Left and Center: Tammy circa, 1984
Right: Age Progressed to age 36
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: November 13, 1984
Missing From: Exeter, Rockingham County, New Hampshire
Classification: Non-Family Abduction
Date Of Birth: February 23, 1976
Age: 8 years old
Height and Weight: 4’6″ and 70 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian Female, Brown hair, Brown eyes, Tammy has a left lazy eye
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A short tan jacket with blue sleeves, a purple sweater, an aqua colored jersey with thin black and white stripes, tan corduroy pants, tan suede boots, and green and blue socks. Tammy was last known to be carrying a red backpack with her name and house address on it
NCMEC Number: 600264
Details of Disappearance
Tammy was last seen in Exeter, New Hampshire on November 13th 1984. She left her residence that morning to walk to school. The walk was 15 minutes and a neighbor reported seeing Tammy crossing Court Street at approximately 8:00 am. Tammy never arrived to school and was never seen or heard from again afterwards.
Tammy wasn’t discovered to be missing until after the school day ended, her school did not verify children’s absences until after her disappearance. Investigators and various people searched for her. It’s said that over 200 people were involved in the search for Tammy. They searched woods and fields as well as ponds. No trace of her was ever found.
Investigators believe Tammy was abducted by a non family member. There were reports of a blue vehicle being seen in the area when Tammy disappeared. For many years, her family held onto hope that she was still alive and investigators also held out this hope. There were possible sightings of Tammy throughout the United States after her presumed abduction, some of these sightings went as far as California.
Investigators now believe Tammy was murdered on the same day she went missing. A man, Victor George Wonyetye Jr., has been a suspect in Tammy’s disappearance since December of 1984. He was questioned about her disappearance in the days after she was reported missing and his car was searched.
Victor has a criminal record that dates back to the 1960s for offenses like forced entry and larceny. He also has a record for sexual assault and was paroled in June of 1983 for aggravated felony sexual assault against a female minor in May of 1979. He had only served four years of a 7-15 year sentence.
He revoked his parole in December of 1984 because of a arrest in Florida and he was returned a New Hampshire State Prison in Concord where he was too serve the rest of his term. Investigators attempted to file charges against him in relation to Tammy’s case but there wasn’t enough evidence to do so.
Victor was employed at Brad’s Custom Auto Body on Main Street. This was just several blocks from where Tammy was last seen. Investigators also found a photograph of her inside of his residence as well. He also owned a blue vehicle like the one seen in the area at the time Tammy was presumably abducted.
The car was described as a blue 1965 four door Ford and it was registered to Victor in 1984. Victor is also considered a suspect in the 1984 disappearance of Marjorie Christina Luna. She disappeared from Greenacres, Florida on May 27th 1984 after going to a local convenience store and buying a bag of cat food. She never returned home.
Victor was known to be in the area at the time Marjorie disappeared and is considered one of the primary suspects in the case. He also lived near her residence at the time of her disappearance. Investigators have acknowledged that there’s no physical evidence linking him to either girls kidnapping.
In 1992, Victor was sentenced to 75 years in prison for burglary and indecent exposure. During his trial, prison inmates testified that Victor confessed to killing both Marjorie and Tammy in 1984. He was never charged in relation to either case, however. He was released from prison in 2012 and died 8 months later.
At the time of her disappearance, Tammy was a third grade student at Lincoln Elementary School. Her father, Nelson, described her as timid and not the type of child to get into the vehicle of a stranger or even a neighbor. Tammy’s disappearance remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Exeter Police Department 603-772-1212
Source Information
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
New Hampshire Department of Justice