Now that Unsolved Mysteries volume 3 cases are rolling out on Netflix, viewers are already stepping into their detective roles and attempting to make sense of what they’ve seen. The Unsolved Mysteries audience found themselves baffled by the very first episode of the new season, asking, "what happened to Tiffany Valiante?”
As seen in the episode titled "Mystery at Mile Marker 45," in 2015, 18-year-old Tiffany was struck by a train only four miles from her family home in New Jersey. While the New Jersey Transit Police Department said she committed suicide, throwing herself in front of the train and being killed by the impact, her family argues this can’t be true. In fact, they alleged someone had to be behind Tiffany’s death.
With the opposing viewpoints, we decided to take a deeper look into the case and review a few theories about what may have happened to the high school grad.
What happened to Tiffany Valiante the day she was struck by a train?
According to The Daily Beast, on the afternoon of July 12, 2015, Tiffany and her parents attended her cousin’s graduation party. Later that evening at 9:15 pm, Tiffany was outside her family home with her mom Dianne when she was confronted by a friend for allegedly stealing her debit card to purchase somewhere between $86 to $300 worth of clothes and food. Although Tiffany denied the allegations to her friend, she confessed to her mom she was guilty.
Shortly after the friend left, Dianne stepped inside the house to speak with Tiffany’s dad, Steve, leaving Tiffany outside seemingly by herself. A minute or two later when the mom went back outside to speak with her daughter, Tiffany was gone.
Tiffany’s parents rallied family and friends to look for her. At 11 pm Steve located her cell phone in some bushes by end of their driveway. Tiffany was struck by the train at 11:07 pm. According to PBS affiliate site WHYY, her death was ruled a suicide less than a day later.
Facts from the Tiffany Valiante case
Here are some crucial facts and some of the more important evidence from the case.
- According to the official toxicology report, there were no substances found in Tiffany’s system.
- As stated in the Netflix episode and reflected in the official medical examiner’s report, Tiffany’s extremities had been cut/amputated from the body.
- Listed in the New Jersey Transit Police Report, the train was traveling 80 mph and when an engineer spotted Tiffany he sounded the bell. However, in the black box audio download of the incident, no bell sound is recorded.
- In The Daily Beast article, a friend alleged Tiffany had been acting different months prior to her death, feeling distant from her parents and "lonely."
- Referring to a breakdown of the evidence on the Netflix site Tudum, Tiffany wasn’t wearing any shoes at the time her body was recovered. Her shoes were later found about a mile away from the train incident next to the headband she had worn earlier in the day.
- Additionally, on the Tudum site, Tiffany’s uncle reportedly found an ax located near the train tracks, but it was lost while in police custody.
- The Daily Beast post also noted that Tiffany’s parents claimed she suffered from near-crippling nyctophobia (fear of the dark).
How did Tiffany Valiante die? Theories
Family Theory
Tiffany’s mother Dianne shared with The Daily Beast that she believes her daughter was murdered. What she believes happened is Tiffany was lured into a vehicle by someone parked at the end of their driveway. After Tiffany felt something wasn’t right about being in the automobile, Dianne thinks Tiffany managed to escape, only to be chased onto the train tracks, jumping directly in front of the train. The grieving mother also thinks it quite possible Tiffany was killed first and then her body was placed in front of the train.
Lending credibility to Dianne’s theory is Louise Houseman, a former senior investigator with the Atlantic County Medical Examiner’s Office, who Dianne and the family attorney had look into the case. Houseman is quoted in the publication, talking about the claim Tiffany threw herself in front of a train:
"... an extremely unusual method of suicide to be contemplated by anyone, especially a female teenager with no history of emotional instability. The loud sound of an approaching train is much more likely to invoke a flight response in a sober individual had she wanted to commit suicide, Tiffany could have walked in front of a car on a [much closer] heavily traveled four-lane highway."
If you have more information about the case, please head over to the Unsolved Mysteries tip line.
New episodes of Unsolved Mysteries volume 3 air on Tuesdays on Netflix.
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