She Vanished After Leaving Work In 2000, And Her Remains Were Found In A Wooded Area Over Two Years Later, But Her Killer Remains At Large
After graduating from Englewood High School in 1990, Tina McQuaig went on to marry her high school sweetheart, William Ottis McQuaig, four years later in November 1994.
Together, the happy couple welcomed their first child, a baby boy, into the world in May 1995.
Yet, at just 27-years-old, Tina disappeared in 2000, leaving behind her 4-year-old son and many unanswered questions.
At the time she vanished, she and her family lived outside of Baldwin, Florida. Tina also worked as a pharmacy technician at Shands Jacksonville Hospital, which is now UF Health Jacksonville.
March 15, 2000, the day Tina went missing, started off quite normally. That morning, she dropped her son off at her sister-in-law’s home at about 7:00 a.m. Afterward, Tina left and drove to work, arriving for her shift at the hospital at 8:28 a.m.
She was described as happy and upbeat that day by her coworkers, and in the late afternoon, she finished work as usual.
Tina was seen on surveillance cameras leaving the hospital at 4:49 p.m. She exited an elevator in the parking garage, entered her 1992 blue Nissan Sentra, and drove off. Yet, the young mother never made it home.
Her husband ultimately contacted the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and reported her missing when she didn’t show up by 6:00 p.m.
Then, four days after she vanished, a friend saw Tina’s car in a Walmart parking lot located at 6830 Normandy Boulevard on March 19, 2000. She reportedly did not typically shop at that Walmart.
Obituary Photo – pictured above is Tina
Nonetheless, her car was found unlocked, and her purse and keys were missing.
Tina’s father, Elmer John Rice, thought authorities might find his daughter’s body in the trunk. However, it was actually empty.
Investigators discovered unidentified fingerprints and fibers inside the vehicle. Still, aside from these pieces of evidence, no other clues as to Tina’s whereabouts were uncovered.
Her loved ones spent over two years and nine months waiting for answers, hoping that they’d one day see Tina again. On Christmas Day in 2002, that changed.
Tina’s family learned human remains had been found by a surveying crew close to Cecil Commerce Center in Jacksonville.
“I knew. I said, ‘That’s Tina. That is going to be Tina.’ She was off the same road her car was found, just three miles down the road,” Elmer recalled.
Months later, on March 10, 2003, it was confirmed. The remains were positively identified as belonging to Tina. Her body was found in a wooded area that was military property at the time.
The Duval County Medical Examiner’s Office subsequently ruled Tina’s death a homicide by violence. Over the years, authorities have also followed various leads related to her murder.
Tragically, no arrests have ever been made, and her case remains unsolved to this day.
There is no statute of limitations for murder, and 24 years later, the search for justice continues.
In 2017, Elmer expressed his frustration that his daughter’s killer was still at large.
“He is walking the streets, and he needs to be off the streets,” Elmer said.
Tina’s mother, Linda Rice, also issued a plea to anyone with information.
“Somebody knows something. I know they do, and they’ve got to come forward. It has been too long. Tina needs justice. We need an answer,” she stated.
If you have any information related to Tina’s case, you are urged to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office at (904) 630-0500.
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