FL-Tiffany Sessions, FL 2/09/89

[ShowerSinger]

www.tiffanysessions.com

[WasBlind]

Has anyone else noticed the similarities, albeit 13 years apart between Rachel's disappearance and Tiffany Sessions?
Same age, close to an interstate, pretty young blonde girls, jogging, walkman...?

I'm gonna reply to this here, instead of on Rachel's thread.

The differences I see btn. the two girls disappearances.
From what I understand, Rachel wasn't anywhere near an interstate.

13 years apart, that's a long time. I doubt you're inferring there is a serial killer, right? Serial killers are not common, not at all, no matter what people on the boards say, or what the media might have you believe.

Tiffany was said to have gone for a walk, not a jog.

I cannot find anything that states she had a walkman with her.

One disappeared in Florida, and one in Texas.

Thanks for caring for the missing, SS, and God bless you.

With HOPE, Lanie

[WasBlind]

Matches (http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=%22tiffany+sessions%22&sm=Yahoo%21+Search&fr=FP-tab-web-t&toggle=1&ei=UTF-8) for Tiffany on yahoo.

NCMA (http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200300454W) profile for Tiffany.

With HOPE, Lanie

[lisag]

I cannot find anything that states she had a walkman with her.


www.tiffanysessions.com indicates she had a black walkman

I don't see how that meas much with regards to Rachel Cook.. Lots of people carry walkmans when they go for a walk or jog... And being that it was many years apart in different states, I have a hard time blieveing they are related...

[Richard]

Tiffany Sessions disappeared on 9 February 1989. Although her case has been kept alive over they years by her family, not a lot of facts are available about her or her disappearance.

The fact that she was wearing a Walkman headset does not in itself mean anything, but it is one of those things that indicates to a criminal that the potential victim is not totally tuned into her surroundings, and that she might not hear his approach.

I feel that the most important piece of information - and one which should be brought out more on her website and in other forums - is the fact that she was wearing a Ladie's Rolex Watch, two tone gold and silver with a blue face, Serial number R 609006. Knowing exactly what model watch, when it was made, and providing some good photos would help her case. That watch would probably be worth a lot of money and if it was recognized as such by the perpetrator, it may have been sold. It may be the key piece of evidence that leads back to Tiffany's abductor and to Tiffany. If someone now owns/wears that watch, seeing a photo of it on TV or on a computer screen might provide a much needed tip.

[lisag]

Good point Richard - I would think that watch HAS to be somewhere !! That could really move things along...

[BarnGoddess]

I am flabbergasted. I knew Tiffany, her Dad and her Grandmother from church in Miami. I had forgotten about the disappearance until I saw this thread. I was particularly friendly with her grandmother. We attended plays together. She and my mother were in many organizations together.

I read one of the links provided by WasBlind from Yahoo. It appears that Damon Van Dam and Tiffany attended U of F at the same time, even though they were 4 years apart. Let me tell you, both U of F and FSU at Tallahassee are huge universities. I would bet they didn't know each other there.

Now, the ingriguing part of this whole thing. Did I know Damon Van Dam? It was mentioned that he was married at an Episcopal church in Gainesville. Do I know his mother? I can't for the life of me this moment think of her first name, but I also went to church with a woman named Van Dam. She had children and I am getting a feeling a son was named Damon. Please help me if anyone remembers Damon Van Dam's mother's name.

This is the strangest thing.

[smile22]

i did a search on google but didnt come up with much on the watch when i have more time i will do more. does anyone know where i can find a watch like that ex a website that would have vintage watches or even if i went to a pawn shop would they know anything about them also was her rolex real or fake?

[Richard]

i did a search on google but didnt come up with much on the watch when i have more time i will do more. does anyone know where i can find a watch like that ex a website that would have vintage watches or even if i went to a pawn shop would they know anything about them also was her rolex real or fake?

Good questions. I think that her watch must have been a real Rolex, given the serial number and the fact that none of the websites or posters said that it was fake. I could not find any on-line Rolex "catalogs" but did find one which was hawking a book on them. Maybe that author/website manager would have some answers.

[BarnGoddess]

Good questions. I think that her watch must have been a real Rolex, given the serial number and the fact that none of the websites or posters said that it was fake. I could not find any on-line Rolex "catalogs" but did find one which was hawking a book on them. Maybe that author/website manager would have some answers.
Knowing the family and their wealth at the time, I can assure you it's a real Rolex. Fakes, to my knowledge, do not have serial numbers.

