The last time anyone reported seeing her was at approximately 11:45am. The only thing of note that came from the witnesses was the report of a light-colored pickup truck, thought to be a 1953 Ford, with a camper shell, which was spotted following closely behind her. No one witnessed an abduction, and her bike was never found. People who drove through the area were questioned and several reported having seen her riding her bike, but that was all. A search along the route turned up pieces of Tara’s Sony Walkman and cassette tape along the roadway. When 4pm came and went, and Tara never showed up to school, police decided there was more to her disappearance. She had left behind her purse, and even her textbooks – something she would have needed for her 4pm class at the university. As such, police informed Patty that she was allowed to go missing, or “take a break.” But they agreed to take a look around Tara’s bedroom, and what they saw gave them pause. Tara was 19-years-old, officially an adult. With her previous concerns of a stalker, she wasted no time going to the police. She never showed up at the tennis courts. She called Tara’s boyfriend, but he hadn’t seen her. She drove along Tara’s usual bike route, but she wasn’t anywhere. When Tara didn’t return home, Patty went looking for her. Knowing her mothers feelings about the ride, she jokingly asked her mother to come looking for her if she didn’t return by noon. She knew she couldn’t stay out too long because she had a date with her boyfriend to play tennis at 12:30. On Tuesday, September 20, 1988, Tara left home around 9:30am on her mother’s neon pink Huffy mountain bike with yellow control cables and sidewalls. But Tara didn’t think that was necessary. She didn’t tell Tara to stop riding, but did encourage her to carry mace. Patty decided to end her rides with her daughter, no longer feeling as comfortable.

On multiple occasions she had encountered a car driving aggressively close to her, deliberately passing her multiple times. Then Patty came to believe she was being stalked. As with anything, riding a bike along a busy road has its risks, harassment, catcalling, and more.

For a while she, and occasionally her mother, Patty Doel, took daily bike rides along New Mexico State Road 47. A second year student at the University of New Mexico, she was going places. It is believed that she was the woman in the photo. The photo was of a young woman and boy, bound and gagged. Then, nearly a year later, a Polaroid photo was found in a convenience store parking lot.

Tara calico photo