2008 Woodie Awards
Police reopen 54-year-old Miami mystery
Possible remains of missing student, Ronald Tammen, found in Georgia
Caroline Briggs
Issue date: 1/18/08 Section: Front Page
Remains found in Georgia have reopened the cold trail of Ronald Henry Tammen, who mysteriously disappeared from his Miami University dormitory 54 years ago.
The Butler County Sheriff's Department is working in conjunction with Walker County Sheriff's Department of Georgia and the Oxford Police Department (OPD), according to Butler County's Sgt. Monte Mayer.
The remains found in Georgia are dated to the same spring as Tammen's April 19, 1953 disappearance, Mayer said.
"This is certainly a good lead that requires some following through," he said. "But many cold cases have hundreds, if not thousands of leads. We know it was a body buried in the 50s."
According to Mayer, Detective Frank Smith, Butler County's cold case investigator, is handling the case by working with Georgia regarding identification of the remains found, as well as gathering up all known information of Tammen.
"We are months from making a decision on this case," Mayer said. "Everything remains very speculative at this point."
Sgt. Jim Squance said OPD is currently working with Butler County, but that the station retained minimal record of Tammen before he disappeared at the end of his sophomore year. Tammen was reported missing by his roommate after disappearing the night before with his lights and radio on and textbook open.
"Our role is to assist Detective Frank Smith and the Georgia team in any way we can," Squance said. "We don't have a hole lot of information (on Tammen). We have as much as you can have from 1953."
OPD's records include no more than a traffic ticket Tammen had received for running a red light at High and Main streets just a month before he was last seen at Miami's former Fisher Hall. Walker County Sheriff's Department was unavailable
for comment.
However, the story of Tammen has continued to boggle the minds of more than five decades of Miami students, faculty and staff.
Former Miami President Phillip Shriver arrived at Miami in 1965 amid continual speculation as to where Tammen went that April without his possessions or car keys.
The Butler County Sheriff's Department is working in conjunction with Walker County Sheriff's Department of Georgia and the Oxford Police Department (OPD), according to Butler County's Sgt. Monte Mayer.
The remains found in Georgia are dated to the same spring as Tammen's April 19, 1953 disappearance, Mayer said.
"This is certainly a good lead that requires some following through," he said. "But many cold cases have hundreds, if not thousands of leads. We know it was a body buried in the 50s."
According to Mayer, Detective Frank Smith, Butler County's cold case investigator, is handling the case by working with Georgia regarding identification of the remains found, as well as gathering up all known information of Tammen.
"We are months from making a decision on this case," Mayer said. "Everything remains very speculative at this point."
Sgt. Jim Squance said OPD is currently working with Butler County, but that the station retained minimal record of Tammen before he disappeared at the end of his sophomore year. Tammen was reported missing by his roommate after disappearing the night before with his lights and radio on and textbook open.
"Our role is to assist Detective Frank Smith and the Georgia team in any way we can," Squance said. "We don't have a hole lot of information (on Tammen). We have as much as you can have from 1953."
OPD's records include no more than a traffic ticket Tammen had received for running a red light at High and Main streets just a month before he was last seen at Miami's former Fisher Hall. Walker County Sheriff's Department was unavailable
for comment.
However, the story of Tammen has continued to boggle the minds of more than five decades of Miami students, faculty and staff.
Former Miami President Phillip Shriver arrived at Miami in 1965 amid continual speculation as to where Tammen went that April without his possessions or car keys.
Be the first to comment on this story