[smile22]

now i know that it is real my question is could there be a picture of it online somewhere perhaps a rolex online store or a place that sells vintages watches. ok i went online and found a book that has virtualy ever rolex made when the book was put out the bad part its like 21$$ i e-mailed him and a few other websites to see if they had any pics on the watch also what about trying a vintage jewler. also it was manufactured between 87-89 based on a look up for the serial number

[Richard]

also it was manufactured between 87-89 based on a look up for the serial number

You have pretty well confirmed that her Rolex watch was genuine. Now if you can determine what the model name was, and perhaps get a photo link, you could generate some tips or leads.

With the correct words in your post, it may be possible for someone who is simply trying to get info on that particular watch to link to this forum.

[BarnGoddess]

You have pretty well confirmed that her Rolex watch was genuine. Now if you can determine what the model name was, and perhaps get a photo link, you could generate some tips or leads.

With the correct words in your post, it may be possible for someone who is simply trying to get info on that particular watch to link to this forum.
Check out any internet site selling Rolex watches used and look for the Lady Presidential. The band would be a combination of gold and stainless unless it's white gold and yellow gold. The watches came in a choice of face colors. Hers was blue. I don't think she had a diamond bezel, just a plain one. It probably had the date too.

[smile22]

http://www.jewelry-wholesalers.com/watch-rolex-0008.html this is what i came up with for the presidental watch

[audrey77]

Did the sweatshirt/shirt DNA tests ever come back?

http://www.sptimes.com/2002/08/31/State/Old_sweat_shirt_teste.shtml

[BarnGoddess]

Smile, your link is just what I was thinking of. Now picture a blue face instead of oyster and there is a sapphire in the end of the winding stem. Mix silver with the gold on the band and you have what I think Tiffany would be wearing according to the reports.

I had looked at watches, but my computer froze from so much "googling".

[carolina]

barngoddess -you said that at the time tiffany was kidnapped her family was very well off. family friends of ours have a successful nationwide real estate company. recently a kidnapping attempt was made on one of their sons in an attempt to extort money from their family by a disgruntled ex money manager. i wonder if tiffany was a victim of a similar situation.

[monkalup]

barngoddess -you said that at the time tiffany was kidnapped her family was very well off. family friends of ours have a successful nationwide real estate company. recently a kidnapping attempt was made on one of their sons in an attempt to extort money from their family by a disgruntled ex money manager. i wonder if tiffany was a victim of a similar situation.


There was another case in south florida where the young lady was abducted for ransom and actually buried alive. she was found in time. I cannot remember her name, but I believe the case happened in coconut grove, fla in the late sixties, early seventies. This family was also wealthy and into real estate development, if I recal correctly. Wish I could remember her name...

We have often wondered that about Jean Marie Stewart as well. She also disappeared from a very affluent neighborhood and at the time, we owned a chain of 180 retail stores. We would have gladly paid such a ransom, but one was never demanded. One wonders if something didn't go wrong...

[BarnGoddess]

There was another case in south florida where the young lady was abducted for ransom and actually buried alive. she was found in time. I cannot remember her name, but I believe the case happened in coconut grove, fla in the late sixties, early seventies. This family was also wealthy and into real estate development, if I recal correctly. Wish I could remember her name...

We have often wondered that about Jean Marie Stewart as well. She also disappeared from a very affluent neighborhood and at the time, we owned a chain of 180 retail stores. We would have gladly paid such a ransom, but one was never demanded. One wonders if something didn't go wrong...
I found this from googling. I remember that case. I think her father was in the cement or concrete business, if I remember correctly.

NOW I'VE HEARD EVERYTHING:

Doctor With a Dark Past: He was convicted of kidnapping a college student and burying her alive. Now Gary Krist, M.D., has a license to practice medicine. Dr. Krist now works as a general practioner in Chesney, Indiana. Three decades ago, Krist was sentenced to life in prison for the 1968 kidnapping of Barbara Jane Mackle, a college student from a wealthy family. Authorities said Krist, then 23, and a female accomplice abducted Mackle, a student at Emory University in Atlanta, at gunpoint from a motel and drugged her with chloroform. They put Mackle in a wooden box with food and other provisions, and buried her in a remote area in Georgia. Police rescued Mackle 3½ days later, after her father paid a $500,000 ransom. Krist was captured off the Florida coast in a speedboat he had purchased with the ransom money. The crime became the subject of a movie of the week, and Krist himself wrote a book about it, as did his victim. In her book, Mackle described her reaction as she was buried inside the box. "I screamed and screamed," she wrote. "The sound of the dirt got farther and farther away. Finally, I couldn't hear anything above. I screamed for a long time after that." After serving 10 years in prison, Krist was released and went on to study at medical schools in Grenada and Dominica, eventually earning a medical degree. The state of Alabama rejected his attempt to get a license, but the Indiana Medical Licensing Board approved him in December 2002. Indiana law does not prevent convicted felons from obtaining a medical license, and the state medical board put a number of restrictions on his ability to practice medicine. He remains on indefinite probation, and he must appear before the board every six months. He was required to submit to psychiatric evaluation, and he is not allowed to prescribe certain drugs.




