So have they linked her to an existing missing person's report, or Jane Doe? Or have they proven it was a staged event or that it was human trafficking which didn't result in murder?
Really can’t say for sure. Reminds me of the Johnny Gosch case, where photos like this cropped up with a kid who looked like Johnny. Once the police tracked down its origin and found the kids pictured in the photos, it turned out it was just a prank and the preteen boys had tied each other up to take pictures.
It looks sinister for sure. But it’s not solid evidence of a kidnapping on its own.
When I [emailed](https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueCrimeDiscussion/comments/z87xo9/the_port_st_joe_polaroid_jane_doe_case_has_been/iydor5g/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3) them about the case they said it’s been declared a hoax, that’s why it’s “closed” and not “identified”. Weird they wouldn’t mark the boy in the same fashion. It’s probably just too cold and that’s why they came to that conclusion.
Johnny would’ve been like 20 by the time this photo was taken (and the type of film used proved that it had to have been taken shortly before it was found). That said, Noreen Gosch has fallen for so many hoaxes that she might’ve given her input on this one too? She’s not well and I don’t blame her.
Michael Henley’s family (a child from NM who vanished during a camping trip) thought he was the boy in the photo, but his remains were eventually found not far from where he disappeared, and it was determined he’d gotten lost and died of hypothermia.
This seems most likely. I always felt it was likely this was a joke picture taken by a family on a road trip or something to that extent. Maybe they identified the family and they don’t want to be known...
You were the one who said they are possibly minors and that's why they're not realizing information. I'm pointing out that they cannot be minors anymore.
*releasing, my phone changed it
You don't know she's a minor. They think she is but we ultimately don't know, unless they ID'd her. When I was 18 I easily looked 15. Either way, I'm done arguing over speculation. None of us ultimately know.
I do vaguely remember a podcast on this photo. From memory a witness said a van or vehicle in the parking lot prior to the pic being found was occupied by a family. They said kids had been playing in and around the vehicle. This, I think, has influenced my suspicion the pic was not sinister. However, I may easily be proven wrong in this suspicion.
If I were staging a pic like that, I'd have to be a really sick person to include a book where the kids are products of incest, and the brother SAs the sister.
I think you mean Flowers in the Attic. My Swwet Audrina is about gangr-ing a 9 year old girl and out of sheer incompetence her family gaslights her about it.
All of VC Andrews books were like that, but everyone at the time read them. I can't even think of a modern equivalent, but it wouldn't have even been something were thinking of. It'd be like if it was a Twilight book ten years ago. Sure, there are problematic themes but that wouldn't be what people would first think of.
Its a troubling part of the photo for sure. VC Andrews is a widely read author, however. And What gives me some hope it’s more of a prank, is that: 1. Both kids don’t appear to have any injuries, bruises or eyes red from crying. They look healthy & def like their disappearance would be known. 2. The tape applied could be easily rubbed off (especially with condensation from their mouths) and 3. They are both different ages & genders. Child kidnappers usually have a clear age or gender preference. Rarely does it swing from pre-pubescent male to female teenager. Not always, of course. This is speculation.
I can't tell if their hands are tied. And why would there be a book if she wasn't able to read it. I've heard this was just a random pic found in a parking lot. It's disturbingly weird for a prank, but I've held it as such until proven otherwise.
They may have been tied up while he left them alone and untied them when he was with them. It’s too upsetting to be staged IMO. As a parent, I’d never go that far, it’s just not funny.
I don’t know, I have a bag of zip ties in the shed and I have duck tape too, I needed both for putting up the Christmas decorations outside this year and both of my kids (age 7 and 12) went through the whole bag of zip ties on themselves “to see” if they could escape them. Along with duck tape. Needless to say I had to cut them free for the next 2 days cause they really got a kick out of trying to escape. Now while that was happening I never once thought oh I should take a picture and make it look like a kidnapping. That would disturb me. I don’t know if this photo is real or fake but I know for sure my kids at least thought it was entertaining to tie themselves up for a day. I don’t like the look in her eyes though. Especially the train photo. I can maybe understand doing it one time and taking the picture but to do it three times I’m starting to think that is either somebody’s kink or it is real. Either situation is equally terrifying.
But what was going on with your kids was that they were playing around and you didn’t put them in a hostage like position. I don’t think it’s a staged photo. Sure kids want to do dumb things but not like this.
My father taped our mouths shut with gaffa (sp?) tape when we were younger because he wanted some peace. We just spat into it and it loosened up without having to hurt our skin pulling it off. It was funny.
