She Vanished After Leaving Work In 1994, And Her Car Was Later Found Parked At A Bus Station, But Someone Taller Than Her Had Clearly Driven It Last
In 1994, Tamara Bradley of Blaine, Minnesota, was 30-years-old and had a 5-year-old son. She also worked for Federal Foam Technologies, a leading foam manufacturer located in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
However, that year, her company was in the process of relocating to Wisconsin. So, Tamara hoped to move out of her Blaine home and find a house closer to her new office.
Yet, after Tamara left her office – located in the 3500 block of 2nd Street North in Minneapolis – on September 30, 1994, at 3:30 p.m., she mysteriously disappeared.
She was last seen traveling north on Washington Avenue toward East River Road, which was Tamara’s typical commute home. But she never arrived at her residence and has been missing ever since.
At the time, Tamara’s son had been visiting his biological father – her ex-husband – for the weekend. So, it wasn’t until Tamara failed to pick up her son on October 2, 1994, that her mother contacted the Blaine Police Department and reported her missing.
“That’s when we knew something was wrong,” Tamara’s sister, Wendy Edwards, said.
According to one of Tamara’s coworkers, the 30-year-old had actually been in a good mood during her shift and described her plans to search for a new home in Stillwater, Minnesota, that weekend.
Her loved ones also describe Tamara as a dedicated mother who would have never just left her son behind.
“Her son was everything to her. Everything. She would never just leave. Someone did something to her,” Wendy explained.
Facebook – pictured above is Tamara
Once an investigation was launched, Tamara’s car – a silver four-door 1998 Buick Century Custom with Minnesota license plate number 286CCY – was discovered on October 3, 1994.
It was discovered at a Greyhound bus station located on Hawthorne Avenue in Minneapolis. But, at the time, the vehicle was just towed to an impound lot since nobody realized it was linked to Tamara’s case until later.
Upon examining the vehicle, investigators found the keys were still inside, in addition to some clothing and other personal belongings. There were also three uncashed paychecks, as well as an uncashed child support check, left on the dashboard.
Additionally, the car did not have a ticket on its windshield, which led authorities to believe it hadn’t been parked in its spot at the bus station for long before being towed. The driver’s seat was also fully extended as if the vehicle were being driven by someone much taller than Tamara.
“My sister was five foot something. She was small. But the driver’s seat of her car had been pushed all the way back when it was found. Someone else was in there,” Wendy detailed.
Unfortunately, though, there has been no activity on Tamara’s bank accounts since she vanished, and authorities have never made any arrests in her case – despite questioning numerous people regarding her disappearance.
“This is currently considered a cold case with our department, and we have not received any other leads to this point but will investigate any that should arise,” said Blaine Police Department Captain Todd Olson.
Following Tamara’s disappearance, Wendy ultimately took custody of her nephew – Tamara’s son.
“I was the youngest of six kids growing up, but Tamara would always find time to spend time with me. To help me with math. She was good at math. She played darts, she had a great group of friends… no one disliked her. Most importantly, she was a good mom,” Wendy said.
Now that Tamara has been missing for nearly 30 years, there is also a $10,000 reward being offered by the CEO and President of Federal Foam Technologies, Tamara’s former employer, for information leading to her location.
According to Tamara’s family, the reward will be valid until June 30, 2024, and will be awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis.
If multiple people come forward with information, it will also be split among qualifying claims. No anonymous tipsters or anyone involved in Tamara’s disappearance will receive the reward.
At the time of Tamara’s disappearance, she was five foot four, weighed 135 pounds, and had brown hair and hazel eyes.
She was last seen wearing blue jeans, a dark-colored T-shirt, a dark-colored ski jacket, and sneakers with light reflectors on the back.
Tamara’s sister has created a Facebook page for her called My Sister Is Missing.
If you have any information regarding Tamara’s case, you are urged to contact the Blaine Police Department at (763) 785-6168.
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