132: Tammy Lynn Leppert: The Actress Who Vanished | An Unsolved Florida Disappearance with guest reader Kathy Garver

If you grew up in the 1980s, you may have seen Tammy Lynn Leppert without ever knowing her name.

A model, aspiring actress, and rising presence in Hollywood, Tammy appeared in films like Scarface and Spring Break. With her striking look and growing momentum, 1983 was supposed to be the year everything changed.

Instead, it became the year she disappeared.

On July 6, 1983, Tammy left her home, telling her mother she would be back shortly. She was last seen in Cocoa Beach after an argument with a friend. She has never been seen again.

In this episode of She Goes By Jane, we look beyond the headlines and theories to focus on who Tammy was—her ambitions, her discipline, and the life she was building before it was abruptly interrupted.

We explore the days leading up to her disappearance, the unanswered questions that remain, and the ways her case was shaped by early assumptions and missed opportunities.

This is a story about visibility, vulnerability, and what happens when someone can be seen by so many and still vanish without a trace.

📍 Cocoa Beach, Florida | July 6, 1983

📖 Featuring an original poem written in her honor, read by actress and author Kathy Garver..

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More about Kathy: KATHY GARVER is most fondly remembered for her starring role as “Cissy” in the long-running CBS international television hit, Family Affair, Kathy Garver has also garnered critical acclaim in movies, stage, radio, voice-over animation, speaking and audio book narration.

To add to her long list of credits and accolades, Kathy was nominated for a 2026 Grammy Award for the Best Audiobook, Narration, Storytelling Recording for Elvis, Rocky and Me. She also received the Golden Era Award in March of 2026 and will receive the Margaret O’Brien legacy award in December of 2026.

In addition, Ms. Garver added author to her long list of accomplishments. Her first book, The Family Affair Cookbook, published by Bear Manor Media is a tasty trip down memory lane with anecdotes and photos. Her memoir, Surviving Cissy: My Family Affair of Life in Hollywood was released next and sold out in three months -- a reprint was ordered and now is also available in the paperback version. X-Child Stars: Where Are They Now was launched in 2016 and is already planned for a reprint. Holiday Recipes for a Family Affair was next in 2019 . The Family Affair Scrapbook was released in 2022 to critical claim. Her newest book released appropriately on St. Valentine’s Day is Romancing with the Stars, a tome about long term relationships in Hollywood along with a travel guide in each of the 27 chapters to recreate romantic moments and places the stars now made famous.

The talented Ms. Garver has also won acting accolades such as Best Actress from the Family Television Awards, and continues her award-winning presence by securing recognition from the entertainment world. Recent awards include two more Audie Awards, one for her narration of The World’s Best Short Stories, the other for her direction of Amy Tan in The Opposite of Fate, read by the author. She was also recognized by the Young Artists Foundation with the “Former Child Star Lifetime Achievement Award” and the Emerald Award from the Southern California Motion Picture Council. In 2013, this prestigious organization also bestowed on Ms. Garver the highly-esteemed Golden Halo Lifetime Achievement Award previously given to Mickey Rooney and Margaret O’Brien.