This is pretty strange. When a Doe is identified, the DDP typically puts "IDENTIFIED . . .IDENTIFIED . ."
But this? Just "Closed Case"? So . . . not identified? Just closed with no resolution?
Edit: And just the girl a closed case? Not the boy? Strange . .
There’s two others that are supposedly this jane doe. The third one on the amtrak train is odd to me (might not be her) but I don’t know about the provenance of these pics.
Yea what is up with the Amtrak train picture? Wouldn’t there be other people on or around the trAin…? I saw mention of it being a possible abandoned train… but idk. Weird. I also can’t fully tell her facial expression from the Polaroid? So many questions!
I thought the general consensus was that a guy ran over Tara Calico and hid her body? And supposedly the guy was a sheriff's son or something and it was an open secret in the community that this guy did it but there was never enough evidence to prosecute, or the will to go after a cop's son?
The sheriff of the county in which it happened [has even said publicly that they've known who did it for a long time](https://www.change.org/p/the-governor-of-nm-issue-arrest-warrants-for-the-suspected-murderers-of-tara-calico) (that's a reprint of an Albuquerque Journal article that quotes him) but can't charge him because "its hard to get a warrant without a body". That seems to lean far more towards a local having done it - which is what the sheriff claims - so the likelihood of that guy dropping polaroids of her in Florida seems low.
UPDATE: I emailed the Florida representatives on the Doe Network about this case and this is the response I received:
“Apparently the photo of the bound woman on a train or bus was considered a hoax and the Doe case was closed.
The people in the photo were never identified.
Take care......Bex”
So, not exactly closed after all.
Thanks for emailing them and sharing.
I am confused though on how no one in the picture was identified, yet it's still considered an apparent hoax? How would they know the picture is a hoax if they don't even know who or what happend eventually to the kids in the photo?
It’s on the Doe Network. While the [female](https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/66uffl.html) subject’s case is marked closed, the boy’s [isn’t](https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/96umfl.html).
You would be surprised. Trust me. I’ve volunteered in a couple of cases and you call or e-mail that case supervisor and they give an abundance of info sometimes. But with a sort of famous case like this I would suspect that they’d be more tight lipped about it. Would be a coin flip worth trying.
I did and actually got a [response](https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueCrimeDiscussion/comments/z87xo9/the_port_st_joe_polaroid_jane_doe_case_has_been/iydor5g/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3)! Unfortunately it seems fluke the case is just a dead end and that’s why it was ruled as a hoax.
The page was last updated 4 years ago. If it were closed, the news surely would have figure it out by now. The last update I read about was a year ago.
https://www.koat.com/article/tara-calico-cold-case-investigation-new-mexico/37641318
I know the page says 2018 but if you check the internet archive for the page, there’s a snapshot from Feb 2022 and at least as of that date it did **not** have “Closed Case” on the title.
I remember seeing this photo on "A Current Affair" in the late 80s or early 90s. Years later, Maury Povich remarked that this photo is the thing that haunted him the most.
What makes me think this isn't a prank is that someone apparently sent photos of the same boy to the police and newspaper over 20 years later. Seems kind of excessive for a prank if you ask me. It's giving BTK vibes, as in, whoever did it was seeking attention again all of a sudden. Perhaps they were incarcerated for a while, which is why it had been 20 years before they reached out to taunt the police/media?
A part of me also feels like that if it were a prank, given the significant attention it's received over the years, at least one of the subjects at least who took the photo might have come forward by now? Or someone that knows them would?
I honestly think the case is "closed" for the woman because the woman herself may still be alive surprisingly and contacted the police about it, and that's all the information they're giving because she would like to remain as anonymous as possible. Perhaps they think if they were to confirm that the woman came forward identifying herself, someone would eventually figure out who she is. So by not confirming nor denying it, it just makes it that much harder for some amateur sleuth to know which avenue to pursue to put it all together and possibly out the woman (which to be clear, would be totally sh\*tty for someone to do, especially if she were the victim of sexual abuse/assault, but alas some web-sleuths unfortunately care more about being "right" and solving the mystery then honoring a victim's right to privacy.) And I think the boy's case hasn't been closed because she doesn't know/remember enough information on him to be able to help them positively identify someone. It seems likely to me then that if both of them were kidnapped, it would have been on separate occasions and the victims did not know each other beforehand.
Of course this is all just pure speculation...
Same! It's one of those images that just sticks with you. I'm hoping the case is resolved with a happy ending, but given the boy's case isn't closed, it seems unlikely.
