Missing

Tammy Mahoney

A 19-year-old hitchhiker accepts a ride and then is allegedly attacked

Last updated: July 23, 2023
Oneida, NY
May 8, 1981

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Overview of Tammy Mahoney

Tammy Mahoney was only 19 years old when she vanished. She was born and raised in Long Island, New York with her family but was living in Oneida, New York with her boyfriend when she vanished. She had dreams of becoming a veterinarian and was even attending the State University of New York at Morrisville. She was studying animal husbandry during her freshman year but did not attend her sophomore year.

It wasn’t unusual for Tammy to disappear for a few days, but she always returned; her longest time away was eighteen days. Tammy was working as a groomer for Vernon Downs. She would often hitchhike to work because she didn’t have a car. Five days before she vanished, she quit her job because it was too far from where she lived, but she never told her boyfriend that she quit her job. Instead, she would adhere to her usual work schedule. She did apply to Oneida Daily Dispatch, a local newspaper.

Tammy was last seen on May 8, 1981, hitchhiking along near Glenwood Shopping Center on Route 46 in Oneida. She was planning to travel to Hamilton, New York - but never made it. Law enforcement believes that a group of four unidentified men gave her a ride to the Oneida Indian National Territory - a vast piece of last covering 32 acres along Route 46. It is believed that Tammy was gang-raped by these four men and then murdered.

Three days later on May 11, 1981, her boyfriend, Karl reported her missing. On May 15, 1981, law enforcement received an anonymous wallet that was turned into the Oneida City Police Department. It is believed that the owner of the wallet has information directly related to Tammy’s case.

While the federal government did step in to assist with Tammy’s case, charges cannot be filed until her body is recovered. Over time, law enforcement conducted multiple searches spanning from Route 46 where she was last seen to a dig site off Chestnut Ridge and the area she was supposedly picked up - but no remains were recovered. The latest search in 2016 yielded no new information.

On May 10, 2023, the FBI said at a news conference in Oneida that the case is still very active, and several witnesses have come forward confirming information others have provided in the past.