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.
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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?
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vehicle
Lead #2How did Tammy Jo Alexander travel from Florida to New York in 1979, and was she traveling with a trucker or other companion?
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evidence
Lead #3The distinctive red windbreaker with 'Auto Sports Products, Inc.' label and the two-piece locket keychain with the inscription 'He who holds the key can open my heart'—do these items provide any leads to her killer?
On November 10, 1979, the body of a 16-year-old girl was discovered in a cornfield off New York State Route 20 in Caledonia, New York. She had been shot twice with a .38 caliber weapon—once in the head and once in the back—and dragged into the field. In 2015, DNA analysis identified her as Tammy Jo Alexander, a runaway from Brookesville, Florida, who had disappeared in 1979 while known to hitchhike with truckers near her home. Despite the identification and distinctive personal items found with her body, the killer remains unknown and at large.
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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 witnesses to a vehicle stopping along Route 20 near Caledonia in November 1979, or anyone who saw a young hitchhiker in that area?
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
Body discovered
Unidentified 16-year-old female found in cornfield off Route 20 in Caledonia, NY; shot twice with .38 caliber weapon
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2015-01-26
Victim identified
DNA analysis identified the victim as Tammy Jo Alexander from Brookesville, Florida; she had disappeared in 1979
Key Locations
Interactive map showing important locations related to this case
Case Information
Incident:November 10, 1979
Last Updated:May 9, 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:May 9, 2026
Up to $20,000 Reward
For information leading to the resolution of this case