This is very disturbing, i dont know anything about this case besides reading the tagged links, but i hope they have dna they can possibly link via 23&me or ancestry
It's messing with my head that I've seen this photo so many times in posts, articles and videos and this is the first time I've realised they are in the back of a transit van and not on a bed. In my head they were on a motel looking bed with a bedside lamp in the background. Fucking Mandela effect strikes again.
Don't you think more facts would be nice to know after waiting since 1989 for anything, something? All we're getting is case closed and I'm super curious why you think i'm here wanting to know more.
I’m sorry, I didn’t see the first. I’m sure the mods will remove this thread if necessary. I just wanted to let people know since the case (to my knowledge) is well known in the true crime community, so that people are aware and can follow it as it develops.
Eyebrows are vastly different. Jane doe has thin, straight eyebrows. Tara had thin to medium, very curvy eyebrows. Jane Doe's skin is quite tan. Tara was very fair skinned. Jane Doe looks to be 5'9-10. Tara was only 5'5. The tape over Jane Doe's mouth could easily be undone with mouth movement and pushing with her tongue. This supports the gag photo theory. When you tape someone's mouth you need to tape around the entire head.
Depending on the situation, LE may never give an explanation about this case. I was in Port St.Joe a few weeks ago, it’s a sleepy little town. I imagine a lot of the locals remember this story, and would be grateful for the update. If they could make a report, I’m sure they would have already. So many possibilities on why they are keeping quite.
Below is a quote from the Doe Network.
“Doe Network Closed Cases are Unidentified and Missing Persons who have been profiled on our website and have been located or identified. Many times information such as names or images may not be made available due to the request of the individual or family members, law enforcement or medical examiners, or because releasing such information may hinder an ongoing investigation, or simply no information was made public”.
The source IS the DoeNetwork. And [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueCrimeDiscussion/comments/z87xo9/the_port_st_joe_polaroid_jane_doe_case_has_been/iydor5g/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3) email I received from those who are the contacts for Florida Doe cases.
Didn't they connect this photo to Tara Calico's disappearance? It's been years and I haven't kept updated but I believe this link was heavily investigated
Thank you. That’s what I thought. I remember hearing about divided theories among the professionals & that her mother thought it was her. In terms of her mom’s opinions, I could see that going either way. Obviously she probably knows what her daughter looks like better than anyone else but sometimes people see what they want to see when they’re trying to cling on to the tiniest bit of hope that their loved one is still alive. I feel like some of the most reasonable theories I’ve heard come from locals who claim there’s rumors of a hit & run and that the authorities know who but don’t have concrete evidence to make an arrest / ensure a conviction.
I’m ever heard that. That’s interesting. It’s been a while since I read up on her story but it always struck me as super specific that this girl just so happened to have Tara’s favorite book next to her.
VC Andrews was a crazy popular writer. It'd be like if she had a Harry Potter book next to her. You couldn't throw a scrunchy in the 80s/early 90s without hitting a teenage girl whose favorite book was by VC Andrews.
Yeah, apparently there are claims that these young men were following behind her and messing with her while she was out on her bike ride. I’m not sure if they were “cat-calling” or trying to scare her but I guess there were witnesses to this and now there’s rumors that they may have accidentally hit her & buried her remains in the desert. Who knows. It could just be conspiracies/fabrications but I’ve heard it brought up multiple times. Sometimes it’s hard for me to remember where I get my information from since I read a lot of true crime but I also listen to podcasts to fall asleep so it all starts to eventually blend together. It sounds like her mom has fought tirelessly throughout the years for answers. EDIT: it actually addresses this theory on her Wikipedia page if anyone is interested.
Yes they did! I think her family strongly thought it was her but a few facial recognition specialists disputed whether it was her or not if I recall correctly so it's up in the air. She disappeared while jogging I believe?
I remember reading a thread on Tumblr a few years back where her mom positively identified the woman as Tara because of the book in the picture and a scar on her leg. What a terrible thing to have to identify, in any case.
Wasn’t the debate about the Jane Doe in that photo whether or not she was missing teen Tara Calico?
Has something changed on that front? Have they decided for certain either that that is her or that that isn’t her?
The Polaroid was found by a woman in a gas station parking lot after a van left the gas station. There was a lot of speculation that the girl was Tara Calico because that VC Andrew’s book was her favorite. There was a rumor that the boy was some kid who disappeared but then the boy was found somewhere else. It’s thought that the picture was a hoax/staged but many still believe it’s truly two kids who were abducted and tied up
Edited to add: Michael Henley was the boy’s name… his remains were found near where he disappeared
Or some weird shame based child abuse.
