The person at the center of this case
Tammy Jo Alexander
Cold Case · Open - Unsolved
46 years waiting · since 1979
TAMMY JO ALEXANDER
Justice for Tammy Jo Alexander — the trail went cold in 1979, but the truth hasn't.
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Key leads to think about
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suspect
Lead #1Who was the individual or individuals responsible for shooting Tammy Jo Alexander twice and leaving her body in the cornfield? Was it someone she met while hitchhiking?
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vehicle
Lead #2What vehicle or vehicles were involved in transporting Alexander from Florida to New York, and can witness accounts of hitchhiking encounters help identify the perpetrator?
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evidence
Lead #3The distinctive red nylon-lined man's windbreaker with 'Auto Sports Products, Inc.' label and the personalized two-piece locket keychain are highly specific items—do these connect to any known suspects or associates?
On November 10, 1979, a 16-year-old girl was found shot to death in a cornfield near Caledonia, New York; she remained unidentified for 36 years until DNA analysis in 2015 revealed her identity as Tammy Jo Alexander, a runaway from Brookesville, Florida who had disappeared that same year. Alexander was shot once in the head and once in the back with a .38 caliber weapon, then dragged into the field—suggesting a crime of violence by someone she may have encountered while hitchhiking near a truck stop. Despite the FBI's $20,000 reward and detailed evidence including distinctive clothing and personal items, the killer remains unknown and the case unsolved.
Case
#493
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) / Livingston County, New York
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More leads to consider
Beyond the top three above — each detail below could be the thread that pulls this case open.
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witness
Lead #4Were there any truck stop employees, other hitchhikers, or travelers on Route 20 in November 1979 who witnessed suspicious activity or recall seeing a young woman matching Alexander's description?
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timeline
Lead #5How did Alexander travel from Brookesville, Florida to Caledonia, New York in November 1979, and what was the timeline between her disappearance and discovery?
Have information about any of these leads?
Even the smallest detail could be the key to solving this case.
Official wording
Source Narrative
Murder Victim Caledonia, New York November 10, 1979 On November 10, 1979, the body of an unidentified 16-year-old White female was located in a cornfield off of New York State Route 20 in Caledonia, New York. The girl had been murdered with a .38 caliber weapon.
She had been shot once in the head, dragged into the cornfield from the road, and then shot again in the back. On January 26, 2015, law enforcement officials in Livingston County, New York, announced that the female had been identified, through the use of DNA, as Tammy Jo Alexander of Brookesville, Florida.
Alexander had disappeared from her home in Florida in 1979. At the time, Alexander was known to run away from the area, sometimes hitchhiking with truckers, as she lived near a truck stop.
Remarks: Alexander was wearing the following items when she was found: tan corduroy jeans, a multi-colored plaid cotton/polyester shirt, blue knee socks, brown rippled-sole shoes, and a red nylon-lined man's windbreaker with black stripes down the arms and a collar label reading "Auto Sports Products, Inc." She was wearing a silver necklace with three small turquoise stones, one resembling a bird. She also had with her a two-piece locket keychain with one piece in the shape of a heart with a key-shaped slot cut in it and an inscription reading "He who holds the key can open my heart" and the second piece being the key that fits into the slot in the heart.
Timeline of Events
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1979-11-10
Tammy Jo Alexander disappears from Brookesville, Florida
Alexander, age 16, disappears from her home in Florida. She was known to run away and hitchhike with truckers near a local truck stop.
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1979-11-10
Body discovered in cornfield
An unidentified 16-year-old female body is found in a cornfield off New York State Route 20 in Caledonia, New York. She had been shot once in the head and once in the back with a .38 caliber weapon.
🕵️
2015-01-26
Victim identified through DNA
Law enforcement officials announce that DNA analysis has identified the victim as Tammy Jo Alexander of Brookesville, Florida, 36 years after her discovery.
Key Locations
Interactive map showing important locations related to this case
Case Information
Incident:November 10, 1979
Last Updated:September 10, 2026
Up to $20,000 Reward
For information leading to the resolution of this case
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Case Information
Incident:November 10, 1979
Last Updated:September 10, 2026
Up to $20,000 Reward
For information leading to the resolution of this case