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TARA LEIGH CALICO

Missing From: Belen, New Mexico
Date of Last Contact: September 20, 1988
Missing Age: 19
Current Age: 55
Caucasian Female
5'7" 115-120 lbs.
CIRCUMSTANCES OF DISAPPEARANCE
On the morning of September 20, 1988, 19-year-old Tara Calico left her home on Brugg Street in Belen, New Mexico, for her regular 36-mile bike ride. Her own bicycle was damaged, so she took her mother’s neon pink Huffy mountain bike with yellow control cables and sidewalls. She was last seen around 11:45 a.m. riding along Highway 47 in Valencia County, just two miles from home, reportedly followed closely by a light-colored pickup truck. When Tara failed to return by noon as expected, her mother began searching and reported her missing by 3:00 p.m. Fragments of Tara’s Walkman and a cassette tape were found along the roadside, possibly dropped intentionally as a signal. Her bicycle has never been found. Tara’s case remains open, and a $20,000 FBI reward is still active for information leading to her recovery or to a conviction.
LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTACTS
If you know anything about the Tara Calico case, please contact:
Valencia County Sheriff's Office
(505) 866-2400
Agency Case Number 20161005875
FBI Albuquerque Field Office
Phone: (505) 889-1300
Agency Case Number 7-AQ40914
MEDIA AND LINKS
Photo Gives Hope to Families of 2 (Aug 1989, The New York Times)
35 Years Later: Tara Calico Disappearance (June 2023, Valencia County News-Bulletin)
Investigators say they have new leads in Tara Calico disappearance (Sept 2021, KOAT-TV)
Renewed hope for answers 29 years after disappearance of Tara Calico (Sept 2017, KRQE)
FBI Offers $20,000 Reward in Tara Calico Case (Oct 2019, FBI)
Officials say they have a suspect in Tara Calico case

Search video...

Officials say they have a suspect in Tara Calico case
03:17

Officials to provide update on Tara Calico case
00:30

Investigators say they have new leads in Tara Calico disappearance
01:39

Will Tara Calico Ever Be Found? | The Missing
11:24
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