The Cold Case of Tara Calico

Got a lead? or a story of your own that need helped being solved? The Hook: It was a routine 36-mile bike ride on a sunny New Mexico morning. 19-year-old Tara Calico left her home in Belen on September 20, 1988, telling her mother to come get her if she wasn't back by noon. She never returned.The Case: What started as a missing persons search turned into one of the most haunting mysteries of the 20th century. While Tara’s bike was never found, pieces of her Walkman were discovered scattered along her route, suggesting a struggle or a trail left by design.The Infamous Photo: Nearly a year later, a chilling photo was found in a Florida parking lot: a Polaroid of a young woman and a small boy, bound and gagged in the back of a van. Tara’s mother was convinced the girl in the photo was her daughter. But as decades passed, DNA evidence and conflicting expert opinions have left the identity of the girl in the "white van photo" one of the most debated pieces of evidence in true crime history.Recent Breakthroughs: After 35 years of cold leads, law enforcement made a major announcement in 2023. With new witness statements and re-examined evidence, investigators believe they finally know what happened on that stretch of Highway 47 and they may be closer than ever to an arrest. Let’s pull back the shadows that have kept these cold cases in the dark for far too long. Piece by piece, we’ll work to rebuild the truth not just for the story, but for the victims and the families still waiting for answers. The puzzle isn’t complete yet, but together, we’re getting closer.