Identified! CA - Tammy Vincent, 17 UID female, 18-22, Tiburon, 1979

[teonspaleprincess]

Unidentified White Female

• The victim was discovered on September 26, 1979 in Tiburon, Marin County, California.
• Cause of Death was a Cranial Gunshot wound.
• Date of death was September 26, 1979

Vital Statistics

• Estimated age: 18 - 22 years old (1957-1961)
• Approximate Height and Weight: 5'6"; 125 lbs.
• Distinguishing Characteristics: Light brown or blonde shoulder length, wavy hair; blue eyes. Red nail polish on fingers and toes (old application).
• Dentals: Available. Prominent protruding upper incisors, open anterior bite. Unrestored teeth with no fillings. Possible a tongue thruster.
• Clothing: Black knit blouse; short sleeved, beige pants (size 9) with red and blue piping on back pockets, Pentimento brand. Size 6, blue bikini panties with flowers. High heeled wooden soled shoes size 8.
• DNA: Available

Case History
The victim fully clothed on a beach near Blackie's Pasture in Tiburon, CA on September 26, 1979. She had been beaten, was stabbed 15 times in the chest with an something similar to an ice pick and set on fire, then shot in back of the head. Her face was burned beyond recognition.



Investigators
If you have any information about this case please contact:
Marin County Coroner's Office
Coroner Ken Holmes
415-499-6043
or
Tiburon Police Department
415-789-2801
You may remain anonymous when submitting information.

Agency Case Number: 79-233

NCIC Number: U-771485289
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case. Source Information:
The Marin Independent Journal
Western Project - Arne Svensen - Images

[outofthedark]

America's Most Wanted claims on their website that they helped to identify her, but in these online news articles that I have read about the Tammy Vincent case, there is no mention of AMW having helped to solve the case

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm..._tammy30e.html
http://www.kirotv.com/news/14246797/detail.html
http://www.marinij.com/ci_7041839

Tammy Vincent on AMW's site: http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=47984

Another thing is, if AMW did help to identify her - why did they not SAY ANYTHING in July 2007 (when she was ID'D) about their involvment? Why did they just now say something? As much I as I think AMW are great people trying to help solve cases and bring justice, them just announcing their Tammy Vincent case involvment seems out of the ordinary when they are normally quick to announce any such involvment they have/or have had on a case (Such as the Sandra "Boots" Brady case where a tipster helped to ID her after AMW aired the story). Given that Tammy Vincent was identified almost 9 months ago, I thought that maybe they would have said something on their website or had the news of Tammy's identification as a "feature" on amw.com

[Marie]

Tammy Vincent was featured on last Sat. AMW. One of the investigators did state that if it wasn't for AMW's involvement they wouldn't have thought to look through the evidence and then find a rape kit - which led to a full dna and the match found in Codis.

[outofthedark]

Originally Posted by Marie

Tammy Vincent was featured on last Sat. AMW. One of the investigators did state that if it wasn't for AMW's involvement they wouldn't have thought to look through the evidence and then find a rape kit - which led to a full dna and the match found in Codis.

Thanks. I don't watch AMW much anymore so I don't really keep track of their shows

[Donjeta]

Rest in peace, Tammy.



http://www.marinij.com/ci_7041839

Victim in 1979 Tiburon murder finally identified
Joe Wolfcale
Posted: 09/29/2007 10:58:30 PM PDT

Tammy Vincent was found murdered Sept. 26, 1979, on a Tiburon beach near Blackie's Pasture. Marin sheriff's investigators made a positive identification through a DNA sample and are closing in on the suspects they believe were responsible for Vincent's murder.

The charred remains of a girl found shot and stabbed to death near Blackie's Pasture in Tiburon 28 years ago have been identified as those of a Washington teenager slain weeks before she was due to testify in an organized crime case.

The victim's identity remained a mystery for years until a DNA database analysis in February identified her as Tammy Vincent, 17, a runaway who worked in a sex trade establishment owned by a man known as a local "godfather."

Marin County sheriff's Detective Steve Nash said the positive identification was made in February, after DNA extracted from a 3-centimeter strand of pubic hair matched DNA samples from Vincent's mother and sister at a private DNA lab at the University of Texas in 2005.
...

