MURDERED: Tammy Zywicki, August 23, 1992, Interstate 80, Illinois

Tammy Zywicki was last seen on Sunday, August 23, 1992, on her way back to college in Grinnell, Iowa. When her parents didn’t receive word that she’d arrived safely, and later learned her vehicle had been abandoned along I-80, they reported her missing, sparking a multi-state search effort. Nine days later, her body was discovered in rural Missouri, hundreds of miles from where she was last seen; she had been murdered.

In this episode, we walk through the timeline of her disappearance, the search efforts that followed, the discovery of her remains, and some of the investigative avenues pursued over the years. Though several theories and persons of interest have emerged, Tammy’s murder remains unsolved. 

If you have information on the murder of Tammy Zywicki, please contact your local FBI office: https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices

Or, submit anonymous tips online: https://tips.fbi.gov/home

SOURCES:

*Source list exceeds character length for episode description. The full list of sources is available upon request!* 

• Arias, Ron, The Long Road Back, August 23, 1993, People Magazine
• Wiernik, Julie, Search for missing student spreads, September 2, 1992, The Ann Arbor News
• Autopsy ordered for body found along Interstate 44, September 2, 1992, The Belleville News Democrat
• Police seek missing student, September 1, 1992, Daily Illini
• Hubert, Cynthia, Ex-classmate news stuns Iowans, August 26, 1992, The Des Moines Register
• Fuhrmans, Vanessa, Students take up the search for classmate, August 27, 1992, The Des Moines Register
• Wall-Howard, Phoebe, Fear mounts for missing Iowa student, August 29, 1992, The Des Moines Register
• Santiago, Frank, FBI: Case won't be an easy one to solve, September 5, 1992, The Des Moines Register
• Rood, Lee, Now-retired agent fixates on suspect in Zywicki murder, May 11, 2014, The Des Moines Register
• Rood, Lee, Petitioners push for action on Zywicki case, May 13, 2014, The Des Moines Register
• Rood, Lee, Zywicki’s mother asks why suspect ruled out, June 2, 2014, The Des Moines Register
• Riddle, Lyn, New leads mulled in killing of Tammy Zywicki, January 1, 2015, The Des Moines Register
• Rood, Lee, Grinnell student case still unsolved, March 25, 2024, The Des Moines Register
• Kueter, Dale, Body linked to Zywicki, September 3, 1992, The Gazette
• Suhr, Jim, Mystery lingers 20 years after Grinnell co-ed killing, July 29, 2012, The Gazette
• FBI hopes reward cracks Grinnell student’s unsolved slaying, August 26, 2012, The Gazette

Support the show

If you have any information on any of the cold cases covered, you can submit a tip here:

https://www.iowaattorneygeneral.gov/for-crime-victims/iowa-cold-case/cold-case-tip-form

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Theme Song: Shrouded Lament by james.lfo, William Claeson