Tammy Michelle Call

Background

Tammy Michelle Call was born on September 29, 1974, in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, to Joseph “Joe” Call and Reba Call. She had three siblings: Joseph Jr, Crystal, and Melissa. They lived in Leesville, Louisiana, while her father served as inspector general for Ft. Polk and the Joint Readiness Training Center.

Tammy was a 9th grade student at Leesville High School and also played softball on teams at Fort Polk. Her father later remembered her as vibrant, active, strong-willed and independent.

For years after Tammy disappeared, her family remained in the same Leesville home, preserving many of her belongings and other reminders while waiting for answers.

Case Summary

On the morning of February 20, 1990, Tammy left home at approximately 7:00 a.m. to catch the bus to Leesville High School. After arriving, she and a friend attempted to skip school but were stopped by a teacher at approximately 8:00 a.m. Tammy was instructed to return inside while her friend was able to leave. Tammy went back into the building but never reported to her first class and is believed to have left through a rear exit.

Between approximately 9:00 and 9:30 a.m., a nine-year-old girl who knew Tammy saw her walking south along U.S. Highway 171 in front of the Berrytown Shopping Center. Investigators later learned that Tammy used a payphone in the area, although whom she called has not been publicly disclosed. She never returned to school or arrived home that afternoon and was reported missing by her family.

Approximately one month later, another student found Tammy’s book bag along a wooded path behind the school with some of her belongings still inside. Tammy had also left her purse, wallet and identification at home. Although she had skipped school before, her family said she had always let them know where she was, either herself or through a friend. Investigators found no evidence that she had planned to run away.

By May 2, 1990, investigators had exhausted the available leads. Friends and acquaintances were later reinterviewed, and some were given polygraph examinations in an effort to identify anything that may have been overlooked. By February 20, 1991, investigators believed Tammy had likely encountered foul play after leaving school. Authorities also examined similarities between her disappearance and several other unresolved cases involving young women in the Fort Polk and Leesville area, but no connection was established.

Discovery & Identification

In January 1997, a man looking for firewood discovered skeletal remains in the Sandy Hill area south of Fort Polk, approximately 300 yards off West Boundary Road near Highway 10. Detectives searched and excavated the area with LSU forensic anthropologist Mary Manhein, recovering additional remains, teeth and pieces of clothing.

The condition of the remains prevented investigators from determining a cause of death. DNA testing by ReliaGene Technologies in New Orleans compared DNA from the remains with blood samples from her parents. On November 18, 1997, the remains were identified as Tammy’s with 99.98% certainty.

The identification ended more than seven years of uncertainty for Tammy’s family, but how she died and who was responsible remained unknown.

Renewed Investigation

On January 10, 2018, the Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office announced that Tammy’s case had been reopened. Investigators reviewed the original case file, reinterviewed witnesses and pursued additional information.

On July 12, 2021, Vernon Parish investigators and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division returned to the recovery area, excavating and sifting soil for additional remains or other evidence that may have been missed in 1997.

The Sheriff’s Office again appealed for information on February 21, 2023. As of February 20, 2025, Tammy’s homicide remained unsolved, and investigators continued pursuing all viable leads.

Suspects/Persons of Interest

• Samuel Kenneth Galbraith is the only person publicly identified by the Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office in connection with Tammy’s case. He was stationed at Fort Polk from December 1987-June 1990 and was later convicted in the 1988 abduction and killing of Karen Hill.
• In 2018, Galbraith was named the main person of interest in Tammy’s death. He has never been charged in her case. Investigators have since made clear that the investigation is not focused exclusively on any one individual.

Timeline

Pages Dedicated to Tammy

None found.

Have a Tip?

Contact the Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office at (337) 238-1311 or Crime Stoppers at (337) 239-2233. Whenever possible, firsthand information should be reported directly. If you prefer, you may submit information through our Tip Form for forwarding to the appropriate authorities.

S&J Investigative Notes

This profile will be updated as requested public records are received.

Sources

• North Carolina, U.S., Birth Indexes, 1800–2000, Tammy Michelle Call, Wilkes County, 1974.
• Grave marker photograph, Tammy Michelle Call, Pine Hill Cemetery, Leesville, Louisiana.
• The Times, “Vernon Parish Deaths,” April 1, 1990.
• Leesville Daily Leader, “Few Leads in Disappearance Despite Find of Book Sack,” May 2, 1990.
• The Town Talk, “Teen Disappeared One Year Ago,” February 20, 1991.
• Leesville Daily Leader, “Teen Still Missing One Year Later,” February 21, 1991.
• The Town Talk, “Four Cases Linked for Vernon Investigators,” July 16, 1991.
• American Press, “Family Waits in Hope: Leesville Girl Now Missing for Five Years,” February 20, 1995.
• American Press, “Man Finds Remains of Girl Missing Since ’90,” November 19, 1997.
• American Press, “Police Say No Suspects Have Been Ruled Out in Case,” November 19, 1997.
• The Town Talk, “Tammy M. Call,” November 20, 1997.
• KPLC, “Tammy Call’s Cold Case Reopened in Vernon Parish,” January 10, 2018.
• KPLC, “New Information in Tammy Call Cold Case Could Lead Detectives to Her Killer,” October 12, 2018.
• KALB, “Vernon Parents Plead for Answers in Daughter’s 30-Year-Old Cold Case,” January 2, 2020.
• KALB, “Vernon Parish Authorities Continue Digging for Clues in 30 Year-Old Cold Case,” July 12, 2021.
• KALB, “What Happened to Tammy Call?” February 20, 2025.
• KPLC, “Vernon Parish Authorities Asking for Public’s Assistance with Homicide Cold Case,” February 21, 2023.

rev 08/29/26