I was going through some VERY VERY old(Late 1990's) tapes of Unsolved Mysteries and ran across this case from a 1994 episode. She was a waitress at a men's club in Houston who mysteriously vanished after leaving early one night(very unusual for her). She was dating a man at the time, but their relationship had been rocky. At the time she was leaving to go home, he was at another club about 10 miles away. There was about an hour where he's not accounted for and it just so happens that that hour would have been when Tara was heading home. He found her car abandoned on a busy freeway the next morning. Has there been any updates on this case???

According to the DOE network she is still listed as "Missing". She was a very pretty girl - Maybe Kane can provide a link on this case as I'm on my laptop and can't at the moment.

Later.

Here's the link: www.doenetwork.us/cases/603dftx.html

This case aired on lifetime recently...there was no updates. I really think the boyfriend was involved somehow.

My thing is:If the boyfriend did kill her, how did he know she was getting the night off early that night? If you remember from the seggie, the club was slow that night and the manager said two people could leave and Tara volunteered which took everybody by surprise. I think either one of the customers might have kidnapped her/murdered her. She was a very pretty girl and I'm sure she had her share of admirers on the job, either customer or maybe another employee. I don't think the boyfriend did it.

Thats a good point Pluto about no one knowing prior that she was getting off early. Unless her boyfriend Wayne called for her and they told him she got off early. They really give us limited information in this segment although maybe there's not that much out there. I do think there's a possibility that Wayne had something to do with her disappearance. He acted strange with some of the comments he made in that interview but he could have just been a strange guy. Also a possibility that someone she knew from the club abducted her as certainly her occupation had the possibility of being dangerous so I'm really split down the middle on this one.

Yes, I view it as possible Wayne Hecker had something to do with Tara's disapperance. Honestly, I never understood how he landed her in the first place but that is just my opinion. However as Crystaldawn said, he could have been just a strange guy. I mean his comments like "I havent committed a crime so I cant be charged with one." Other comments about God and stuff, I dont know, I found him to be an odd character but that certainly doesnt make him a murderer.

I actually thought after first watching this segment a while back that Wayne was probably the one that did it or that he at least had something to do with it. However Pluto made a very good point that I had overlooked and I think a lot of people had overlooked so kudos to Pluto for thinking of it. IF Wayne did it or was involved he would have had to have known that Tara was getting off work early that night and there is no way he could have known I dont think because it was not planned that she would get off early. It was just a spur of the moment type of thing.

Wayne was in a pool hall in another part of town although there is a lapse in time where he was gone and no one knows where he was. However I do not really know what his motive would be for wanting Tara gone. The only thing I can think of is Tara threatened to leave him and he flipped out about it and had her knocked off. However he wasnt married to her or anything and I dont think he had an insurance policy so that takes away that motive. I think whoever did abduct and presumably murder Tara ditched her car along the freeway to throw off the cops. I do think whoever killed her knew her and knew her well. They seemed to think it wasnt the secret admirer at the club that tried to woo Tara, the cops I think said it apperaed to be a guy that had an innocent crush but certainly didnt want anything bad to happen to her. Very sad case and it is too bad they never found her.

Wayne Hecker is guilty as Heck (I must admit I stole that joke from oicvah). Anyways, Wayne's comments about "not having to answer to anyone but God" and "I didn't commit a crime so I can't be charged with one" are suspicious. Most people in that circumstance would just say "No, I had nothing to do with it" but Wayne just kind of dodges it. I agree with kadrmas I don't think Wayne really deserved Tara.

The clencher for me was the hour and 45 minutes absence from the pool hall, and the car being found somewhere between the pool hall and the gentleman's club. Wayne said he was suprised because when he "discovered" Tara's car, there were no flashers on, the car alarm wasn't engaged, and the mace was still inside. This actually points suspicion to Wayne, as it leads me to believe that if Tara was abducted by a stranger or something, the mace would have been used, etc.

Well Wayne just seemed to come off to me as being very arrogant. He just acted like he was so much smarter than everyone else and was being all cocky acting like he had it beat. I am still on the fence as to whether or not he actually did it. However he certainly had a motive in that his girlfriend who was too good for him might have finally been ready to kick him to the curb. Or maybe he was just jealous because of other men paying attention to her. It certainly wouldnt have taken much effort on her part to find someone better than Wayne.

Wiseguy, I liked your point about the mace. I do agree there, that it raises the chance that Tara was abudcted and presumably murdered by someone she knew because had it been someone she didnt know the mace would have been used.

Well, given that the segment mentioned that Wayne was unemployed, I don't think he has a right to comment on Tara's line of work. :lol: :lol:

This is yet another example of UM leaving out crucial information. While the map does show the location of the pool hall, the gentleman's club and where Tara's car was found, they don't show where Tara and Wayne's apartment was. That could be imporant. I would imagine that Wayne, assuming for this argument, is guilty, there would be a good chance he would have to make a stop at the apartment to clean himself up, or something. If their apartment was way out of the way, then perhaps Wayne would not have had enough time to leave the pool hall, find Tara, make it to the apartment, and then back to the pool hall. UM was usually good at those timeline scenarios (such as in the Kay Hall segment) I wonder why they dropped the ball here.

Yes, good point Wiseguy, that is actually the one thing, the only thing really that made me think Wayne Hecker might be innocent: The time frame might have been such it would have been impossible or near impossible for him to pull it off in the time frame.

I dont know, Wayne just came off to me as a very odd character and as I said earlier, some of the things he said just came off as very defensive and strange. However I also dont really know why Wayne would want to kill Tara. I dont know if she threatened to leave him or what and he just couldnt handle it. He wasnt married to her so insurance money wasnt an issue. But then again I dont know who else would have a motive to kill her. I do think that her car was planted where it was found, whoever abducted and presumably killed her parked the car along the interstate in an effort to throw off the cops.

I know this may be hard to believe but I lived with Wayne for a little over a year several years ago. I only recently found out about the Tara story on Unsolved. He always told me that she "came up missing" but he never gave me any details. Living with him was a nightmare. He was controlling, abusive, and a liar. I still have nightmares about him. He was vegan, refused to eat any kind of animal product because he didn't want to be responsible for "killing a baby" yet he would beat the crap out of his girlfriend (me) when he found out I ate a hamburger. I have no doubt in my mind that he had something to do with her disappearance. I know that at the time of her disappearance he wasn't working because he was a cocaine dealer in pool halls. Plus she brought home enough money so he didn't have to work. I could tell you horror stories about the things he would do to me when he thought I was just looking at another guy. I've never seen the episode that everyone is talking about. If anyone has information on it please let me know.

He was vegan, refused to eat any kind of animal product because he didn't want to be responsible for "killing a baby" yet he would beat the crap out of his girlfriend (me) when he found out I ate a hamburger.

Sounds to me that in his world, violence against animals is wrong, but violence against people is okay. :rolleyes:


I have no doubt in my mind that he had something to do with her disappearance.

I too believe that he was involved in Tara's disappearance. In the UM interview, he seemed cocky. Of course, such a demeanor isn't proof of guilt, but it struck me as wrong.

I know this may be hard to believe but I lived with Wayne for a little over a year several years ago. I only recently found out about the Tara story on Unsolved. He always told me that she "came up missing" but he never gave me any details. Living with him was a nightmare. He was controlling, abusive, and a liar. I still have nightmares about him. He was vegan, refused to eat any kind of animal product because he didn't want to be responsible for "killing a baby" yet he would beat the crap out of his girlfriend (me) when he found out I ate a hamburger. I have no doubt in my mind that he had something to do with her disappearance. I know that at the time of her disappearance he wasn't working because he was a cocaine dealer in pool halls. Plus she brought home enough money so he didn't have to work. I could tell you horror stories about the things he would do to me when he thought I was just looking at another guy. I've never seen the episode that everyone is talking about. If anyone has information on it please let me know.

Holy crap. Thank you so much for sharing part of your story with us. I'm sorry you went through that; he certainly sounds awful. I'm pretty sure that Crystaldawn has the Tara Breckinridge segment on one of her DVD collections (Volume 5, I believe...) You could PM her and get more information.

Again, thanks for sharing. I'm glad you got away from him. He doesn't sound like a very nice guy....

I know this may be hard to believe but I lived with Wayne for a little over a year several years ago. I only recently found out about the Tara story on Unsolved. He always told me that she "came up missing" but he never gave me any details. Living with him was a nightmare. He was controlling, abusive, and a liar. I still have nightmares about him. He was vegan, refused to eat any kind of animal product because he didn't want to be responsible for "killing a baby" yet he would beat the crap out of his girlfriend (me) when he found out I ate a hamburger. I have no doubt in my mind that he had something to do with her disappearance. I know that at the time of her disappearance he wasn't working because he was a cocaine dealer in pool halls. Plus she brought home enough money so he didn't have to work. I could tell you horror stories about the things he would do to me when he thought I was just looking at another guy. I've never seen the episode that everyone is talking about. If anyone has information on it please let me know.

So the dude was a small time coke dealer (selling to randoms it sounds like) dating a stripper (or at least a lady who worked in a strip club) ... she got off early, he found out ... maybe he took a few toots and, because she got off early and didn't tell him, he finds and murders her coldly. When you've got a head full of blow, doing something spontaneously stupid like that is entirely feasible. Amongst those in the pool hall circles, you've got a "rep to keep" ... can't let your old lady who works in the strip club dis you like that.

He's obviously got the mindstate to do such a thing, based on your history with the guy. Imagine if you had ate a cheeseburger AND took off work early. Please tell us more about how he used to abuse you based on your looking at someone.

EDIT: P.S. Wayne, if you're a real man, when you Google your name and find this site, you'll come on here and defend yourself. I dare you.

I just wanted to reiterate that while we're all interested in your story, PLEASE do not say anything that could make you feel uncomfortable in any way. We don't want to pressure you.

Hmm very interesting information on Wayne Hecker. Thank you for having the courage to share that with us. To be honest I would be kind of scared to say anything like that about Wayne or anyone that had his history. I mean he appears to have got away with murder once. It actually makes me think him more likely to be guilty after hearing this past history, it is alarming that is for sure. I hope you come back and post if you are comfortable.

So the dude was a small time coke dealer (selling to randoms it sounds like) dating a stripper (or at least a lady who worked in a strip club) ... she got off early, he found out ... maybe he took a few toots and, because she got off early and didn't tell him, he finds and murders her coldly. When you've got a head full of blow, doing something spontaneously stupid like that is entirely feasible. Amongst those in the pool hall circles, you've got a "rep to keep" ... can't let your old lady who works in the strip club dis you like that.



He's obviously got the mindstate to do such a thing, based on your history with the guy. Imagine if you had ate a cheeseburger AND took off work early. Please tell us more about how he used to abuse you based on your looking at someone.


EDIT: P.S. Wayne, if you're a real man, when you Google your name and find this site, you'll come on here and defend yourself. I dare you.

I seriously doubt that Wayne would find this site. I don't think he knows how to get online much less type in his own name.

I believe that maybe Tara was getting off early so she could meet someone, another guy she was seeing or whatever, someone called Wayne and told him that she was leaving early, he hauled ass to find her, they somehow got into an argument in her car, he killed her, either accidentally or on purpose and then disabled the car and took off. The bar, their apartment, her work and where her car was found are only about 5 miles from each other at the most. Plus at 2:30 in the morning, or whatever time this happened, there isn't much traffic on the freeways and it wouldn't take much time to get to where they were going.

Wayne was a very sick person. He was so possessive. If you remember that movie with Julia Roberts - Sleeping with the Enemy, then you know what Wayne was like. The towels in the bathroom had to be folded a certain way. He threw away most of my clothes because they were too revealing. He would show up at my work at random times. I once went out to dinner with my family to a Chinese restaurant. He didn't go with us because he was working. He was a limo driver at the time. After dinner I went back to my parents house to visit for awhile and Wayne showed up in his limo. He asked where we went to dinner and if I ate anything. I lied and told him no, i didn't eat anything. He then drove to the restaurant, showed them a picture of me and wanted to find out exactly what I ate that night for dinner. I ended up with a black eye and a fractured rib over that one. I left him shortly after that.

It's been years since I have even seen Wayne. I'm not afraid of him anymore. I refuse to give him that power. He wasn't the kind of person who just had an "anger" problem and smacked me around when he got drunk, he was evil. He would get this look in his eye and I knew that the choices I made in the next few minutes would either save me or kill me. I played possum a lot. My two-year-old son was living with us at the time and he still remembers that "Wayne hurt mommie". We are OK now. I still have nightmares every once in awhile, but I have a wonderful man that I have been with for 6 years who doesn't care how the towels are folded!

Wow. I'm so glad to hear that you've found happiness away from Wayne. Again, thanks for sharing your story with us.

As she stated about Wayne, that kind of person he is, I am not one bit surprised. I try to be a very good person in general regardless of other people's beliefs(be it religious or carnivore.) Now, I am almost positive he is guilty. The "incriminating" statements he made during his interview made me almost positive he did it. When he said "I have no one else to answer to but God." Ok, making this statement is pretty much saying I did it and I'm better than human. I know many many many very religious people who always talk about god, and how they only answer to god, bla bla(no offense to anyones religious beliefs here), but most of those people who are so "religious" are usually not nice people. The ones I know always go out drinking, getting in fights, drugs, sex, etc.... but, they feel if they go to church on sunday everything is okay, and they can do whatever they want and only have to answer to god, NOT society. I do not agree with these people at all. I believe this is the exact type of person Wayne is, he feels he is "superior" to other humans and can do whatever he wants as long as he clears it with god in his own mind. Murder being one of these things he could make himself believe god thinks is okay for him to do. Sorry if this is kind of confusing, but I'm almost positive this is the way the guy thinks.

I didn't care for the "the only person I have to answer to is God" quote either, makes him sound suspicious. I don't think he was trying to sound cocky though, I think he said it to tell people he wasn't bothered by what they thought of him.

In any event, Wayne may or may not have to pay for his crime here on Earth, but he realizes he'll have to answer for it one day.

I finally got a chance to watch the segment on Tara. Just seeing him again made me want to puke. I just have one question. If he was so in love with her and cared so much for her, where is the emotion? Where is the sadness? If one minute the love of my life was there and the next minute they were gone, I would be going crazy, I would be begging people for any information they had. After all, Wayne said it himself, that he "loved her to death".

I knew Wayne and his family. After Tara came up missing, they started a massive search for her. They had, but not limited to, massive billboards in Houston offering rewards with any info. As for the bar that night, his sister was with him and he actually never left. There is a lot more to the case than what was broadcasted. Her car was parked in the opposite direction of where they lived. From info gathered, Tara had issues at her work. Go back in HPD files and see how many girls came up missing or died that worked there. Wayne was a little odd, yes, but do I think he killed her, no. Either someone was with her (nobody walked her out to the car) or she was followed. Certain people gave different versions of that night, and these were the last people to see Tara alive. Why lie? Were they scared, and if so, of what? Wayne cherished the ground Tara walked on. He had pics of the two of them in his room and prayed by himself for God to let him know where she is.

I knew Wayne and his family....
So we have two very different accounts of Wayne here. One from you, who says he was a wonderful person...just "a little odd"...who was just brokenhearted when Tara went missing. The other from a person who was in a romantic relationship with the guy and repeatedly got the crap beat out of her. I am inclined to believe the person that lived with him and thinks he is capable of murder. Sorry, but I think you'll have to provide us with more evidence that someone else murdered Tara.

For those of you who haven't read it, I made a post about this very segment in 2007. This case has always bothered me. I have seen the segment a couple of times and I STILL say that there was something off about Wayne, a look in his eyes, or the way he talked perhaps; but I knew right away that something just wasn't right about him, but I just couldn't put my finger on it. He was so nonchalant about the whole thing, and didn't even sound upset. If that were me I probably couldn't talk, cuz I would be incosoleable

I use to see Wayne at Fat Freddies all the time. Thats where we all hung out which is where Wayne was the night she disappeared. I didn't know he sold drugs but now it makes sense because he was always there.

My room mate started dating him about 2 or 3 years after Tara was gone. Once I found out who he was as far as the disappearance, I put my foot down as far as him coming to our apartment. I didn't want my son and I around a could be killer. Noway! She told me some pretty strange things about him. First of all, he was driving the red car, a fiat or something, that she drove. They must have bought it together since he still had it. He actually bought a rose from a man off the street. You know how that stand on the side of the road. My roomy thought he bought it for her but he said no, he bought it for Tara. WEIRD!!! He told her that he was innocent and that there was a guy who lived in the town where she was originally from who did it. He said he had letters from the guy and he had been obsessed with Tara for years. He said he had proof. He clearly said that he did not give the letters to the police because he was keeping them. I don't understand this. I am sold that he had something to do with this disappearance. There were enought strange people that hung out at that bar who could have helped him.

As far as the time. I worked at the Men's Club at one time and live just up the street from where Waynes apartment was off of Antoine. It doesn't take long to get on the Frwy and exit Richmond. I don't know that answers but I wish for her familys sake that they could find closure. Without knowing what happened, it's just so crazy!

This I know, nothing stays buried forever.

I just dug this up after watching this segment just a few minutes ago. Man, this guy looks guilty as sin with his "I don't have to answer to anyone but God" comment. I mean if you didn't do it...say so, not dodge the bullet.

As for them being on opposite sides of town---at that hour of the morning, the Houston freeways are clear and you can easily jump on 610 and get across town in no time. In fact, I was in Houston twice recently. The time/distance factor shouldn't come into play considering the hour of the morning. Something doesn't add up with this guy. Maybe he somehow found out she got off work early like someone else on here said. Maybe he was in cahoots with someone at the Men's Club and dealt them drugs. Who knows. I just know this guy is a little off and his comments say "guilty".

Your right, that time of the morning, it doesn't take long to get to that side of town.

I can't tell you how many times I called Fat Freddie's to speak with someone. All she had to do was call up there and ask for him. The owner of Fat Freddie's was there all the time and I'm sure he knew Wayne. As a matter of fact, he was probably a good customer of Waynes. If Tara called him from the Men's Club, they could have very well communicated.

I sure would like to find out what happened to her.:confused:

I personally think (from personal experience) that she got off work, got into a fight with Wayne at some point, most likely about some other guy, he accidentaly killed her, then planted the car there. He may have worshiped the ground Tara walked on, and he may have loved her, but he was obsessed with her and just the thought of Tara cheating on him would send Wayne into a rage... and this was years after she dissapeared. Another thing, his sister was with Wayne that entire night, but she's no angel herself.

I am a very close friend of the Hecker family and just discovered this board. First of all the USM was done 3 years after Tara came up missing and by that time he was probably tired of having to defend himself and that is why it may have come across as guilt instead of frustration. Also, I think that we should also know some history on our poor little Flaca. Lisa and Wayne met almost 10years after Tara came up missing. None of us are the same people we were 10 years ago (thank God) and she would have no way of knowing the person Wayne was then. When Wayne met Lisa(flaca4057) she was on probation for prescribtion forgery and did not have custody of her own son, they lived with his family a while and she was bruised up from bumping into furniture when she was able to get her hands on a fake script. I know Wayne, a black eye? maybe....broken ribs? doubtful. He was a small time pool hustler/dealer and USM has information wrong, he had become a bar back at Fat Freddies and was working that night, there was actually 20 minutes unaccounted for, long enough to go the parking lot to burn one. Yes, Wayne is self-centered, thinks the world revolves around him and, yes at times odd. As far as his sister, it is no secret that they were and are not close, they have different fews on life. It was a total fluke that she was with him that night and USM had no interest in interviewing her because it would not make the story as sensational if Wayne had an alibi. I am sorry that Lisa has a blurred view of their relationship, but life through a bottle of stolen pain pills will do that to you. I do not think Wayne and is sister are angels, but co-conspiriters of murder, EXTREMELY doubtful.

Also, the year Tara came up missing there were other attemps of murder on a couple of dancers, something was up with the owners of the club at the time. Tara was a very fun loving person and is missed by everyone that knew her. BTW she was never a stripper, just a waitress.

The letters from the admirer are in police custody, and he just so happened to have gone to the police academy, so something is amiss there also. And the car WAS found in the direction of their condo, before the turn to 290, and if I am not mistaken, the alternater belt was cut and the car would have gone as far as it was found.

I understand the curiousity of this case and why people are on the fence about Wayne's guilt, but there is a lot more that USM did not tell. The police did take the spray and black light to their condo, no evidence was found. And apparently the other people posting on this board that did know Wayne has no confidence that he is not smart enough to search the internet, but might be smart enough to cover up a murder, this is very funny.

