Tammy Lynn Leppert

Tammy Lynn Leppert (born February 5, 1965; disappeared July 6, 1983) was an American former child and teen model, actress and beauty queen who went missing under mysterious circumstances at the age of 18.

Tammy Lynn Leppert
Born
Tammy Lynn Leppert

(1965-02-05)February 5, 1965
Rockledge, Florida, U.S.
DisappearedJuly 6, 1983 (aged 18)
Cocoa Beach, Florida, U.S.
StatusMissing for 37 years, 7 months and 2 days
Occupationchild/teen actress and model
Height5 ft 4 in (163 cm)

Career

Leppert was employed primarily as a model throughout her late-childhood and teenage years,[1] appearing on the front of CoverGirl magazine in October 1978.[2] She began participating in beauty contests at 4 years old. As a child, she competed in nearly 300 beauty pageants and won the vast majority of them, taking home about 280 crowns. Just before her disappearance, she appeared in the 1983 film Scarface as the girl who was a distraction to the lookout car during the bloody chainsaw shower scene. Before that, among other minor roles, she played a participant in a boxing match in the teen movie Spring Break. Reportedly, her legs, hips and torso were used in the main poster for the movie. It is claimed she had plans to go to Hollywood in 1983.[3]

Leppert had a lead role playing herself in a movie called Cover Girl Behind the Scenes.[4]

Before her disappearance

After the shooting of the film Spring Break was finished, Leppert went unaccompanied to a weekend party. She came home from the party "a different person" according to her close friend Wing Flannagan's testimony. When she was playing in her next film, Scarface, she suddenly returned home after the fourth day of filming. Her mother assumed that Tammy had been afraid of being murdered by someone, and that she had become overtaken by this delusion. Her mother felt obliged to have her examined by a doctor, but after 72 hours in a medical center, Tammy was released and there seemed to be no signs of drug or alcohol use according to doctor statements.[5]

Disappearance

Leppert was last seen in Cocoa Beach, Florida on July 6, 1983. She was reported to have worn a blue denim shirt decorated with flowers, along with a matching skirt, a gray purse, and sandals.[6][7] Some agencies have stated that she left without shoes or money.[8] A friend of Tammy's told authorities he had an argument with her while driving her from her home in Rockledge, Florida and later "left her [...] in a parking lot."[6] Although he is the last person believed to have seen her, he is not considered a suspect. However, her mother has claimed that Leppert was "afraid" of him.[1]

Christopher Bernard Wilder was linked by the FBI to the murders of 12 women from Florida to California; officials say Wilder lured women with promises of photographing them for magazines. Leppert's mother filed a claim for more than $1 million against Wilder's estate. Authorities have not linked Wilder to Leppert's disappearance.[9]

After Leppert's disappearance, Cocoa Beach Detective Harold Lewis received two telephone calls from a woman claiming that Leppert was still alive. In the first call, the woman said that Tammy Leppert was well and would make contact when the time was right. During the second call, she said that Tammy was doing what she always wanted: going to school to become a nurse.[10]

Physical information

At the time of her disappearance, Leppert was between 5'0" and 5'5" and weighed between 105 and 115 pounds. She had curly blond hair and hazel eyes.[1][7][8] It is also speculated that she may have been three months pregnant.[8]

Investigation
External image
Age progression of Leppert to age 48

Some presume that Leppert may have been a murder victim of serial killer Christopher Wilder, who killed 8 or 9 young women before dying in a shootout with police in 1984. Leppert's family sued Wilder before he was killed, but eventually halted the process, as some had doubts as to whether he was involved in Tammy's disappearance. Leppert's agent also stated that she did not believe Wilder killed Tammy.

Another person of interest in the case was John Crutchley, a convicted kidnapper and rapist suspected of killing as many as 30 women. He committed suicide in prison in 2002.[1] Leppert's mother theorized that her daughter could have been murdered due to her knowledge of local drug trafficking. She said Tammy exhibited signs of paranoia, as she was cautious when consuming food and would not drink from open containers. She had also allegedly filed a report to police.[1]

Several age progressions have been created to show what Tammy may have looked like if she were still alive, by forensic artists Danny Sollitti, Diana Trepkov, and those from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.[6][8] Profiles detailing the case have been created by the Doe Network, National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in hopes of generating leads from tips.[6][7][8] Leppert's DNA profile has since been processed, but her dental records and fingerprints have not been accessed by local police.[6] It is believed that her dental information had been acquired at some point, but that poor record keeping resulted in the data being lost.[1]

Exclusions

According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, the following unidentified decedents have been ruled out as being the remains of Tammy Leppert.