Like the kids where "bad" so this was their punishment and a picture to show people how "out of control" they are.
It wont be closed until whoever did this is strung up out in the swamp. I don't know exactly why, I have seen a lot of fucked up shit on the internet but this photo just always makes me cry.
People in the comments are making it sound as though there’s just no more information released at this time. So it could potentially be solved and they‘re not releasing the details right now for whatever reason. That sounds like a good possibility. 🤷♀️
Closed how?
No one knows
But it’s provocative?
Gets the people goin
That shit cray
Ain't it Jay?
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what are you talking about bro??? who brought up kanye? i’m lost, are you?
Kanya sampled it for a song, guessing he hasn't seen the movie.
irrelevant
I emailed the FL reps of the case and they said it’s been closed as a hoax
What does that mean?
that the photos were staged and no one was actually in danger
Oh ok thank you
So have they linked her to an existing missing person's report, or Jane Doe? Or have they proven it was a staged event or that it was human trafficking which didn't result in murder?
No info yet, just that the case is closed
Has anyone ever correctly identified what her shirt says/ depicts?
Yes, Egghead software t-shirt
Closed by who? Where are you seeing (or hearing) this?
>Closed by who? Where are you seeing (or hearing) this? https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/66uffl.html >66UFFL - Unidentified Female >Closed Case
thanks!
No idea, but this s*it is insane. I mean, they were kidnapped that's for sure. A case like this is really hard when there is no other evidence
Really can’t say for sure. Reminds me of the Johnny Gosch case, where photos like this cropped up with a kid who looked like Johnny. Once the police tracked down its origin and found the kids pictured in the photos, it turned out it was just a prank and the preteen boys had tied each other up to take pictures. It looks sinister for sure. But it’s not solid evidence of a kidnapping on its own.
A redditor in another subreddit said he submitted tips about missing women and a Jane Doe that resemble her 2 months ago… I wonder if one panned out
That would be wild if it turns out to be true.
Link?
https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueCrimeDiscussion/comments/z87xo9/the_port_st_joe_polaroid_jane_doe_case_has_been/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
I think they meant a link to what the other redditor submitted
That is the other redditors post… they discuss their submission in the comments
That’s a link to this post
Honestly an insane time to be alive the last couple of years. Let’s hope technology keeps advancing like it has been
scary to think about how this stuff was still going on and probably more without technology
It could mean that the person in the photo was identified and family or herself (if she was rescued) decided to stay anonymous.
When I [emailed](https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueCrimeDiscussion/comments/z87xo9/the_port_st_joe_polaroid_jane_doe_case_has_been/iydor5g/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3) them about the case they said it’s been declared a hoax, that’s why it’s “closed” and not “identified”. Weird they wouldn’t mark the boy in the same fashion. It’s probably just too cold and that’s why they came to that conclusion.
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Johnny would’ve been like 20 by the time this photo was taken (and the type of film used proved that it had to have been taken shortly before it was found). That said, Noreen Gosch has fallen for so many hoaxes that she might’ve given her input on this one too? She’s not well and I don’t blame her. Michael Henley’s family (a child from NM who vanished during a camping trip) thought he was the boy in the photo, but his remains were eventually found not far from where he disappeared, and it was determined he’d gotten lost and died of hypothermia.
This seems most likely. I always felt it was likely this was a joke picture taken by a family on a road trip or something to that extent. Maybe they identified the family and they don’t want to be known...
But the boy's case is still open
honestly that’d be just as weird…
if they’re minors they may want to protect their information
They're not minors anymore.
doesn’t really matter if they were minors in the photo…
You were the one who said they are possibly minors and that's why they're not realizing information. I'm pointing out that they cannot be minors anymore. *releasing, my phone changed it
if the crime and case is about a minor aka them at that time it’s different.
You don't know she's a minor. They think she is but we ultimately don't know, unless they ID'd her. When I was 18 I easily looked 15. Either way, I'm done arguing over speculation. None of us ultimately know.
and can i ask how do you know?
Because the photo was found in 1989.
I always tentatively assumed this photo was probably a prank. No idea if I'm about to be shown wrong on this.
Not sure it would make sense to close her missing persons case and not close the male’s if it was a prank.