Abusive people don't usually show their bad side until the are alone. Check the police reports about us. The neighbors would call several times because of our fights. He's 6 ft tall and I'm 5ft. If one gets angry enough, then there is no stopping them. The hospital and the police have plenty of pictures of all the damage he did to me. Of course he was a perfect gentlemenwhen I first met him, but then he started doing crack and weed and everything changed. My son who was 2 at the time would run into the bedroom everytime Wayne would get violent with me. The best thing I ever did was run from him. He may say that he never punched me, and he's right, he used the wall or the coffee table to that. I have no reason to lie.

Tara's case is unsolved!
Flaca, you are on here distracting people from the point. You were not there when the people that love both Tara and Wayne went through this. He begged the police for a lie-detecter test, you weren't there when he went home and cried because they wouldn't give him one. You were not there when he couldn't change the answering machine message, because that was the only way he could hear her voice again. You were not there when her parents found out. You were not there when her friends would cry together.

You met him almost 10 years later. From what I know when you met Wayne you both were sober and had met at an AA meeting or something. It doesn't matter who started using first. What my point is, is that when 2 addicts come together it can get ugly, no matter what your drug of self medication you use. I am a mother also, and at the first sign of trouble you should have picked up stakes and hauled butt out of there. First time a victum, second time a volunteer.

Furthermore, you are on here slinging false accusations and miss information. A woman is missing and you seem to be reaching for attention in a matter that has nothing to do with you. If your accustions are so true, you put your son in harms way then and now want to use him for people to give you more attention.

A man that at one time you cared about, who was and still is in pain, you called a KILLER. Those that knew of you during your relationship with Wayne do not find your some of your stories credible, you were both users at the time.

Those of us that know Wayne, we know deep in our souls that he is not the reason we do not have her here today. Tara would have never wanted Wayne to live with this pain for the rest of his life.

Tara is not here, and shame on you flaca for using this forum to feed some kind of need for drama or attention that your present life cannot fulfill. So, you need to back away from this, be happy you have the wonderful life you speak of, enjoy your child, and fold the towels anyway you want.

Tara is not here to be happy, enjoy her family, she will not have children to protect and watch grow, and no she's not even here to fold the damned towels.

And to the rest of the people who say they knew him, you do not and may you never know the pain and anguish that being called a murderer of a loved one will do to a person.

This wasn't just an episode on some TV show, this IS REAL LIFE. Tara was a real person, who loved life, being with her friends, and loved her family. All that was taken from her and those of us who love her and miss her.

The best thing I ever did was leave that man and save my life. Yes, Wayne had his good side and that's what I loved about him, but he also had a secret life that not many people new about him. If he didn't have anything to to with Tara's disapearance than good for him. I've been sober ever since I left him 8 years ago and got my life together. Last thing I heard about Wayne was that he was in Jail and I really don't care why. I have a wonderful husband, two beautiful children that have never seen me drunk.

I hope this case is solved soon.

Let me start by saying that I am a blood related relative to Tara. I was 7 years old when she came missing. She is my father's 1st cousin which makes her my 2nd. I come from the Matthews side of the family. My dad is still devastated over her disappearance. I feel like this whole thing is becoming a mocory (sp?). While there is still family grieving and holding onto the hope that she is still alive and well out there somewhere, people want to get on here and express what they think. I met Tara once when I was very little my dad recalls and the thought that I may never see her again really hurts. I have a great grandmother (Kate Rich) that was brutally murdered by the serial killer Henry Lee Lucas in Texas back in 1982. Now here I am trying to do research on a cousin thats been missing for 16 years now and I come across this message board. I never knew about Wayne, I have seen the episode. Ofcourse it's been a while since it was aired. All I have to say now is if anyone wants to make anymore derogatory comments on people they dont even know, then think of the pain you're still causing her closest family and friends. I pray to God that she is still alive out there somewhere, and I hope someday we can all have some closure. Amen.

Hello... Just at random... For no reason at all I thought to myself... "I wonder whatever happened to Wayne Hecker... I wonder if they ever found any info about when Tara went missing..." So I surfed out of curiosity and ran across this...

I dated Wayne back in 1992-1993 for about a year... I remember the dressers in the room still having all her clothes folded up like she would be back one day... I remember the nights he cried just wanting to know "what happened?" or "where is she?"... I remember him sitting there pulling out pictures and other keepsakes from a box like he was trying to keep it together...

I really don't believe he had anything to do with Tara's disappearance... I knew his lifestyle back then and the unaccounted for time frame is very possible when he was hustling. No one knows for sure the truth of what happened that night except for Wayne, Tara and/or the person or persons involved...

I hope that someday someone finds the truth so her family and everyone who was close to her can have some closure... It is just cruel that her loved ones are suffering from not knowing what happened to her after all this time and may never know... All we can do is pray and hope...

I use to see Wayne at Fat Freddies all the time. Thats where we all hung out which is where Wayne was the night she disappeared. I didn't know he sold drugs but now it makes sense because he was always there.

My room mate started dating him about 2 or 3 years after Tara was gone. Once I found out who he was as far as the disappearance, I put my foot down as far as him coming to our apartment. I didn't want my son and I around a could be killer. Noway! She told me some pretty strange things about him. First of all, he was driving the red car, a fiat or something, that she drove. They must have bought it together since he still had it. He actually bought a rose from a man off the street. You know how that stand on the side of the road. My roomy thought he bought it for her but he said no, he bought it for Tara. WEIRD!!! He told her that he was innocent and that there was a guy who lived in the town where she was originally from who did it. He said he had letters from the guy and he had been obsessed with Tara for years. He said he had proof. He clearly said that he did not give the letters to the police because he was keeping them. I don't understand this. I am sold that he had something to do with this disappearance. There were enought strange people that hung out at that bar who could have helped him.

As far as the time. I worked at the Men's Club at one time and live just up the street from where Waynes apartment was off of Antoine. It doesn't take long to get on the Frwy and exit Richmond. I don't know that answers but I wish for her familys sake that they could find closure. Without knowing what happened, it's just so crazy!

This I know, nothing stays buried forever.

i had know tara in High School,i did send her letters, i loved her very much but i was in dallas at the time and without a car close to a community college that i was attending ,Wayne was a nut job and had asked me to do her in in del rio he knew that i was her age and working so he did take her away or i let it happen i cant remmember,I wanted her to be happy,he had a pickup truck which is odd because tara didnt want to get into mine and it was the same model he had ,also he had told her about a sceme in which he could get a car paid off by an insurance company Tara said she loved him i guess she had guilt for her older sisters death or her parents breakup i couldnt say anything (being 22 ) it was okay if he killed me, she said i was heart broken it was a knife in me that still hurts ,being married now with two boys i hope a woman doesnt throw away any true affection a man might have for her as it was with me i loved her very,very much my buddy Blair knows that i couldnt do anything to harm her

I am a very close friend of the Hecker family and just discovered this board. First of all the USM was done 3 years after Tara came up missing and by that time he was probably tired of having to defend himself and that is why it may have come across as guilt instead of frustration. Also, I think that we should also know some history on our poor little Flaca. Lisa and Wayne met almost 10years after Tara came up missing. None of us are the same people we were 10 years ago (thank God) and she would have no way of knowing the person Wayne was then. When Wayne met Lisa(flaca4057) she was on probation for prescribtion forgery and did not have custody of her own son, they lived with his family a while and she was bruised up from bumping into furniture when she was able to get her hands on a fake script. I know Wayne, a black eye? maybe....broken ribs? doubtful. He was a small time pool hustler/dealer and USM has information wrong, he had become a bar back at Fat Freddies and was working that night, there was actually 20 minutes unaccounted for, long enough to go the parking lot to burn one. Yes, Wayne is self-centered, thinks the world revolves around him and, yes at times odd. As far as his sister, it is no secret that they were and are not close, they have different fews on life. It was a total fluke that she was with him that night and USM had no interest in interviewing her because it would not make the story as sensational if Wayne had an alibi. I am sorry that Lisa has a blurred view of their relationship, but life through a bottle of stolen pain pills will do that to you. I do not think Wayne and is sister are angels, but co-conspiriters of murder, EXTREMELY doubtful.

Also, the year Tara came up missing there were other attemps of murder on a couple of dancers, something was up with the owners of the club at the time. Tara was a very fun loving person and is missed by everyone that knew her. BTW she was never a stripper, just a waitress.

The letters from the admirer are in police custody, and he just so happened to have gone to the police academy, so something is amiss there also. And the car WAS found in the direction of their condo, before the turn to 290, and if I am not mistaken, the alternater belt was cut and the car would have gone as far as it was found.

I understand the curiousity of this case and why people are on the fence about Wayne's guilt, but there is a lot more that USM did not tell. The police did take the spray and black light to their condo, no evidence was found. And apparently the other people posting on this board that did know Wayne has no confidence that he is not smart enough to search the internet, but might be smart enough to cover up a murder, this is very funny.



I have a good feeling of who is writing this and obviously you have never lived with Wayne. This is not about me, this is about a missing girl who had a boyfriend who from my experience had every capability in the world to hurt someone to the point of death. Maybe he didn't do it, I don't know, but I do know that he just got out of prison for an agravated assault case. Nice guy huh. I don't care about Wayne in any shape or form, and for all I care, I hope he got what he deserved in prison. As for me, I'm happily married to a wonderful man who would never hurt me, I have a great job, and I sleep well at night knowing that I was never responsible for taking another human being.

So go ahead and say all the good things you want about Wayne and all the bad things about me that you want. Reality is this beautiful young woman lost her life and has never been found. If someone knows anything, do the right thing and give her family the gift of finding her.

By the way... my name is not Lisa, I was the victim after Lisa.

I do know that he just got out of prison for an agravated assault case. Nice guy huh. I don't care about Wayne in any shape or form, and for all I care, I hope he got what he deserved in prison.

He never went to prison. I have been researching this case for the past week and the state of Texas has no criminal history on anybody by the name of Wayne Hecker. No need to lie.

EDIT:

This is really weird, but I literally JUST posted in this topic and it is still on page three.

bump?

He never went to prison. I have been researching this case for the past week and the state of Texas has no criminal history on anybody by the name of Wayne Hecker. No need to lie.

You may want to check again. This guy has an arrest record that goes back 15 years. Check Texas DPS records.

I know Wayne, a black eye? maybe....broken ribs? doubtful.

Huh? So it's OK to give a woman a black eye, but breaking her ribs is crossing the line?! ???

Just because a man grieves for his missing/possibly dead girlfriend doesn't mean he didn't kill her. If anyone reads Ann Rule books here, you might remember the case of Steve and Jami Shearer. It's a great example of that very thing.

I Would like to say a few things after reading all these posts.. I ran across this website today , was really bored at work, so as always Tara stays close in my mind and heart, so i just typed in her name and this is where i ended up. First I grew up with Tara , i have known her and her family since the first grade and i am now 39yrs old, me and her sister were best of friends at one point, and Tara dated my brother for several yrs. I absolutely loved Tara, me and her were pretty good friends also. when this happened it just hit hard, and ever since there is not a day that goes by i dont think of her....
But i want to say one thing....I know Wayne had to be involved in her dissapearance, for one i know the way Tara was and how security conscious she was...She would have never pulled over for someone that she did not know and then leave her mace in the car...NEVER!!! she carried that mace for a reason, and she would not leave it in the car nor pull over for someone she did not know!!! I met Wayne she brought him down to del rio before i moved away..... And hes the jerk flaca talking about....... he treated Tara like crap.... it made me mad. But What wayne said on Unsolved Mysteries when they asked him if he knew what happened to her, and he said only god knows the answer to that..WTH! Hes guilty..... and one day it will catch up to him and we will all have some closure to this..... The devil can only run soo far until the flames from he-- burns your butt....
Tara was the most caring , most loving, most giving, person ive met....i miss her with all my heart.....
BUT THE DOUBTS OF WAYNE NOT HAVING PART IN THIS........
SHOULD NOT BE ANY DOUBTS , WATCHING UNSOLVED MYSTERYS WILL SAY THAT ITSELF FROM HIS ACTIONS...

I PRAY EVERY DAY THAT ONE DAY SHE WILL BE BROUGHT BACK TO HER FAMILY

HES GUILTY!!!

FLACA YOU ARE SOOOOO RIGHT , THEY NEVER SHOW THEIR BAD SIDE IN PUBLIC .... I KNOW , BEEN THERE DONE THAT...EVERYONE ELSE ALWAYS SAYS , WELL HES SEEMS NICE TO ME,,, THAT IS THE WAY PSYCHOTICS ARE

EVERYTHING YOUR SAYING ABOUT WAYNE FLACA IS THE TRUTH...WE WENT OUT WITH HIM AND TARA THE TIME I WAS TALKING ABOUT WHEN I MET HIM,,AND HE WAS GIVING HER HELL ABOUT WHAT SHE WAS WEARING AND WHO SHE WAS TALKING TO , EVERYONE IN THERE WANTED TO WHOOP HIS BUTT

TUCUS O8 , IM VERY CLOSE TO TARA AND HER FAMILY , HAVE BEEN SINCE I WAS ABOUT 7 IM NOW 39 ,,, AND YOU ARE DEAD WRONG , THERE IS ALOT OF INFORMATION YOU DONT KNOW THAT ONLY THE FAMILY KNOWS...AND HE HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT.......I MET HIM BACK WHEN THEY FIRST STARTED DATING. IVE SEEN HIM IN ACTION... AND I KNOW OF WHAT AND HOW TARA SAID HE TREATED HER

This thread must break some kind of record
for posts directly from friends, associates, relatives,
exes, etc, who were either involved with Tara or Wayne.

I don't mean that to sound disrespectful or flippant. It
just really seems to have more posters, who were
connected to the people in the case, than any
other thread I've come across.

I didn't care for the "the only person I have to answer to is God" quote either, makes him sound suspicious. I don't think he was trying to sound cocky though, I think he said it to tell people he wasn't bothered by what they thought of him.



I disagree. Listen to what he says: "I don't owe an explanation to anyone but the Lord, and the Lord has given me . . . uh, [pause], you know, uh". And then he stumbles and bumbles for a way to dig himself out of a hole, because he pretty much incriminates himself right here.

Implied in this statement is that he DID give an "explanation" to the Lord. But he has nothing to explain to the Lord if he had nothing to do with her murder.

Why did he not finish the sentence "and the Lord has given me ..." What has the Lord given him? What are the possibilities? The Lord has given him the peace of knowing that he "repented" to Him and received the forgiveness of his sin? The Lord has given him the assurance that Tara is in a better place so he can go on living with himself? What else could the Lord possibly have "given him" after his "explanation" to the Lord for that which he had nothing to do with?

Instead, he catches himself, and twists it into how he did not "explain" anything to the Lord, but is actually "seeking" an "answer" to what happened to Tara and why? If you have access to the segment, go back and tell me if that doesn't sound suspicious in itself.

UM always has a "take", and in this case, they explicitly state that Hecker is the main suspect, with the clear implication (paradox?) that he is guilty. Out of all the footage they could have showed, why do they play this particular clip? It is extremely rare for them to show the interviewer actually speak. Here, RS introduces this question and answer by saying, "We put this question directly to Wayne Hecker". This follows right upon the detective in the case saying "there are certain actions and reactions we have received from Wayne that casts suspicion upon himself". The editors and producers obviously had the same impression I had when seeing this answer.

I knew Wayne and his family. After Tara came up missing, they started a massive search for her. They had, but not limited to, massive billboards in Houston offering rewards with any info. As for the bar that night, his sister was with him and he actually never left. There is a lot more to the case than what was broadcasted. Her car was parked in the opposite direction of where they lived. From info gathered, Tara had issues at her work. Go back in HPD files and see how many girls came up missing or died that worked there. Wayne was a little odd, yes, but do I think he killed her, no. Either someone was with her (nobody walked her out to the car) or she was followed. Certain people gave different versions of that night, and these were the last people to see Tara alive. Why lie? Were they scared, and if so, of what? Wayne cherished the ground Tara walked on. He had pics of the two of them in his room and prayed by himself for God to let him know where she is.

I do not know what his family offering a reward has to do with his innocence. The family of the boyfriend or husband almost never believes he committed the murder, so of course they would offer a reward to anyone who would help them find the "real" killer, especially if their son was the main suspect. For instance, Kaylee's grandparents are still putting in eight to twelve hour days trying to find the "real" abductor/killer.

Why lie? What were they afraid of? That's a good point. Considering someone they knew was just murdered, I would think they would be afraid of being murdered too - especially if they had a good idea as to who the murderer was, and what he was capable of. That would mean either Wayne or the other guy who lavished money on her.

As for "Wayne cherished the ground Tara walked on. He had pics of the two of them in his room and prayed by himself for God to let him know where she is". This appears to me like a person who is friends with Wayne and refuses to believe that he could possibly be guilty of this murder. Every husband-turned-killer or boyfriend-turned-killer "worships the ground" that the object of his affection walks on - until, of course, she threatens to leave or begins another relationship, and that love turns quickly to hate. Some of the most romantic things that have been done and said were done and said by men who are now in prison for spousal abuse or murder. That he had pictures of the two of them in his room, and that he let it be known that he prayed for answers as to what happened - I cannot believe someone could take this as evidence that he is innocent, unless, of course, that person has already made up his/her mind that he is innocent.

Those of us that know Wayne, we know deep in our souls that he is not the reason we do not have her here today.

This is exactly why those "close" to the killer are the last ones the police lend credence to when it comes to solving these cases. This "knowing deep in our souls" is usually borne of an emotional investment in someone which skews an objective look at the facts.

How often, both on UM and in other crime shows, do you hear the family members saying that so-and-so was innocent because "I know him, and he just wasn't capable of it", when the evidence so often contradicts this, and a conviction follows.

I still remember the woman whose police officer husband was accused of four rapes (profiled on Dateline). They convicted him based on loads of evidence (including DNA evidence), and in the interview after the conviction, she said, "I feel bad for those women, but they have the wrong man. He is the most loving father of three little girls, and would never do something like this . . .". She could not see what everyone else could clearly: that he was guilty, and she could not see it because she was emotionally attached to him and lost all objectivity.

I dated Wayne back in 1992-1993 for about a year... I remember the dressers in the room still having all her clothes folded up like she would be back one day... I remember the nights he cried just wanting to know "what happened?" or "where is she?"... I remember him sitting there pulling out pictures and other keepsakes from a box like he was trying to keep it together...

I really don't believe he had anything to do with Tara's disappearance.

I do not think this necessarily points to his innocence. There are many psychological diagnoses that can account for such behaviour. The movie "Psycho" comes to mind here. Norman's mother's clothes weren't just folded up in case she came back - no, her clothes were actually put on her corpse every day when he dressed it ("her")! It has been said that Wayne was a little "off". I am not saying Wayne had what Norman had - he obviously did not. But I am saying there are dozens of different psychological problems and mechanisms that could account for Wayne's behaviour if indeed he was the killer.

Quote:
Originally Posted by wyldwolfrose
I dated Wayne back in 1992-1993 for about a year... I remember the dressers in the room still having all her clothes folded up like she would be back one day... I remember the nights he cried just wanting to know "what happened?" or "where is she?"... I remember him sitting there pulling out pictures and other keepsakes from a box like he was trying to keep it together...

I really don't believe he had anything to do with Tara's disappearance.


I do not think this necessarily points to his innocence. There are many psychological diagnoses that can account for such behaviour. The movie "Psycho" comes to mind here. Norman's mother's clothes weren't just folded up in case she came back - no, her clothes were actually put on her corpse every day when he dressed it ("her")! It has been said that Wayne was a little "off". I am not saying Wayne had what Norman had - he obviously did not. But I am saying there are dozens of different psychological problems and mechanisms that could account for Wayne's behaviour if indeed he was the killer.

I get your point, Wamisto and appreciate it. However, because your referencing a movie, i don;t know if we can use that as an example.

Perhaps the points you listed can be referenced to Ed Gein?

I was going through some VERY VERY old(Late 1990's) tapes of Unsolved Mysteries and ran across this case from a 1994 episode. She was a waitress at a men's club in Houston who mysteriously vanished after leaving early one night(very unusual for her). She was dating a man at the time, but their relationship had been rocky. At the time she was leaving to go home, he was at another club about 10 miles away. There was about an hour where he's not accounted for and it just so happens that that hour would have been when Tara was heading home. He found her car abandoned on a busy freeway the next morning. Has there been any updates on this case???

