Staten Island Boogeyman: Tiahease Jackson

In this episode of Hunting 4 Answers: In August 1983, 10-year-old Tiahease Jackson disappeared from Staten Island without a trace while running an errand. Over four decades later, her case remains unsolved—haunted by rumors, fear, and connections to a possible serial predator. Anyone with information about this case should contact the New York Police Department at 646-610-6914.

This is the story of Tiahease Jackson. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect
Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. Welcome to Hunting for Answers, a
true crime podcast. I'm your host Hunter, and today we're
highlighting a story that took place on Staten Island, New York,
in August of nineteen eighty three. It centers around the

(00:20):
disappearance of a vulnerable child who vanished while running a
simple routine errand for over four decades, her case has
remained unsolved, haunted by suspicion, fear, and a prime suspect
believed to be a serial predator connected to multiple disappearances.

(00:44):
This is the story of Tayis Jackson. Tayis Tiawana Jackson
was born on October fifth, nineteen seventy two, at just
ten years old. She was a small girl with a
big personality. At the time of her disappearance, she stood

(01:05):
four feet eight inches tall and weighed about ninety pounds.
Tayse had black hair, brown eyes, and a distinctive lazy
left eye that turned inward. The little girl also carried
the weight of multiple serious medical conditions, diabetes, asthma, high

(01:25):
blood pressure, and Bright's disease, a kidney disorder that required
constant medication and treatment. She also struggled with learning disabilities,
but despite these challenges, her mother described her as street
wise and wary of strangers. Tayse had been warned about

(01:46):
predators and knew to be careful. She frequently ran errand's
in the city, sometimes alone, sometimes with her sister, or
sometimes with a friend. On October fourteen, nineteen eighty three,
she would run one final errand. It was a summer

(02:09):
Sunday on Staten Island. The Jackson family had been living
at the Mariners Harbor Motel on Forest Avenue after their
apartment had burned down. Tyis lived there with her mother
and three siblings as the family prepared to relocate to
the southern United States. At one thirty in the afternoon,

(02:31):
while Tys's mother was sleeping, another resident of the motel
had sent Tys on a simple errand. She was to
go to the Crown Supermarket in the nine hundred block
of Richmond Avenue to purchase chicken wings. Tyse left the
motel that day wearing a dark blue ski jacket with
a white trim, a white ruffled blouse, blue jeans, and

(02:56):
blue plastic mess shoes. She wore a gold necklace with
a butterfly charm, a silver bangle bracelet on her left wrist,
and had two purple combs in her hair. She walked
out of the motel that day and was never seen again.
When Tyss's mother woke up at around four point thirty

(03:20):
that afternoon, she discovered that her daughter had been missing
for nearly three hours. This just wasn't like Tyise. Despite
being independent, she always returned home when expected. Her mother
immediately called the police. The search for Tyse began that

(03:40):
very day, but the trail was already growing cold. The
street wise little girl, who had been careful about strangers,
had seemingly vanished into thin air. Both Tys's mother and
uncle passed light detector tests and were quick ruled out
as suspects. The investigation would now lead authorities to one

(04:06):
of Staten Island's most notorious predators. Just twelve days before
Tyse disappeared, a man named Andre Rand was released from
a New York prison. If that name sounds familiar, it's
because it's also connected to a previous case we covered
ethel atwell Born Frank Rushan Rand was a convicted child

(04:32):
sex offender deemed mentally incompetent with a disturbing history of
targeting vulnerable children. What made Rand particularly dangerous was his
proximity to the Jackson family. He had set up a
campsite at the Baron Hirsch Cemetery, less than half a
mile from the Mariner's Harbor Motel where Tyse lived. Even

(04:56):
more chilling, Tyse's mother reported seeing a man matching Rand's
description loitering in the motel's parking lot. The predator had
allegedly been watching, waiting, and hunting. Andre Rand wasn't just
a suspect in Taiz's disappearance. He was the quote Boogeyman

(05:20):
of Staten Island, a real life monster who had been
terrorizing the community for years. In nineteen eighty seven, Rand
was convicted of abducting Jennifer Schweiger, a twelve year old
girl with Down syndrome. Her remains were discovered near her
former camp site on the grounds of the Staten Island

(05:42):
Developmental Center formerly known as the Willowbrook State School. But
Rand's reign of terror didn't end there. He was also
connected to the disappearances of Alice Pariah in nineteen seventy
two at Thought Outwell. In nineteen seventy eight, Henry Gafario

(06:04):
in nineteen eighty four, and possibly Audrey Nahrenberg in nineteen
seventy seven. In two thousand and four, he was convicted
of kidnapping in the nineteen eighty one abduction of Holly Hughes.
Now all of these children vanished from Staten Island area
except Narrenberg. However, all of them were vulnerable, and all

(06:29):
of them had reportedly crossed paths with Andre Rand. The
abandoned Staten Island Developmental Center became the focal point of
the search for Rand's alleged victims. This massive, crumbling institution
had once housed thousands of patients with developmental disabilities. After

(06:52):
its closure, it allegedly became Rand's hunting ground. It's reported
that twice a year and tears continued to search the
abandoned property for evidence related to Rand's alleged victims, including
tays The facility is located just two miles north of

(07:12):
where Tayse disappeared, making it a likely location for her remains,
But despite the decades of searching, nothing has been discovered.
Many of the secrets of what exactly happened back then
have remained buried. The story of Andrea Rand became so

(07:34):
notorious that it reportedly inspired an urban legend. Local children
whispered about Cropsy, a boogeyman figure who snatched children from
their beds and dragged them into darkness. What they didn't
know was that Cropsy wasn't just an urban legend, but
had seemingly become a real life nightmare. Today, Andrey Ran

(08:00):
remains in prison. He is eligible for parole in twenty
thirty seven, when he will be in his nineties. Throughout
all of his trials and convictions, Rand has maintained his
innocence in all charges against him, including Tayse's disappearance. Today,
Tyise Jackson would be fifty two years old. The Center

(08:24):
for Missing and Exploited Children rendered an age progressed photo
of which she might look like now. Her story highlights
the failure of a system to protect the most vulnerable
members of society and the devastating impact one predator might
have on an entire community. My thoughts and prayers are
with the family and friends of Tyee Jackson. Her story

(08:48):
reminds us that we must never stop searching for answers,
never stop seeking justice, and never forget the victims who
have lost their lives. Anyone with information about this case
contact the New York Police Department. You can find their
contact information in the description box below. As we close

(09:08):
out this episode, don't forget to click the follow button
to stay updated on Tysi's case and others like it.
Be sure to subscribe to Hunting for Answers on YouTube
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let us know your thoughts on this case down in

(09:29):
the comments. Thank you so much for joining us on
another episode. Until next time. Hunting for Answers is a

(09:53):
production of the Black Effect Podcast Network. For more podcasts
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