Murder of Tammy Vincent
Tammy A. Vincent was an American teenager who was murdered in September 1979.[1][2][3][4] Her body was not identified until 2007, twenty-eight years after her death.[1][4] It was previously believed she may have been a victim of the notorious Green River killings.[2] However, Vincent's case has not been officially solved.[1][2][5] NCIS cast member Pauley Perrette collaborated with the popular television show America's Most Wanted in 2009 to work on solving the case.[6]
Tammy Vincent | |
---|---|
Reconstructions of Vincent prior to her identification compared with an actual photograph (bottom right) | |
Born | Tammy A. Vincent c. 1962 |
Disappeared | September 10, 1979 Seattle, Washington |
Died | September 25, 1979 (aged 17)[1] |
Cause of death | Homicide by stabbing and firearm |
Body discovered | September 26, 1979 |
Resting place | Ephrata Cemetery, Washington, United States (formerly Valley Memorial Park, Novato, California) |
Nationality | American |
Citizenship | United States |
Known for | Murder victim |
Circumstances
Vincent grew up on a farm. She was seventeen years old when she ran away from home and likely engaged in prostitution as a way to survive.[1][4] She was native to Seattle, Washington.[1][5] Vincent reportedly contacted her sister in summer 1979, explaining her wish to return home. This was the last time she was heard from.[1]
It is believed that she was murdered due to the fact that she was going to testify against an organized crime leader in court.[1][2][5] The night prior to Vincent's murder, a teen matching her description was seen accompanying a white man. The two were purchasing an ice pick as well as acetone, which were likely the same items used to murder her.[5][7]
Murder
The body was found on September 26, 1979 in Tiburon, California.[2][5] Vincent was beaten, shot in the head, and stabbed 43 times; her remains were severely damaged after being set ablaze after acetone was poured on the body.[3][4][5] Witnesses reported seeing a van speeding away from the scene.[8] Upon the discovery of the remains on a beach, examiners could not identify the body,[3][4] and could only determine her eye color, height, weight, gender, and dental characteristics. At the time of death, she wore a black shirt, beige pants decorated with blue and red, and high heels.[1][9][10]
Identification
In efforts to identify Vincent, the body was exhumed in 2002 and was transported to Richmond, Virginia for further examination. The Center for Missing and Exploited Children created a composite image from her skull, which has been done on countless other unidentified decedents.[7] Various other reconstructions have been created prior to the work done by the Center for Missing and Exploited Children.[5][7] In 2007, DNA samples from Vincent's mother and sister were matched to the DNA of the remains.[4][5][7]
Because Vincent's head was severely burned, detectives were unable to collect hair samples; instead, hair from the pubic region was used to carry out the DNA test.[2][5] She was cremated on August 7, 2007 and was laid to rest by her family later that month.[3][5] Her ashes were flown from California to her family in Washington by detective Steve Nash, who had worked on the case since 1988.[3][5]
See also
- List of unsolved murders
- Murder of Anjelica Castillo, where the victim went 22 years unidentified
- Barbara Ann Hackmann Taylor, who went 31 years without identification
- Murder of Tammy Alexander, unidentified for 35 years until January 2015.
References
- Whitely, Peyton (30 September 2007). "Detective work in 2 states identifies '79 slaying victim". Retrieved 11 April 2014.
- Wolfcale, Joe (29 September 2007). "Victim in 1979 Tiburon murder finally identified". Archived from the original on 7 February 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
- Wolfcale, Joe (29 September 2007). "Detective tenacious in pursuing 1979 murder case". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
- "This week on America's Most Wanted 2/21/09". 20 February 2009. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
- Rafael, San (1 October 2007). "DNA Solves 28-Year-Old Marin Murder Mystery". ktvu.com. Archived from the original on 10 April 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
- "America's Most Wanted". 22 February 2009. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
- "Timeline of 1979 Tiburon murder case". Marin Independent Journal. Archived from the original on 14 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
- "Timeline of 1979 Tiburon murder case". Archived from the original on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
- "Case File 324UFCA". doenetwork.org. The Doe Network. Archived from the original on 13 August 2007. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
- Brown, Robert (22 February 2009). "Unknown Tammy Vincent Killers". amw.com. America's Most Wanted. Archived from the original on 31 August 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2015.