Strangely enough, considering I live outside of the US, I actually read about this case through randomly finding it on the Internet before I viewed the UM segment on it. I was immediately touched by it -Tara Breckinridge just seemed like such a beautiful and wonderful human being and you could just see her warmth and radiance in her face from the picture they had up on the webpage. Then I saw the UM segment. I was hoping it would be solved by now and the family would have some closure. Sad to see that it isn't and my thoughts and prayers go out to her friends and family that they will get closure on this and that anyone involved in her disappearance will face justice

I agree that Wayne seemed a bit strange to me and there seemed to be some compelling evidence presented that he may have had a hand in things (although I'll have to refresh my memory because I haven't seen the segment in a long time). On the other hand, she worked in what FBI profilers call a high risk profession so it's quite possible that she may have come into contact with someone who was dangerous. Whatever the case, I hope it can be resolved soon

I get your point, Wamisto and appreciate it. However, because your referencing a movie, i don;t know if we can use that as an example.

Perhaps the points you listed can be referenced to Ed Gein?

That's a good point. Yet, truth is stranger than fiction - and Ed Gein was the inspiration for the Norman Bates character, I believe. So yes, this stuff really does happen in real life - for example, take Ed Gein . . .

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mastermind
I get your point, Wamisto and appreciate it. However, because your referencing a movie, i don;t know if we can use that as an example.

Perhaps the points you listed can be referenced to Ed Gein?

That's a good point. Yet, truth is stranger than fiction - and Ed Gein was the inspiration for the Norman Bates character, I believe. So yes, this stuff really does happen in real life - for example, take Ed Gein . .

Truth is stranger than fiction, but truth is not fiction. I'm not sure if Ed Gein's situation can relate to the point. Perhaps you can explain it?

Truth is stranger than fiction, but truth is not fiction. I'm not sure if Ed Gein's situation can relate to the point. Perhaps you can explain it?

What I am saying is that one folding his dead girlfriend's clothes and praying for her return is not proof that he is innocent of her murder, as wyldwolfrose was alleging. I say this because certain mental illnesses and conditions and mechanisms could account for why a man might be expecting his dead girlfriend to return when in fact he knows she is dead because he killed her.

I don't know what Gein has to do with it either - you were the one that mentioned it.

I don't know what Gein has to do with it either - you were the one that mentioned it.

Your the one that brought up a fictional character to relate to a real life case.

It's like using Han Solo's shooting of Greedo to describe the Robert F. Kennedy assasination. :D

Your the one that brought up a fictional character to relate to a real life case.

It's like using Han Solo's shooting of Greedo to describe the Robert F. Kennedy assasination. :D

HA, funny. I think Tara would be happy that so many care about her and havent forgot.

I do believe that Wayne had something to do with it. An abusive boyfriend is a powder keg ready to explode.

Yeah I did not like Wayne at all. Basically when he made the comment about not having to answer to anyone but the Lord it was bizarre. It was just a weird way to answer that particular question. Almost as if he's hiding something. But other than that there was never a motive that they showed or even the family never said anything detrimental against Wayne. Just don't see why he would do it.

Bottom line is Tara was a waitress at a strip bar. If you ever want to find the bottom rung of society you'll see a lot of low cards at a strip club. Drug dealers, etc. It isn't the best company in the world to keep that's for sure. No doubt about it she was a vibrant attractive woman. It isn't outlandish to suggest that someone had an obsession with her.

I am a very close friend of the Hecker family and just discovered this board. First of all the USM was done 3 years after Tara came up missing and by that time he was probably tired of having to defend himself and that is why it may have come across as guilt instead of frustration. Also, I think that we should also know some history on our poor little Flaca. Lisa and Wayne met almost 10years after Tara came up missing. None of us are the same people we were 10 years ago (thank God) and she would have no way of knowing the person Wayne was then. When Wayne met Lisa(flaca4057) she was on probation for prescribtion forgery and did not have custody of her own son, they lived with his family a while and she was bruised up from bumping into furniture when she was able to get her hands on a fake script. I know Wayne, a black eye? maybe....broken ribs? doubtful. He was a small time pool hustler/dealer and USM has information wrong, he had become a bar back at Fat Freddies and was working that night, there was actually 20 minutes unaccounted for, long enough to go the parking lot to burn one. Yes, Wayne is self-centered, thinks the world revolves around him and, yes at times odd. As far as his sister, it is no secret that they were and are not close, they have different fews on life. It was a total fluke that she was with him that night and USM had no interest in interviewing her because it would not make the story as sensational if Wayne had an alibi. I am sorry that Lisa has a blurred view of their relationship, but life through a bottle of stolen pain pills will do that to you. I do not think Wayne and is sister are angels, but co-conspiriters of murder, EXTREMELY doubtful.

Also, the year Tara came up missing there were other attemps of murder on a couple of dancers, something was up with the owners of the club at the time. Tara was a very fun loving person and is missed by everyone that knew her. BTW she was never a stripper, just a waitress.

The letters from the admirer are in police custody, and he just so happened to have gone to the police academy, so something is amiss there also. And the car WAS found in the direction of their condo, before the turn to 290, and if I am not mistaken, the alternater belt was cut and the car would have gone as far as it was found.

I understand the curiousity of this case and why people are on the fence about Wayne's guilt, but there is a lot more that USM did not tell. The police did take the spray and black light to their condo, no evidence was found. And apparently the other people posting on this board that did know Wayne has no confidence that he is not smart enough to search the internet, but might be smart enough to cover up a murder, this is very funny.

You are a complete idiot! You basically defend Wayne for giving this woman a black eye and allude to the fact that maybe she deserved it because she was an alleged pill popper. The 290 and 610 references to where the car was found make no sense. I grew up in Houston and have lived in the area my whole life. The freeways are DEAD at night. Come up with a new defense next time since Mr "Friend of the family".

Have read through all 5 pages of this and must say the case is becoming more and more confusing.

I just have one question. If he was so in love with her and cared so much for her, where is the emotion? Where is the sadness? If one minute the love of my life was there and the next minute they were gone, I would be going crazy, I would be begging people for any information they had. After all, Wayne said it himself, that he "loved her to death".

Personally I did think the same thing, though the UM segment was aired or recorded (I think it mentioned) around 2and a half years after the incident occurred.

Something else though, never considered... how about the guy that was supposedly writing her love notes? Maybe he was the mystery killer that was trying to kill the waitresses/strippers at the club?

Something else though, never considered... how about the guy that was supposedly writing her love notes? Maybe he was the mystery killer that was trying to kill the waitresses/strippers at the club?

He was apparently questioned and cleared by the police. They didn't even say his name. When that happens someone like that is usually 100% in the clear. I mean throw a stick in the air and you'll hit a guy that has written a love note or made a pass at a waitress.

He was apparently questioned and cleared by the police. They didn't even say his name. When that happens someone like that is usually 100% in the clear.

Had forgotten about that.

Though I still find it suspicious about the other attempts on other waitresses, there must have been someone watching either the girls or the club and known it quite well.

Had forgotten about that.

Though I still find it suspicious about the other attempts on other waitresses, there must have been someone watching either the girls or the club and known it quite well.

Likely you are right. But again throw a stick in the air and you'll hit a guy who was obsessed with a waitress at a strip bar. It could be anybody, single, married, a psycho, who knows. Lots of guys know the names and shifts of a strip bar waitress. I'd be lying if I said I never went to a certain place of business in my past purposely knowing when someone was working.

Just a quick side note. Houston has a TON of bayou's and is close to the Louisiana border which has endless amounts of swamps. Its not out of the realm of possibility that her body was dumped into a swamp and eaten by gators or a bayou and washed out somewhere, never to be found.

wow Hecker really was arrogant wasn't he?

I would really like to see this case solved or at the very least, see something new happen. I think her body was dumped in a swamp or maybe even buried out in the middle of nowhere.

I do not think this necessarily points to his innocence. There are many psychological diagnoses that can account for such behaviour. The movie "Psycho" comes to mind here. Norman's mother's clothes weren't just folded up in case she came back - no, her clothes were actually put on her corpse every day when he dressed it ("her")! It has been said that Wayne was a little "off". I am not saying Wayne had what Norman had - he obviously did not. But I am saying there are dozens of different psychological problems and mechanisms that could account for Wayne's behaviour if indeed he was the killer.
Hi, thought I would check and see if anything new was going on here... I have had time to think about somethings in regards to my previous statements... The only part I am going to strike is...

"I really don't believe he had anything to do with Tara's disappearance."

At that time, I was only 17 and he was about 22, I think... (Yes I know, this was illegal...) Can't remember for sure... I was obviously very naive because I believed him when he said he had nothing to do with it... I took a stroll down memory lane trying recall the time while I was dating him... I agree with the statements that he was manipulative, violent, controlling, etc... I believe the reasons for him keeping her stuff around, like she was coming back, is from guilt... In his mind, if he kept her stuff there like she was still living there... Then she's really not gone... The moment her personal items are removed, it becomes reality... To me, he was either putting on a front or just really mentally messed up...

I am curious as to where he is and what's going on with him... I can't find anything online worthwhile and I don't live in Houston anymore... Last I knew... He was seeing a girl named Marty and they were getting married or did get married... And that was 15yrs ago... I really hope that someday the truth comes out... In every case like this... Justice needs to be served...

BTW - I would really like to see the UM epo on this again... I just feel a real need to see the facial expressions and emotional state of the individuals in it... Something tells me I'm going to see a lot more than I did before...

Just a quick side note. Houston has a TON of bayou's and is close to the Louisiana border which has endless amounts of swamps. Its not out of the realm of possibility that her body was dumped into a swamp and eaten by gators or a bayou and washed out somewhere, never to be found.

I wanted to comment on this post as well... Houston floods every time it rains... Doubt it about the gators but that is just my opinion... The heavy rains that cause the insane amounts of flooding there would be treacherous to anyone... I remember school constantly closing from it... People are lost all the time because of it... It is very likely that, if she is gone, that her body was either washed away or maybe predators did get to her... I hate that thought...

I also watched the movie "The Pretty Bones". The girl that was murdered was never found... It was as easy as putting her body in a safe and dropping at the dump in a mud filled pit... I wouldn't put anything past this case... Because anything is possible... I like the one that says she ran away to start a new life... But I just don't see that in this case...

Was watching the CD UM collection and came across this segment. I think Wayne is up there with many others who didn't help themselves being interviewed on UM. Others would be the bones in the backyard husband and the guy whose wife went missing and said he likes living in a clean house.

I'm usually willing to give people the benefit of the doubt, however in this case I have to say that it appears that Wayne Hecker is likely the guilty party in this case.

I just saw the segment and when asked by the show's producer whether or not he had anything to do with Ms. Breckenridge's disappearance, instead of giving the only good answer for that question ( one than an innocent person would give) he gave a bizarre equivocation that sounds like an admission of having committed a crime.

maybe he was high or drunk when they filmed that segment. Maybe he's just an arrogant and cocky narcissist. Maybe he's just an idiot. But the only good answer for that question would be "no,I did not."

Honestly, since this took place in in Houston, Texas, I have no great hopes for this case being solved without a confession or finding Ms. Breckenridge 's body and some evidence linking Mr. Hecker to the crime.Not to run down Houston, but given the lack of progress in locating the I-45 killer ( or killers)a one-time murder with an obvious suspect would probably fall through the cracks as well.

Honestly, since this took place in in Houston, Texas, I have no great hopes for this case being solved without a confession or finding Ms. Breckenridge 's body and some evidence linking Mr. Hecker to the crime.Not to run down Houston, but given the lack of progress in locating the I-45 killer ( or killers)a one-time murder with an obvious suspect would probably fall through the cracks as well.

I grew up in Houston and still live in Texas but not Houston. I root for all Houston sports team but I hate the city of Houston. It is crime infested, have horrible mayors and city council and basically let crime and illegal immigration run rampant without doing anything. You are exactly right when you say that since it happened in Houston, you have little to no hope of it being solved.

Also, cocytus, I dont know if you saw the segment on UM on the Mary Morris murder(s) but that happened in Houston as well and has not been solved. There was a discussion on that case on this board but HPD contacted the admins and had it shut down because it was an "ongoing case". Most likely they wanted it shut down because of the criticism they received from some posters.

Hecker cannot account for the hour or so when he left the bar he was playing pool at (around the same time Tara was last seen if I remember correctly). When questioned, his response? He only has to "answer to the Lord." Uh...ok? Great alibi Wayne. And when asked if he loved Tara instead of "Yes, I still love her" or something close to that he mumbles and gives a really odd roundabout answer. These are not things an innocent person does. I think he "found" the car to cast suspicion away from him. I'm still not convinced that he's guilty however. He may just be really arrogant. This "admirer" of Tara should have been looked further into, IMO. The officers were a bit too quick to dismiss this man after questioning him. Maybe he had a solid alibi for the night in question. But those notes he wrote her were very creepy to say the least. I saw this case last night on Lifetime hoping there was an update and unfortunately there was none.

I grew up in Houston and still live in Texas but not Houston. I root for all Houston sports team but I hate the city of Houston. It is crime infested, have horrible mayors and city council and basically let crime and illegal immigration run rampant without doing anything. You are exactly right when you say that since it happened in Houston, you have little to no hope of it being solved.

Also, cocytus, I dont know if you saw the segment on UM on the Mary Morris murder(s) but that happened in Houston as well and has not been solved. There was a discussion on that case on this board but HPD contacted the admins and had it shut down because it was an "ongoing case". Most likely they wanted it shut down because of the criticism they received from some posters.

I can't find the Mary Morris segment on an unnamed video streaming site, however I remember the segment being rebroadcast on Lifetime about two months ago.
Here's a link to the latest news in the case:
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=125738&page=1

it's certainly a strange the way those crimes were committed but I don't buy the hitman theory. If a hitman committed the first murder, and made a mistake, why would he bother to commit the second? It's not as if your client would complain... and if they did, who cares?

Not sure what this crime was... But to me it doesn't appear to be a hit.

Hecker cannot account for the hour or so when he left the bar he was playing pool at (around the same time Tara was last seen if I remember correctly). When questioned, his response? He only has to "answer to the Lord." Uh...ok? Great alibi Wayne. And when asked if he loved Tara instead of "Yes, I still love her" or something close to that he mumbles and gives a really odd roundabout answer. These are not things an innocent person does. I think he "found" the car to cast suspicion away from him. I'm still not convinced that he's guilty however. He may just be really arrogant. This "admirer" of Tara should have been looked further into, IMO. The officers were a bit too quick to dismiss this man after questioning him. Maybe he had a solid alibi for the night in question. But those notes he wrote her were very creepy to say the least. I saw this case last night on Lifetime hoping there was an update and unfortunately there was none.

I agree. For me, there is not enough evidence other than his very slightly strange behavior that tells me he's guilty. I believe he may not have been the best boyfriend to Tara but that doesn't mean he had anything to do with her disappearance. He's nowhere near the same kind of behavior as Mark Nichols, whose involvement in his wife's disappearance is so obvious.

I agree. For me, there is not enough evidence other than his very slightly strange behavior that tells me he's guilty. I believe he may not have been the best boyfriend to Tara but that doesn't mean he had anything to do with her disappearance. He's nowhere near the same kind of behavior as Mark Nichols, whose involvement in his wife's disappearance is so obvious.

"Slightly strange behavior?" He as much as confessed to the crime during the interview. He offered no alternative theory of the crime. And most tellingly, he alluded to the fact that he loved her,but he never actually said the words.

Perhaps the man is mentally or emotionally ill; perhaps he is a narcissistic jerk or maybe he's just an A-hole.I don't know. I do know that when someone asks you if you committed murder, the only two good answers are an emphatic "No" or silence, if you have not committed the murder.

I can't find the Mary Morris segment on an unnamed video streaming site
If you are still looking for this segment on the "unnamed site" put in "two marys murders" and you should find it. ;) I just watched it again recently. Quite strange and unnerving.

Tara's boyfriend made me stabby! He just seemed like a smug schmuck! :mad:

I really think they need to look at the customer she was involved with. Being someone that works in a similar club I think that she might have been leaving early to meet this guy. If she always stayed to try and make as much as possible and it was out of character for her to go early,it seems logical. whenever girls "go on break" or leave early even though they need to make money I usually assume they are making that money outside of work. also, guys in those places get OB-SESSIVE. Ive personally had two guys follow me home and i'm not even that cute. The boyfriend being absent from the bar for almost two hours is suspicious too. perhaps he found the same letters that they aired on the UM segment?

"Slightly strange behavior?" He as much as confessed to the crime during the interview. He offered no alternative theory of the crime. And most tellingly, he alluded to the fact that he loved her,but he never actually said the words.

He did say he loved her, he said, "I loved her to death."

Odd thing to say

Rewatched this segment for the first time in awhile and while I definitely agree that Wayne Hecker seems like a major creep, I don't think he had anything to do with Tara's disappearance. The main reason is the time issue: people are suspicious because he was away from the pool hall for an hour, forty-five minutes that night and could not account for that time. Is that enough time for him to have left the pool hall, kill Tara and gone back there? Sure. Is it enough time for him to be able kill her and dispose of her body in such a thorough fashion that she hasn't been found for nearly 20 years? I doubt it.

Theoretically, I guess he could have left the body somewhere, gone back to the pool hall to establish an alibi and then properly disposed of her later, but considering that he found Tara's car and reported it to the police at 7 AM that morning, that still doesn't leave a lot of time, especially in the midst of a big city like Houston. Curiously, even though the UM segment says Wayne found the car at 7:00, the Charley Project page says it was discovered at 2:30. Does that mean that other witnesses saw it by the freeway around 2:30, but that it just wasn't officially reported until Wayne found it?
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/b/breckenridge_tara.html

Honestly, I think Wayne's innocent for the same reason that most people believe Rob Shaver had nothing to do with Angela Hammond's disappearance. For either of them to be guilty, an inexperienced criminal would have to commit murder, dispose of a body and completely cover his tracks in a very limited timeframe. Of course, more people believe Rob because he seems like a much nicer, more genuine person and I think if Wayne had come across the same way in his UM interview, people wouldn't be so suspicious of him.

Rewatched this segment for the first time in awhile and while I definitely agree that Wayne Hecker seems like a major creep, I don't think he had anything to do with Tara's disappearance. The main reason is the time issue: people are suspicious because he was away from the pool hall for an hour, forty-five minutes that night and could not account for that time. Is that enough time for him to have left the pool hall, kill Tara and gone back there? Sure. Is it enough time for him to be able kill her and dispose of her body in such a thorough fashion that she hasn't been found for nearly 20 years? I doubt it.

Theoretically, I guess he could have left the body somewhere, gone back to the pool hall to establish an alibi and then properly disposed of her later, but considering that he found Tara's car and reported it to the police at 7 AM that morning, that still doesn't leave a lot of time, especially in the midst of a big city like Houston. Curiously, even though the UM segment says Wayne found the car at 7:00, the Charley Project page says it was discovered at 2:30. Does that mean that other witnesses saw it by the freeway around 2:30, but that it just wasn't officially reported until Wayne found it?
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/b/breckenridge_tara.html

Honestly, I think Wayne's innocent for the same reason that most people believe Rob Shaver had nothing to do with Angela Hammond's disappearance. For either of them to be guilty, an inexperienced criminal would have to commit murder, dispose of a body and completely cover his tracks in a very limited timeframe. Of course, more people believe Rob because he seems like a much nicer, more genuine person and I think if Wayne had come across the same way in his UM interview, people wouldn't be so suspicious of him.

Two completely different cases. Rob had eyewitness testimony from a number of people that said he could not have been involved.

Plus, given how quickly he was cleared, I don't believe the police would have done this without strong evidence that it wasn't him. If the cops can put a girl's dissapearance off on the boyfriend they will do so in a heartbeat rather than go through the trouble of further investigation. Thats why I've always believed Rob wasn't involved.

I don't think any of this really applies to Wayne.

Two completely different cases. Rob had eyewitness testimony from a number of people that said he could not have been involved.

Plus, given how quickly he was cleared, I don't believe the police would have done this without strong evidence that it wasn't him. If the cops can put a girl's dissapearance off on the boyfriend they will do so in a heartbeat rather than go through the trouble of further investigation. Thats why I've always believed Rob wasn't involved.

I don't think any of this really applies to Wayne.

Oh yeah, I never believed Rob was involved for a second and the case for innocence is MUCH stronger than Wayne's, but I made the comparison simply because in both cases, for the boyfriend to have been guilty, he'd have to dispose of a body within a very limited timeframe and do it so well that it's never been found in 20 years.

