Tara Calico was 19 years old when she went missing from her New Mexico home on September 20, 1988. Ten months later, her stepfather, John Doel, received information about a Polaroid of a girl and a boy. Both apparent victims had been bound and gagged. The picture first surfaced in Florida, after which the missing teen’s family came forward, claiming that the woman resembled her. Another New Mexico family alleged that the boy with her was their missing nine-year-old son, Michael Henley.
According to People Magazine, to this day, detectives have neither identified the boy nor the girl in the photo. The police did find Henley’s remains two years later and ruled that he died of exposure. Sadly, there has been very little development in Calico’s case, leaving her disappearance unsolved for decades. In 1998, a judge official declared her dead, ruling it a homicide.
Tara Calico case update: Is there a suspect in the cold case?
Fox News reported that earlier this year, authorities announced they may have a potential lead in the decades-old case in June. They haven’t named the suspects yet but have sufficient evidence to turn the case over to the DA’s office for possible prosecution.
On the morning of September 20, 1988, Tara Calico, 19, went on a usual bicycle in Valencia County. She was last seen just a couple miles from home. According to the report, witnesses saw her riding her bicycle along New Mexico Highway 47. They also reported seeing an older model truck following her closely. That afternoon, the teen’s mother reported her missing when she failed to return home for lunch. Fox News also confirmed that at the time of her disappearance, Calico was working full-time at a local bank and attending college.
Despite having limited leads, investigators followed up on the tips and theories they received and even enlisted help from federal investigators. Moreover, the FBI confirmed that the girl in the Polaroid photo was not Calico, per People Magazine.
The investigation also questioned the credibility of the picture and what it depicted. The young woman’s hands were not tied tightly. Detectives also noted that the girl’s shoulders did not seem as stressed for the same reason. Lt. Joseph Rowland, the lead investigator, explained, “There was no redness around the tape on the mouths of the children, which would indicate that the tape was not on their mouth for an extended period of time.”
The outlet reported that the Valencia County Sheriff’s Office stated that they have made “substantial progress” in Tara Calico’s case. Rowland told The Sun, “Law enforcement believes they have identified the offenders associated with Tara Calico’s disappearance. We are seeking to charge and arrest the offenders.”
Rowland added, “The District Attorney’s Office has assigned a team of prosecutors to review the investigation. This case has obvious challenges due to its age and circumstances.” He added that they were briefing legal experts “on 34 years of investigative work.” Furthermore, Sheriff Denise Vigil stated, “The people responsible will soon have to answer to this family and the community, which has never stopped thinking of Tara.”
The documentary titled Vanished: The Tara Calico Story chronicles the mysterious case.
