The Girl In The Polaroid — Tara Leigh Calico
Tara Calico never returned home after going out on a bike ride in 1988
Nineteen-year-old Tara Calico set out on a 36-mile bike ride along New Mexico State Road 47 early on September 20, 1988, from her Belen, New Mexico home. That morning’s events weren’t out of the ordinary; Tara’s mother, Patty Doel, said her daughter rode her bike on this path practically every day. Usually, Patty and Calico bike along Mexico State Road 47 every day, but lately Patty has been skipping their rides. Patty was nervous and less likely to bike after a recent incident in which an automobile drove aggressively close to her, purposefully passing her several times. Tara had plans with her boyfriend, so she asked her mother to come get her if she wasn’t home by noon before leaving at around 9:30 AM as a joke. Patty nodded and unknowingly said her daughter's farewell for the last time.
The Search
Patty went looking for her when, by noon, she had not returned. Two trips back and forth later, Tara was nowhere to be found on her usual path. When she became distressed, Patty reported her daughter missing to the Valencia County Sheriff’s Department. Investigators combed the region for weeks. The region was searched by hundreds of volunteers, local and state police, and horseback riders as well as by planes and four-wheelers.