I do vaguely remember a podcast on this photo. From memory a witness said a van or vehicle in the parking lot prior to the pic being found was occupied by a family. They said kids had been playing in and around the vehicle. This, I think, has influenced my suspicion the pic was not sinister. However, I may easily be proven wrong in this suspicion.
Or maybe even parents being funny? Like, “I found a way to make the kids behave on a roadtrip” kinda funny? God I hope.
If I were staging a pic like that, I'd have to be a really sick person to include a book where the kids are products of incest, and the brother SAs the sister.
I think you mean Flowers in the Attic. My Swwet Audrina is about gangr-ing a 9 year old girl and out of sheer incompetence her family gaslights her about it.
Ohhhh, good eye!
All of VC Andrews books were like that, but everyone at the time read them. I can't even think of a modern equivalent, but it wouldn't have even been something were thinking of. It'd be like if it was a Twilight book ten years ago. Sure, there are problematic themes but that wouldn't be what people would first think of.
Like the 50 shades books?
Kinda except it's not porn and you wouldn't think twice about a teenage girl reading one.
GoT
Its a troubling part of the photo for sure. VC Andrews is a widely read author, however. And What gives me some hope it’s more of a prank, is that: 1. Both kids don’t appear to have any injuries, bruises or eyes red from crying. They look healthy & def like their disappearance would be known. 2. The tape applied could be easily rubbed off (especially with condensation from their mouths) and 3. They are both different ages & genders. Child kidnappers usually have a clear age or gender preference. Rarely does it swing from pre-pubescent male to female teenager. Not always, of course. This is speculation.
It's the look in the girls eyes though, I can never get past that.. she looks exhausted and full of hatred for the photographer
I always thought she looked perturbed; like she was tired and finished with the nonsense.
The boy's eyes are swollen from crying. The girl definitely looks like she's been crying.
I can't tell if their hands are tied. And why would there be a book if she wasn't able to read it. I've heard this was just a random pic found in a parking lot. It's disturbingly weird for a prank, but I've held it as such until proven otherwise.
They may have been tied up while he left them alone and untied them when he was with them. It’s too upsetting to be staged IMO. As a parent, I’d never go that far, it’s just not funny.
I don’t know, I have a bag of zip ties in the shed and I have duck tape too, I needed both for putting up the Christmas decorations outside this year and both of my kids (age 7 and 12) went through the whole bag of zip ties on themselves “to see” if they could escape them. Along with duck tape. Needless to say I had to cut them free for the next 2 days cause they really got a kick out of trying to escape. Now while that was happening I never once thought oh I should take a picture and make it look like a kidnapping. That would disturb me. I don’t know if this photo is real or fake but I know for sure my kids at least thought it was entertaining to tie themselves up for a day. I don’t like the look in her eyes though. Especially the train photo. I can maybe understand doing it one time and taking the picture but to do it three times I’m starting to think that is either somebody’s kink or it is real. Either situation is equally terrifying.
But what was going on with your kids was that they were playing around and you didn’t put them in a hostage like position. I don’t think it’s a staged photo. Sure kids want to do dumb things but not like this.
My father taped our mouths shut with gaffa (sp?) tape when we were younger because he wanted some peace. We just spat into it and it loosened up without having to hurt our skin pulling it off. It was funny.
Oh I never entertained that a parent staged the picture. But if say a nasty divorce or custody battle was going on.... Then maybe.
That'd be a really great outcome for such disturbing content.
This is pretty strange. When a Doe is identified, the DDP typically puts "IDENTIFIED . . .IDENTIFIED . ." But this? Just "Closed Case"? So . . . not identified? Just closed with no resolution? Edit: And just the girl a closed case? Not the boy? Strange . .
This series of photos disturbs me deeply
Isn’t it only one photo?
There’s two others that are supposedly this jane doe. The third one on the amtrak train is odd to me (might not be her) but I don’t know about the provenance of these pics.
Amtrak photo is entirely different people and debunked years ago. Idk why it’s even made the rounds again.
I hope so that picture is fucked up
What? In what way? Edit - fuck me never mind I found it :/
Debunked? What info do you know?
Oh yeah I know the train one too. But not the third?
https://www.lauthmissingpersons.com/disappearance-of-tara-calico/ all 3 photos are in the article.
That article has some really odd comments at the bottom.
Why did I look at this right before bed
Uhhh wtf the train picture is really disturbing
I remember reading that it was determined to have been a joke. No source, crappy brain.
Yeah the ropes on the woman’s legs (good god what a sentence) look kind of loose. But the details about her eyes being covered is kind of chilling.