Yes, Wayne's behaviour is suspicious and he's never satisfactorally accounted for the time period when no one saw him, but it still doesn't change the fact that it would have been awfully difficult for him to pull this off. There are a lot of posts from earler in this thread from people who claim to have known Wayne personally and say he was into dealing drugs. It would not surprise me if that's what he was doing during that one-hour, fourty-five minute period, which is why he never provided an alibi and seemed to completely dodge the question during his UM interview.

Oh yeah, I never believed Rob was involved for a second and the case for innocence is MUCH stronger than Wayne's, but I made the comparison simply because in both cases, for the boyfriend to have been guilty, he'd have to dispose of a body within a very limited timeframe and do it so well that it's never been found in 20 years.

Yes, Wayne's behaviour is suspicious and he's never satisfactorally accounted for the time period when no one saw him, but it still doesn't change the fact that it would have been awfully difficult for him to pull this off. There are a lot of posts from earler in this thread from people who claim to have known Wayne personally and say he was into dealing drugs. It would not surprise me if that's what he was doing during that one-hour, fourty-five minute period, which is why he never provided an alibi and seemed to completely dodge the question during his UM interview.

I'm really not sure we have enough information about when Tara met her fate or how to say whether or not Wayne had time.

Granted, he didn't seem like the sharpest tool in the shed, but he still could have planned it well. There are ways to get rid of a body that don't take much time at all.

I've always wondered who could have gotten Tara to pull over and get her out of the vehicle without any signs of a struggle. Unless of course the car was planted there by whoever killed her. If you think about it, Wayne Hecker had plenty of time to get rid of her body. Everyone is in agreement that Tara left the club she worked at around 1:00 a.m. Witnesses from the pool hall say Wayne Hecker left at 1:45 a.m. and returned almost two hours later. That's ample time, IMO, to kill her, ditch her body, and then "plant" her car. But are we giving Hecker too much credit to think he would be cunning enough to cover up a murder in a two hour time frame?

I see three possibilities in this case:

1. Tara called Wayne at the pool hall after she got off work to let him know she got off early and he returned to the apartment shortly after the call. They probably got into a fight in which Wayne wound up killing Tara. In a panic, he takes her body and her car, and ditches her body in a remote location. He then ditches her car, and cuts the alternator belt to make it seem like there was a problem with her car which would cause her to abandon it there. He then walks or gets a ride back to the pool hall to establish an alibi, but can't account for the time he was gone.

2. Tara legitimately did have a problem with her car, and got out to get to a payphone and seek help and a random abductor took her and killed her.

3. Someone who admired Tara may have cut the belt in her car, then followed her home knowing she would have had problems with it. Then when the car broke down or Tara pulled over after experiencing these problems he "happens" upon her and offers to help. He professes his love for her, she does not reciprocate and he kills her and hides her body.

While I think two hours is ample time to commit this crime, I don't think Hecker would have been able to ditch her car and then hike back to the pool hall (which was 3 miles away) without any help. And it doesn't seem like any of the witnesses at the pool hall said anything about Hecker seeming "distant" or "off" when he returned to the pool hall later that night. Just how cunning could he have been? If the drug dealer scenario is true, then that could account for the reason why he left the pool hall only to return later. There are some pretty big holes in theory #1. #2 could have happened, and the Charley Project does mention that there were other abductions in the area around the time that Tara disappeared. #3 is just like scenario 1, but instead of Hecker it was just an admirer of Tara. There are holes in all three theories, and I'm not sure which one to believe. I used to think Hecker was involved, but now I'm not so sure. I think a random killer is just as likely as Hecker or an admirerer of Tara being responsible. But what are the odds that the first person to pull over to "help" Tara with her car trouble was a serial killer? Uhh, this is frustruating! :mad:

The main problem I see is that Wayne's absence from the pool hall doesn't seem long enough for him to hide the body to the point that it hasn't been found for nearly 20 years (wasn't it only an 1 hour and 45 minutes). I would think the surrounding area had been searched, etc. Despite Wayne's arrogance, I can't just slam him as guilty, but not can I say innocent. I just think he would have needed much more time (time we maybe haven't heard about, one of his alibis could have lied) to have done it.

The main problem I see is that Wayne's absence from the pool hall doesn't seem long enough for him to hide the body to the point that it hasn't been found for nearly 20 years (wasn't it only an 1 hour and 45 minutes). I would think the surrounding area had been searched, etc. Despite Wayne's arrogance, I can't just slam him as guilty, but not can I say innocent. I just think he would have needed much more time (time we maybe haven't heard about, one of his alibis could have lied) to have done it.

Yes, the fact that Tara disappeared in such a large city like Houston makes it harder to believe that in 1 hour, 45 minutes, Wayne could have found a spot to successfully dispose of her body so that it still hasn't been found. To make a comparison, it was only about two hours between when Mark Nichols dropped his kids off with their grandfother and filed a missing persons report for his wife, but since he lived in a small rural town in the middle of farm country, it's more plausible he could have successfully disposed of her body in some remote area within that time frame.

A previous post in this thread mentioned there are a lot of swamps and bayous surrounding the Houston area. They would definitely be an ideal place to dump Tara's body if Wayne had enough time to go to one and make it back to the pool hall within 1:45. I know they were near the freeways, so I guess it's possible, but aside from Tara's car, did Wayne even have his own vehicle to get around? The re-enactment where he found Tara's car showed him arriving in a pick-up truck driven by someone else. I think TheCars1986 is right, it would have been very difficult for Wayne to pull this off without help.

Let's assume Hecker is guilty for a second. There's no doubt in my mind he would have had to have had an accomplice to help him pull this off. Here's why:

-Tara left the club at 1:00 a.m. and told everyone she was going home. Her coworkers said that when she volunteered to leave early that this was very uncharacteristic of her. Maybe she was in a bad mood that day, or perhaps she and Hecker had got into an argument. Who knows?
-I'm going to assume that Tara would have phoned Hecker to let him know she was off, since no one from the pool hall said that they saw Tara arrive and talk to Hecker.
-According to UM, Hecker left the pool hall around midnight and wasn't seen again until 1:45 a.m. If this is true, that would only give Hecker less than 45 minutes to pull this crime off since Tara did not leave her job until 1:00 a.m.
-Tara would have presumeably came home and got into a fight with Hecker, and then he would have subsequently killed her most likely after an argument. I don't think he went to the club, then waited close by, only to follow Tara and get her to pull over and then abduct and kill her. He would have no reason to do this, he simply could have waited until she got home.
-Which brings up the possibility that Hecker tampered with her car by cutting the alternator belt making the car malfunction/stall. But again, why would he do this if he and Tara were living together? And it's not like it would be that difficult for Hecker to have gotten Tara to pull her car over since they were dating each other and living together! Cutting the belt just seems like such a pointless thing for Hecker to do, IMO.
-If the actual murder did occur at their apartment and Hecker took Tara's body and her car out to dispose of each, just how did he get back to the pool hall? Her car was found 3 miles away from the club she worked. The pool hall was 15 miles away from where Tara worked. So how in the hell did Hecker get back to the pool hall after abandoning Tara's car? Which brings up the accomplice/help theory. The only way Hecker would have been able to get back to the pool hall in that small time frame would have been to have gotten a ride from someone.

Come to think of it, the more I think about it the less likely Hecker seems to be guilty. The accomplice scenario is an attractive one, but I don't find this likely at all. Had Hecker killed Tara on the spur of the moment in some sort of rage, then disposed of her body and her car, then hiked to a payphone to phone someone at the pool hall for a ride, don't you think all of this would have taken longer than 45 minutes? Even if Hecker had this whole thing planned and someone else knew about it who helpd dispose of her body, what motive would this person have in aiding Hecker? Not to mention that there was never any evidence uncovered hinting at an accomplice. The only conceivable scenario in which Hecker is guilty (that actually makes sense and seems logical) would be that Tara left the club and legitimately had car trouble that night and she phoned Hecker who came to her aide but then killed her shortly after. What exactly could have happened in that small window of time to set Hecker over the edge and make him kill Tara? And if Hecker did come to pick up Tara since she was having car trouble, that would mean that her car trouble would have started sometime after 1:00 a.m. (when she left the club to go home). She would have then had to have phoned Hecker for help and if she walked to a payphone this would have meant even more time. Then Hecker would have arrived, picked her up, killed her for some unknown reason, then hide her body so well that it has never been found, all in time to make it back to the pool hall by 1:45 a.m. He even would have been brazen enough to report her missing the next morning.

So all in all, I think this is just as likley a random serial killer targeting Tara when he saw that she had car trouble on the side of the road. Probably offered her a lift and then killed her. I will say this again though, the admirerer of Tara wrote some pretty creepy notes to her about being "very excited that you'll marrie me." Very bizarre if you ask me. His actions seem more suspect IMHO than Hecker's arrogant demeanor in his UM interview.

According to UM, Hecker left the pool hall around midnight and wasn't seen again until 1:45 a.m. If this is true, that would only give Hecker less than 45 minutes to pull this crime off since Tara did not leave her job until 1:00 a.m.

I've actually seen some different accounts of the timeline. The UM segment says Tara punched out at the club 12:29, but the Charley Project says 1:00. The UM segment says Wayne left the pool hall at 12:00 and returned at 1:45, but the Charley Project actually says he LEFT at 1:45 and didn't return until one hour, forty-five minutes later. Since the lead detective himself gives the 12:00-1:45 timeline in his interview, I'm assuming it's Charley Project that made an error. You're right, it's virtually impossible for Wayne to have committed this crime in the span of only 45 minutes (or an hour, fifteen minutes, if the UM timeline is correct).

If the actual murder did occur at their apartment and Hecker took Tara's body and her car out to dispose of each, just how did he get back to the pool hall? Her car was found 3 miles away from the club she worked. The pool hall was 15 miles away from where Tara worked. So how in the hell did Hecker get back to the pool hall after abadoning Tara's car? Which brings up the accomplice/help theory. The only way Hecker would have been able to get back to the pool hall in that small time frame would have been to have gotten a ride from someone.

I also have to wonder if Charley Project also made it an error when they wrote that Tara's car was spotted by the freeway at 2:30. I don't know if that means that witnesses actually saw it there by that time and that it just wasn't reported to the police until Wayne found it at 7:00. I've looked at the possibility that Wayne could have killed Tara at his apartment between 1:00-1:45 and left her there, then went back to the pool hall to possibly get help from someone else to move the body. Wayne claims he returned to the apartment at 5:00, but they don't specify how long he actually stayed at the pool hall. However, I'm sure police probably already checked into that and if Wayne was just hanging around the place for a few hours, acting casual, then it's doubtful he'd just killed his girlfriend and had her body lying around in his apartment. And if Tara's car really was first spotted on the freeway at 2:30, that certainly would make the time frame more unlikely for Wayne to have pulled this off.

So all in all, I think this is just as likley a random serial killer targeting Tara when he saw that she had car trouble on the side of the road. Probably offered her a lift and then killed her. I will say this again though, the admirerer of Tara wrote some pretty creepy notes to her about being "very excited that you'll marrie me." Very bizarre if you ask me. His actions seem more suspect IMHO than Hecker's arrogant demeanor in his UM interview.

Yeah, this seems most likely to me as well. Interestingly enough, I found a comment at this site from someone who knew Tara and he theorizes that she could have staged her own disappearance, possibly after meeting a rich client at the club she wanted to run away with. There's no evidence to support this, of course, but it might explain why she was so anxious to leave work early that night:
http://peace4missing.ning.com/group/coldcasemissingpersons/forum/topics/missing-cold-cases-photos-and

Yeah, this seems most likely to me as well. Interestingly enough, I found a comment at this site from someone who knew Tara and he theorizes that she could have staged her own disappearance, possibly after meeting a rich client at the club she wanted to run away with. There's no evidence to support this, of course, but it might explain why she was so anxious to leave work early that night:
http://peace4missing.ning.com/group/coldcasemissingpersons/forum/topics/missing-cold-cases-photos-and

I've also considered the possibility that she was anxious to leave early that night because she wanted to run away and start a new life. But according to UM the manager at the club said he was going to let two people leave early since they were slow that night. So if the club was busy that night, Tara probably wouldn't have been allowed to leave which screws up her entire plan of running away. And I highly doubt that after all of these years she hasn't contacted at least one member of her family to let her know she was ok.

EDIT - Just rewatched the segment and forgot about the mace being left in her car. She definitely had to have known whoever she went with (unless of course the car was planted there by her killer, which seems unlikely since her belt was cut which would have caused the car to fail) or else she would have taken the mace with her.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001638672228&sk=photos

Wayne Hecker

Creepy!

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001638672228&sk=photos

Wayne Hecker

I think Jesus told him to look like that.

He looks like he has cancer or something... Definitely, creepy...

Just going back on a timeline on things stated here as well as a few things I know...

Tara went missing Aug 1992
He dated a girl for about 8 months after that
They broke up and he started to see someone named Marty
Found a marriage license dated Nov 1993 where he married her...
http://marriagesintexas.com/1993/167178.html
Now, how could you supposedly love someone so much but right after they went missing, started dating one person, then married someone a little over a year later?
The other thing is that everyone is saying that the UM story was recorded 2-3 years later... I saw a vid on it less than a year after her disappearance... Currently there is one on youtube but it's not the same one I saw... There was an interview with a guy named Bruce who was a friend of them both as well that I did not see, as well as another part from Wayne crying that he missed her...

Something is just really off about this that nags at me...

Sorry my English, but I'm from Brasil and recently saw this episode.
The first impression I had is that Wayne Hecker is not to blame for her disappearance.
What I think happened?

She chose to leave work early because she was being harassed by a customer for some time. In the beginning she only cultivated a friendship with him but started to get disturbing to her when he began to think that they could play a role. She left work thinking he was not following her, but he came after her.

The car was ruined, and then his chance. He kept her in jail because it was extremely fascinated and obsessed by it, but with each passing day he knew he could not have her truth and decided to kill her.

And because Hecker ex-girlfriend and "family friend" of Hecker stopped writing at the same time? My curiosity.

Tara was my friend. We went to high school together in Del Rio & along with her younger sister went all over the place. For those who knew her knew she was a true friend that would be there when you needed her. I didn't know her boyfriend. We all lost touch when we got out of school. But for those who didn't know her have no idea of the heartache her family has endured. She lost a sister in the 80's in a plane crash. Then she disappeared. And then one of her brothers passed away a few years ago. So out of 5 children her parents have 2 left. They just want to bury Tara with the dignity she deserves. I think about her often & wonder if she'll ever be found. I'm also suspicious of Wayne but what can we do. If he's guilty he'll have to answer to his maker when the time comes.

I just saw this segment and had pretty mixed feelings after watching. Then I come on here and this thread left me with even more confused than when I started reading.

He didn't come off well in the segment but I'm not convinced that Wayne is guilty. I'm leaning towards the random killer theory at the moment. I think TheCars1986 is on the right track pointing out how impossible it would have been for Wayne to pull this off in that relatively short amount of time.

I've always been interested in her case. It's possible Wayne could've done it, but just because he comes off as arrogant doesn't mean he necessarily did it. Dynoguy showed me a Google Earth map pic of where Tara's car was found on the highway. Seems like an unlikely place to abduct someone, unless you kindly coax them to come with you or something. It's possible that Wayne found her and did away with her elsewhere, or by chance a stranger murdered her after she took a ride with them thinking she was going to get help for her car.

Tara did mention that she wanted to get away from Wayne, so it's also possible that she left early and ran off with someone new, but after almost 20 years with no sight of her or hearing from her, that seems very unlikely. I fear that she is dead. :(

did the segment say her car had broken down? I don't recall.but imo,it would appear she was abducted somewhere else,and her car left there intentionally to be found.which means someone had some help with that,or the person walked home,if he/she acted alone.(and who else to find it other than Wayne,which seems odd,given his weird answers in the interview).still,I would agree,it doesn't mean he is guilty.I lean twds it though.
But the fact her mace was left in the car doesn't bode well for thinking her car broke down,unless she accepted a ride from someone she knew.

I don't agree with the people who are exonerating Wayne Hecker because of the timeline, we simply don't know enough. Isn't his alibi based entirely on eyewitness testimony that he was in a bar shooting pool? Really how reliable is that? I do think it was established he was there at some point and that he left at some point, but the times could easily have been messed up by a bunch of pool hall guys, some of whom could have been intoxicated for all we know.

I'm not saying he did it, but I don't think you can exonerate him because of a timeline thats iffy at best. And the guy came off as a total phony in the interview and eveything I've read indicates he was a first rate jack***.

I don't think Hecker did it personally but there is certainly some suspicion cast upon him. He doesn't seem all that concerned in the segment either. Not that this should incriminate him but it was a strange thing to say that his explanation is between him and the Lord. That's just sidetracking the conversation and as a Christian myself I believe God just cringes at that comment and being lumped in with a potential murder. For argument's sake at least provide a better explanation than that Wayne.

But you can be aloof in an interview and still be innocent. The only concern I have is the eyewitness accounts placing him back in the pool hall. They could easily have been wrong or even in cahoots with him. Or, you're in a pool hall, it probably isn't too hard to not be seen for a while and still be there. I don't remember an explanation Wayne had for being "gone".

The last thing I'll say is that Tara worked at a strip club. I can't underestimate the type of scum she would have been in contact with. She would have been harassed on a daily basis by customers, some in good fun, others not so much. If you want to see a lot of the underbelly of society you're working in the right spot. So, like Lisa Santos, I can't underestimate that it was a random customer

The last thing I'll say is that Tara worked at a strip club. I can't underestimate the type of scum she would have been in contact with. She would have been harassed on a daily basis by customers, some in good fun, others not so much. If you want to see a lot of the underbelly of society you're working in the right spot. So, like Lisa Santos, I can't underestimate that it was a random customer

Yes and those notes that the male customer who admired her were very creepy, IMO. Who's to say this guy didn't follow her and offer a lift when her car broke down? He's just as much a suspect as Wayne Hecker, IMO. And there's also the possibility that she was abducted by a random serial killer. The Charley Project website makes mention that police have theorized that her disappearance may have been related to several young women being abducted in the early 90's.

I don't think Hecker did it personally but there is certainly some suspicion cast upon him. He doesn't seem all that concerned in the segment either. Not that this should incriminate him but it was a strange thing to say that his explanation is between him and the Lord. That's just sidetracking the conversation and as a Christian myself I believe God just cringes at that comment and being lumped in with a potential murder. For argument's sake at least provide a better explanation than that Wayne.

But you can be aloof in an interview and still be innocent. The only concern I have is the eyewitness accounts placing him back in the pool hall. They could easily have been wrong or even in cahoots with him. Or, you're in a pool hall, it probably isn't too hard to not be seen for a while and still be there. I don't remember an explanation Wayne had for being "gone".

The last thing I'll say is that Tara worked at a strip club. I can't underestimate the type of scum she would have been in contact with. She would have been harassed on a daily basis by customers, some in good fun, others not so much. If you want to see a lot of the underbelly of society you're working in the right spot. So, like Lisa Santos, I can't underestimate that it was a random customer

Well God forgives all sins, even murder, so its entirely possible for even a murderer to be close to God.

That being said, at the risk of sounding judgmental nothing about Wayne Hecker exactly screamed man of God to me. His lack of concern, aloofness, and just generally phony seeming persona was really creepy. Like I said not judging him or anything but there was just something utterly revolting about the guy to me.

Well God forgives all sins, even murder, so its entirely possible for even a murderer to be close to God.

That being said, at the risk of sounding judgmental nothing about Wayne Hecker exactly screamed man of God to me. His lack of concern, aloofness, and just generally phony seeming persona was really creepy. Like I said not judging him or anything but there was just something utterly revolting about the guy to me.

That is true, but I also believe he should be held accountable on the earth. Look, if Son of Sam (yes THAT one) became a minister while in prison then why couldn't Hecker if he is guilty?

Again, not saying he is either, and I don't like to judge the guy either, but that comment sort of rubs me the wrong way. It is almost as if he felt he could hide behind God without being accountable, and that isn't right.

I want to give Tara's boyfriend the benefit of doubt in this case for two reasons: he doesn't strike me as that kind of person, and the police have not found a shred of evidence that implicates him. Sure he might have had friction with Tara over the course of their relationship but then again, there's no such thing as a perfect relationship. I'm not saying he's innocent, but I'm not saying he's guilty either; I'm on the fence.

