The person at the center of this case
Tammy Jo Alexander
Cold Case · Open
46 years waiting · since 1979
TAMMY JO ALEXANDER
Justice for Tammy Jo Alexander — the trail went cold in 1979, but the truth hasn't.
Start here
Key leads to think about
🎯
suspect
Lead #1Who picked up Tammy Jo Alexander while hitchhiking and transported her from Florida to New York?
🚗
vehicle
Lead #2What vehicle was she traveling in when she was picked up, and does anyone remember seeing it?
👁️
witness
Lead #3Did anyone see a young woman matching Tammy's description hitchhiking or traveling with a trucker in late 1979?
On November 10, 1979, a 16-year-old girl was found shot to death in a cornfield off Route 20 in Caledonia, New York—shot once in the head and again in the back with a .38 caliber weapon. She remained unidentified for 36 years until DNA analysis in 2015 revealed her identity as Tammy Jo Alexander, a runaway from Brookesville, Florida who frequently hitchhiked with truckers. The killer remains unknown, and investigators seek information about who picked up Tammy that fateful day and what led to her murder in upstate New York.
Try asking
Claim this imported case
A one-time $10 claim transfers this imported case workspace to your account. You get 10 uploads for this case, 25 daily AI questions for this case, and public tips with files route to you.
10 uploads25 AI questions/day
This does not start a subscription. When the included limits are reached, the Personal plan unlocks more workspace capacity.
More leads to consider
Beyond the top three above — each detail below could be the thread that pulls this case open.
🔍
evidence
Lead #4The red nylon-lined windbreaker with 'Auto Sports Products, Inc.' label—can this brand or jacket be traced to a suspect or location?
💡
clue
Lead #5The personal items found with her body, including the romantic locket keychain, may have belonged to or been given by someone close to her—who gave her these items?
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
👤
1979-11-10
Tammy Jo Alexander disappears from Brookesville, Florida
16-year-old Tammy Jo Alexander, known to hitchhike with truckers near a truck stop, disappears from her home in Florida.
🔍
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 has 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, ending 36 years of mystery.
Key Locations
Interactive map showing important locations related to this case
Case Information
Incident:November 10, 1979
Last Updated:October 23, 2026
Up to $20,000 Reward
For information leading to the resolution of this case
Leave a comment
Comments
Case Information
Incident:November 10, 1979
Last Updated:October 23, 2026
Up to $20,000 Reward
For information leading to the resolution of this case