Indiana investigators reopen 1988 cold case deaths of 2 Florida teens
08/25/2025 12:05 pm PDT
LA PORTE COUNTY, Ind. (TCN) -- Indiana detectives have reopened an investigation into the 1988 cold case deaths of two teenagers from Florida.
On March 11, 1989, the La Porte County Sheriff's Office responded to State Road 8 to a report of a body found in a water-filled ditch. Authorities identified the victim as 16-year-old Tamara Gifford of Florida, but she had relatives in Starke County.
Two days later, detectives discovered the body of 17-year-old Christina Hillis, also of Florida, near where Gifford was located.
Investigators believe Gifford and Hillis died sometime in December 1988.
According to the sheriff's office, officials "learned the girls had been reported as runaways on December 7, 1988, and are believed to have been in Starke County just prior to their death."
Despite investigators' efforts, the case remains cold. The sheriff's office announced that several weeks ago, detectives began reviewing the case and looking at the cause and manner of both deaths.
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