SOURCE: ABCNews.Com

[monkalup]

I found this from googling. I remember that case. I think her father was in the cement or concrete business, if I remember correctly.

NOW I'VE HEARD EVERYTHING:

Doctor With a Dark Past: He was convicted of kidnapping a college student and burying her alive. Now Gary Krist, M.D., has a license to practice medicine. Dr. Krist now works as a general practioner in Chesney, Indiana. Three decades ago, Krist was sentenced to life in prison for the 1968 kidnapping of Barbara Jane Mackle, a college student from a wealthy family. Authorities said Krist, then 23, and a female accomplice abducted Mackle, a student at Emory University in Atlanta, at gunpoint from a motel and drugged her with chloroform. They put Mackle in a wooden box with food and other provisions, and buried her in a remote area in Georgia. Police rescued Mackle 3½ days later, after her father paid a $500,000 ransom. Krist was captured off the Florida coast in a speedboat he had purchased with the ransom money. The crime became the subject of a movie of the week, and Krist himself wrote a book about it, as did his victim. In her book, Mackle described her reaction as she was buried inside the box. "I screamed and screamed," she wrote. "The sound of the dirt got farther and farther away. Finally, I couldn't hear anything above. I screamed for a long time after that." After serving 10 years in prison, Krist was released and went on to study at medical schools in Grenada and Dominica, eventually earning a medical degree. The state of Alabama rejected his attempt to get a license, but the Indiana Medical Licensing Board approved him in December 2002. Indiana law does not prevent convicted felons from obtaining a medical license, and the state medical board put a number of restrictions on his ability to practice medicine. He remains on indefinite probation, and he must appear before the board every six months. He was required to submit to psychiatric evaluation, and he is not allowed to prescribe certain drugs.




SOURCE: ABCNews.Com

That's it! I remembered too many details wrong! Sorry! How easily this case could have turned out even more tragically. And I wonder how poor Barbara ever recovered from the trauma...

[ShowerSinger]

From "Tiff"'s mom...
www.sptimes.com/2005/07/16/Floridian/Waiting_for_Tiff.shtml

[Esah]

One of the links made a comment about a sweatshirt and that they were doing DNA on it. Does anyone know when this was done and if the results were ever determined?

Thanks, Esah

[audrey77]

The results were not publicly announced
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/s/sessions_tiffany.html

[Beyond Belief]

Thanks for the information on Tiffany. I have thought of her often. I remember when that happened and how frightened everyone was. I had thought she had been jogging but that article says she went for a walk. I guess maybe I just remembered it wrong. A beautiful girl with a bright future. This is sad.

[Esah]

Thanks Audrey77 for the Charley Project link. It says that the DNA results aren't public at this time!?! What does that mean? But one thing it did say was that this man claims to have put Tiffany in the Caloosahatchee River in Fort Myers, FLorida. The freaky thing is that I live on the Caloosahatchee River in Fort Myers!! Who knows if this man is credible or even if he knew it was Tiffany or not that he supposedly killed.

I have been looking for her for 16 years and with all that I have gotten, I still haven't found her yet. But I hope that I do some day. Being psychic isn't always that easy! So many of the details are hard to validate.

Thanks again
Esah

[Paradise]

I checked eBay for pictures of the watches, and I found two that might be what she had (it doesn't say anything about diamonds being on the face and these were the only two that had blue faces and were two-tone) they may or may not be the right one.

http://tinyurl.com/9wm47

http://tinyurl.com/9eear

[kittykat1]

A little off topic but it is pertaining to Gary Krist, M.D.
This is a copy of the survival instructions he left with Barbara Jane Mackle. This is totally unbelievable that someone could come up with this.

http://tinyurl.com/czeak

[Esah]

Kitti Kat1, you're right, that is absolutely incredible. The instructions they wrote and the preparations were unbelieveable. The funny thing is, with the intelligence it took to pull that off they could be earning a decent living without the torture of another human. Makes you wanna go hmmmmm.

