Missing: Tara Calico | Belen, NM | Uncovered

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Young woman tara calico goes out on her typical morning bike ride and vanishes.

Overview of Tara Calico:

What could be more exhilarating than pedaling your bike down a familiar route; the wind in your hair and classic rock by the band Boston blasting in your ears as you race down the highway? 19 year old University of New Mexico sophomore Tara Leigh Calico must have felt energized on her last bike ride on the morning of September 20, 1988 - the last day anyone ever saw her. This freewheeling image stands in stark contrast to the other side of Tara - the maker of daily to-do lists of everything she wanted to accomplish that day, who each morning laid out the clothes and belongings she'd need for the day and was generally organized to a fault. But Tara was both of these girls, and so much more, to her mother Patty Doel, her stepdad John Doel, her biological dad David Calico and her siblings.

Tara was a pretty, freckle-faced young woman who even as a child, was remarkably self-sufficient. At the tender age of 6, "Teeny Tara" as she was known affectionately by family, was making her own breakfast and taking care of her own needs, as well as the needs of others, without the slightest fuss. She was simply a natural leader and organizer; the type of kid who literally alphabetized the spice rack for fun. The product of a blended family - her mom and stepdad got married when Tara was 6 and had five children between them from previous marriages - Tara was Patty's youngest, but she made a big impact.

Tara juggled work, school, art projects, exercise, sports, family, and friends with seeming ease, working off her daily checklists and cramming as much activity into her day as she was able. She was very athletic, and typically rode her bike every day for exercise, frequently taking long rides with her mom. On that Tuesday morning, however, Tara set out alone at about 9:30 AM for her daily ride from their home on Brugg Drive in Rio Communities, a suburb of Belen, New Mexico, heading down NM Route 47. This was her standard route; she would ride 17 miles south down Route 47 to the train tracks, where she would turn around for the return trip. She had borrowed her mother's 12-speed neon pink Huffy mountain bike with yellow control cables and sidewalls because her own bicycle had a flat tire. Patty had recently stopped riding with Tara because she felt she may have been stalked by a motorist. But Tara was fearless and told her mom that if she wasn't back by noon to come get her. In addition to her regular two-hour bike ride, Tara had plans to play tennis with her boyfriend Jack Cole at 12:30 PM that day, and she was due at class at 4:00 PM at the University of New Mexico Valencia campus in Belen. She was an excellent student who was studying to become a psychiatrist or psychologist, in addition to holding a job at a local bank. As she set off on the 34-mile ride, she took her yellow sports-model Sony Walkman so she could listen to her favorite Boston tape as she rode. She was dressed in a typical casual outfit for 1988 - a white t-shirt with '1st National Bank of Belen' written on it, white shorts with green stripes, white ankle socks, and white and turquoise Avia tennis shoes. Some sources, however, indicate that Tara was reported as seen by witnesses wearing white shorts and a red top. She was also wearing a gold butterfly ring with a diamond insert, a gold amethyst ring, and small gold hoop earrings.

We know little about what happened to Tara after she set off in a southward direction down NM 47 at 9:30 AM. The next reported sighting of Tara was at 11:45 AM that morning, where she was spotted heading north on Highway 47 in Valencia County - apparently on her return trip - about two miles from her home. Seven witnesses confirmed seeing her at this time, but after that, she has never been seen again. These witnesses also reported seeing a dirty white or light "primer" gray 1953, 1955, or 1956 (sources vary) Ford pickup truck with a white handmade camper shell following Tara during her ride. Multiple witnesses confirmed that this vehicle was driving very slowly, about 40 feet behind Tara on her bicycle. One of the witnesses, Ishmael De La Rosa, provided an exact description of the middle-aged, Caucasian man with the bright reddish-brown hair behind the wheel. He also noted a set of pressed khaki shirts hanging in the back of the truck, the type of shirt a member of law enforcement would wear. However, it cannot be confirmed whether this truck is connected to her presumed abduction or not. It was reported that she was apparently unaware of the truck's presence, as she pedaled along with her headphones on, oblivious to any danger.

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