NameLocationDateAge estimationCause of deathCircumstances
Harris County Jane Doe Hockley, Texas April 30, 1984 25–35 Not stated A decomposed white female found buried in a shallow grave. It is believed she died about six months before she was found.[11]
Alleghany County Jane Doe (1985) Alleghany County, Virginia November 18, 1985 20–49 Not stated A partial skeleton of a white female discovered by a hunter. The subject had been estimated to have died eight months before.[12]
Slidell Jane Doe Slidell, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana June 19, 1986 20–30 Homicide A pregnant female disposed of in Lake Pontchartrain.[13] A weight had been tied to her body as an attempt to hide the body.[14]
Chesterfield County Jane Doe Chesterfield County, Virginia August 7, 1986 20–35 Probable homicide A severed torso and leg believed to have belonged to a white female found inside of a dumpster. The victim wore a rubber bracelet on her ankle. She had died within two months to a few days of discovery and there was evidence that she may have been kept in a freezer or a similar device to preserve the remains.[15][16]
Pinal County Jane Doe Pinal County, Arizona January 7, 1987 21–35 Not stated A decomposed body of a white female found in a desert area. She had died months before.[17]
Knox County Jane Doe Knoxville, Tennessee June 1, 1987 21–30 Self-defense A white woman killed in the process of an attempted robbery. She was intoxicated at the time of her death.[18][19]
Anaheim Jane Doe Anaheim, California August 30, 1987 15–19 Homicide A skeletonized body of a white female believed to be a teenage runaway. She had died about six weeks before her discovery.[20] The victim was identified in 2018 as 20-year-old Tracey Hobson, an unreported missing person from Anaheim.[21]
Stafford County Jane Doe Stafford County, Virginia February 3, 1991 30–45 Homicide A female of an unknown race with Hispanic characteristics found skeletonized in a wooded area. She had died between the years of 1989 and 1991, most likely within nine months.[22] She was previously speculated to have been of African descent and at a younger age, between thirteen and eighteen.[23] The victim was later identified as Marta Haydee Rodriguez, 28.[24]
Fairfax County Jane Doe Centerville, Virginia December 6, 1993 26–39 Homicide A white woman with Hispanic characteristics found by construction workers in 1993. She had decayed teeth and had died between the years of 1987 and 1992.[25][26]
Harris County Jane Doe Channelview, Texas October 28, 1994 20–40 Undetermined The partial skeleton of a white female believed to have died between two and seven years before her discovery in a wooded area.[27][28]
Waller County Jane Doe Waller County, Texas March 10, 1997 20–35 Not stated A skeleton of a white female with Hispanic characteristics found underneath brush on a private property. She had died between the years of 1990 and 1996.[29]
Stafford County Jane Doe Stafford, Virginia November 7, 1998 28–45 Not stated A partial skeleton of a white female wearing her hair in braids found under leaves near a cemetery.[30] She had died within eight months preceding the discovery of her remains.[31]
Newport News Jane Doe Newport News, Virginia June 6, 2014 25–45 Not stated A female of an unknown race with Hispanic characteristics was discovered mummified underneath a sheet.[32]

The television program Unsolved Mysteries profiled Leppert's disappearance in September 1992, Season 5 Episode 1. This episode includes: Tami [sic] Lynn, Hudson Valley UFO (Pts. 1 & 2) and Daredevil Doe & UD. Language: English Runtime: 42 minutes Release date: December 31, 1992.[33]

Filmography

See also

References
  1. "What Happend [sic] To Tammy Leppert??". Archived from the original on October 27, 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  2. De Groodt, Helene (September 7, 1978). "Cover Girl". Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Tammy Lynn Leppert: Biography". IMDb. Retrieved 2016-09-09.
  4. The Orlando Sentinel Orlando, Florida Thursday, September 07, 1978 - Page 4
  5. LYNN LEPPERT Retrieved on 16 Jan 2018
  6. "NamUs MP # 1376". findthemissing.org. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. 20 January 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  7. "Tammy Leppert". missingkids.org. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  8. "Case File 211DFFL". doenetwork.org. The Doe Network. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  9. Florida Today Cocoa, Florida Saturday, November 30, 1985 - Page 5A
  10. Florida Today Cocoa, Florida Monday, February 25, 1985 - Page 11
  11. "NamUs UP # 4527". identifyus.org. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. 15 October 2008. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  12. "NamUs UP # 6796". identifyus.org. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. 23 March 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  13. "Case File 16UFLA". doenetwork.org. The Doe Network. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  14. "NamUs UP # 852". identifyus.org. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. 11 February 2008. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  15. "NamUs UP # 6642". identifyus.org. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. 4 February 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  16. "Case File: 900UFVA". doenetwork.org. The Doe Network. 12 December 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  17. "NamUs UP # 7193" (18 May 2010). identifyus.org. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  18. "NamUs UP # 1567". identifyus.org. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. 11 April 2008. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  19. "Case File: 607UFTN". doenetwork.org. The Doe Network. 20 January 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  20. "NamUs UP # 7660". identifyus.org. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. 26 August 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  21. "Orange County News Release". Orange County Sheriff. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  22. "NamUs UP # 6661". identifyus.org. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. 9 February 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  23. "Case File 760UFVA". doenetwork.org. The Doe Network. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  24. Alexander, Keith L.; Hedgpath, Dana; crime (13 June 2018). "Remains found in 1991 identified as those of missing Arlington woman". Washington Post. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  25. "Case File 120UFVA". The Doe Network. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  26. "NamUs UP # 8493". identifyus.org. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. 9 February 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  27. "NamUs UP # 1390". identifyus.org. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. 25 April 2008. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  28. "Hot Case 1053". doenetwork.org. The Doe Network. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  29. "NamUs UP # 6088". identifyus.org. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. October 23, 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  30. "NamUs UP # 6150". identifyus.org. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. 2 November 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  31. "Case File 713UFVA". doenetwork.org. The Doe Network. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  32. "NamUs UP # 12683". identifyus.org. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. 30 June 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  33. "Scarface (1983)".
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