[Esah]

Paradise, I looked at the pictures too and I don't remember her mom saying anything about diamonds on the watch. If only there were a way to track the serial number. For example, if any jeweler that did any maintenance or repair on a Rolex had to report it to the Rolex company for waranty purposes.

The internet is great for so many things, I'm sure if we keep searching we can find some link to that watch.

[Paradise]

Paradise, I looked at the pictures too and I don't remember her mom saying anything about diamonds on the watch. If only there were a way to track the serial number. For example, if any jeweler that did any maintenance or repair on a Rolex had to report it to the Rolex company for waranty purposes.

The internet is great for so many things, I'm sure if we keep searching we can find some link to that watch.Yeah I mean we have the serial number...we have to be able to find out what her watch looked like. I'll keep looking...

ETA: I found a website describing serial numbers and I figured out that this watch would've have to have been manufactured after July 1987 until sometime in 1988.

[Paradise]

I talked to someone on a watch forum and they gave me a picture of what her watch would MOST LIKELY look like, and I also contacted Rolex but they can't give me a model number from a serial number. Esah...are you in contact with her mom? Does she possibly have paperwork or something that came with the watch that has the model number on it? I'm attaching the picture that the person from the watch forum sent me.

http://tinyurl.com/ad9oz

[Esah]

Paradise, that sounds good, yes I am in touch with her. I just left a message this afternoon for her to call me. I will ask her about any details that she might have on the watch. Good job. Maybe we can get somewhere with this! Let's hope so. I'll let you know as soon as I get an answer.

Did they think that they might be able to track the watch?

[Paradise]

The people at Rolex were of no help to me at all. I can understand why, with all the fakes and people stealing them and whatnot. What did you mean by tracking it? If you meant what I think you did, like tracing where it went, the possibilities could be endless. If it was sold it could be anywhere.

[Esah]

I'm sure any links to this particular watch are remote, but it is always worth the try, to see if anything turns up. Too bad about Rolex not helping you. I wonder if LE could get a list from Rolex of their authorized watch repair places. Surely Rolex knows who they authorize. I'm sure the list would be huge, but we could check them off, one at a time!

Oh, I'm probably dreaming but you feel like you're at least doing something, even if it is a long shot.

Any more ideas, let me know.

Esah

[Paradise]

I contacted an authorized Rolex dealer and they said that they really couldn't do anything with just the serial number. They really needed the model number to go along with it. I really hope you can talk to her mom and get the model number. At least then we could have something to work with.

I contacted Rolex again and asked about getting a list of authorized dealers/repair shops and they gave me a number to call give you locations in your area. The number is 1-800-367-6539.

[Esah]

Paradise, I found out today that the FDLE has already followed through with the model and serial numbers with Rolex, to no avail. I guess you can keep trying. It sounds like they did this years ago and not so recently. I still have to get the model number, but thought you ought to know that they searched this avenue a long time ago. But it's possible that the watch might show up at any time. Even a long shot is worth the effort.

I am working on some new thoughts with the case right now and will be able to discuss them more later. I need to check on some things first. But I have hopes with where my thoughts are leading me.

[Paradise]

Paradise, I found out today that the FDLE has already followed through with the model and serial numbers with Rolex, to no avail. I guess you can keep trying. It sounds like they did this years ago and not so recently.
Well, I'm starting to wonder if I'll even be able to get any information (even if I have the serial and model numebers) from Rolex since I'm not LE.

I am working on some new thoughts with the case right now and will be able to discuss them more later. I need to check on some things first. But I have hopes with where my thoughts are leading me.
I'm excited to hear what you think. :)

[smile22]

i did some searching myself and really couldnt come up with the exact watch go to pawn shops describe the watch tell them it would have been in shop around these years give them serial numbers im sure they would remeber someting

[dannyodie]

Tiffany Sessions disappeared on 9 February 1989. Although her case has been kept alive over they years by her family, not a lot of facts are available about her or her disappearance.

The fact that she was wearing a Walkman headset does not in itself mean anything, but it is one of those things that indicates to a criminal that the potential victim is not totally tuned into her surroundings, and that she might not hear his approach.