We've seen other people in UM segments (esp. Mark Nichols) whose guilt is so obvious but Tara's case is different. I've read elsewhere on this thread that the boyfriend was supposedly involved with drug dealers in Houston but that doesn't necessarily mean he had something to do with her disappearance. Maybe he tried to walk away from a partner or competitor and they tried to scare him by harming Tara. At the most, I would say he's guilty of putting Tara in that kind of dangerous situation.

I have to say that the love letters are VERY creepy. At the very least, they point to the Men's Club patron having an unhealthy obsession with Tara. Yeah, I've liked girls that were in bad relationships, and yes, I appreciate the attention of a female server (Hooters, Strip Clubs, whatever), but that's just weird dude.

However, the Boyfriend really raised my eyebrow when the UM interviewer asked him how he responds to the charges and he said that the only one that can judge him is God, or something to that effect. I remember somebody telling me that anyone who responds to an accusation by saying "That is ludicrous" is most likely lying because it feels like such an extreme to go to in order to claim innocence. Well I feel the same way about using God for that. Now that isn't anything concrete, but based on my experience, the people that invoke religion when being accused of something tend to be the wrongdoers. Look at NBC's "To Catch a Predator". How many of those guys immediately went to religion after being caught and accused of some really messed up stuff?

But alas, there is no proof of anything and that is the problem here. I wouldn't be surprised if she was victimized by an obsessed patron of the bar. Maybe it wasn't the guy that wrote the notes (apparently he was cleared according to the UM segment) but having been in places like that before, I can honestly say that some of the clientele is a rather unsavory bunch that I could see getting a little too attached to one of the waitresses. I also would not be the least bit shocked if the boyfriend had something to do with it, especially after the way he carried himself during the UM segment (It was sort of like Marfeo only without the damning evidence against him).

However, the Boyfriend really raised my eyebrow when the UM interviewer asked him how he responds to the charges and he said that the only one that can judge him is God, or something to that effect. I remember somebody telling me that anyone who responds to an accusation by saying "That is ludicrous" is most likely lying because it feels like such an extreme to go to in order to claim innocence. Well I feel the same way about using God for that. Now that isn't anything concrete, but based on my experience, the people that invoke religion when being accused of something tend to be the wrongdoers. Look at NBC's "To Catch a Predator". How many of those guys immediately went to religion after being caught and accused of some really messed up stuff?

They find religion in jail because there are chaplins, and other inmates who speak to them about it. But the ones that use God to justify a crime or who feel it is "only between the Lord and I" are going about it the wrong way

Sounds to me that in his world, violence against animals is wrong, but violence against people is okay. :rolleyes:




I too believe that he was involved in Tara's disappearance. In the UM interview, he seemed cocky. Of course, such a demeanor isn't proof of guilt, but it struck me as wrong.


Pathological narcissists are often cocky like that, smarter than everyone, even law enforcement. If he loves her so much, why isn't there any sense of loss or grief, just sass?

So the dude was a small time coke dealer (selling to randoms it sounds like) dating a stripper (or at least a lady who worked in a strip club) ... she got off early, he found out ... maybe he took a few toots and, because she got off early and didn't tell him, he finds and murders her coldly. When you've got a head full of blow, doing something spontaneously stupid like that is entirely feasible. Amongst those in the pool hall circles, you've got a "rep to keep" ... can't let your old lady who works in the strip club dis you like that.

He's obviously got the mindstate to do such a thing, based on your history with the guy. Imagine if you had ate a cheeseburger AND took off work early. Please tell us more about how he used to abuse you based on your looking at someone.

EDIT: P.S. Wayne, if you're a real man, when you Google your name and find this site, you'll come on here and defend yourself. I dare you.


I think where there apartment was is very important. If he left the pool hall and found out that she got off early, which was uncharacteristic, given what this person has written about him, he might have assumed that she deliberately deceived him by going home early so she could met the guy who wrote her the notes. He went into a rage, hit her and possibly accidentally killed her - it can happen, especially with men who are used to hitting women and don't think they may bump their head or fall the wrong way. Or perhaps he intended to kill her. I think he found her at home earlier, he was high, and one thing led to another.

Abusive people don't usually show their bad side until the are alone. Check the police reports about us. The neighbors would call several times because of our fights. He's 6 ft tall and I'm 5ft. If one gets angry enough, then there is no stopping them. The hospital and the police have plenty of pictures of all the damage he did to me. Of course he was a perfect gentlemenwhen I first met him, but then he started doing crack and weed and everything changed. My son who was 2 at the time would run into the bedroom everytime Wayne would get violent with me. The best thing I ever did was run from him. He may say that he never punched me, and he's right, he used the wall or the coffee table to that. I have no reason to lie.

The person who wrote above even said, "A black eye, maybe..." this suggests to me that his is capable of violence again women. Does that make him a murder, maybe not, but it definitely doesn't make him innocent.

I disagree. Listen to what he says: "I don't owe an explanation to anyone but the Lord, and the Lord has given me . . . uh, [pause], you know, uh". And then he stumbles and bumbles for a way to dig himself out of a hole, because he pretty much incriminates himself right here.

Implied in this statement is that he DID give an "explanation" to the Lord. But he has nothing to explain to the Lord if he had nothing to do with her murder.

Why did he not finish the sentence "and the Lord has given me ..." What has the Lord given him? What are the possibilities? The Lord has given him the peace of knowing that he "repented" to Him and received the forgiveness of his sin? The Lord has given him the assurance that Tara is in a better place so he can go on living with himself? What else could the Lord possibly have "given him" after his "explanation" to the Lord for that which he had nothing to do with?

Instead, he catches himself, and twists it into how he did not "explain" anything to the Lord, but is actually "seeking" an "answer" to what happened to Tara and why? If you have access to the segment, go back and tell me if that doesn't sound suspicious in itself.

UM always has a "take", and in this case, they explicitly state that Hecker is the main suspect, with the clear implication (paradox?) that he is guilty. Out of all the footage they could have showed, why do they play this particular clip? It is extremely rare for them to show the interviewer actually speak. Here, RS introduces this question and answer by saying, "We put this question directly to Wayne Hecker". This follows right upon the detective in the case saying "there are certain actions and reactions we have received from Wayne that casts suspicion upon himself". The editors and producers obviously had the same impression I had when seeing this answer.


I think you make a really good point here. That Lord stuff is really bizarre, never heard anything like it. It's like he's saying, (as some Christians will) this is between me and God, like God has already forgiven me, or God knew I was justified in what I had to do, based on something in the Bible about a man and a woman, Eve's sin, or something like that. If he is that religious, I don't believe him when he says that he didn't have a problem with her work, maybe he felt after he found the letters that he had to punish her and do "God's work." It's a very creepy answer, and he doesn't just say it, like you said, but sputters because he realizes that it makes no sense at all when someone flat out asks you if you did it. An innocent person says, "NO."

Your the one that brought up a fictional character to relate to a real life case.

It's like using Han Solo's shooting of Greedo to describe the Robert F. Kennedy assasination. :D

I get your point here, but I do think sometimes we can use movies and movie characters to define or explain archetypical situations. For example, Hecker may be fetishizing her death and keeping her clothes to convince himself against the idea and because he can't psychologically digest the fact that he killed her. As long as he keep her things around she's still alive, not unlike the way Norman Bates dressed up as his mother to keep from feeling the grief that she has died, and to deal with his own loneliness. At the same time, he kills dressed as her because of his outrage towards his mother, his desire to kill her (did he, I can't remember the story...) Anyway, it's probably a stretch, but there is something bizarre and ritualistic about Hacker and his language that makes you think he is outside the circle, meaning he doesn't have to answer to anyone, and he thinks he's a rebel.

I haven't posted in here since 2007. I was a bit angry at the time I found this thread from the way people were saying things without considering her family's feelings. Tara is my cousin. Her and my dad Bruce were 1st, she and I were 2nd. He passed away last year in May. I think to myself sometimes, now he knows the truth and where she is. He always wondered what truly happened to her. And I am still so curious as to where she could be. I tried calling the Houston Police Dept after watching the episode sometime ago, just asking questions. I was told that only her immediate family may know any information. Over the years, I have lost contact with my Breckenridge side of the family. Well atleast Tara's parents, and would really love to reconnect with them. I talked to Betty once several years ago and asked if they knew anything, and she quietly responded with a no. I wish this case could be blown wide open and solved.

The Breckenridge family has been stricken with loss and grief many times, especially with Tara's older sister's plane crash. If anyone knows how I can get ahold of the family, please contact me.

We gotta find Tara, and bring her HOME.

:confused:

I haven't posted in here since 2007. I was a bit angry at the time I found this thread from the way people were saying things without considering her family's feelings. Tara is my cousin. Her and my dad Bruce were 1st, she and I were 2nd. He passed away last year in May. I think to myself sometimes, now he knows the truth and where she is. He always wondered what truly happened to her. And I am still so curious as to where she could be. I tried calling the Houston Police Dept after watching the episode sometime ago, just asking questions. I was told that only her immediate family may know any information. Over the years, I have lost contact with my Breckenridge side of the family. Well atleast Tara's parents, and would really love to reconnect with them. I talked to Betty once several years ago and asked if they knew anything, and she quietly responded with a no. I wish this case could be blown wide open and solved.

The Breckenridge family has been stricken with loss and grief many times, especially with Tara's older sister's plane crash. If anyone knows how I can get ahold of the family, please contact me.

We gotta find Tara, and bring her HOME.

:confused:

Regardless of what did or did not happen, I'm sorry for your loss and the fact that this still remains unresolved or unsolved. I really hope the answers come one day that will bring closure and peace for your family. No matter who did what, I can only imagine how much pain an event like this has caused you. Thanks for posting.

I'm curious to know if the possibility of Tara being a victim of the 1-45 killer in Houston has been discussed here. Since the 1970's, a serial killer has been killing and dumping women's bodies in towns near 1-45 known as the "killing fields". I believe a case like this, to a certain extent, has been featured on Unsolved Mysteries before (excluding all the other mass killing episodes). 48 Hours Mystery has talked about the "killing fields" case in the past. I wonder if any of the Jane Does in that case have been tested against Tara's DNA? Investigators once believed that she may have been abducted and murdered by a serial killer like this one but no solid proof has ever surfaced.

I worked with Tara all those years ago. Spoke to the police and everything. I am saddened to discover that even today Wayne hasn't been arrested. I was googling his name to see if he had been caught and this thread came up.

Wayne was EXTREMELY controlling over Tara. She had to call him when she got to work and had to call him when she was leaving. If it took her too long to get home (in his eyes) he would have a FIT and start calling the club looking for her but not this night. The night she goes missing he doesn't call the club looking for her until hours had gone by when usually just a few minutes past what he found acceptable was all it took. Why? There is more to the story. He treated her badly. It was common knowledge.

A couple of months later (before a full year) He wanted the reward money we raised for info on her disappearance. Why? Apparently he was convinced we would never find her. He said he deserved it to compensate him for the loss of Tara's income. The club didn't give it to him.

I might believe it to be a serial killer but I know too much. I am convinced it was Wayne, the minute we heard of her disappearance all of us suspected him. Why would that be if not for Waynes actions? Wayne worked construction for a while during that time. I have a feeling she is beneath a construction site somewhere.

Tara was a very quiet, polite waitress who was never a kill joy at the club but never the crazy out going type of girl you would expect to see at the club. For her family on this forum I am sorry for your loss. For Wayne may you experience all the misery the world has to offer.

He was apparently questioned and cleared by the police. They didn't even say his name. When that happens someone like that is usually 100% in the clear. I mean throw a stick in the air and you'll hit a guy that has written a love note or made a pass at a waitress.

Not true. Wayne was questioned Not cleared. Thats an assumption and it's wrong. They just don't have enough evidence to arrest him or anyone else.

Not true. Wayne was questioned Not cleared. Thats an assumption and it's wrong. They just don't have enough evidence to arrest him or anyone else.

I believe that was in reference to the "admirerer" Tara had at the club where she worked.

I tend to think Wayne's comment about "answering to the Lord" has been taken out of context, somewhat. I was thinking about it today, the UM segment was filmed a couple of years after Tara went missing. So for years Wayne probably lived in a cloud of suspicion and heard the mumurs of how people thought he was guilty. And I'm sure he was asked that question repeatedly before the filming of the UM segment, so while his answer may have seemed like a flippant cop-out to some, I can see where it could have been just a frustrated answer to a question he's been asked several times before.

I tend to think Wayne's comment about "answering to the Lord" has been taken out of context, somewhat. I was thinking about it today, the UM segment was filmed a couple of years after Tara went missing. So for years Wayne probably lived in a cloud of suspicion and heard the mumurs of how people thought he was guilty. And I'm sure he was asked that question repeatedly before the filming of the UM segment, so while his answer may have seemed like a flippant cop-out to some, I can see where it could have been just a frustrated answer to a question he's been asked several times before.

I agree with that assessment.

Are they still looking at Wayne as a suspect? Bigger yet, is Tara's case in an open status and being investigated? I can't imagine her family's pain not knowing where she is and what happened to her over 20 years ago.

I used to think Wayne was pretty guilty, but I think I'm changing my tune on this one. At least to undecided. He had no idea Tara left work early. Plus, I think this case bares some resemblances to Kay and Bob Hall, inasmuch that Wayne would have had to stumble upon Tara's car at just the right moment, in a limited time frame, in the dark, with the added point of him not knowing she even left work early. Possible, but how likely?

I can't say for sure I think he's innocent, but this one isn't a slam dunk. There appear to be a lot of discrepancies in the various time frames in such and I can't really make heads or tails of that.

Are they still looking at Wayne as a suspect? Bigger yet, is Tara's case in an open status and being investigated? I can't imagine her family's pain not knowing where she is and what happened to her over 20 years ago.

Tara's case is still open, but it's still a missing persons case. The Charley Project website says Wayne is a "possible suspect". I even think it's possible that Tara had car trouble, left her car and began to walk to the pool hall where Wayne was at (or to a payphone) where she met with foul play. The Charley Project makes mention of several abductions in the Houston area around the time Tara disappeared.

I used to think Wayne was pretty guilty, but I think I'm changing my tune on this one. At least to undecided. He had no idea Tara left work early. Plus, I think this case bares some resemblances to Kay and Bob Hall, inasmuch that Wayne would have had to stumble upon Tara's car at just the right moment, in a limited time frame, in the dark, with the added point of him not knowing she even left work early. Possible, but how likely?

The Bob Hall case is an appropriate comparison and I think the key difference that makes Wayne look more innocent is the fact that no body has ever been found. Killing Tara in that limited time frame is certain possible, but disposing of her body so well that it hasn't been found in 20 years just seems extremely unlikely.

Looking back through this entire thread, I must say that this definitely one of the most interesting discussions on the board. There seem to be ton of old posts from people who claim to have known Tara and Wayne personally, and they're quite divided in their opinions about whether Wayne was responsible for her disappearance. Really hard to know what to make of this case.

The Bob Hall case is an appropriate comparison and I think the key difference that makes Wayne look more innocent is the fact that no body has ever been found. Killing Tara in that limited time frame is certain possible, but disposing of her body so well that it hasn't been found in 20 years just seems extremely unlikely.

Looking back through this entire thread, I must say that this definitely one of the most interesting discussions on the board. There seem to be ton of old posts from people who claim to have known Tara and Wayne personally, and they're quite divided in their opinions about whether Wayne was responsible for her disappearance. Really hard to know what to make of this case.

I agree. And I can't recall right now, but did Tara know Wayne was going to be at the pool hall that night? If she didn't, than that makes him all the more innocent, IMO. Because if she had car trouble, how would she know where to contact him for help?

I agree. And I can't recall right now, but did Tara know Wayne was going to be at the pool hall that night? If she didn't, than that makes him all the more innocent, IMO. Because if she had car trouble, how would she know where to contact him for help?

She could have known he would be there that night, but this was 1992, when cell phones were not prevalent. If Tara wanted to contact Wayne that night, I'd assume she would have to call the pool hall and ask for him, and I'm sure if an employee took a call like that, they would have told police.

The segment said Wayne was away from the pool hall from midnight until 1:45, so it's possible he might have gone back home and Tara could have contacted him there. But that would narrow the already limited time frame he'd have to commit this crime. The segment also said she normally left her job at 2 AM, 15 minutes after Wayne returned to the pool hall, so yeah, she'd definitely have to contact him at some point for him to know she was leaving work early.

The segment said Wayne was away from the pool hall from midnight until 1:45, so it's possible he might have gone back home and Tara could have contacted him there. But that would narrow the already limited time frame he'd have to commit this crime. The segment also said she normally left her job at 2 AM, 15 minutes after Wayne returned to the pool hall, so yeah, she'd definitely have to contact him at some point for him to know she was leaving work early.

Maybe I'm remembering the segment incorrectly, but I seem to recall the owner/boss of the club saying that Tara said she wanted to leave early and said she had made no phone calls and that she simply volunteered to leave and did. This would make the "Wayne is guilty" argument that much more weak if she did not phone him to let him know she was getting off early. Even if she did, the time frame is a little under two hours for her to be murdered, her car abandoned (if there was in fact no car trouble initially), and then her body hidden.

There was nothing wrong with her car. It was just parked there. With her stuff in it. Why would she just stop her perfectly fine car? It was found there several HOURS after she went missing. He had PLENTY of time. Either way it appeared staged. As though wayne parked the car there OR she pulled over willingly. Her car worked.

How would Mitch (our manager) know if Tara called wayne? He asks the girls at the well if they want to leave they say yes. Go to the dressing room, get their stuff out of their lockers, say good byes to the girls MAKE THEIR CALLS. Mitch was rarely if ever was in the back. None of the managers went into the girls dressing room unless there was an issue. Do you know how big that club was? You could stand on one side and not see the other side. Do you know Where the phones were? We had phones up front in the back, in the dressing rooms and we DID have cell phones then. I DID. A big giant honker of one. I don't remember Tara having one but that doesn't mean she didn't. It was quite popular with the girls at the club Lots of us had them. Not just the big brick either some that came in a suitcase looking thing. We made good money and we worked til wee hours of the morning.

I just remember talking to the cops and hearing them tell me what they thought had happened. What they were pretty sure of and why. You guys can think what you like, speculate what you like. I was there. I was at the club, had conversations with the police and my memory of that horrific experience happened after my best friend was murdered in a corvette by a gang of car thieves. I remember it all way to clearly. Remember this...the show, which I saw. did not include all the details. It was a summary of SOME of the details. As much as I appreciate arm chair detectives I would prefer people who knew information, knew wayne to come forward.

When my friend was murdered the cops said all the rumors and arm chair detective phoning in their "tips" hindered the investigation because they were running in a million different directions. So at a meeting I stood up and asked everyone to stop, it didn't help so I'm sure it wont help now.

So I'm done with this thread unless there is any new REAL information like the past girlfriends and family who I appreciate reading their posts and thank them for their input. It's just too hard to read the speculation knowing he's out there and not only did he get away with it those who come into contact with him are now at risk and they don't even know it. The horror of it is too much.

wayne came off as kind of a jackass, and arrogant. But just because he came up ass arrogant, i don't think there is any evidence that supports him as the one who killed this woman.
Again as others stated she left work early, as no one would know.
It kind of sounds like anther story, that a man would pull behind a woman, and tell her, that something is wrong with the car. Then bring the woman in his car to a gas station, he killed one woman already which was confirmed.

To me, it sounds like a random act of violence. I would think their would be more evidence pointing to the boyfrined. Like if the boyfriend called the club again, and they said she left early. But even if that is true, how did she know where she would be.

Really sad that this case is still unsolved and that they did not find any remains at all.

To me, it sounds like a random act of violence. I would think their would be more evidence pointing to the boyfrined. Like if the boyfriend called the club again, and they said she left early. But even if that is true, how did she know where she would be.

This is exactly what I was thinking too. He wouldn't have known where to locate Tara if she did get off early, not to mention there's the possibility that he had no knowledge she was leaving early.

I finally got a chance to watch the segment on Tara. Just seeing him again made me want to puke. I just have one question. If he was so in love with her and cared so much for her, where is the emotion? Where is the sadness? If one minute the love of my life was there and the next minute they were gone, I would be going crazy, I would be begging people for any information they had. After all, Wayne said it himself, that he "loved her to death".

Yes, the part were he said he "loved her to death" was the most eye-brow raizing thing he said , its a bit inappropriate to use those words when your G/f is missing and presumed murdered ....

Yes, the part were he said he "loved her to death" was the most eye-brow raizing thing he said , its a bit inappropriate to use those words when your G/f is missing and presumed murdered ....

that's a pretty common expression, so I can't really fault him for that. He probably realized afterward that he should have phrased it differently.

