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Tammy Michelle Call (1990)

Tammy Michelle Call cold case homicideTammy Michelle Call, 15, was reported missing 02/20/90 from Leesville, Louisiana by parents Lt. Col. Joe & Reba Call. Seven years later, in January 1997, her remains were discovered.  Cause of death could not be determined, and no physical evidence was found.1

She was born in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. Her family was stationed at Ft. Polk in Leesville, Louisiana, where her parents still reside. She is also survived by a brother, two sisters, and maternal and paternal grandmothers. She is interred at Pine Hill Cemetery in Leesville.2

Circumstances of Disappearance

The morning of 02/20/90 Tammy rode the bus with her siblings to Leesville High School. Once there, she and a girlfriend decided to skip school; however, they were stopped in the parking lot by a teacher and instructed to return inside.

Tammy Michelle CallTammy complied, but the friend continued to her boyfriend’s car. While the teacher was distracted with her friend, it’s believed Tammy snuck out the school’s back entrance.  Both the friend and the friend’s boyfriend denied seeing her after they left the school parking lot.3

A month after her disappearance, a student found her backpack on the walking trail leading to Belview Road. Investigators believe she was either kidnapped or willingly left with someone. Continued efforts to locate her were unsuccessful, and the missing person case soon went cold.4

Crime Scene

In January 1997 (some reports February 1997), a hunter discovered a fragment of human skull on West Boundary Road near Highway 10. Larry Smith, the investigating officer, for unknown reasons took Tammy’s father to the area as detectives combed for more remains.5

LSU’s Anthropology Department (FACES) later determined the bones had been ‘out in the open’ seven to eight years, and DNA tests confirmed a match between them and samples taken from her parents.4

It’s unclear if the crime occurred in this location, or if her remains were later moved by the killer(s).

Speculation

West Boundary Road is in close proximity to areas used by Ft. Polk Army Post for training exercises. It’s also the military post where convicted killer Samuel Galbraith was stationed from 12/87-06/90. Within the two years prior to Tammy’s disappearance, two other women were murdered under similar circumstances.

  • Galbraith pleaded guilty 02/03/03 to the manslaughter and aggravated rape of Karen Eads Hill, 21. On 11/21/88 he abducted her from the Leesville Circle K where she worked. He then took her to Little Cypress Park in Kisatchie National Forest where raped her, tied her to a tree, and shot her with a .22-caliber handgun through the left eye. Her body was found the following day.
  • Pamela Miller, 23, was reported missing on 05/30/89 by family when she didn’t return home on 05/29/89 from a trip to the Instant Replay Lounge (now closed). On 11/24/89 her remains were found in by a hunter in Peason Ridge, not far from where Karen’s body was found. Peason Ridge is off Highway 118 and is owned/managed by the US Army. Her murder remains unsolved.

Galbraith has reportedly refused to speak to authorities about his possible involvement in Tammy or Pamela’s murders. He’s currently serving 71 years at hard labor for Karen’s murder.  Some sources indicate Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office considers Galbraith a person of interest6, while others deny a connection between the cases.7

Galbraith was granted parole in 2017, and it was rescinded due to a technicality two days prior to his scheduled release.8 As of 03/12/19, his hearing for the Complaint of Declaratory and Injunctive Relief motion was postponed indefinitely.6 He remains incarcerated as of this writing.

Another murder, under somewhat similar circumstances, occurred the same month Tammy was reported missing.

  • Tameika Walker, 15, was reported missing 02/23/90 when she didn’t return home from the bowling alley on Ft. Polk.  A jogger found her partially nude body 03/11/90 near a bridge on Highway 467. Reginald Greene, 20, was sentenced in US District Court for ‘voluntary manslaughter’ since the crime occurred on Federal property.9. Greene was a member of a DeRidder rap group, and may have met Tameika the evening before her murder.  Despite the similarities, investigators don’t believe there’s a connection between this case and Tina’s.10
Have Information?

Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office is working to solve the Tammy Michelle Call case and bring her killer(s) to justice.  If you have information about this crime, please call (337) 238-1311.

Please submit corrections/updates here.

Submit corrections/updates here.

Sources:
  1. On the Case with Paula Zahn, Season 16, Episode 9: In the Blink of An Eye, aired 02/11/18. [↩]
  2. Alexandria Town Talk: Obituary, page D2, published 11/20/97. [↩]
  3. Leesville Daily Leader: Cold Case Vault – Tammy Call, published 09/13/19. [↩]
  4. The Shreveport Times: Police confirm bones are those of missing teen, page 3B, published 11/20/97. [↩][↩]
  5. American Press: Quest for Justice-Officials hope for answers in 1990 case involving Leesville teen, published 02/18/18. [↩]
  6. KALB: Killer serving 71 years for 1988 homicide still fighting for parole, published 03/14/19. [↩][↩]
  7. Alexandria Town Talk: Vernon, page A8, published 03/28/97. [↩]
  8. Beauregard Daily News:  Parole rescinded at the last minute, published 04/21/17. [↩]
  9. Alexandria Town Talk: Area Briefs-Manslaughter sentence, page D2, published 11/13/90. [↩]
  10. Alexandria Town Talk: DeRidder man charged in Fort Polk teen’s death, page D1, published 03/31/90. [↩]

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