I feel that the most important piece of information - and one which should be brought out more on her website and in other forums - is the fact that she was wearing a Ladie's Rolex Watch, two tone gold and silver with a blue face, Serial number R 609006. Knowing exactly what model watch, when it was made, and providing some good photos would help her case. That watch would probably be worth a lot of money and if it was recognized as such by the perpetrator, it may have been sold. It may be the key piece of evidence that leads back to Tiffany's abductor and to Tiffany. If someone now owns/wears that watch, seeing a photo of it on TV or on a computer screen might provide a much needed tip.
it would be good if her family could push for a national advertisment to show that watch, tv,websites,national news papers,etc. it should be an ongoing ad for several months to insure that lots of people would see it, even some form of ad such as the ones that come out weekly from advo that show missing persons on it.

[Rle7]

We see them on television, criminal investigations, and they're usually solved in the course of an hour. But many real life cases continue to mystify. February 9th, marks eighteen years since the disappearance of Tiffany L. Sessions, a University of Florida student who left her home in southwest Gainesville one evening and vanished.

Law enforcement says it's a delicate balance they must strike with every case, between efficiency, due process and patience. Even when no expense is spared, as in Session's case, crime investigations can't always close the book on open cases.

The 1989 search for Session spread far and wide for many months, foul play has always been suspected but no leads ever turned up. According to then Lieutenant of Alachua County Sheriff's office, Spencer Mann, says her disappearance was suspicious, "...credit cards that sort of thing certainly hasn't shown up anywhere," he said then.

He adds that there were thousands of leads and hundreds of people involved in the investigation. But the question begged is, with more resources than lesser known cases, how does a case like this go unsolved?


http://www.wcjb.com/news.asp?id=14590

[MadeaBecBec]

This Jane Doe was found in New Mexico on June 5,1991, the circumstances are strange, you can read about them here; https://identifyus.org/?p=case&i=2926&pos=486&s=DateFound_DESC&from=search
and here; http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/644ufnm.html

But her photo makes me think of Tiffany, plus her hair was blonde (in the b&w photo of JD,it looks brown)
Now, what if she was abducted and forced into some kind of sex slavery, being in a motel in New mexico wouldn't be that far off.... I don't know, but her face looks alot like Tiffanys.
I will post a side by side on the other thread here; http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=68346

Not able to do that on this one....



Jeremiah 29:11-14

[kevmob77]

You never know, it could be a match. The "sex ring" theory may be possible. It says this Jane Doe was found in New Mexico. If you recall the case of Tara Calico (http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/c/calico_tara.html), she was abducted in NM, never to be found. A possible photo of her and a younger aged boy, both bound and tied in a van was found in the parking lot of a Florida convenience store in 1989. Many theories suggest that Tara was a victim of such a type of ring. It just seems a bit strange that some of these cases seemed to be intertwined around the same time.

[taramarie]

The woman's face does look very similar to Tiffany's, but according to the Doe Network page that you linked to the Jane Doe, she was 5'7". According to The Charley Project, Tiffany was only 5'3".

[Ms Suzanne]

Your right.You never know what could be a match or not.

[monkalup]

http://www2.tbo.com/video/2009/feb/09/tiff...237/video-news/

20 Years Later, Family Still Searching For Tiffany Sessions


JEFF PATTERSON

Published: February 9, 2009

Updated: 02/09/2009 06:28 pm



Tiffany Sessions
University of Florida student Tiffany Sessions put on a sweatshirt, took her Walkman and told her roommate she was going for a walk.

It was Feb. 9, 1989. Sessions was 20.

She hasn't hasn't been heard from since.

Today, her mother, step-brother and detectives from the Alachua County Sheriff's office gathered in Gainesville to mark the 20th anniversary of her disappearance. The Alachua County Sheriff's office has now moved the Sessions file to the Cold Case Unit.

Tiffany's half brother, Jason Sessions, was just 16 when she was first reported missing. Now he has helped develop a Web site – tiffanysessions.com - with information to develop new leads in the case.

"Do I believe that she's out there and living a normal life somewhere, no,'' Jason Sessions said. "But I do believe the case can be solved and I think it will.''

The Sessions family has also helped produce a deck of cards with information about Tiffany and other cold cases that are being distributed in prisons across the nation. Their hope is that an inmate with information may come forward to help solve the case.

"One of the things that I want everyone to know is that she was a living, breathing person and I know that we're talking about a cold case right now, but we're not talking about a closed case,'' said her mother, Hilary Sessions.

Jason Sessions says new leads have come in as a result of the deck of cards. Alachua County detectives say they are working on those leads but gave few details about the new information.

Hilary Sessions is now the executive director of Child Protection Education of America. She keeps hundreds of files on missing children cases and has made it her life's work to help other families who have missing children.