I don't remember the specifics, but did Tara's admirerer have an alibi for the night of her disappearacne, or was it simply said that he was questioned and ruled out by the authorities?

that's a pretty common expression, so I can't really fault him for that. He probably realized afterward that he should have phrased it differently.

Yeah, I can't either. If anything, he may have wanted to change that "me and the Lord" bit, if it was anywhere near as scrutinized elsewhere than it has been here.

Yeah, I can't either. If anything, he may have wanted to change that "me and the Lord" bit, if it was anywhere near as scrutinized elsewhere than it has been here.
I agree. And as arrogant as the ''me and the Lord'' bit sounded, I can understand him being angry/defensive if he really was innocent and being accused by so many people.

Charley Project says that Tara's alternator belt was missing. My theory is that someone who knew her (or knew of her, having watched her at the club) tampered with her car and followed her. The only weird thing is that if this was a planned abduction, the abductor had no way of knowing that she was going to leave so early that night (which was unusual of her) and the escort said that no one followed her out of the lot that he could tell. Of course, it's possible that this person was waiting in the parking lot and sped off after her once the guard was inside, knowing her route home. That being said, I doubt it was Wayne. For one, we have the issue of time and distance. For two, he would have no need to cut her alternator belt to force her to pull over as they lived together. I just don't see how Wayne could have committed this crime and hidden her in a way to keep her from being found 20+ years later with the amount of time he had.

My guess is that Tara got out of the car, locked it, and attempted to make it to a call box or recognized the abductor and trusted him enough to get in the car with him. I lean toward the latter, as a safety conscious woman like Tara would more than likely have taken her mace if she was going to walk along the highway in the middle of the night by herself to head to a call box.

My guess is that Tara got out of the car, locked it, and attempted to make it to a call box or recognized the abductor and trusted him enough to get in the car with him. I lean toward the latter, as a safety conscious woman like Tara would more than likely have taken her mace if she was going to walk along the highway in the middle of the night by herself to head to a call box.

I think the same thing. I wonder if Tara had another admirerer that the police did not know about. It would make perfect sense.

I wish you guys could have known Wayne back then. I was at Fat Freddy's, the pool hall that night. He had more than enough time to do what what he needed. I am not sure when he left but I was leaving when he came back. I know this because at that time I avoided him. A few weeks earlier, we can gone to their apartment. Tara was there but he wasn't. I went we a friend of hers. When he came home and saw us there he was furious. He pulled me out and wanted to fight. He was convinced I was there to see Tara. We calmed him down. He was obsessive, controlling and rough with her. The car was running and working fine.

Don't speculate on the facts of the show. They are not all there. One thing you have to know, his demeanor after she went missing. It was real hard for him to act like he cared and it did not last long.

I hope for her family, that she is found. I hope that one day, justice is served.

Has anyone ever thought this unidentified person was Tara??? I would think the police would have investigated this possibility since it was found weeks after Tara disappeared but on Namus it doesn't say they have ruled her out.

http://doenetwork.org/hot/hotcase1515.html

Has anyone ever thought this unidentified person was Tara??? I would think the police would have investigated this possibility since it was found weeks after Tara disappeared but on Namus it doesn't say they have ruled her out.

http://doenetwork.org/hot/hotcase1515.html

I don't know if Tara had scoliosis, but I think Charley Project would have made mention of it if she did. And the clothes are not the same type that Tara was last seen wearing.

Sorry to say that I don't think it's a match. Seemed a bit promising at first, but for me, this is what makes her stand out as not being Tara. (Unless there's errors in the reported information, which isn't unheard of at all. For example, I've noticed that there's been quite a few cases where the person has numerous tattoos, and not even one is mentioned on the missing persons sites.)

Regarding the dental information that's available, Namus has Tara's but has not released info to the public.

About the unidentified woman, DoeNetwork says:

The anterior upper teeth are artificial, held in place by a temporary bridge.

About Tara, CharleyProject says:

Her two upper front teeth are discolored in the center.


http://doenetwork.org/hot/hotcase1515.html

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/b/breckenridge_tara.html

I was just wondering if anyone has ever heard she had scoliosis. I misread about the clothing. I thought both of them said blue jeans. One says blue jeans and the other says blue shorts. I am sure the police would have investigated this seeing as it was so soon after her disappearance and in the same town.

The doe has "scoliosis of the lower spine" but it doesn't say how severe. Many people have minor scoliosis that's not really noticeable when they are dressed.

It's possible that Tara had minor scoliosis that she never confided about to anyone, but if the Doe's scoliosis is very obvious or severe, that would rule her out.

Is the Doe you found on Namus? Do they have any ruleouts listed?

Yes on NamUs it listed Camora Grimes and Patricia Schmidt as ruled out. It doesn't say anything about Tara.

Namus says they have DNA on this Doe, too. Only those two ruleouts mentioned above.

https://identifyus.org/en/cases/2655

Just watched this segment again from a recent airing of UM on Lifetime. Amazed at how many responses there are from folks who knew Tara and Wayne. Thanks for the insight! The facts from the case, Hecker's comments on the segment combined with the responses on this thread definitely make me think he is responsible for her disappearance. If I had to bet my life savings on him being involved or a someone else I'd put it on him. Just my 2 cents. Wish they would find her or someone would confess so Tara's family and friends can get closure. This is one that will stick with me for a long time.

i just saw the video for the first time today and read this entire thread and i am pretty damn sure he is guilty. his body language and demeanor are shifty as hell, the way he avoids questions with weird speels about the lord, he never says he didnt kill her or isnt guilty, all he pretty much says is he didnt commit a crime so cant be charged with one. he blinks alot and cant keep his eyes focused, he stutters around and jumbles up like he is trying to tell a story, he's not talking like he was remembering the events of that night.
Plus the missing for nearly 2 hours part is highly suspicious.

i cant seem to work out by all the differing posts if there was actually anything wrong with the car. most say no and the rest say the alternator belt was missing or something. also was she driving in the direction of their apartment? or was she going to the pool hall.

It seems kind of unlikely someone tampered with her car at the mens club, solely judging by the re-enactment, im not sure if that was filmed at the real place or not, but if it was like that there seemed to be too many people around to have been messing around taking parts out of a car without someone seeing them.
It also seems really suspicious he HAPPENED to leave the pool hall at around the exact time she left work early. if he had no idea she was leaving early he would of stayed til 2 as usual.

I think she contacted him. like one of the posters said, how could the manager know she made a call or not from the many phones available. She walked past the doorman without acknowledging him which was out of character, which i would take as maybe they had a fight over the phone and her mind was somewhere else, she told him she was going home, and something triggered him, maybe he wanted her to come to the pool hall and she didnt want to. if she volunteered to go home early maybe she was just tired or felt unwell and wanted to go home to bed. I highly highly doubt she was meeting up with someone, i mean how would she know the night was going to be so quiet that the manager would send 2 people home, and also that one of them would be her. there could have been another girl who needed to go. plus if she was meeting someone she would of had to been told she could go home, rang the person and arranged to meet, while knowing her boyfriend will be trying to contact her at 2 when she would usually finish, that leaves her like a hour to meet up with someone and then get back to the club or her apartment. it just doesnt make any sense to do that.

Yes the admirer could have tampered with the car and then followed her home waiting for it to break down and give her a ride, but even that seems a little farfetched, the guy would of had to do it without anyone seeing, know she finished at 2. he wouldnt of known she would be let go early. then he was placing all his bets that the car would break down at a certain place away from people or help or even that it didnt make it home. it just seems too unlikely. plus if she is smart enough to carry mace, then she WOULD of had it in her hand or bag while getting out the car. i think the only way she would have gotten out of a car without putting the hazards and picking up her mace would be because it was her boyfriend.
Which also he seems a bit suss because he is so adament on making sure the interviewer KNEW she carried mace and it was conveniantly sitting there in the car. so she MUST of known the attacker. i think he was trying to place blame on the admirer, conveniant.
Also another thing the admirer sent her all these letters and signed them with his own name. it would lead the police right to him. and they cleared him so he obviously had a alibi. they havent cleared Wayne.
Plus i find it odd that she kept them all. did they say where they found the letters? it seems so risky keeping them at her house with a boyfriend like that.

And just one more thing i noticed, the way he was talking about not liking where she worked ""She was working before I met her in those kinds of places. And she loved the money and she loved the atmosphere and I guess that's just something you won't grow out of. And I'm not going to tell her where to work."

that just seems odd to me. when friends and family have made it clear he didnt like where she worked. plus the male attention she would get, he seems like the type that would have made it very clear he DIDNT like that she worked there and saying he wouldnt tell her where to work seems to be something you would say to push blame away from you. if he was honest he would just be like, she knew i didnt like where she worked.

i dont know. these are just my opinions and observations from reading the clues and watching that video. but i am definitely on the side that he did it.
if no other facts, the biggest one for me is that he was unaccounted for for the time she vanished. and he doesnt have a alibi. why cant he say where he was?
yes maybe there wasnt enough time that he could of killed her and disposed of the body..but who says he did it that night, he just needed the time to hide it well enough he could go back.or maybe he just got lucky. buried her or took her to one of the nearby swamps and he just got incredibly lucky she never was found.

Also going back to the pool hall in the first place seems like a way to get a kind of alibi. if she was going home and he left to meet her and she wasnt there, why not wait there or go looking for her, ring the club after 2 and ask if she left, go back to the pool hall in case she turned up and ASK people if they had seen her...he didnt.
according to him he stayed there til 5 and then drove home and saw her car...conveniant.
if the few friends who have written on here are correct he would ring the club looking for her if she was a few minutes late.why on this night not ring?
i wonder if the manager can back up the claims he always rang looking for her.

there is just too much missing and suspicious in his accounts. i honestly just cant believe him.
and there is too many friends of the family who say he was controlling and jealous including her mother who says on the show the realtionship was very rocky and she had made it clear she wanted to move out with or without him knowing.

i really really hope her body turns up so there is some hope of this jerk to be held resopnsible

I have been reading through all the post. I was the manager of the Fat Freddies at the time of this ordeal. I knew Wayne quite well. I also knew Tara, admittedly not as well as wayne. Wayne did in fact leave the pool hall shortly after midnight. Wayne did not leave alone. Dennis Burns was with him. When the two returned they appeared to be trying to come in un-noticed.
Wayne and Dennis asked me several times to tell police that he never left.
Being there and seeing they way the two acted it was not hard to come to the conclusion that Wayne was involved. It makes me sick that she has not been found. Later my wife (a waitress and my girlfriend at Freddie's back then) told me that she ran across Dennis Burns at which time they started discussing Tara and Wayne, suddenly told my wife that they kidnapped her and sold her into the sex slave business.
The person who posted that Wayne was a cocaine dealer is in fact correct. Dennis was one as well. Knowing that I do believe it maybe possible thats what happened. But I really doubt that.
Dennis has a brother named Chad. I don't believe Chad was involved. But I do think he was told by Dennis what really happened to her.
I have heard that Dennis died from a drug over dose years later. I do not know for sure that is true, when my wife and I researched it there was records of a Dennis Burns dying of a drug over dose.

I pray that the truth will come out about Tara. I truely pray that who ever is in fact to blame for her disappearance is found out and punished properly.

Keep here story alive by posting and reposting to bring more attention and maybe something will happen.

Very interesting information. I still believe he was involved. I hope one day Tara is found to give her family some answers & peace.

Just refreshed on this case. I found Wayne's answer about being involved (where he talks about only God knowing blah blah blah) was sleazy and made him look guilty. Before those comments I was on the fence.

Wonder where he is today.

Wonder where he is today.

Don't know, but if he's guilty he might wind up in "Heck".

Don't know, but if he's guilty he might wind up in "Heck".
Haha yeah he's one of the strangest suspects but heck a lot of them were. His inability to just give a straight answer is questionable

thank you emsjunky! We always enjoy a post from someone who's connected to the case. It always brings some hope to the cases. Although the circumstances are weird and you claim Dennis burns confided in your wife, why didn't you and her go to the police? Even if Tara had been missing for so long, she is still listed as missing as of 2014..? Seems strange to me.

I worked at the Men's Club & Rick's Cabaret in the 90's--were was 'Fat Freddie's?' I've never heard of it. Wasn't he at Sam's Boat playing pool?

When I was hired at The Men's Club, it was right after Tara went missing. I was nervous about that & I made sure to ask the manager who hired me & he told me it was her boyfriend, FWIW.

I've never been stalked at either club, they were both high-end places that had good management who would walk you to your car or you could valet park.

ETA: There's no way a waitress or dancer would ever, ever leave due to a customer harassing her because the management would immediately kick the guy out. If someone was obnoxious or rude, it was always taken care of. These weren't dive bars--and they took care of the women who worked there. I had many people kicked out--some guys who were waving a dollar around my face calling me names and generally implying that I was offering something for sale for a dollar--needless to say, they were immediately requested to leave.

JMO

I have been reading through all the post. I was the manager of the Fat Freddies at the time of this ordeal. I knew Wayne quite well. I also knew Tara, admittedly not as well as wayne. Wayne did in fact leave the pool hall shortly after midnight. Wayne did not leave alone. Dennis Burns was with him. When the two returned they appeared to be trying to come in un-noticed.
Wayne and Dennis asked me several times to tell police that he never left.
Being there and seeing they way the two acted it was not hard to come to the conclusion that Wayne was involved. It makes me sick that she has not been found. Later my wife (a waitress and my girlfriend at Freddie's back then) told me that she ran across Dennis Burns at which time they started discussing Tara and Wayne, suddenly told my wife that they kidnapped her and sold her into the sex slave business.
The person who posted that Wayne was a cocaine dealer is in fact correct. Dennis was one as well. Knowing that I do believe it maybe possible thats what happened. But I really doubt that.
Dennis has a brother named Chad. I don't believe Chad was involved. But I do think he was told by Dennis what really happened to her.
I have heard that Dennis died from a drug over dose years later. I do not know for sure that is true, when my wife and I researched it there was records of a Dennis Burns dying of a drug over dose.

I pray that the truth will come out about Tara. I truely pray that who ever is in fact to blame for her disappearance is found out and punished properly.

Keep here story alive by posting and reposting to bring more attention and maybe something will happen.

I went to school at the University of Houston, worked at Crush Bar, Grotto Restaraunt, Magic Island, Rick's Cabaret, The Men's Club and I'm familiar with the night life that existed in the 90's--could you tell me where Fat Freddie's was located? THANKS!

I wonder how the parking situation was at Wayne and Tara's condo. Wayne said when he got home he expected to see Tara laying on the sofa or bed but she wasn't there. She would have to park her car in a place that wasn't visible from where Wayne parked for his statement to be true. Otherwise he would have known she was gone before he went inside the condo.

I went to school at the University of Houston, worked at Crush Bar, Grotto Restaraunt, Magic Island, Rick's Cabaret, The Men's Club and I'm familiar with the night life that existed in the 90's--could you tell me where Fat Freddie's was located? THANKS!

I have been a Houstonian my whole life and I have never heard of Fat Freddie's either.

I have been a Houstonian my whole life and I have never heard of Fat Freddie's either.

And I remember that the husband was at Sam's Boat playing pool--wasn't that in the UM episode? I may be remembering wrong.

And I remember that the husband was at Sam's Boat playing pool--wasn't that in the UM episode? I may be remembering wrong.

Well, they weren't married but he was her boyfriend. Yes, he was playing pool with some friends (supposedly Tara's sister was with them as well) but not sure which place. I think the Sam's Boat you are referring to is the one off 610 South and 59 but the segment states he was at a pool hall off 290 and West Little York.

Ironically, this is the same area the second Mary Morris was found murdered in "The Two Mary's" segment.

This appears to be Wayne Hecker's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wayne.hecker.9

Fat Freddy's was located at or very close to 5112 Antoine Dr,
Houston, TX, 77092

Fat Freddy's was located at or very close to 5112 Antoine Dr,
Houston, TX, 77092

Yep, you are correct. Just looked it up and based on the map on UM, this appears to be the place Wayne was at the night Tara disappeared.

I've always been in the camp that said Wayne was hiding something.

But then I just watched a very disturbing episode of Forensic Files that got me thinking-- What was the clientele of this club like? Was it frequented by any, I don't know, off-duty policemen? Maybe one that took a liking to her? One that would have wanted to pursue a relationship with her and didn't take rejection too kindly?

It's happened before (http://www.wsoctv.com/news/news/case-of-police-officer-convicted-of-murder-in-char/nGzLZ/). It's gotten quite a bit of attention (http://victimsheartland.forumotion.com/t2178-josh-griffin-serving-a-life-sentence-for-murder-in-the-1997-death-of-a-cocktail-waitress-he-d-pulled-over-in-his-police-cruiser-inn-1997), including an episode of Forensic Files.

I am in NO way defending Wayne here. I think he is the most likely suspect. I'm just wondering if this angle had ever been looked at. It would explain why Tara may have pulled over if her vehicle was running fine. OR... it could explain WHY her fan belt was cut (the officer stopped to "assist" her after sabotaging her vehicle). I go into both options because I'm not entirely clear if her car had been tampered with.

Also, I feel the need to add that I am a HUGE supporter of law enforcement. I greatly admire our boys in blue and think they put their lives on the line for my safety every day-- but like any profession, there are bad eggs in the bunch. Could one of these bad eggs hurt Tara?

I am in NO way defending Wayne here. I think he is the most likely suspect. I'm just wondering if this angle had ever been looked at. It would explain why Tara may have pulled over if her vehicle was running fine. OR... it could explain WHY her fan belt was cut (the officer stopped to "assist" her after sabotaging her vehicle). I go into both options because I'm not entirely clear if her car had been tampered with.

THAT is an excellent theory! The area where her car is found is a huge intersection that merges three different highways, including the one she is on. During the day, that area is bumper to bumper, but at night, its dead. Your theory of an officer who frequents this club and took a liking to her, is a great theory.

Also, I believe this club is still there today. It is located literally on the bordering point of where the rich area meets the crappy area and right down the street from the Galleria. The Galleria/River Oaks area is very upscale and rich. HPD always devotes more officers to those areas, therefore, it would seem likely that officers frequented the club.

Also, I feel the need to add that I am a HUGE supporter of law enforcement. I greatly admire our boys in blue and think they put their lives on the line for my safety every day-- but like any profession, there are bad eggs in the bunch. Could one of these bad eggs hurt Tara?

I agree. This is all too true.

Also, as far as Wayne's involvement goes, if you take out that incoherent statement he made about how "only the Lord could judge him" then his interview is very normal. As a matter of fact, I was on the fence about his involvement, leaning toward innocent until he made that statement. But, even with that statement, he doesn't say anything that incriminates him. He just sounds like a dumb a$$.

Wayne Hecker had a total of approximately two hours to travel to the strip club, cut Tara's belt, somehow time this perfectly to where he did all this right around the time she was allowed to leave early for the night (how he would know this, I have no idea), follow her, pick her up, kill her for reasons unknown, dump her body in a way that it's never been found to this day, and then make it back to the pool hall. I don't believe this is even remotely possible. I've always thought that Hecker left the pool hall to do something nefarious (buy drugs possibly) which is why he wasn't as forthcoming with his alibi at the time.

Wayne Hecker had a total of approximately two hours to travel to the strip club, cut Tara's belt, somehow time this perfectly to where he did all this right around the time she was allowed to leave early for the night (how he would know this, I have no idea), follow her, pick her up, kill her for reasons unknown, dump her body in a way that it's never been found to this day, and then make it back to the pool hall. I don't believe this is even remotely possible. I've always thought that Hecker left the pool hall to do something nefarious (buy drugs possibly) which is why he wasn't as forthcoming with his alibi at the time.

Yep exactly. Plus this is back when cell phones were a rarity. It's not like she called him on her way out to let him know. The area that she worked at and the area that he was at that night really aren't that far apart. Maybe a 10 minute drive with no traffic. But I do agree that he was probably doing something he shouldn't be. Hooker, drugs, etc..

You would really have to know this guy a little bit to understand him and you would have had to live in Houston to know what the night life was like in the early 90s. She often called to let Wayne know she was leaving.

I doubt he hid the body so well it has not been discovered but lets describe the area, from Downtown, on the top floor of the tallest building, you can not see any houses. Bayous, woods and ditches cut through every where. It is the edge of the Big Thicket. There are wooded areas that have not had any traffic in, well, Many Many Years. Houston is just now going through a boom has a ton of Unidentified women in the database. One very curious one is Case Number: ML92-6618 Harris County, Texas This girl fits the time line, size and weight. She was also found just miles from Fat Freddys. 6 miles to be exact and well within the old stomping grounds.

