Tammy Marie Lynds
Springfield is a city in Western Massachusetts located on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River. Springfield has a rich history dating back to the 17th century when it was settled. It played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War and has a history of industrial innovation. It is often referred to as the "City of Firsts" because of its many technological and manufacturing achievements. Springfield is known as the birthplace of basketball, and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is located in the city. The Hall of Fame honors players, coaches, referees, and other major contributors to the sport of basketball. The city has undergone various economic development initiatives, including the revitalization of downtown areas and efforts to attract businesses and tourism. Springfield is a diverse city with a mix of cultures and communities, contributing to its vibrant social fabric. Springfield is a city with a rich history, cultural offerings, and ongoing efforts for economic development. It serves as an important center in Western Massachusetts, providing a mix of urban amenities and natural attractions. The crime in Springfield is definitely not the best. It is rated a nine out of 100 on Neighborhood Scout and is over double the national average for violent crimes and that is why we decided to do this quarter’s action-oriented advocacy in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Tammy Marie Lynds Facebook
Tammy Marie Lynds was born on September 2nd, 1978, to parents Richard and Susan Lynds. She had a brother named Joshua and a younger sister named Allison. Tammy was described as a carefree and sweet girl she liked school and had a goal of becoming an astronaut later in life. In the early morning of July 22nd, 1994, Tammy told her little sister Allison, whom she shared a room with, that she was sneaking out to meet her boyfriend. Allison would state that Tammy was nervous, and it seemed as if she didnt want to go, almost as if someone threatened her to go. Tammy told Allison she would return quickly and exited the bedroom door. As Tammy was making her way through the house, she found her father asleep on the couch, so she woke him up and told him to go to bed. As her father went to his bedroom, Tammy made her way out the front door to never return again.
The following day, Richard would go to work early and not check in on his daughters, so it wouldn't be until later when Tammy's mother realized Tammy wasn't at the house, that she would call authorities to report her daughter missing. Allison would tell her mother, father, and authorities that Tammy snuck out of the house in the middle of the night, which in turn made police list her as a runaway and forego conducting a real investigation. The family did not have any idea what had happened to their 15-year-old daughter for almost four months, but when they did find her, their hearts would be broken forever. A father and son were bike riding on Fox Road near North Branch Park when they stumble upon human remains, which would eventually be identified as Tammy Lynds. This location was less than a mile from her home. An autopsy was conducted however the medical examiner could not determine the cause of death because of the state of decomposition. They did note several things though such as multiple teeth were not present in the socket of the jaw and were not located where the remains were found. The remains were almost completely skeletonized, but the medical examiner stated there were no cuts, no bullet holes, and no evidence of blunt force trauma this included any hairline fractures to the skull. There wasn't any damage to the bones in the neck that would suggest strangulation. Items that were found with the remains were a pair of Blue jeans, a black zipper top short sleeve shirt, black underwear, white and purple sneakers, a white chain that was around her neck, a Pacific Connection brand shirt, and one key that was most likely to her house. There was no DNA found under her fingernails. That is basically all the information we got from the medical examiner's report. Not knowing the cause of death is the most difficult thing, I think. She was a healthy 15-year-old girl. They don't typically just die without some type of intervention, but not knowing how she died would make the investigation that much more difficult. Plus, not knowing would be so frustrating.
Tammy would write in her diary all the time, so this gave police an insight into her life in the weeks and months before she had gone missing. Why do I feel like I am invading this 15-year-old's privacy by talking about what she wrote in her diary? However, this information might help solve this 30-year cold case. I want to start by saying these are the innermost thoughts of a teenage girl, and anything she did or didnt do back when she was just 15 does not make her a bad person, does not give anyone the right to harm her or even judge her so let’s talk about what she wrote and what was going on in her life in the last few months of her life. Tammy wrote in her diary in March that she was dating a guy, and she went to his house and was making out when he wanted to go further, but she did not. She stated he tried to force her to stay and do what he wanted, but she eventually convinced him to let her leave. Another entry is on July 15th, so about a week before she snuck out of her house to meet her boyfriend. She stated she snuck out the night before because her boyfriend dared her to, and as she was on her way over there, she had to pass by two bars where there were creepy men. One of the men started to follow her, but she was able to get to her destination, her boyfriend's house. A while later, she had to return to her house and pass by the same bars. This time, the man started following her and hollering at her. Luckily, she could pick up her pace and return home unscathed. This rattled Tammy so much that she wrote about it in her diary. Could this be why she was so nervous to sneak out that night? She knew she would have to walk past the bars with the men catcalling, following her, and just making her feel so uncomfortable. There were a few times throughout the diary entries that Tammy wrote that she was sexually active and had a few pregnancy scares. She had various boyfriends but hardly ever wrote their names, and police actually have no idea who the boyfriend she was sneaking out to see the night she vanished.
