The Dark Oak25 Sep 2025

Episode 124: The Disappearance of Tara Calico

Tara Leigh Calico, a 19-year-old college student, vanished on September 20, 1988, during a 35-mile bike ride on New Mexico State Road 47. Known for her active and organized nature, she left with her mother’s pink Huffy bike and a Sony Walkman. When she didn’t return by noon, her mother, Patty Doel, found her Boston cassette tape on the roadside and alerted police, who responded swiftly. Scattered Walkman pieces suggested Tara marked her trail, but her bike was never found. Witnesses reported a suspicious light-colored 1950s Ford truck with a camper shell trailing Tara. Barron Freeman and Ishmael Delarosa described a sinister driver, but police dismissed Delarosa’s account. In 1989, a Polaroid in Florida showed a bound woman resembling Tara, though analyses were inconclusive. More photos later surfaced, adding mystery. Declared dead by homicide in 1998, the case saw unproven claims in 2008 of teens accidentally killing her. A 2013 task force, 2019 FBI reward, 2021 search warrant, and 2023 suspect identification yielded no charges. Theories include abduction by locals or a serial killer like David Parker Ray, but no evidence confirms this. Tara’s parents died without answers; her father’s 2002 death was ruled a homicide after a robbery-induced heart attack. The case remains an active FBI kidnapping investigation.

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This episode of The Dark Oak was created, researched, written, recorded, hosted, edited, published, and marketed by Cynthia and Stefanie of Just Us Gals Productions with artwork by Justyse Himes and Music by Ryan Creep

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