She said she believes Tiffany's case will be solved but admits the odds are against her. Hillary Sessions says there are thousands unidentified human remains around the country. Sessions says she has viewed more than 170 sets of remains with the hope of identifying her daughter but still has no answers.

Jim Eckert was a detective with the Alachua County Sheriff's Office when Tiffany Sessions was reported missing.

"I remember driving into Gainesville on the interstate, seeing helicopters all over the place,'' he said.

Now retired, Eckert says the small sheriff's office was technologically ill-equipped back then to deal with the case.

"None of us knew what a database was, and in fact the sheriff's office was so small, Patrick Sessions had to buy us our first two fax machines. We didn't have a fax machine in our detective office.''

Tiffany Sessions had a Walkman-type music player when she went on her walk, and detectives spent hours searching the area for the music player, Eckert said.

"We were looking for triple "A" batteries and double "A" batteries on the side of the road that might have indicated there was a struggle and she dropped it, or a set of headphones and none of that ever turned up,'' Eckert said. "It was frustrating, a very frustrating case.''

Today, young reporters from the University of Florida came to interview Hillary Sessions as she planted a tree outside of the Alachua County Sheriffs Office. The tree is a memorial to Tiffany. Three of the reporters from the University of Florida say they were not yet born when Tiffany was reported missing.

Hillary says today is especially difficult for her because it marks the day that Tiffany has now been missing for the same amount of time that she lived at home.

News Channel 8 reporter Jeff Patterson can be reached at (813) 221-5703

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/feb/09/09...ffany-sess/c_1/

[monkalup]

College student went for a run, never came back


Tiffany Sessions was a 20-year-old junior studying economics at the University of Florida in Gainesville when she decided to go out for a run. She never came back.


Sessions left her off-campus apartment about 6 p.m. February 9, 1989. She told her roommate she'd be back shortly and took her Walkman with her.

It was the last time anyone would see her.

That was 20 years ago, a time when no one had cell phones, Blackberries or Web sites to aid in tracking a missing or abducted person.

The only clues came from people who recalled seeing a young woman fitting Sessions' description walking down the main street just before dusk.

"Much of the area in the last decade has been paved over, with new construction, making a search today very difficult," said Detective Bob Dean of the Alachua County Sheriff's Office. However, investigators are still searching and working this case actively.

Searchers were out as recently as late December, seeking clues with newer technologies.

"We have used ground sonar equipment, even," Dean said.

Over the years, there have been some possible suspects -- people who came forward and confessed -- but police have ruled them out as credible suspects.

One potential suspect was a man who was in jail for killing a 5-year-old girl. He'd written a letter to police, claiming he was responsible for Tiffany Sessions' disappearance.

But when questioned later by police, he denied writing the letter, even though handwriting analysis indicated that he had.

"Although police don't think so, I still believe this guy could have something to do with my daughter's disappearance," said Patrick Sessions, Tiffany's father.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/02/24/...case.sessions/

[monkalup]

20 Years Later, Search Continues For Missing UF Coed


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WJXT-TV
updated 5:56 p.m. ET Feb. 10, 2009
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - When missing person Tiffany Sessions disappeared from Gainesville without a trace 20 years ago, there was no Amber Alert, no Web sites displaying pictures of missing kids, and no social media to spread the word across the country with a few keystrokes.

Tiffany Sessions is still missing, her case is still open, and her father -- Miami-based real estate developer-turned missing-children advocate Patrick Sessions -- is leveraging social media tools to help police find missing children and especially the daughter he last saw when she was 19-year-old student at the University of Florida.

Tiffany, who would now be 40, went out for a jog on the evening of Feb. 9, 1989 and never returned. Her father was joined by 1,000 people in a search the first week after she disappeared.

Refusing to give up on his daughter, Sessions is launching the

Official Tiffany Sessions Web site

, and investigators said they have developed new leads.

"This is still a viable case with several new leads being developed and explored," said Alachua County Sheriff Sadie Darnell, who was Gainesville Police Department's public spokesperson when the UF coed disappeared in 1989. "This 20-year anniversary of Tiffany's disappearance is a time to remember and recommit ourselves to resolving as many unsolved missing persons and murder cases as possible."


A $25,000 reward is being offered by the Sessions family for information leading to the remains of Tiffany Sessions and the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for her abduction.

"There was no Facebook when Tiffany was in college. No cell phones to trace her whereabouts. No MySpace pages to investigate," Sessions said. "I am launching this Web site in hopes that someone out there knows where Tiffany is or can offer new leads that will help us find her. We believe social media can play a vital role in finding missing children everywhere, including Tiffany."

