Tara Calico

In this episode, we shine light on the story of Tara Calico, who was just 19 when she disappeared while on a bike ride in her hometown of Belen, New Mexico.

Tara Calico’s Background

Tara Leigh Calico was born on February 28 1969 in Kansas. Though her parents divorced, her mother later remarried and Tara was raised with both her birth and step siblings in Belen, New Mexico.

From all accounts, she was extremely independent even from a small child. By the time she was a young teen, she had already had several jobs. She excelled in school and  sports. By the time she graduated, She's ready to attend a University at the University of New Mexico Valencia that had a campus in her hometown. She had most recently worked at a local bank but ended her time there just before her sophomore year so that she could focus on her academics. She wanted to be a practicing psychiatrist.

Disappearance
On Tuesday September 20th,1988, Tara planned to go for her regular 34 mile bike ride, followed by a tennis match with her new boyfriend, and plans to attend class later that afternoon. She set out everything she needed for the rest of her day and had her mother get her tapes ready so that she could listen to music while she biked. She asks her mother to come looking for her if she doesn't come back by lunch time because she previously had difficulty with her own bike. That day, she took her mother's bike that she was borrowing, and headed out for her ride at about 9:30 a.m.

Shortly after Tara didn't arrive at her planned time her mother went looking for her. she was nowhere to be found nor was her bicycle. Within 2 hours her mother had reported her disappearance and a search was underway to find Tara.

Early Search
In the first 22 hours of search for Tara, the response was intense and immediate. tire marks from her bike were found in the dirt alongside the road. Some distance away a tape by the band Boston was found on the ground; her mother believed this tape belonged to Tara.

According to investigators it was clear from the start that this was a forcible abduction and that Tara's life was in danger.  Still, despite the intense efforts, the only other clues were some broken plastic found 19 miles away; it was believed by some that this was part of her Sony walkman

. 

Photograph
Nine months later, a photograph of a young woman and pre-teen boy was found on the ground in a parking lot in Florida. In it, both individuals are in the back of a van where they are bound with tape over their mouths. This photo ran on the show A Current Affair, and Tara’s family was contacted about this potentially showing her. 

Though investigative agencies were divided on this, her mother and others came to believe that this was Tara. This image was shown widely and captured the interest of the American public. It also meant that the family was able to call attention to Tara’s case on a national scale, so despite controversy surrounding the image, it also means widespread coverage happened in a way that wasn’t previously.

It also gave evidence that supported the theory that Tara had been kidnapped and held hostage.

Ongoing Search
Over the years, Tara’s case was handled by various lead agencies. Over time, many of these agencies moved forward theories that conflicted with the idea that Tara was being held captive in a stranger-to-stranger abduction. Publicly, since the early 1990s, investigators have made clear that the most likely scenario was an acquaintance kidnapping, assault, and murder perpetrated by locals.

Despite this, charges have not been brought against these individuals, but Tara’s case did get renewed interest thanks to the work of documentary filmmaker and podcaster Melinda Esquibel. 

Recent Developments
In 2023, the Valencia County Sheriff’s Department turned over their evidence to the DA’s office. These records are sealed, but it was made clear that they believed they have, through recent work, made advances in Tara’s case.

After viewing this evidence, it’s hoped that charges will be brought against those responsible for Tara’s disappearance.

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People and Cases Mentioned in this Episode:
Tara Calico (unsolved missing person’s case)
Michael Henley (solved missing person’s case)