Sunday, October 23, 2022

Murder of Tammy Lynn Thorpe


Around 9 p.m. on October 21, 1988, 20-year-old Tammy Thorpe left her home in Ada, Virginia, and attended a dance at the Marshall Ruritan Club. At the dance, a man reportedly threatened Tammy as she did not want to dance with him. At a separate incident at the dance, a man with a gun was arrested in the parking lot.  

When he was arrested the police dented Tammy's car as they forced him against her gold 1986 Pontiac Grand An. Tammy was particular about her car and was concerned about the dent. She would call the sheriff's office to talk about it with the arresting officer. 

The dance would end at 1 a.m. the next morning. Her parents would then see her at 2 a.m. at the Marshall 7-Eleven while coming home that night. Her mother told her to go home as it was late. Instead of going home, it's believed that she drove to the old Chevron gas station in Warrenton to wash her car and see how bad the dent was. She was last seen getting gas there at 2:45 a.m. 

A little before 7 a.m. Lisa, Tammy's sister, noticed Tammy's car parked at the former Warrenton Bowling Alley next to the Chevron. Her sister who left her own car there the night before coincidently had gone there. This was when she found the car unlocked with the keys still in the ignition and purse inside. This was very concerning it wasn't known what had happened till the next day. 

On October 23, 1988, her body would be found off of a gravel lane, adjacent to Route 17, approximately 1/4 mile north of the Warrenton town limit. She had died due to multiple gunshots to her face with a small caliber firearm. There was no evidence of a struggle and she was not robbed. It's believed that someone who knew her had killed the young woman. 

SOURCES:
NBC News April 12, 2015
Fauquier Times October 24, 2019

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