In addition to serving as a vital resource for Tiffany's case, the Web site will also act as a resource for other parents and friends coping with the disappearance of a loved one by providing phone numbers and links to missing persons organizations.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29100526/

[monkalup]

Cold case unit continues 20–year searchBy HUNTER SIZEMORE, Alligator Writer
Twenty years and over 3,000 leads after the disappearance of Tiffany Sessions, the Alachua County Sheriff's Office held a press conference to remind people the search is still on.

ASO tries to crack cold cases by holding press conferences on anniversaries. The cold cases unit was created in 2007 to pursue unsolved murders and disappearances.

Monday marked the 20–year anniversary of Sessions’ disappearance from Gainesville.


She was a 20–year–old finance major at UF at the time.

Between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Feb. 9, 1989, Sessions went for a jog, leaving her apartment in Casablanca East Condominiums and heading along Southwest 35th Place.

Her roommate and frequent jogging partner, Kathy Hsu, studied that night and stayed home.

But, when Sessions was still gone five hours later, Hsu began to worry. That’s when she called Sessions’ mother and the search began.

itnesses reported that a woman fitting Sessions' description was seen speaking to people in a vehicle along Williston Road, and that the woman may have entered the vehicle, but the witnesses weren’t sure.

“We’re fairly certain that something bad happened to her,” said Steve Maynard, spokesman for Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. “And we’d really like to bring someone to justice for this.”

More than 30 cold case files are still being investigated by the sheriff’s office, some of them going as far back as the 1960s.

Novel strategies have been used by cold case detectives to find information, such as distributing playing cards featuring victims' faces through Alachua jails.
http://www.alligator.org/articles/2009/02/...sappearance.txt

[monkalup]

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-n...ory/895586.html

Police take fresh look at leads in Tiffany Sessions case


Tiffany Sessions disappeared while jogging 20 years ago in Gainesville.
Photo BY ILEANA MORALES
imorales@MiamiHerald.com
The Alachua County Sheriff's Office, which recently took over the cold case of missing UF student Tiffany Sessions, said Monday they are taking a fresh look at information from the 20-year-old case. After a Monday new conference marking the 20-year-anniversary of Sessions' disappearance, Sheriff Sadie Darnell said since the agency took charge of the investigation again in 2007, they are pursuing two leads reporting suspicious persons in Gainesville.

One lead reports a suspicious person and a vehicle description. The other reports a suspicious person who lived near Sessions' apartment.

''So that's promising,'' Darnell said.

Darnell said the leads were recently discovered by detectives in the sheriff's office cold case unit as not having been completely looked into.

Tiffany, who would now be 40, left her Gainesville apartment between Williston Road and Archer Road for an evening jog and never returned. That was in 1989.

One of the recent tips came from someone in jail.

The missing girl's case was printed in 2007 in the first issuance of cold case playing cards to jails. The regular deck of cards features information and pictures of missing people with an 800 number to call, in hopes that it will remind inmates of information they may have heard.

The recent leads are still not complete and the sheriff's office needs more information.

''We're asking people . . . to revisit back in time and see if there's anything they remember from that time,'' Darnell said. ``Call it in. However dated it is.''

[monkalup]

Father Uses Social Media to Find Missing Daughter After 20 Years
Patrick Sessions Launches Official Tiffany Sessions Blog and Outreach

February 05, 2009 01:24 PM Eastern Time
MIAMI & GAINESVILLE, Fla.--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--When missing person Tiffany Sessions (http://tiffanysessions.com/) disappeared from Gainesville without a trace on February 9, 1989, there was no Amber Alert, no Web sites displaying pictures of missing kids – and no social media to spread the word across the country with a few keystrokes.

“There was no Facebook when Tiffany was in college. No cell phones to trace her whereabouts. No MySpace pages to investigate”
Tiffany Sessions is still missing, her case is still open, and Miami-based real estate developer-turned missing children advocate, Patrick Sessions, is leveraging social media tools to help police find missing children and especially the daughter he last saw when she was 19-years-old and a senior at the University of Florida. Refusing to give up on his daughter, Sessions is launching the “Official Tiffany Sessions” Web site on February 9, 2009, the 20th anniversary of his daughter’s disappearance.

The Alachua County Sheriff’s office will be conducting a press conference on Monday, February 9, 2009 at 10:00 AM.