Well says I have to post 5 times to post a link? Okay.

What I was going to post is an article with a map showing the amount of unidentified bodies found in houston and it is only a partial.

If you want an idea of how many Unidentified bodies have been found in Houston over the past years check out this article:

http://blog.chron.com/newswatch/2011/05/harris-cold-cases/

If you want an idea of how many Unidentified bodies have been found in Houston over the past years check out this article:

http://blog.chron.com/newswatch/2011/05/harris-cold-cases/

I know there have been a lot of bodies recovered recently in Arizona too. I think it *may* have something to do with bordering Mexico. Texas would be similar in that regard.

You would really have to know this guy a little bit to understand him and you would have had to live in Houston to know what the night life was like in the early 90s. She often called to let Wayne know she was leaving.

Do you know Wayne Heckert? Also, how would she call him if he wasn't home? If he had a cell phone, I would like to assume the police checked calls to his phone to see if she did alert him that she was leaving early. If so, then that points this case in a whole new direction.

Did the segment say Hecker received a phone call at the pool hall before leaving?

You would really have to know this guy a little bit to understand him and you would have had to live in Houston to know what the night life was like in the early 90s. She often called to let Wayne know she was leaving.


Good points that you and others that knew Tara and Wayne have made on here. It sounds like there are conflicting statements about her car, was the alternator belt actually missing, or was the car in operable condition when it was found?

The timeline is questionable, certainly not set in stone, and there are several hours unaccounted for, not just the period that Wayne and his friend left and returned to the pool hall. There are only Wayne's claims that he was looking for Tara between 5 - 7 am. From what I recall, there's been no independent verification of their statements about looking for Tara or locating the car at 7 am. If the alternator belt actually was removed or damaged, it could have been done after the car was parked on the side of the interstate. If Tara's car did break down, it's strange that she didn't take her mace nor turned her hazards or alarm on, even if she went off with someone she was acquainted with.

Tara easily could have called Wayne at the bar, since it was the place he seems to have usually patronized. Even if Wayne or his friend didn't have cell phones, plenty of people back then had pagers. It Tara was known by her acquaintances to routinely call Wayne when she was leaving, that night probably didn't vary that much from the norm. If Wayne and his friend actually asked the manager of Fat Freddie's to claim to police that they never left, that's suspicious as well.

Did the segment say Hecker received a phone call at the pool hall before leaving?

No. That's why I asked that other person if they were aware of information like that that wasn't covered in the segment.

I have been reading through all the post. I was the manager of the Fat Freddies at the time of this ordeal. I knew Wayne quite well. I also knew Tara, admittedly not as well as wayne. Wayne did in fact leave the pool hall shortly after midnight. Wayne did not leave alone. Dennis Burns was with him. When the two returned they appeared to be trying to come in un-noticed.
Wayne and Dennis asked me several times to tell police that he never left.
Being there and seeing they way the two acted it was not hard to come to the conclusion that Wayne was involved. It makes me sick that she has not been found. Later my wife (a waitress and my girlfriend at Freddie's back then) told me that she ran across Dennis Burns at which time they started discussing Tara and Wayne, suddenly told my wife that they kidnapped her and sold her into the sex slave business.
The person who posted that Wayne was a cocaine dealer is in fact correct. Dennis was one as well. Knowing that I do believe it maybe possible thats what happened. But I really doubt that.
Dennis has a brother named Chad. I don't believe Chad was involved. But I do think he was told by Dennis what really happened to her.
I have heard that Dennis died from a drug over dose years later. I do not know for sure that is true, when my wife and I researched it there was records of a Dennis Burns dying of a drug over dose.

I pray that the truth will come out about Tara. I truely pray that who ever is in fact to blame for her disappearance is found out and punished properly.

Keep here story alive by posting and reposting to bring more attention and maybe something will happen.

I want to believe you because you're posting names that weren't common knowledge or said on the Unsolved Mysteries broadcast. But, why would your girlfriend not go to the police and tell them what he told her?

just watched this episode

sad there's never been an update

Is this Wayne Hecker?
https://www.facebook.com/wayne.hecker.9

I wish you guys could have known Wayne back then. I was at Fat Freddy's, the pool hall that night. He had more than enough time to do what what he needed. I am not sure when he left but I was leaving when he came back. I know this because at that time I avoided him. A few weeks earlier, we can gone to their apartment. Tara was there but he wasn't. I went we a friend of hers. When he came home and saw us there he was furious. He pulled me out and wanted to fight. He was convinced I was there to see Tara. We calmed him down. He was obsessive, controlling and rough with her. The car was running and working fine.

Don't speculate on the facts of the show. They are not all there. One thing you have to know, his demeanor after she went missing. It was real hard for him to act like he cared and it did not last long.

I hope for her family, that she is found. I hope that one day, justice is served.

YOU WROTE:
"I wish you guys could have known Wayne back then. I was at Fat Freddy's, the pool hall that night. He had more than enough time to do what what he needed. I am not sure when he left but I was leaving when he came back. I know this because at that time I avoided him. "

PLEASE REPORT THIS TO THE POLICE, AND/OR TARA'S FAMILY. At the very least, the family can hire a PI to further investigate.

Immediately after viewing this case, I suspected the boyfriend, from his demeanor, eye movements and statements. I do recall the segment also pointing out that he was very jealous and possessive, and their relationship being rocky.

As far as her car trouble, why would she abandon her car, not taking her mace or purse, with NO SIGNS OF A STRUGGLE? She was abducted by someone she KNEW.

Given your testimony, I must agree that it was the boyfriend. PLEASE, report your info to the police and Tara's family.

YOU WROTE:
"I wish you guys could have known Wayne back then. I was at Fat Freddy's, the pool hall that night. He had more than enough time to do what what he needed. I am not sure when he left but I was leaving when he came back. I know this because at that time I avoided him. "

PLEASE REPORT THIS TO THE POLICE, AND/OR TARA'S FAMILY. At the very least, the family can hire a PI to further investigate.

Immediately after viewing this case, I suspected the boyfriend, from his demeanor, eye movements and statements. I do recall the segment also pointing out that he was very jealous and possessive, and their relationship being rocky.

As far as her car trouble, why would she abandon her car, not taking her mace or purse, with NO SIGNS OF A STRUGGLE? She was abducted by someone she KNEW.

Given your testimony, I must agree that it was the boyfriend. PLEASE, report your info to the police and Tara's family.

You will probably want to e-mail her if possible since she's not a regular poster here and probably doesn't read the forum every day or much at all.

You will probably want to e-mail her if possible since she's not a regular poster here and probably doesn't read the forum every day or much at all.

Thanks, wiseguy182. Done, I emailed JOAT and another poster who seemed to have some info; gave them the Houston PD telephone # and the email address of a family member.

However, I read that Wayne Hecker is dead. Still, it would be good to possibly find out from a friend or relative of his, where Tara's remains can be found.

I really hope people with pertinent information on cases just call the police. They can always remain anonymous. So much better than posting on a message board.

Thanks, wiseguy182. Done, I emailed JOAT and another poster who seemed to have some info; gave them the Houston PD telephone # and the email address of a family member.

However, I read that Wayne Hecker is dead. Still, it would be good to possibly find out from a friend or relative of his, where Tara's remains can be found.

I really hope people with pertinent information on cases just call the police. They can always remain anonymous. So much better than posting on a message board.

Where did you read where Wayne Hecker died?

I posted before but no one replied.. is this Wayne Hecker?
https://www.facebook.com/wayne.hecker.9?fref=ts

I posted before but no one replied.. is this Wayne Hecker?
https://www.facebook.com/wayne.hecker.9?fref=ts

Looks like (a very ill) him. Last activity was in 2011. Apparantly he died in October 2015 of cancer.

http://unsolved.com/archives/tara-breckenridge
(scroll to the bottom of the comments)

Where did you read where Wayne Hecker died?

http://unsolved.com/archives/tara-breckenridge
(scroll to the bottom of the comments- a few posts from friendsfamily members of Tara's and Wayne's. Apparently he died oa slow, painful death of cancer, battled for many years.)

I posted before but no one replied.. is this Wayne Hecker?
https://www.facebook.com/wayne.hecker.9?fref=ts

That does look like it could be him and the timeline would seem to fit since that Wayne Hecker graduated from high school in Houston in 1989.

This is the first I've ever heard about Wayne possibly being dead, but he does look pretty sickly in that photo. That would fit the narrative of him dying of cancer.

Those comments are interesting. One of them is from a guy claiming to be a former bartender at the club where Tara worked. He claims that Tara was having problems with a customer around the time of her disappearance. Others who have claimed to have worked there in the past claim that they were big into cocaine distribution, and that another female worker who worked there was murdered after Tara's disappearance.

I agree that it could be him. The eyebrows, nose, and mouth all appear similar.

Those comments are interesting. One of them is from a guy claiming to be a former bartender at the club where Tara worked. He claims that Tara was having problems with a customer around the time of her disappearance. Others who have claimed to have worked there in the past claim that they were big into cocaine distribution, and that another female worker who worked there was murdered after Tara's disappearance.

Yeah, the comments are interesting. I believe someone on here mentioned that Wayne also sold cocaine.

Anyways, from what I've read on this forum and the other one, the general consensus from anyone who personally knew either Wayne or Tara or both....all feel that he killed her. That speaks volumes to me.

Yeah, the comments are interesting. I believe someone on here mentioned that Wayne also sold cocaine.

Anyways, from what I've read on this forum and the other one, the general consensus from anyone who personally knew either Wayne or Tara or both....all feel that he killed her. That speaks volumes to me.

But there are a decent amount of people in those comments who defend him, and say that Hecker legitimately wanted to find Tara.

But there are a decent amount of people in those comments who defend him, and say that Hecker legitimately wanted to find Tara.

True, but there were specific comments by a few of Wayne's (alleged) associates about him acting very strange the night she disappeared; a significant period of time where he left the pool hall with his (now deceased) friend, and came back acting odd and aggressive. All the while, he failed to mention to the police that he left the pool hall that night for a few hours that night, in a time frame that correlated with Tara's disappearance.

Oddly enough, this morning Tara's episode was on. I hadn't seen it in years and Wayne's demeanor and comments were even more sketchy than I remember. :eek:

I wish i knew for certain if Wayne is still alive... cant find much online....

Why did i post it, well if you actually clicked and looked on his profile and scrolled down you will see pics posted that really look like Wayne.

I re-watched the segment earlier just to dust off the cobwebs. A couple of things come to mind:

1. The manager of the club states that one of the bouncers walked Tara to her car. I've seen a few people theorize that someone jumped in her car and abducted her as she was leaving. This should put that to rest.

2. It is not mentioned whether or not Tara called or tried to call Wayne (presumably at the pool hall as this was a time before everyone had a cell phone) to let him know that she was leaving early. Wayne states in the segment that he did not know that she left early as he called her earlier in her shift and he was told she was busy and could not come to the phone.

3. Tara did not usually volunteer to leave early. Why was this night different? Maybe she had a headache or was tired. Who knows. But one thing that bugs me is this customer who wrote letters to her. The police stated that they questioned him and do not believe him to be involved. Fine. But one of those letters said "I am so glad you have agreed to marrie me." (notice the spelling error) People don't just say that to one another. Was this a serious relationship or some whacked out horny guy who frequented strips clubs? If he was the latter, then I doubt police would have cleared him so quickly. Could she have used her getting off work early as a reason to go and see this other guy?

4. Per the UM segment, Tara left the club at approximately 12:29am and Wayne left the pool hall (per the testimony of employees at the pool hall)between 12:00 - 12:30am and returned around 1:45am. The segment said Wayne's absence from the pool hall was for an hour and 45 minutes, but that's assuming that he left at midnight. The detective clearly states that the testimonies of those who worked in the pool hall gave times between 12 and 12:30. If you put his departure time at 12:30, then it would only give Wayne a little over an hour to kill Tara, dispose of her body and place her car on the freeway in the exact position it was found. Not to mention, he would have to walk/run/jog back to the pool hall.

5. The segment mentions that when they found Tara's car, her alternator belt was gone. Not cut or damaged, but gone. I'm not a car expert but your alternator belt doesn't just fall off. It sure does seem like someone tampered with her vehicle, hoping it would break down or have some kind of issue. Something that indicates someone other than Wayne, unless of course Wayne did this after killing Tara.

I used to think that, without a doubt, Wayne was the killer. But the more I think about it, the more I'm not so sure.

Based on the information I provided above, in my opinion the only scenario for Wayne to be the killer, that makes sense, is if Tara called Wayne (either at the pool hall or on a cell phone, assuming he had one) to tell him that she was leaving early and he decided to meet her at the apartment. Maybe they got into an argument and he killed her, either by accident or on purpose. Then, in a haste, he immediately gets rid of her body to a still yet to be discovered location. My guess is he dumped her body in a random dumpster. Then he takes her car from the apartment and parks it on the freeway, where he would later "find" it. For him to do this, it would mean that he had an accomplice. How else would he have been able to drop the car and get back to the pool hall without running/walking there? And if he did run/walk, he would have been covered in sweat since this was in the August heat in Texas.

I think it's just as likely that someone tampered with her vehicle and followed her until she had to pull over. A random serial killer is also possible. I just do not think it is as open and shut as I used to when it comes to Wayne's guilt. There are just too many things that do not make sense.

5. The segment mentions that when they found Tara's car, her alternator belt was gone. Not cut or damaged, but gone. I'm not a car expert but your alternator belt doesn't just fall off. It sure does seem like someone tampered with her vehicle, hoping it would break down or have some kind of issue. Something that indicates someone other than Wayne, unless of course Wayne did this after killing Tara.


This is interesting and sheds some new light for me on some possibilities with the case.

First, a car (or most cars) can be driven without an alternator belt to my knowledge. But, the battery won't recharge so the car will stop going eventually. Now, how quickly the battery runs down depends on how much electricity you're using (lights, radio, A/C, etc). Alternator belts do sometimes break from normal wear and tear, then fall out while a car is moving.

While the missing belt may point at foul play, the variability in how long the car could run without the belt makes it a poor method to use to try to force someone to break down. For example, if someone removed the belt while she was at work that night, there's a really strong chance she would have still made it home that night without her battery going dead. I, personally, think anyone smart enough about cars to know what the alternator belt is and what removing it would do would also know a better way to force her car to break down if they wanted to. I think it's far more likely the belt broke and fell off earlier that day or even the day before. But, I do think that the missing belt raises the likelihood that she never made it home and she fell victim to someone who pulled over or gave her a ride under the guise of helping her once she was stranded.

I re-watched the segment earlier just to dust off the cobwebs. A couple of things come to mind:

1. The manager of the club states that one of the bouncers walked Tara to her car. I've seen a few people theorize that someone jumped in her car and abducted her as she was leaving. This should put that to rest.

2. It is not mentioned whether or not Tara called or tried to call Wayne (presumably at the pool hall as this was a time before everyone had a cell phone) to let him know that she was leaving early. Wayne states in the segment that he did not know that she left early as he called her earlier in her shift and he was told she was busy and could not come to the phone.

3. Tara did not usually volunteer to leave early. Why was this night different? Maybe she had a headache or was tired. Who knows. But one thing that bugs me is this customer who wrote letters to her. The police stated that they questioned him and do not believe him to be involved. Fine. But one of those letters said "I am so glad you have agreed to marrie me." (notice the spelling error) People don't just say that to one another. Was this a serious relationship or some whacked out horny guy who frequented strips clubs? If he was the latter, then I doubt police would have cleared him so quickly. Could she have used her getting off work early as a reason to go and see this other guy?

4. Per the UM segment, Tara left the club at approximately 12:29am and Wayne left the pool hall (per the testimony of employees at the pool hall)between 12:00 - 12:30am and returned around 1:45am. The segment said Wayne's absence from the pool hall was for an hour and 45 minutes, but that's assuming that he left at midnight. The detective clearly states that the testimonies of those who worked in the pool hall gave times between 12 and 12:30. If you put his departure time at 12:30, then it would only give Wayne a little over an hour to kill Tara, dispose of her body and place her car on the freeway in the exact position it was found. Not to mention, he would have to walk/run/jog back to the pool hall.

5. The segment mentions that when they found Tara's car, her alternator belt was gone. Not cut or damaged, but gone. I'm not a car expert but your alternator belt doesn't just fall off. It sure does seem like someone tampered with her vehicle, hoping it would break down or have some kind of issue. Something that indicates someone other than Wayne, unless of course Wayne did this after killing Tara.

I used to think that, without a doubt, Wayne was the killer. But the more I think about it, the more I'm not so sure.

Based on the information I provided above, in my opinion the only scenario for Wayne to be the killer, that makes sense, is if Tara called Wayne (either at the pool hall or on a cell phone, assuming he had one) to tell him that she was leaving early and he decided to meet her at the apartment. Maybe they got into an argument and he killed her, either by accident or on purpose. Then, in a haste, he immediately gets rid of her body to a still yet to be discovered location. My guess is he dumped her body in a random dumpster. Then he takes her car from the apartment and parks it on the freeway, where he would later "find" it. For him to do this, it would mean that he had an accomplice. How else would he have been able to drop the car and get back to the pool hall without running/walking there? And if he did run/walk, he would have been covered in sweat since this was in the August heat in Texas.

I think it's just as likely that someone tampered with her vehicle and followed her until she had to pull over. A random serial killer is also possible. I just do not think it is as open and shut as I used to when it comes to Wayne's guilt. There are just too many things that do not make sense.

Interesting post Hambone. I have thought in years past that Wayne was guilty but mainly because of how he came off in the interview. In fact I was noticing the similarities between Wayne Hecker and Tim McClure. Both a bit odd and don't come off well in the UM interviews but perhaps just due to being nervous and anxious. Tara was definitely in a potentially dangerous line of work with some unwanted admirers no doubt. I would like to know more about this person Tara had a possible relationship with. There must have been something deeper than UM mentioned since the letter says she had agreed to marry him...unless he was a crackpot. I also hadn't remembered that her alternator belt was REMOVED. She could have broken things off with her admirer and he wanted revenge or to persuade her for another chance. While she was at work he gained access to her car and sabotaged it. Then possibly sat in his car watching for her to leave from her shift and followed her in her car knowing it would break down. Tara probably welcomed seeing a familiar face after her car broke down so accepted a ride with him where perhaps they had a heated argument, maybe Tara turned down his advances, and he killed her and disposed of her body. Just a possible scenario. I have a feeling UM left out a lot of facts in this case and I would love to know more information.

There have been two posters on here (Ican and JOAT) who have alleged that Tara usually called Wayne before she left the club. Even if she didn't have a pager or a phone, there were phones in the club at her disposal. Not checking in with Wayne before leaving would have been atypical. Besides their hour and forty-five minute absence from the pool hall, there's only the word of Wayne and his friend that they were searching for Tara from around 5-7 am, two additional hours that aren't accounted for.

While the missing belt may point at foul play, the variability in how long the car could run without the belt makes it a poor method to use to try to force someone to break down. For example, if someone removed the belt while she was at work that night, there's a really strong chance she would have still made it home that night without her battery going dead. I, personally, think anyone smart enough about cars to know what the alternator belt is and what removing it would do would also know a better way to force her car to break down if they wanted to. I think it's far more likely the belt broke and fell off earlier that day or even the day before.

I think that the alternator belt could be a red herring. There's not enough information to determine if it slipped under the car after breaking or if it was removed, but I agree that someone affiliated with the club attempting to tamper with her car couldn't have anticipated her leaving her shift early or known where the car would break down. Whatever resulted in the Fiero being parked on the freeway, it's strange that her mace was left and neither the hazards nor the alarm were turned on.

[QUOTE=. I have a feeling UM left out a lot of facts in this case and I would love to know more information.[/QUOTE]

Unsolved Mysteries? Leave things out? Never. (Roll eyes)

Didn't Tara leave the club at 1 in the morning? If that's the case, that gives Hecker less than 45 minutes to encounter her, have an argument, kill her, dispose of her body (to where it's never been found to this day), and then ditch her car and either catch a ride or jog back to the pool hall. I'd say that's impossible. And the segment says Hecker wasn't seen at the pool hall from midnight until 1:45 a.m.

One thing that's bothered me, and I still believe Hecker is innocent, is that what was he doing for an hour and 45 minutes? Drug dealing was speculated earlier in the thread, but that doesn't seem like it would take an hour and 45 minutes to accomplish this.

