Case Details

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This person was missing Missing Since 06/13/1980

Missing Since:

Missing Since 06/13/1980

Missing From:

Missing From Maple Heights, Ohio

Classification:

Classification Non-Family Abduction

Gender:

Female

Race:

Race White

Date of Birth:

Date of Birth 07/02/1971 (53)

Age:

Age 8 years old

Height and Weight:

Height and Weight 4’0, 58 pounds

Clothing/Jewelry Description:

Clothing/Jewelry Description Shorts, a red and blue t-shirt that says “Let’s face it, I’m cute”, and blue sneakers.

Distinguishing Characteristics:

Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, blue eyes. Tiffany has a gap between her upper front teeth and facial dimples. She has a scar on her right knee and her ears are pierced. Some agencies spell Tiffany’s name “Tiffiny.” She may go by her initials, T.J. She has previously fractured her collarbone.

Details of Disappearance:

Tiffany Papesh vanished on June 13, 1980, in Maple Heights, Ohio. She was seen leaving a convenience store after buying hamburger buns around 2:45 pm. She disappeared while walking the short distance home.

Three years later, a man named Brandon Lee Flagner (also known as Chico Virgilio Tenorio) confessed to her murder, rape, and dismemberment while in prison for child molestation. He gave multiple, conflicting confessions, claiming he accidentally shot Tiffany during a sexual assault. He said he disposed of her body in different parts of Ohio. He even mentioned a scar on Tiffany’s knee, a detail not widely known.

Flagner’s confessions were inconsistent, and his time card seemed to place him 40 miles away at the time of the disappearance. Despite this, and the fact that his confessions were later retracted (he claimed he lied to stay in prison and get sex offender treatment), he was convicted based on his confession and his history of child abuse. He was sentenced to life in prison.

However, many, including investigators and Tiffany’s family, doubt Flagner’s guilt. There’s no physical evidence linking him to the crime, and some believe he may have falsely confessed. Tiffany’s body has never been found. The case remains unsolved.

Agency:

Maple Heights Police Department

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