Tammy was involved in a fight, but I use that word loosely because it was more like she got jumped. In May of 1994, Tammy was coming out of one class and making her way to another class when a girl threw her to the ground and repeatedly bashed her head on the floor. This girl thought Tammy was talking bad about her. A few of the attacker's friends joined in to kick Tammy while she was on the ground. This incident wasn't a one-time thing with this particular girl. Apparently, this person had been bullying Tammy for months before this, picking on her on the bus, randomly slapping her, and pushing her into walls, that kind of thing. This fight resulted in police getting involved and Tammy having to write a statement and everything. To say that this girl didnt like Tammy would be an understatement.
Tammy’s second cousin wanted to do more in her family's fight for justice, so she joined the Clothesline Project. Straight from their website, The Clothesline Project is a visual display of violence statistics that often go ignored. Each shirt is made by a survivor of violence or by someone who has lost a loved one to violence. The color of each shirt represents a different type of violence. The purpose of the project is to increase awareness of the impact of violence and abuse, to honor a survivor’s strength to continue and to provide another avenue for them to courageously break the silence that often surrounds their experience.
Many compare Tammy’s case to that of Molly Bish. Who was 16 years old in Warren, Massachusetts, when she was abducted and then murdered. This was in the year 2000, but it was only about a 35-minute drive from Springfield. Yes, these cases are six years apart, but two teenage girls went missing and then found dead within a short distance of each other. Could they be related? Possible serial killer, or just a coincidence. Tammy Lynds’ case has had its downfalls, to say the least, with police not investigating right away because she was deemed a runaway, not having a cause or manner of death, and a bunch of back-then teenagers that wouldn't talk to police just made this difficult to solve from the beginning. However, Tammy’s dad, Richard, has fought tirelessly for the last almost 30 years to find out what happened to his daughter, and I am so sorry to report that he passed away just recently without ever finding out what happened to Tammy. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Lynds family. We found many court records and diary entries that will be up on our website, navigating advocacy.com.
This action oriented advocacy case was different from our others. Unfortunately, I had to go it alone. Melissa was hit with a bug just days before our departure and she was unable to join me. Thankful for the use of technology, I was able to have her there with me digitally.
The drive over to Springfield was everything I imagined it to be in the fall. Winding roads painted with all of the hues of green, yellow and orange you can imagine.
The hour or so drive over from the town I was staying in was peaceful, scenic and somewhat remote. Thankfully, Haley Gray from Haley Gray Research joined me so I wouldn’t have to go alone. The winding roads meant spotty cell service so we spent most of the drive chatting, we talked a bit about Tammy as I filled Haley in on her story and as most conversations tend to do they spiraled down several rabbit holes.
The first stop on the list was a grocery store to grab some flowers to pay our respects at Tammy’s grave. Funny enough, it took a couple of stops before we found some.
Once I was able to find a small bouquet of mixed daisies, carnations and sunflowers, we headed to the cemetery. We went through the cemetery a couple of times before we were able to find her gravestone. Once we found the beautiful red granite stone standing at the foot of the family plot. I immediately could see how much she was loved. Stunning mums of purple, yellow, burgundy and a beautiful deep red flower that I’m not sure what they are really called but I have heard called dragon’s breath. The landscaping was immaculate. The family headstone was a red granite with a built-in planter and two other ornate planters at the base. On one side it held the family name and on the other the names of Tammy, her father, her mother, and her grandmother, along with all of their birth dates. Tammy’s name was the only one who had a life completion date.
Haley and I sat for a moment in silence thinking about how somber it felt that she was taken from her loved one so young.
From here, we chose to drive over to where she was found. Fox Road is what I would describe as a cut through street. There are no shoulders on the tree lined road that cuts through from Grayson Drive to North Branch Parkway. Across from the corner of Fox and N Branch Parkway sits Beauregard and Shiavina Memorial Park. Its a large sprawling area with soccer fields, and playgrounds. Along Fox road while there is no space for a shoulder, there is a sidewalk that runs along it.
As I walked up to the area near the bridge where she was found, you could see that this was a regular dumping site. Shopping carts, trash, and other debris was littered throughout the wooded area. As I looked around, I struggled to comprehend how someone would have the time to pull over and dispose of a human body without being seen.
Knowing that Tammy was found almost 30 years ago, it is entirely possible that the area wasn’t as busy as it was the day I was there.
If you have any information about what happened to Tammy Marie Lynds back in July of 1994, Please call Springfield Police Detective Bureau with information at 413-787-6355.
Tammy Lynds Facebook
One of the more difficult aspects of what we try to do, is coming up with unique action oriented advocacy efforts. We want to create a lasting impact and hope to spark a memory in someone that may know something about these horrific events. With Tammy’s story, we are confident that someone saw her that evening and may not realize it. That is why we chose a mail out campaign as our advocacy effort. We mailed out 100 flyers to the surrounding area in hopes one person is ready to come forward for Tammy.