Authorities believe Vincent worked for Joe Wiley Brown, a man Seattle officials described as a "local godfather," who ran Seattle-area adult entertainment businesses. He was later convicted on federal racketeering charges along with an ex-cop, for prostitution, arson, loan-sharking and extortion, according to Washington state court records.
...

Seattle authorities compared Tammy Vincent's partial DNA profile with the remains of four unidentified Green River bodies, but no match was found. Then in February of this year, Tammy Vincent's DNA profile was uploaded by the Richmond lab into the FBI's national missing persons database and a tentative match was made.

By the end of the month, Marin authorities confirmed that the unidentified body found in Tiburon was Tammy Vincent.

This last bit makes me a bit mad. I mean, after 30 years of being Jane Doe her identity was solved as soon as someone bothered to enter her information after how many years of the database being in existence. So who knows how many of these other UID's could be identified if someone could just take the time? I could volunteer to do some typing in.
http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=47984

Sick and tired of living with her parents, 16-year-old Tammy Vincent ran away from home in Washington state in the fall of 1978. Sadly, the pretty teenager never returned but found work the following year at a Seattle dive called "Tease and Rip", a venue that was part peep show, part strip joint.

In 1979, police raided the club where Tammy worked, and she was offered a deal to turn state's evidence against the club owners, who owned multiple sex industry properties. Police say some of these owners were members of an outlaw biker gang called the "Gypsy Jokers," as well as a shadowy figures only described as businessmen.

Tammy was moved to a safe house in August of that year for her protection, but being a minor, she was transferred to a group home five hours outside of Seattle. She should have been safe there, but a lawyer working for the club owners tracked her down and convinced the group home to release Tammy to his care. Tragically, Tammy soon discovered that she was about to be handed over to the club owners that she was asked to testify against.

Now that Detective Nash had Tammy's identity, he could retrace her steps all those years ago. Currently, there's a case pending against her former employers, the club owners, but authorities are asking for the public's assistance in identifying Tammy's killers, particularly a shadowy figure known only as "The Man In The White Suit." Police say he's the one who purchased an ice pick, acetate, and black paint at a Woolworth's store on Market Street in San Francisco in the days just before Tammy's remains were found.

Police believe "The Man In The White Suit" probably had at least two other men helping him to torture and kill Tammy in the days prior to her murder. Cops say that the men transported Tammy in a blue van, and they were likely armed with handguns.

[CarlK90245]

Originally Posted by Donjeta

This last bit makes me a bit mad. I mean, after 30 years of being Jane Doe her identity was solved as soon as someone bothered to enter her information after how many years of the database being in existence. [/url]

the National Missing Persons DNA Database (NMPDD), which is the Missing Persons component of CODIS, was developed starting in 2000. (It is not clear when the system became functional). So the UID's DNA profile was entered 5 years after work began on the development of NMPDD.

[maggieo]

What a sad story, in every way. Poor kid had no idea what she was getting into, her family had no idea what happened to her, and now they find out, all these years later.

I HATE organized crime.

[KLCD620]

Originally Posted by maggieo

What a sad story, in every way. Poor kid had no idea what she was getting into, her family had no idea what happened to her, and now they find out, all these years later.

I HATE organized crime.

The state of Washington should charge the prosecution to the lawyer for the crime organization which he found where Tammy is hidden and provided the info to his defendant(s). She lost her life because of his greedy actions (aka large monetary collection from the crime organization). The white suit guy probably long time deceased.

I'm not sure whether the defendant lawyer spent his time in the prison, still walking into the street today or already deceased. That was long time ago (1978).

[carbuff]

Oh, the poor girl -- what a horrible way to die.

Rest in peace, Tammy...

[sealevel]

What an awful story. I hope identifying her will bring her killers to justice (finally). RIP, Tammy, no one should ever go through what you did.

[believe09]

Not to mention, her family likely needed to provide a FRS (family reference sample) a program which primarily came into existence with the GWBush DOJ initiative.

RIP Tammy-looks like you are going to get some justice after all.