In the late summer of 1983, a young Black girl named Tiahese Jackson, who was 10 years old, was living with her mother and three siblings at the Mariner's Harbor Motel on Staten Island. The family found themselves in this temporary housing after a fire had ravaged their apartment. They were making plans to relocate to the southern United States, hoping for a fresh start. Tiahese, described as being streetwise and cautious around strangers, often ran errands for her family and others.
On the afternoon of August 14, while her mother was resting, a fellow resident of the motel asked Tiahese to walk to the nearby Crown Supermarket to buy some chicken wings. She left the motel around 1:30 p.m. for the short trip but never returned. When her mother awoke three hours later and discovered her daughter was missing, she immediately contacted the police. An extensive search was launched by both police and volunteers, and Tiahese's picture was broadcast on national television, but no trace of the young girl was ever found. Her case grew cold, leaving her family with unanswered questions.
Investigators soon turned their attention to a man named Andre Rand, a convicted child sex offender who had been released from prison just twelve days before Tiahese disappeared. It was discovered that Rand had a makeshift campsite in the woods less than half a mile from the motel where the Jackson family was staying. Tiahese's mother recalled seeing a man who matched Rand's description loitering in the motel's parking lot. Despite their suspicions, authorities lacked sufficient evidence to charge Rand in connection with Tiahese's disappearance. Her mother and uncle both passed lie detector tests, clearing them of any involvement.
Andre Rand would later be convicted for the kidnapping of another young girl, Holly Hughes, in 1981, and the 1987 kidnapping and murder of Jennifer Schweiger, a 12-year-old with Down syndrome whose body was found near one of his campsites. He remains the prime suspect in the disappearances of several other children and adults from Staten Island, including Alice Pereira in 1972 and Henry Gafforio in 1984. Although he has never been officially charged in the case of Tiahese Jackson, authorities strongly believe he was involved. To this day, Tiahese's case remains unsolved, and she is considered a suspected victim of homicide.
