The disappearance of Tara Calico

Tara Calico, then 19, left her Belen, New Mexico home on the afternoon of September 20, 1988 to ride her bicycle on Highway 47. She, nor her bike, were ever seen again despite numerous searches and media coverage including being featured on Unsolved Mysteries, America’s Most Wanted, Vanished, Current Affair, etc.

Tara’s unsolved disappearance came back into the limelight when, on June 15, 1989, a woman found a picture in a parking lot outside a convenience store in Port St. Joe, Florida. A white van had previously been parked in the spot and the photo featured a teenage girl and an unidentified young boy, both were bound and gagged in the back of a van. It was speculated that the girl in the photo might be Tara Calico and that the boy was possibly Michael Henley, a 9-year old who vanished on a camping trip in NM the previous year. However, Michael’s remains were soon found in the same area he originally went missing.

Two other photographs featuring a gagged girl resembling Tara surfaced over the next few months, though they have never been released to the public.

Photo of an unidentified young female and boy gagged and bound

There are many theories revolving around this case and it seems like the majority believe the young woman was kidnapped however, years after Tara went missing a Valencia County sheriff publicly stated his belief that she was killed the day she disappeared when two local residents accidentally hit her with their truck and disposed of her body, but he had insufficient evidence to make an arrest. But if this theory is true, then what’s the story behind the two kids in the photograph?

Tara Calico was born February 28, 1969 and would be 44 years old today.

Tara Calico: Gone Without a Trace – The Documentary Fan Page (Facebook)

July 18, 2013

letsfindthem

18 responses to “The disappearance of Tara Calico”

traylou70
August 14th, 2013 at 18:28

That is a very disturbing photo. Id fight tooth and nail and search high and low to discover the identies of these two children just to try and establish if they ok or not

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Amanda
December 3rd, 2013 at 23:05

This is so disturbing and the fact that noone knows who these kids are and if they are ok

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13tweeter13
February 26th, 2014 at 15:57

I have often wondered if the police have ever investigated the possibility that David Parker Ray-Zakre (born in Belen, NM 1939), Dennis Yancy, Glenda Jean Ray, Billy Bowers, and Cindy Hendy were involved in Tara’s disappearance. Ray and his accomplices were known to be very active in the kidnapping and torturing of women and girls and Ray-Zakre was believed to have killed many of them. A video dating from 1993 found in 1999 when he was arrested and his “Toy Box” searched, resulted in the identification of a victim who was alive. Ray-Zakre (referred to as David Parker Ray in news accounts) died before he could be transferred to prison, but was believed to have victimized women since his teens. A video of the strangulation and murder of a victim was attributed to his group (Yancy, Hendy, and Parker Ray).

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C.C
May 21st, 2014 at 19:11

That movie laying next to them, or book.. Is flowers in the attic. I’d find out who those kids are and investigate their families.. And their families attic’s. it seems like a message and if you know the book.. i’d investigate their families and their attics..

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- Stacey M Murello
  August 19th, 2016 at 17:10
  
  Ma’am I think you’re on point when I was in the military I work closely with military Intel guys and currently a criminal justice student with the hopes of becoming a federal agent and in times like this nothing is by chance that book is there for a reason there are clues in that picture this wasn’t accidentally left behind this is a game of cat-and-mouse and they were taunting the police I believe of effort would have been so they could have located those two children please in that picture and I feel if it would have been looked at a little more thoroughly investigated thoroughly that it would be more than just a picture and we wouldn’t all be sitting here commented on the lack of progress on the investigation as a whole
  
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Anna
May 29th, 2014 at 19:03

It’s “My Sweet Audrina” by VC Andrews, not “Flowers in the Attic”

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Brandi
December 13th, 2014 at 14:53

That is not tara that is kaci trisler my sister if anyone knows any thing plz bring her home we love her thank u

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- BB
  December 22nd, 2014 at 11:55
  
  Brandi, this photo was found in 1989. According to an online search, your sister is 29, she would’ve only been 4 yo at the time this photo was found. I couldn’t find any info regarding her missing or disappearance. Has she been missing for a long time? May God bless you & your family & bring your sister home to her loved ones.
  
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  - Brandi
    May 18th, 2016 at 22:37
    
    All I know is that I goggled my sister name when she lived in Dallas I seen this pic and was really worried my sister is locked up and I do know where she is my sister is 30 years old she looks a lot older than me I’m trying to figure all this out also I don’t remember a lot of my younger years I do know my sis looks like this girl when she was younger I found my self put on black market and we both lost our children and my gma sister has her two girls I honestly don’t know the truth but I have been digging and searching for years not even sure who I belong to I believe all the children were switched
- rewaters7
  June 11th, 2015 at 12:42
  
  I found several links when googling your sisters name pertaining to her being arrested in 2015 also a obituary for her 5 year old daughter in texas
  
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- rewaters7
  June 11th, 2015 at 12:53
  
  Have you located your sister yet? There’s a news story out of amarillo Texas that says your sister Kaci’s 5 yr old daughter destiny died as a result of a car accident where she was sitting on her grandmothers lap in front seat and your sister was charged with possession of drugs and child endangerment.
  
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  - Brandi
    May 18th, 2016 at 22:43
    
    The wreck was in Amarillo yes she is locked up my mom was driving my sister in the front and me and my other two nieces were in the back I believe the wreak was international for money I lost my glasses had to get some more destiny was sick only my gma New were we were going I believe it was for money and so was the death of my baby daddy I can’t prove it but I know that’s way i feel like no one wants to get caught with what they have done I believe this has been happening for some time now
- rewaters7
  June 11th, 2015 at 13:40
  
  Brandi I’m not sure if you are a bold face liar or are suffering from some mental disorder but you have contact with your sister Kaci at the time you posted this. Your family has been in the news within the past few years for drugs etc. And your father murdered your boyfriend aka baby daddy over a verbal exchange that got heated and your sister is on drugs and had her kids removed from her just like yours were. Honey please get help because you know dang well where your sister is and she doesn’t even look like this woman in the photo.
  
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- John
  May 7th, 2017 at 02:51
  
  Did you find the information you were looking for?
  
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pine@comcast.net
June 21st, 2015 at 12:07

The picture has nothing to do with Tara. Tara was murdered shortly after being abducted and it was done by locals. The police know who the men responsible are but dont have enough evidence to arrest them. The men also bragged to friends that they would never find Tara’s body. This is common knowledge in Belen

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- thewhistler77
  September 30th, 2015 at 00:55
  
  Do u know the people who did this?
  
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james
January 31st, 2016 at 04:19

.

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AnyOldNameWillDo
August 16th, 2016 at 20:35

Not sure but looks like they are in bed of a truck. What appears as the trucks bed appears distinguishable in upper top picture to the right??? Looks like top of the trucks bed. Maybe too truck was red?? Not sure but perhaps a dark color. Also picture appears to have been taken (possibly?) in the evening. Not entirely sure but it also appears to me the trucks tailgate is open about 3/4’s of the way. AND “”MAYBE”” a partial picture of a white or silver Cadillac towards where the tailgate appears open slightly.

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