“This is still a viable case with several new leads being developed and explored by members of the Unit. This 20-year anniversary of Tiffany’s disappearance is a time to remember and recommit ourselves to resolving as many unsolved missing persons and murder cases as possible,” said Alachua County Sheriff Sadie Darnell, who was originally part of the case in 1989 as the Gainesville Police Department’s public spokesperson.

A $25,000 reward is being offered by the Sessions family for information leading to the remains of Tiffany Sessions and the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for her abduction.

“There was no Facebook when Tiffany was in college. No cell phones to trace her whereabouts. No MySpace pages to investigate,” Sessions says. “I am launching this Web site in hopes that someone out there knows where Tiffany is or can offer new leads that will help us find her. We believe social media can play a vital role in finding missing children everywhere, including Tiffany.”

To learn more about the missing persons case of Tiffany Sessions, including the details surrounding her unexplained disappearance and links to contact legal authorities with pertinent information, visit http://TiffanySessions.com. In addition to serving as a vital resource for Tiffany’s case, the Web site will also act as a resource for other parents and friends coping with the disappearance of a loved one by providing phone numbers and links to missing persons organizations.

Media Contacts:

Please see the following sources for more information and/or interviews:

Patrick Sessions – Miami, Florida

Tiffany’s Father, 305-609-6443

Jason Sessions – Jacksonville, Florida

Tiffany’s brother, 904-386-8380

Alachua County Sheriff’s Department

Public Information Office:

Steve Maynard, 352-367-4041

Send Tiffany Sessions Leads to:

rdean@alachuasheriff.org, 352-367-4161

Case #: 01569-89

Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE)

Larry Ruby, LarryRuby@FDLE.State.Fl.US, 386-418-5411

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)

Nancy McBride, 877-446-2632




Contacts
Tiffany Sessions Media Contact
The Buyer Group, PR/SEO
Lisa Buyer, 954-354-1411 x14
lbuyer@thebuyergroup.com
http://eon.businesswire.com/portal/site/eo...029&newsLang=en

[Ms Suzanne]

Thank you for the articles.

[monkalup]

You are most welcome, Suzanne!

[pearly]

Media Coverage
Father, brother of missing UF student visit Haleigh’s family
Posted on 10 March 2009

By Lise Fisher, The Gainesville Sun


The father and brother of missing University of Florida student Tiffany Sessions stopped in Satsuma Monday to talk with the family of a 5-year-old Putnam County girl who vanished from home a month ago.

Patrick Sessions and Jason Sessions spoke with the paternal grandmother of Haleigh Cummings outside a tent near the home where the child lived with her father and brother.

Patrick Sessions said he wanted to meet Haleigh’s family, offer his support and help them if he could in getting and keeping news of the child’s disappearance in the public eye.

“We’re thinking about you, and we’ve been there,” Patrick Sessions said he wanted to let Haleigh’s family know.


Twenty-year-old Tiffany Sessions disappeared in 1989 on the same date Haleigh was last seen at her home. The college student went for a walk, leaving her condominium at Casablanca East off SW 35th Place north of Williston Road. She was never seen again.

The Sessions family is one of a number of people who are part of a small group who have been through the same difficulties as Haleigh’s family and have contacted or visited her relatives. The list includes the grandfather of Caylee Anthony, who was found dead near her grandparents’ Orange County home, and the father of missing Leesburg toddler Trenton Duckett. Full story here.

go to -> http://tiffanysessions.com/ for rest of the story....

I am new to Websleuths and have been reading through numerous missing but not forgotten and am very interested in this case, would like to know if any other members have any updates.

Pearly :)

[kevmob77]

I agree that the Rolex watch she had is one aspect of the case that should be the focus. Maybe a highly concentrated advertisement of it through a new media blitz of pictures of the watch with pertinent info about it. I often wondered if the watch has been tracked internationally enough, not just domestically through the usual pawn shops & jewelry stores. It just seems to me that if someone still has it and it has not been sold, that they would have a hard time not telling anyone about it or would eventually be strapped for cash and would need to sell it, especially in this tough economic environment.

I feel that the most important piece of information - and one which should be brought out more on her website and in other forums - is the fact that she was wearing a Ladie's Rolex Watch, two tone gold and silver with a blue face, Serial number R 609006. Knowing exactly what model watch, when it was made, and providing some good photos would help her case. That watch would probably be worth a lot of money and if it was recognized as such by the perpetrator, it may have been sold. It may be the key piece of evidence that leads back to Tiffany's abductor and to Tiffany. If someone now owns/wears that watch, seeing a photo of it on TV or on a computer screen might provide a much needed tip.