TENNESSEE — Authorities continue to seek answers in the disappearance of 13-year-old Tabitha Danielle Tuders, known to friends and family as “Boo,” who vanished on April 29, 2003, while walking from her home to her bus stop in Nashville.
Tabitha, a student born on February 15, 1990, is a white female with sandy blonde hair, blue eyes, pierced ears, a birthmark on her stomach, and a scar on one finger. She stood 5’1” tall and weighed 100 pounds at the time of her disappearance.
According to reports, one neighbor last saw Tabitha heading toward school, while a neighborhood boy claimed to have seen her enter a red car about 30 to 40 yards from that location. Tracking dogs followed her scent along her route before veering into an alley near where she was reportedly seen entering the vehicle.
Authorities have investigated several leads over the years. Tabitha’s brother, Kevin Tuders, was looked at due to a prior record, but he does not live in Nashville. A note reading “TDT -N- MTL” surfaced in 2014, though investigators do not believe it is connected to her case. Another tip from a prison informant, which alleged a confession from a cellmate, was later determined to be a hoax.
Some investigators have considered possible links between Tabitha’s disappearance and that of 11-year-old Heaven Ross, who went missing in Northport, Alabama, in August 2003. Heaven’s remains were discovered in Holt, Alabama, three years later.
Despite ongoing investigations, Tabitha’s case remains unsolved.
If she were alive today, she would be in her early 30s. Judith Yates, a journalist with Examiner.com, has been one of the few consistently following leads in the case, which has been complicated by conflicting information and dead-end tips.
Authorities continue to urge anyone with information about Tabitha Tuders to come forward.
