 1989

Police and the families of two murder victims killed more than 30 years ago are beginning a new search for answers.The bodies of 16-year-old Tami Gifford and 17

wsbt.com

Thank you for the update. I’m going to watch in a few mins!