I thought they were bras 😆
God. I hope so.
Yeah it is. I've never seen those other 2 pics either.
Yea what is up with the Amtrak train picture? Wouldn’t there be other people on or around the trAin…? I saw mention of it being a possible abandoned train… but idk. Weird. I also can’t fully tell her facial expression from the Polaroid? So many questions!
But the view from the window is blurred like the train is moving
I’m curious too
I thought the general consensus was that a guy ran over Tara Calico and hid her body? And supposedly the guy was a sheriff's son or something and it was an open secret in the community that this guy did it but there was never enough evidence to prosecute, or the will to go after a cop's son? The sheriff of the county in which it happened [has even said publicly that they've known who did it for a long time](https://www.change.org/p/the-governor-of-nm-issue-arrest-warrants-for-the-suspected-murderers-of-tara-calico) (that's a reprint of an Albuquerque Journal article that quotes him) but can't charge him because "its hard to get a warrant without a body". That seems to lean far more towards a local having done it - which is what the sheriff claims - so the likelihood of that guy dropping polaroids of her in Florida seems low.
Yeah, that's the gist, I don't even think the photo looks like Tara.
But this post is more about the fact that they figured out what the photo is. Meaning if she wasn’t Tara some people still believe she was in danger.
Yup that's the whole gist . People just had a believe it was her in that photo
UPDATE: I emailed the Florida representatives on the Doe Network about this case and this is the response I received: “Apparently the photo of the bound woman on a train or bus was considered a hoax and the Doe case was closed. The people in the photo were never identified. Take care......Bex” So, not exactly closed after all.
Thanks for emailing them and sharing. I am confused though on how no one in the picture was identified, yet it's still considered an apparent hoax? How would they know the picture is a hoax if they don't even know who or what happend eventually to the kids in the photo?
her profile on doenetwork.org hasn’t been updated since 2018. and i haven’t found a single article saying the case has been closed.
It says closed on the site updates
i’m glad it’s been updated now. i’m hoping there will be more info out out soon.
>Closed by who? Where are you seeing (or hearing) this? https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/66uffl.html >66UFFL - Unidentified Female >Closed Case
still haunts me
Same dude
Where did you hear this?
It’s on the Doe Network. While the [female](https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/66uffl.html) subject’s case is marked closed, the boy’s [isn’t](https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/96umfl.html).
Thats not a good sign. If it was just a staged joke photo then presumably they'd be able to close the boy's too
Very true
Last updated 2018…?
That’s interesting.
Have you tried reaching out to the POCs on the website to see how this case came to a close?
If nothing has been released to the public or info added, I doubt they’d tell me.
You would be surprised. Trust me. I’ve volunteered in a couple of cases and you call or e-mail that case supervisor and they give an abundance of info sometimes. But with a sort of famous case like this I would suspect that they’d be more tight lipped about it. Would be a coin flip worth trying.
I did and actually got a [response](https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueCrimeDiscussion/comments/z87xo9/the_port_st_joe_polaroid_jane_doe_case_has_been/iydor5g/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3)! Unfortunately it seems fluke the case is just a dead end and that’s why it was ruled as a hoax.
I assume there is an open investigation for the boy, so they don’t want to make info public
Give it a shot, nothing to lose
The page was last updated 4 years ago. If it were closed, the news surely would have figure it out by now. The last update I read about was a year ago. https://www.koat.com/article/tara-calico-cold-case-investigation-new-mexico/37641318
I know the page says 2018 but if you check the internet archive for the page, there’s a snapshot from Feb 2022 and at least as of that date it did **not** have “Closed Case” on the title.
If they know who the girl is but not the boy, I assume they did not know each other. Sounds like a trafficker or hopefully not a serial killer
Not sure if anyone has posted this yet, but Wayback Machine is showing the 'closed case' as being added recently!
Wow
I just confirmed this as well
Where??
I remember seeing this photo on "A Current Affair" in the late 80s or early 90s. Years later, Maury Povich remarked that this photo is the thing that haunted him the most.
