The Vanishing of Tammy Belanger: A Haunting Mystery from Exeter

A Quiet Morning Turns Tragic

On the morning of November 13, 1984, eight-year-old Tammy Lynn Belanger left her home on River Street in Exeter, New Hampshire, to walk the mile to Lincoln Street Elementary School. A neighbor saw her cross Court Street around 8:00 a.m., but Tammy never arrived at school. Her absence went unnoticed until 3:30 p.m., when her mother, Patricia, called the school and learned that Tammy had not been present that day. The school did not have a policy of notifying parents about student absences, delaying the realization that Tammy was missing.

The Immediate Search Efforts

Once alerted, local authorities launched an extensive search operation. Police officers, volunteers, and even the FBI scoured the area on foot, by helicopter, and by boat. They searched woods, drained ponds, and opened manhole covers, but no trace of Tammy was found. Despite these efforts, the search yielded no significant clues, and by November 20, the Exeter police chief expressed little hope of finding Tammy alive.

A Suspect Emerges

In December 1984, attention turned to Victor Wonyetye, a 41-year-old man with a criminal history, including a 1979 conviction for sexually assaulting his 13-year-old stepdaughter. Wonyetye had been living in a motel in nearby Rye, New Hampshire, and was employed at an auto body shop in Exeter. Notably, he had called in sick on the day Tammy disappeared. Witnesses reported seeing his distinctive blue car with Florida plates and a broken taillight in the area that morning.

Connections to Other Cases

Wonyetye was also a suspect in the disappearance of Marjorie "Christy" Luna, an eight-year-old girl who vanished in Greenacres, Florida, in May 1984. Both girls were the same age and disappeared while walking alone near their homes. Wonyetye had lived near Luna's residence at the time of her disappearance. Despite these connections, no physical evidence linked him to either case, and he was never charged in relation to the disappearances. ...Read More

Share

Comments (0)

Leave A Comment