Case Details

Photo URLs:

This person was missing Missing Since 05/16/1984

Missing Since:

Missing Since 05/16/1984

Missing From:

Missing From Eldon, Missouri

Classification:

Classification Endangered Missing

Gender:

Female

Race:

Race White

Date of Birth:

Date of Birth 08/10/1968 (56)

Age:

Age 15 years old

Height and Weight:

Height and Weight 5’7, 140 pounds

Clothing/Jewelry Description:

Clothing/Jewelry Description A sweatshirt, Nike shoes, a chain necklace with an arrowhead pendant and a leather wristband.

Distinguishing Characteristics:

Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Sandy blonde/brown hair, brown eyes. Tammy has a tattoo of the letter “R” on her left arm, and also a scar on her left arm. She has several moles on her cheeks and chin.

Details of Disappearance:

On May 16, 1984, 15-year-old Tammy disappeared. She was last seen near her Eldon, Missouri high school, getting into a blue car with her mother’s boyfriend, Marty Priest. Tammy skipped school that day.

Priest had a violent past. Four years earlier, he’d been convicted of murdering a 13-year-old girl but was later released on appeal.

After Tammy vanished, Priest initially claimed she ran away. Later, he told Tammy’s mother he had Tammy and she’d only see her daughter again through him. This led to a police investigation.

Priest was already involved in other crimes. He was convicted of murder in Kansas and acquitted of another murder in the same case. He was also accused of killing another teenager but found not guilty.

In 2016, Priest was finally charged with Tammy’s murder. His nephew, David, who was 13 at the time of Tammy’s disappearance, testified that Priest lured Tammy into the car, then knocked her unconscious, raped and strangled her. David had kept this secret for years to protect his family. He and his brother testified about helping Priest hide Tammy’s body.

Despite Priest’s claims of innocence and his lawyers pointing to David’s criminal record as an adult, Priest was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for Tammy’s murder. Because he’s already serving a life sentence in Kansas, he won’t be eligible for parole there for 25 years. He’ll have to finish that sentence before starting his Missouri sentence.

Agency:

Eldon Police Department 573-392-5611

Source Links: