The Real Story Behind The Tara Calico Polaroid

UPDATE: On June 13, 2023, Valencia County Sheriff's Department announced they have a suspect in Tara's case. The department submitted evidence to the District Attorney's office for review of potential charges in the case. The name of the suspect(s) was not released.

On September 20, 1988, 19-year-old Tara Leigh Calico took her bike out for a ride along Highway 47 near her home in Belen, New Mexico. Tara frequented the route, biking it nearly every day for exercise. No one has seen Tara since she left her house, although her case remains a mystery that has garnered significant attention over the past 35 years.

Tara’s family immediately knew something was wrong when she failed to return home that evening. They immediately filed a missing person report. Police conducted an exhaustive search, but no found no traces of Tara or the bicycle she rode.

A Mysterious Photograph

Nine months later, a woman shopping at a convenience store in Port St. Joe, Florida, discovered a Polaroid photograph in the parking lot showing a young girl and young boy bound and gagged, lying in what appears to be the back of a van. The customer immediately turned the photo over to the police.

Speculations swirled that the girl in the photograph was Tara Calico. The two certainly resembled each other. A V.C. Andrew's paperback book lay beside the young girl in the photo. Tara was an avid fan of her work.

John Doel, Tara's stepfather, received a call from a friend about a month after the photo began to circulate. The friend told John about the photo. When he turned on the TV, John saw the photo of the two young people on the show, A Current Affair.

John and Patty thought the girl in the photo looked like Tara and felt that it could be her. When she saw a scar on the girl’s leg -the same scar Tara had- it confirmed her thoughts. Patty believed the girl in the Polaroid was her daughter until she died in 2006.

Many people who saw the photograph on TV or in a news circulation shared the same feelings as John and Patty. The girl resembled Tara and shared the same scar in the same area of her body.

FBI Analyzed Photo

The FBI analyzed the photo twice, and neither time could figure out who the girl was in the photo. A few experts stated they thought the girl in the photo was Tara. However, experts with the FBI stated they did not feel like it was her. The Scotland Yard analyzed the photograph and disagreed with the FBI, claiming it was Tara.

More Information About Tara

After Tara vanished, several people came forward with information stating that she had been followed by a group of people that day. People close to Tara reported that she had been receiving threatening messages on her vehicle. The FBI suspects locals attacked Tara and know what happened to her.

Suspicions About the Photograph

Valencia Police Sgt. Joseph Rowland questioned the authenticity of the photo, noting how relaxed the girl looks in the photo and that her hands appear to be tied loosely together.

“There was no redness around the tape on the mouths of the children, which would indicate that the tape was not on their mouth for an extended period of time,” Sgt. Rowland said.

Who is the Boy in The Photograph?

As for the boy's identity, a New Mexico couple came forward after the photograph aired nationally, saying he looked like their missing son, 9-year-old Michael Henly.

Michael disappeared in April 1988 while on a hunting trip with his father, just months before Tara. Michael’s remains were found two years later in the woods he disappeared. He died from exposure.

Tara's Disappearance Remains a Mystery

Even today, the Polaroid photograph makes its round across social media sites like Facebook, fueling conversations about the identity of the people in the photo. Tara’s disappearance remains a mystery, as does the identity of either person in the photograph.

My Opinion

I agree with the FBI. Neither person in the photo looks distressed, in pain, or otherwise distraught. With that said, a mother knows her daughter.

If you have any information about Tara Calico’s disappearance, contact the Valencia County Sheriff’s Office at 505-866-2400 or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at tips.fbi.gov.