The Disappearance of Tabitha Tuders
For this case, I watched an episode of Disappeared. It’s season 9 episode 10 titled ‘Last Stop.’
A 13-year-old girl disappears while walking to her bus stop.
Background
Tabitha Danielle Tuders was born on February 15, 1990. She lived in East Nashville, Tennessee, with her parents Bo and Debra. She also had two older siblings Kevin and Jamie, who were 25 and 21.
Tabitha’s family said that she was the baby, so they spoiled her. Tabitha was the entertainer. She loved to crack jokes, and to sing. She sang in her church choir, and would always sing in the car.
Tabitha Tuders
The Disappearance
On April 29, 2003, Debra woke up around 5am for work. She worked in the cafeteria in the local school district. When she left, Tabitha was still asleep at the foot of her bed.
Bo woke Tabitha up for school, and left at 7am for his job. Tabitha rode the bus to school, and left her home at 7:50am, to make the 5 minute walk to the Boscobel and 14th Street bus stop. Debra told Tabitha to walk to the second bus stop if there weren’t any kids at the first one. The second bus stop was just another block away.
Later that afternoon, Debra arrived home from work around 1pm. She was expecting Tabitha home around 4pm. However, Tabitha never arrived home, which was very unusual.
Debra walked to the bus stop, but no one had seen Tabitha. She then drove to the school, where she learned that Tabitha hadn’t been on the bus at all, and hadn’t been at school.
By 6pm that night, the Tuders family called the police.
The Investigation
When the police arrived at the Tuders’ home, Debra and Bo said that they had just discovered that Tabitha hadn’t been at school. The police asked what she had been wearing that day. Jamie, Tabitha’s sister, was able to look through her items to see what was missing. She believed Tabitha had been wearing a blue top, jeans, and white sneakers.
The police did a brief search of the home. They discovered that Tabitha had left behind $20 dollars, makeup, and her house key. They collected her hair brush and tooth brush, hoping to get some of her DNA.
The police didn’t issue an Amber Alert. They didn’t have any evidence that Tabitha had been abducted, and believed she might have been a runaway. Tabitha’s parents knew that she hadn’t runaway. They said Tabitha wasn’t a rebellious girl, and was afraid of getting in trouble.
Two days later, the police came back to the Tuders home, to do a more in depth search of Tabitha’s bedroom. They found a note with Tabitha’s initials, TDT, as well as the initials MTL, which they later found out could’ve belonged to the 18-year-old son of friends of the Tuders family. The 18-year-old was questioned, but was ruled out.
The Red Car
A few days after Tabitha disappeared, the police received a tip from a potential eyewitness.
The eyewitness was an 11-year-old classmate of Tabitha’s. He said he saw Tabitha walking to the bus stop, and that she was approached by a red car driven by a black male wearing a baseball hat. The boy said that the car drove off the same way that it had come in, with Tabitha inside.
The police conducted a search of the area with search dogs. The dogs walked the exact path that Tabitha would’ve walked. The dogs lost her smell in between the two bus stops.
There were several other eyewitnesses who also saw Tabitha, and said she had been carrying something in her hand. Tabitha’s parents believed it was her report card that she received the previous day. Tabitha was very proud of her straight As.
Potential Suspects
The police searched for potential suspects and red vehicles. They learned of a black male that knew the Tuders family. Jamie had been dating a black male, and they had lived together at the Tuders home in the previous months before Tabitha’s disappearance.
The man was questioned. He told the police that he and Jamie had broken up before Tabitha disappeared, and he hadn’t been at the Tuders’ home in awhile. He didn’t own a car of his own, and he took and passed a polygraph test. He was ruled out quickly.
The next suspect came onto the police’s radar after a mother of two girls told the police, and the Tuders family to look out for a man named Paul Davis.
In 1997, Paul had taken an interest in the woman’s 10-year-old daughter. The young girl said that Paul had spoken to her at school, and told her that he had kids who went to school with her.
Paul had also been speaking to her 13-year-old daughter, who ran away the same year. In her room, the mom found letters written to Paul. The daughter eventually returned home after two days, but it’s believed that Paul could’ve been involved.
Paul had been arrested previously for statutory rape in a unrelated case. He was given a sentenced of 5 years of probation.
Paul was questioned, but he denied being involved in Tabitha’s case. He said he was in Kentucky at his sister’s home at the time of the disappearance. His alibi was checked, and he was ruled out as a suspect.
Five Months Later
Months passed without any new leads. There were many dead ends, and people saying they had seen Tabitha in various parts of Nashville.
It wasn’t until September 19, 2003, when the police learned of a new potential suspect. A man named Millard Lee Smith was arrested for rape.
He had been out riding his motorcycle, when he came across a young couple. He offered them both a ride, and had to take them one at a time. He took the female to his trailer, where he raped her.
In the previous year, he had also been arrested and charged with kidnapping and solicitation of a minor.
Smith was questioned, but denied being involved. His brother worked fixing cars, so the police believed he could’ve had access to a red car. Smith said he had been camping at the time Tabitha disappeared. He also took a polygraph, and passed. He remained a person of interest, but there was no evidence linking him to the disappearance.
Months and eventually years passed without any new leads or suspects. Tabitha’s family fought to keep her story alive in the news and media.
A Contradiction
In June 2008, 5 years after Tabitha disappeared, a new eyewitness came forward. The Tuders’ niece owned a tattoo shop. One of her customers told her that he had been out riding his bike in April 2003, and saw Tabitha get into a green car, not a red car. The FBI then became involved in this case as well.
In February 2016, the police learned of a Hispanic male named Juan, who drove a green car. Juan had been 19-years-old in 2003, and there were rumors that he knew Tabitha.
However, these were just rumors. Juan had since moved to Louisville, and was no longer in possession of the green car. He was interviewed by police, and passed a polygraph test. He was eliminated as a suspect.
Other
Detective Steven Jolley of the Metro Nashville PD, is still investigating Tabitha’s case.
The Tuders believe that Tabitha was abducted that day, whether it was by someone she knew or didn’t know. They believe that her case will be solved one day.
In 2020, the police searched a property that belonged to a possible person of interest in Tabitha’s case. It seems that they received a tip, and are still following up on it.
If you have any information, please call the Nashville Crime Stoppers at 615-862-8600.
A missing persons poster, with an age progression photo of Tabitha.
A poster of Tabitha hangs outside the Tuders home.
FINAL THOUGHTS
It seems that Tabitha was most likely abducted on her way to the bus stop that day. I believe she could’ve known her abductor, but obviously the police found two men that just went around talking to young girls. It’s very possible that someone saw Tabitha walking, and talked her into the car, or even forced her.
It’s also possible Tabitha ran away. The note with the initials in her room is strange, but I used to doodle my crushes initials or names in my notebooks. I also believe that the abductor’ theory over the runaway theory.
I hope that Tabitha’s case will solved one day. It’s heartbreaking to think that there is a family out there that have no answers or closure. They are so strong, and remind me of my family, who I know would fight for me until they got the answers they need.
Sources
https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/tabitha-danielle-tuders
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Tabitha_Tuders
https://www.wkrn.com/news/family-of-tabitha-tuders-remains-hopeful-for-closure-18-years-later/
https://thecinemaholic.com/is-tabitha-tuders-missing-or-found-is-she-dead-or-alive/