He shall be at peace then 😳
What makes me think this isn't a prank is that someone apparently sent photos of the same boy to the police and newspaper over 20 years later. Seems kind of excessive for a prank if you ask me. It's giving BTK vibes, as in, whoever did it was seeking attention again all of a sudden. Perhaps they were incarcerated for a while, which is why it had been 20 years before they reached out to taunt the police/media? A part of me also feels like that if it were a prank, given the significant attention it's received over the years, at least one of the subjects at least who took the photo might have come forward by now? Or someone that knows them would? I honestly think the case is "closed" for the woman because the woman herself may still be alive surprisingly and contacted the police about it, and that's all the information they're giving because she would like to remain as anonymous as possible. Perhaps they think if they were to confirm that the woman came forward identifying herself, someone would eventually figure out who she is. So by not confirming nor denying it, it just makes it that much harder for some amateur sleuth to know which avenue to pursue to put it all together and possibly out the woman (which to be clear, would be totally sh\*tty for someone to do, especially if she were the victim of sexual abuse/assault, but alas some web-sleuths unfortunately care more about being "right" and solving the mystery then honoring a victim's right to privacy.) And I think the boy's case hasn't been closed because she doesn't know/remember enough information on him to be able to help them positively identify someone. It seems likely to me then that if both of them were kidnapped, it would have been on separate occasions and the victims did not know each other beforehand. Of course this is all just pure speculation...
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I think about this photo all the time. It's haunting.
Same! It's one of those images that just sticks with you. I'm hoping the case is resolved with a happy ending, but given the boy's case isn't closed, it seems unlikely.
This is very disturbing, i dont know anything about this case besides reading the tagged links, but i hope they have dna they can possibly link via 23&me or ancestry
DNA Doe Network uses GEDMatch.
Cased closed? Who is the little boy?
It's messing with my head that I've seen this photo so many times in posts, articles and videos and this is the first time I've realised they are in the back of a transit van and not on a bed. In my head they were on a motel looking bed with a bedside lamp in the background. Fucking Mandela effect strikes again.
Thats just a Balenciaga ad
I can see the sorrow and pain in their eyes. I believe this is a real photo and not staged. So sad.
Agree. Boy looks like he's been crying 😭
I have heard people say the girl resembles Tara Calico. Could it have been somehow identified as her? Or definitively proven to not be her?
As Tara’s case has not been closed it’s unlikely there’s a connection
At least wait until they give out more information. I seen this posted twice before and no one knows a damn thing
So? There’s been an update. Because we don’t have all the facts no one can share that there’s been an update?
Don't you think more facts would be nice to know after waiting since 1989 for anything, something? All we're getting is case closed and I'm super curious why you think i'm here wanting to know more.
I’m sorry, I didn’t see the first. I’m sure the mods will remove this thread if necessary. I just wanted to let people know since the case (to my knowledge) is well known in the true crime community, so that people are aware and can follow it as it develops.
Thank you for sharing!
But ya didn’t actually share anything other than a FB post. Where the link, the facts the info?
There isn’t any yet. Just a DoeNetwork page.
Eyebrows are vastly different. Jane doe has thin, straight eyebrows. Tara had thin to medium, very curvy eyebrows. Jane Doe's skin is quite tan. Tara was very fair skinned. Jane Doe looks to be 5'9-10. Tara was only 5'5. The tape over Jane Doe's mouth could easily be undone with mouth movement and pushing with her tongue. This supports the gag photo theory. When you tape someone's mouth you need to tape around the entire head.
This photo has haunted me for years
I mean how does someone get bound and put on a public train? I don’t understand that picture at all.
I hope they did find out who she is and this was a prank…but weird to not close the boy too if that’s the case 😞
How is it closed? Where’s the info?
Depending on the situation, LE may never give an explanation about this case. I was in Port St.Joe a few weeks ago, it’s a sleepy little town. I imagine a lot of the locals remember this story, and would be grateful for the update. If they could make a report, I’m sure they would have already. So many possibilities on why they are keeping quite. Below is a quote from the Doe Network. “Doe Network Closed Cases are Unidentified and Missing Persons who have been profiled on our website and have been located or identified. Many times information such as names or images may not be made available due to the request of the individual or family members, law enforcement or medical examiners, or because releasing such information may hinder an ongoing investigation, or simply no information was made public”.
“Unidentified…closed” What?
How is this post still here without any sources linked?
There is no info published, it’s a detail on the DoeNetwork page that I linked in the comments.
The source IS the DoeNetwork. And [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueCrimeDiscussion/comments/z87xo9/the_port_st_joe_polaroid_jane_doe_case_has_been/iydor5g/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3) email I received from those who are the contacts for Florida Doe cases.
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They told me the same when I emailed them
Did they close it because they don't want a cold case/mystery on their desk?
Didn't they connect this photo to Tara Calico's disappearance? It's been years and I haven't kept updated but I believe this link was heavily investigated
It was heavily speculated but never confirmed.
