The Shocking Disappearance Of Tara Calico And Discovery of a Chilling Polaroid
On September 28, 1988, 19-year-old Tara Calico was getting ready to go on a bike ride when she noticed her flat tire. She borrowed her mom’s bicycle and told her mother to pick her up on the bike route if she didn’t return from her ride by noon. Tara wanted to get home in time for an afternoon tennis date that she had planned with her boyfriend.
Calico then left home for her 17-mile bike ride, which entailed looping around the railroad tracks and a golf course. She left her home at approximately 9:30 am, heading south.
She did not return from her ride and was never seen or heard from again.
Her mother retraced her daughter’s route in her car but unfortunately, Tara was nowhere to be found.
Witnesses Report Seeing an old pickup truck following Tara Calico’s bike
Investigators interviewed at least seven individuals who reported seeing Calico on her bike ride; all of them claimed to have seen Calico riding north toward her home. Of the seven witnesses, five recalled seeing an old pickup truck following Calico along the highway.
They also reported seeing Calico wearing headphones and listening to her Walkman. The search party later discovered Calico’s bike tracks, cassette tape, and a piece of her Walkman within a three-mile radius from where the witnesses said they saw her.
Discovery of a disturbing polaroid
On June 15, 1989, Tara’s case received renewed attention when a photograph surfaced in a Florida parking lot located roughly 1,600 miles away from where Calico had disappeared that appeared.
The polaroid photograph showed a boy and a young woman, who many believe to be Tara Calico, bound and gagged in the back of a van. The people in the photograph appear distressed, but it is unclear if this is truly the case or simply the result of a sinister prank.
However, Tara’s mom felt that the young lady resembled her daughter. She believed the young woman had similar features to her daughter, noting a scar on the woman’s leg was a match to the scar on Calico’s leg from a past car accident. According to her, the book shown in the Polaroid next to the girl — a paperback copy of My Sweet Audrina was from one of Tara’s favorite authors, V.C. Andrews.
Some Believed The Boy In The Photo Was Michael Henley
Some believed the other boy in the polaroid was Michael Henley who went missing on April 21, 1988, from a hunting trip with his father in the Zuni Mountains of New Mexico.
However, on June 22, 1990, a rancher found skeletal remains in the Zuni Mountains. Dental records confirmed it was Michael’s body, and that the boy had likely succumbed to hypothermia. Investigators did not suspect foul play and concluded Michael was not the boy in the Polaroid.
To figure out if Calico is the young woman in the Polaroid found in 1989, her parents had the photo analyzed by Scotland Yard in London. The lab examined the picture and determined that it was, in fact, Calico. However, the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico also analyzed the photo and concluded it was not. The FBI then conducted an independent investigation into the photograph as well, but the results were inconclusive.
Theories surrounding Tara’s disappearance
There are numerous theories surrounding Tara Calico’s disappearance. Many believe that she might have been abducted by a serial killer, while others believe she may be a victim of a hit-and-run case and the culprit may have disposed of the body to avoid prosecution.
If you have any information about Tara Calico’s disappearance, please contact the Valencia County Sheriff’s Office at 505–866–2400 or the FBI at 1–800-CALL-FBI or online at FBI — Tips.
Tara was never found and her disappearance remains one of the most heavily reported unsolved missing cases.
Source -
Tara Calico Mystery: The True Story Behind Notorious Polaroid Showing a Girl and Boy