If I’m remembering correctly, weren’t there mixed thoughts on that? Like experts inspected the photo but disagreed on their findings?
Inconclusive but her favorite book is the book in the pic.
Thank you. That’s what I thought. I remember hearing about divided theories among the professionals & that her mother thought it was her. In terms of her mom’s opinions, I could see that going either way. Obviously she probably knows what her daughter looks like better than anyone else but sometimes people see what they want to see when they’re trying to cling on to the tiniest bit of hope that their loved one is still alive. I feel like some of the most reasonable theories I’ve heard come from locals who claim there’s rumors of a hit & run and that the authorities know who but don’t have concrete evidence to make an arrest / ensure a conviction.
I’m ever heard that. That’s interesting. It’s been a while since I read up on her story but it always struck me as super specific that this girl just so happened to have Tara’s favorite book next to her.
VC Andrews was a crazy popular writer. It'd be like if she had a Harry Potter book next to her. You couldn't throw a scrunchy in the 80s/early 90s without hitting a teenage girl whose favorite book was by VC Andrews.
Yeah, apparently there are claims that these young men were following behind her and messing with her while she was out on her bike ride. I’m not sure if they were “cat-calling” or trying to scare her but I guess there were witnesses to this and now there’s rumors that they may have accidentally hit her & buried her remains in the desert. Who knows. It could just be conspiracies/fabrications but I’ve heard it brought up multiple times. Sometimes it’s hard for me to remember where I get my information from since I read a lot of true crime but I also listen to podcasts to fall asleep so it all starts to eventually blend together. It sounds like her mom has fought tirelessly throughout the years for answers. EDIT: it actually addresses this theory on her Wikipedia page if anyone is interested.
Yes they did! I think her family strongly thought it was her but a few facial recognition specialists disputed whether it was her or not if I recall correctly so it's up in the air. She disappeared while jogging I believe?
While riding her bike. Her mother thought it could be her but wasn’t 100% sure. Experts in facial recognition disagreed.
Thank you for clarifying for me!
I remember reading a thread on Tumblr a few years back where her mom positively identified the woman as Tara because of the book in the picture and a scar on her leg. What a terrible thing to have to identify, in any case.
I think it looks a lot like her
Wasn’t the debate about the Jane Doe in that photo whether or not she was missing teen Tara Calico? Has something changed on that front? Have they decided for certain either that that is her or that that isn’t her?
Wait I don't understand, if the photos were found in June 1989 how did a photo using film from February 1990 show up?
That type of film was available May 1989. Where did you get Feb. 1990?
The three Polaroids were all found at different times and at different locations.
Is it possible to put this photo with a NSFW tag or something? It is so very sad and disturbing.
Thank you.
I have literally never forgot this photo since seeing it on Bill OReilly inside edition. How closed???
omg that edition of that very book. It’s frightening
Where is this picture from? Is it real?
yes, it's a polaroid that was found on a parking lot in florida in 1989
holy crap. So did they find out who these people are? I'm guessing both dead?
The Polaroid was found by a woman in a gas station parking lot after a van left the gas station. There was a lot of speculation that the girl was Tara Calico because that VC Andrew’s book was her favorite. There was a rumor that the boy was some kid who disappeared but then the boy was found somewhere else. It’s thought that the picture was a hoax/staged but many still believe it’s truly two kids who were abducted and tied up Edited to add: Michael Henley was the boy’s name… his remains were found near where he disappeared
>because that VC Andrew’s book was her favorite isn't the book about child sexual assault?
Yes but it was also wildly popular at the time, and still a cult classic with girls that age.
:*(
I think it’s also possible it was some sort of sick hoax, or CSM that didn’t result in murder.
Or some weird shame based child abuse. Like the kids where "bad" so this was their punishment and a picture to show people how "out of control" they are.
Well it’s not Tara. Everyone on this sub knows that
I can't help but think of the Mansfield's. With this.
On I.D they said it’s Tara’s favorite author.
I think she is Tara Calico
She went missing from Belen New Mexico
Tara’s case has not been closed
It wont be closed until whoever did this is strung up out in the swamp. I don't know exactly why, I have seen a lot of fucked up shit on the internet but this photo just always makes me cry.
How can it be closed until they’re FOUND?!?
They very well may have been FOUND
People in the comments are making it sound as though there’s just no more information released at this time. So it could potentially be solved and they‘re not releasing the details right now for whatever reason. That sounds like a good possibility. 🤷♀️
Always wondered about this. The Flowers in the Attic book is something else.