Didn't Tara leave the club at 1 in the morning? If that's the case, that gives Hecker less than 45 minutes to encounter her, have an argument, kill her, dispose of her body (to where it's never been found to this day), and then ditch her car and either catch a ride or jog back to the pool hall. I'd say that's impossible. And the segment says Hecker wasn't seen at the pool hall from midnight until 1:45 a.m.

One thing that's bothered me, and I still believe Hecker is innocent, is that what was he doing for an hour and 45 minutes? Drug dealing was speculated earlier in the thread, but that doesn't seem like it would take an hour and 45 minutes to accomplish this.

That's true. I'd always been under the impression it was earlier than that, but I checked the Charley project page after I read your post.

Another interesting thought this brings to my mind is that it feels like UM made a bigger deal about the leaving early being out of character for her than it really might have been. The segment specifically said her shift was until 2am. That means she only left work an hour early. I just can't see anyone volunteering to leave work an hour early being uncharacteristically weird regardless of their history.

Didn't Tara leave the club at 1 in the morning? If that's the case, that gives Hecker less than 45 minutes to encounter her, have an argument, kill her, dispose of her body (to where it's never been found to this day), and then ditch her car and either catch a ride or jog back to the pool hall. I'd say that's impossible. And the segment says Hecker wasn't seen at the pool hall from midnight until 1:45 a.m.

One thing that's bothered me, and I still believe Hecker is innocent, is that what was he doing for an hour and 45 minutes? Drug dealing was speculated earlier in the thread, but that doesn't seem like it would take an hour and 45 minutes to accomplish this.

The segment states that she clocked out exactly at 12:29am.

I'm sure whatever Wayne wasnt up to any good during the time he was gone from the pool hall. If he wasn't doing anything nefarious, it seems like he would have said what he was doing during the segment.

The segment states that she clocked out exactly at 12:29am.

I'm sure whatever Wayne wasnt up to any good during the time he was gone from the pool hall. If he wasn't doing anything nefarious, it seems like he would have said what he was doing during the segment.

He's in a pool hall late at night. I'm guessing he was doing a drug deal. He's not going to admit that on tv

Well, this case is yet another perplexing one. I used to also think Wayne probably did it and I am not saying he for sure didn't. Yet the more I think about it, the more I am not so certain as to his guilt or involvement. Does anyone know what Wayne is up to these days?

Well, this case is yet another perplexing one. I used to also think Wayne probably did it and I am not saying he for sure didn't. Yet the more I think about it, the more I am not so certain as to his guilt or involvement. Does anyone know what Wayne is up to these days?

He died in October of 2015 after a five year long battle with cancer.

Wow. Well I am sorry for coming off so insensitive. May Wayne RIP. I can say, I do not think he killed Tara. Who did? I don't know. Wayne was earlier on a more viable suspect but I almost hate to say it, if Wayne was going to kill Tara I think he would have done it long before Tara's disappearance.

The so called 'secret admirer' at the club is one that should have been looked into more. What a shock the segment portrayed him as handsome and wealthy, though it was just a brief glimpse of an actor, the impression was made. This man lavished her frequently with 100 dollar tips which your typical middle class guy couldn't afford on a routine basis. The fact she would share very personal details with this man shows he had earned his trust. I am not saying the 'secret admirer' did the crime (if one occurred) either.

However I always felt that the Houston PD blew him off in favor of Wayne. Wayne was a viable suspect but really nothing linked him to Tara's disappearance. He may have been involved in drugs or wasn't involved but the fact he was in a pool hall hardly means that he for sure was involved in the drug trade.

Wow. Well I am sorry for coming off so insensitive. May Wayne RIP. I can say, I do not think he killed Tara. Who did? I don't know. Wayne was earlier on a more viable suspect but I almost hate to say it, if Wayne was going to kill Tara I think he would have done it long before Tara's disappearance.

The so called 'secret admirer' at the club is one that should have been looked into more. What a shock the segment portrayed him as handsome and wealthy, though it was just a brief glimpse of an actor, the impression was made. This man lavished her frequently with 100 dollar tips which your typical middle class guy couldn't afford on a routine basis. The fact she would share very personal details with this man shows he had earned his trust. I am not saying the 'secret admirer' did the crime (if one occurred) either.

However I always felt that the Houston PD blew him off in favor of Wayne. Wayne was a viable suspect but really nothing linked him to Tara's disappearance. He may have been involved in drugs or wasn't involved but the fact he was in a pool hall hardly means that he for sure was involved in the drug trade.


What I do not understand is why he was eliminated. The detective working the case said in the segment that they eliminated him after they were comfortable with his answers to their questions. Uh, ok. Weird reason to eliminate him in my opinion. I'm not saying he did it, but it seems like there could have been more than just love letters going on here.

This is interesting and sheds some new light for me on some possibilities with the case.

First, a car (or most cars) can be driven without an alternator belt to my knowledge. But, the battery won't recharge so the car will stop going eventually. Now, how quickly the battery runs down depends on how much electricity you're using (lights, radio, A/C, etc). Alternator belts do sometimes break from normal wear and tear, then fall out while a car is moving.

While the missing belt may point at foul play, the variability in how long the car could run without the belt makes it a poor method to use to try to force someone to break down. For example, if someone removed the belt while she was at work that night, there's a really strong chance she would have still made it home that night without her battery going dead. I, personally, think anyone smart enough about cars to know what the alternator belt is and what removing it would do would also know a better way to force her car to break down if they wanted to. I think it's far more likely the belt broke and fell off earlier that day or even the day before. But, I do think that the missing belt raises the likelihood that she never made it home and she fell victim to someone who pulled over or gave her a ride under the guise of helping her once she was stranded.

This is interesting. Thanks for passing this along!

I have to assume that employees cars were either monitored by security guards or by video surveillance. If they were not, I wonder if that was checked up on by law enforcement?

What I do not understand is why he was eliminated. The detective working the case said in the segment that they eliminated him after they were comfortable with his answers to their questions. Uh, ok. Weird reason to eliminate him in my opinion. I'm not saying he did it, but it seems like there could have been more than just love letters going on here.

I've always assumed they looked into an alibi, and it was airtight. There's no way they would've just ruled him out after he answered a few questions. Unless they were in the typical tunnel vision, and were trying to pin it on Wayne.

I've always assumed they looked into an alibi, and it was airtight. There's no way they would've just ruled him out after he answered a few questions. Unless they were in the typical tunnel vision, and were trying to pin it on Wayne.

Could be. There are quite a few interesting comments for this case on the Unsolved.com message board. Among them, one comment states that this admirer was a relative of an HPD detective. Who knows if its true, but figured I would pass it along on here.

Could be. There are quite a few interesting comments for this case on the Unsolved.com message board. Among them, one comment states that this admirer was a relative of an HPD detective. Who knows if its true, but figured I would pass it along on here.

By all means make sure you pass along unsubstantiated gossip. Talk about irresponsible. It's the kind of gossip I'd forgive a child for spreading, not a supposed adult

By all means make sure you pass along unsubstantiated gossip. Talk about irresponsible. It's the kind of gossip I'd forgive a child for spreading, not a supposed adult

Three days ago you made a post implying anyone in a pool hall late at a night is probably doing a drug deal, but let's not pass along unsubstantiated information.

Three days ago you made a post implying anyone in a pool hall late at a night is probably doing a drug deal, but let's not pass along unsubstantiated information.

His lifestyle would indicate something along those lines. Where does a police detective protecting a suspect come in anywhere in this case? It's a statement that could be completely made up. If u want to play those games, go ahead. Anyone can me up stories like that

His lifestyle would indicate something along those lines. Where does a police detective protecting a suspect come in anywhere in this case? It's a statement that could be completely made up. If u want to play those games, go ahead. Anyone can me up stories like that

Such as? Being a guy in his 20s who stayed out late with his friends? To my knowledge, Wayne Hecker had no run-ins with the law either before or after Tara's disappearance.

By all means make sure you pass along unsubstantiated gossip. Talk about irresponsible. It's the kind of gossip I'd forgive a child for spreading, not a supposed adult

For someone who claims to be a licensed PI "on the side", you sure are coming off nothing like this "supposed adult" attitude you mention.

By all means make sure you pass along unsubstantiated gossip. Talk about irresponsible. It's the kind of gossip I'd forgive a child for spreading, not a supposed adult


:crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy:

For someone who claims to be a licensed PI "on the side", you sure are coming off nothing like this "supposed adult" attitude you mention.

You're absolutely correct. How childish of me to call nonsense on the spreading of a rumor that has zero veracity. A rumor which slanders a detective and a police force. :wave:

You're absolutely correct. How childish of me to call nonsense on the spreading of a rumor that has zero veracity. A rumor which slanders a detective and a police force. :wave:

Kind of like how you slandered Corning glass works in the Dale Kerstetter thread.

Kind of like how you slandered Corning glass works in the Dale Kerstetter thread.


Boom. Roasted.

Kind of like how you slandered Corning glass works in the Dale Kerstetter thread.

And multiple people on these boards by calling us mentally ill for continuing to discuss some of the older cases.

Kind of like how you slandered Corning glass works in the Dale Kerstetter thread.

I stand by my statement of Corning 100%. Numerous employee statements to support what I said.

And multiple people on these boards by calling us mentally ill for continuing to discuss some of the older cases.

Name 1 person I called out directly? I made a statement about a certain element of posters who have posted hundreds of posts on a single topic. If someone feels they fit into that category, oh well. Im entitled to my opinion. I did not name anyone specifically. You need to get a clue.

Let's just focus on the facts, guys...

Tara's parents have since died, as well as a brother, Timothy. Here's their obituaries:

Darrell (her dad): http://www.inremembrance.org/texas/del-rio/darrell-breckenridge/57306

Betty (her mom): https://prod2.meaningfulfunerals.net/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=4027760&fh_id=14259

Timothy (her brother): http://delrionewsherald.com/obituaries/article_988192e8-189c-547f-8934-c1496fe26536.html

Wayne left the pool hall at the same time Tara got off work early. The clubs close at 2am Tara got off at 12:30 Wayne was gone for an hour and 45 minutes and came back as the bar was closing. So Tara calls him to tell him she is leaving early say about 12:15. Which is when Wayne leaves the pool hall. Tara goes to the locker room changes her clothes, logs out...12:30. Coincidence they leave at the same time? I don't think so.

And how about the reward money. The club raised $10,000 for information for Tara and Wayne went to the club within 3 months and asked if he could have it because without Tara's income he cant make ends meet. So he has given up looking for her, why? There is only one reason to stop looking for someone, because you know where they are.

The police said to me: Wayne always calls the club frantically looking for Tara if shes not home within a matter of minutes. Would I know any reason why on this night he didn't? I said no.

Wayne is dead. I'm glad. The hurricane ripped Houston apart, I'm hoping it will disclose where Tara is, as the police suspect her body is at a construction site wayne may have worked at. May we find her and bring peace to her and her family.

Wayne left the pool hall at the same time Tara got off work early. The clubs close at 2am Tara got off at 12:30 Wayne was gone for an hour and 45 minutes and came back as the bar was closing. So Tara calls him to tell him she is leaving early say about 12:15. Which is when Wayne leaves the pool hall. Tara goes to the locker room changes her clothes, logs out...12:30. Coincidence they leave at the same time? I don't think so.

And how about the reward money. The club raised $10,000 for information for Tara and Wayne went to the club within 3 months and asked if he could have it because without Tara's income he cant make ends meet. So he has given up looking for her, why? There is only one reason to stop looking for someone, because you know where they are.

The police said to me: Wayne always calls the club frantically looking for Tara if shes not home within a matter of minutes. Would I know any reason why on this night he didn't? I said no.

Wayne is dead. I'm glad. The hurricane ripped Houston apart, I'm hoping it will disclose where Tara is, as the police suspect her body is at a construction site wayne may have worked at. May we find her and bring peace to her and her family.

I assume you are a friend of Tara's or her family?

Yes a friend and a dancer at the club. I posted earlier in the thread if you read it.

Wayne died of cancer? Awful. What were his last days like?

Wayne died of cancer? Awful. What were his last days like?

Sure he was a pain in the neck.

I haven't been able to find an obituary for Wayne Hecker around the time people are saying he died. Anyone want to clarify with some proof?

Pretty obvious he did it-he was fifteen minutes away, he just happened to be the one to find her abandoned vehicle & report it to the cops. Asked if he did it he invoked God rather than answering, his attitude was prove it rather than I didn't do it, I found his comment that he loved her to death telling & that this is exactly what happened-he got jealous of her being in that environment, jealous of her admirer & was also likely pissed that she made more money than him-they got into an argument & he killed her in the heat of the moment, then buried her somewhere-possibly the construction site mentioned. The admirer thing was kind of funny-you had this supposed high roller who was illiterate, as he couldn't spell something as basic as marry.

after watching this segment many times on Amazon I am left to wonder what problems that Tara and Wayne were having. Her mother says that she wished Tara would leave him without talking. Usually those types of separations are because of domestic violence. if that is the case it would change my outlook on this case.

Pretty obvious he did it-he was fifteen minutes away, he just happened to be the one to find her abandoned vehicle & report it to the cops. Asked if he did it he invoked God rather than answering, his attitude was prove it rather than I didn't do it, I found his comment that he loved her to death telling & that this is exactly what happened-he got jealous of her being in that environment, jealous of her admirer & was also likely pissed that she made more money than him-they got into an argument & he killed her in the heat of the moment, then buried her somewhere-possibly the construction site mentioned.
His answer, more like a rant, to the question was one of the most bizarre moments in UM history for me. It's almost as if he was upset that he had to answer that question. and his comments "she was working at those types of places when I met her" he just comes off as a jerk and a loser when you consider she was supporting him. I do wonder if there was violence in their relationship.

His answer, more like a rant, to the question was one of the most bizarre moments in UM history for me. It's almost as if he was upset that he had to answer that question. and his comments "she was working at those types of places when I met her" he just comes off as a jerk and a loser when you consider she was supporting him. I do wonder if there was violence in their relationship.

Almost certainly, another guy with double standards-he met her while he was in a titty bar, but didn't like her working in one. No idea what the attraction was that she would stay with him for three years-maybe they had a shared drug habit or something-from looking around some people who claim to have know them say he was dealing cocaine. Typical story-girl heads for the bright lights & has dreams of making it big, but reality bites & she ended up with money problems & spends three years doing what was probably originally going to be a few months of work to sort herself out.

Wonder what her photography dream was & why she couldn't make it in that field? Usually they want to be models or film stars, but it sounds more like she wanted to be behind the camera-which should have been more attainable. Yeah the guy was decent looking, but it wasn't like he was Tom Cruise or anything & you would have thought the infatuation would have worn off pretty fast, as would the desire to carry on serving drinks in a strip club for years on end. One possibility is although she didn't dance did she escort on the side via the club & perhaps that is why she stayed there? If she was & Wayne found out about her sideline that could have tipped him over the edge.

I struggled for a long time over the location of where Tara's car was found. There's no logical reason for her to pull over to the side of the freeway. She didn't have a flat tire, she hadn't run out of gas, and there was nothing wrong with the car itself. I don't see her picking up a hitchhiker and since this was pre cell phone era, she wouldn't have been called to meet there.

Wayne had to have driven her car there and dropped it off himself. Then he conveniently is the first person to "find" her car at 7:00 a.m.

All signs point to him. Only thing I ever struggled with in regards to him was the fact that killing Tara would mean killing off his financial support since he wasn't working at the time. They weren't married. There was absolutely nothing to gain financially from killing her and hiding her somewhere.

Only thing I ever struggled with in regards to him was the fact that killing Tara would mean killing off his financial support since he wasn't working at the time. They weren't married. There was absolutely nothing to gain financially from killing her and hiding her somewhere.

That’s just one of several reasons as to why I don’t think he had anything to do with her disappearance. I’ve posted about this case in depth on here before though, so no need for me to rehash.

I struggled for a long time over the location of where Tara's car was found. There's no logical reason for her to pull over to the side of the freeway. She didn't have a flat tire, she hadn't run out of gas, and there was nothing wrong with the car itself. I don't see her picking up a hitchhiker and since this was pre cell phone era, she wouldn't have been called to meet there.

Wayne had to have driven her car there and dropped it off himself. Then he conveniently is the first person to "find" her car at 7:00 a.m.

All signs point to him. Only thing I ever struggled with in regards to him was the fact that killing Tara would mean killing off his financial support since he wasn't working at the time. They weren't married. There was absolutely nothing to gain financially from killing her and hiding her somewhere.

Allegedly he was dealing cocaine at bars by this point-if so then he would have a very steady high income. Even if he wasn't passion usually overrides logical thought processes in murders.

I struggled for a long time over the location of where Tara's car was found. There's no logical reason for her to pull over to the side of the freeway. She didn't have a flat tire, she hadn't run out of gas, and there was nothing wrong with the car itself. I don't see her picking up a hitchhiker and since this was pre cell phone era, she wouldn't have been called to meet there.

Wayne had to have driven her car there and dropped it off himself. Then he conveniently is the first person to "find" her car at 7:00 a.m.

All signs point to him. Only thing I ever struggled with in regards to him was the fact that killing Tara would mean killing off his financial support since he wasn't working at the time. They weren't married. There was absolutely nothing to gain financially from killing her and hiding her somewhere.
yeah for me this one is tough. today I am more suspect of his actions, but often I thought he was just a poor interview.

I don't think that finances would have mattered in this case but that's just my opinion.

Loop 610 is not a place that someone would want to pull over on the side outside of auto failure. and no one would have picked up a hitchhiker...especially there in those days. the only thing I would think is that she left the car there to throw people off or the killer/abductor would have ditched the car there because they wanted it to be found. it's not beyond possible that someone knew of her and his problems and took advantage. someone other than the person mentioned in the segment...

I don't think Wayne is guilty.

Tara's alternator belt was missing. That could be a red herring in this case. If the belt wore over time and fell off, that would slowly drain her battery (possibly without her even knowing there was anything wrong with her car). It's possible that her car died that night due to the belt being missing. If the belt wasn't removed for nefarious reasons, that would mean she would have left her car and walked to a pay phone for help. The only wrench in this theory is that she left her mace behind in her car. IMO, she was picked up by someone she knew, or someone that she would trust (police officer, tow truck driver). If the belt was missing just by pure happenstance, and her car died that night, I don't see how Wayne would have known this and been able to locate her. Same for her leaving early that night. Wayne had no way of knowing that she was leaving early, since according to witnesses, he was gone from the pool hall at midnight. Tara didn't leave the club until 12:30-1:00 a.m.

I think her car legitimately died, and she hitched a ride with her killer.

I don't think Wayne is guilty.

Tara's alternator belt was missing. That could be a red herring in this case. If the belt wore over time and fell off, that would slowly drain her battery (possibly without her even knowing there was anything wrong with her car). It's possible that her car died that night due to the belt being missing. If the belt wasn't removed for nefarious reasons, that would mean she would have left her car and walked to a pay phone for help. The only wrench in this theory is that she left her mace behind in her car. IMO, she was picked up by someone she knew, or someone that she would trust (police officer, tow truck driver). If the belt was missing just by pure happenstance, and her car died that night, I don't see how Wayne would have known this and been able to locate her. Same for her leaving early that night. Wayne had no way of knowing that she was leaving early, since according to witnesses, he was gone from the pool hall at midnight. Tara didn't leave the club until 12:30-1:00 a.m.

I think her car legitimately died, and she hitched a ride with her killer.

I did not know of the alternator belt. If it blew on the highway it’s possible yes she drained her battery. That would make sense of why she couldn’t put on her e lights. It’s possible someone stopped to help her and she would have been inclined to take the help. That is a busy stretch of highway and Houston in those days had a serious violent crime problem especially the southwest side outer loop.

I've been through a few alternator belts in my day. Never had one fall out of the engine entirely. They've always broken but are not loose enough to drop. That made me think that it was deliberate. I could be wrong though.

I don't think Wayne is guilty.

Tara's alternator belt was missing. That could be a red herring in this case. If the belt wore over time and fell off, that would slowly drain her battery (possibly without her even knowing there was anything wrong with her car). It's possible that her car died that night due to the belt being missing. If the belt wasn't removed for nefarious reasons, that would mean she would have left her car and walked to a pay phone for help. The only wrench in this theory is that she left her mace behind in her car. IMO, she was picked up by someone she knew, or someone that she would trust (police officer, tow truck driver). If the belt was missing just by pure happenstance, and her car died that night, I don't see how Wayne would have known this and been able to locate her. Same for her leaving early that night. Wayne had no way of knowing that she was leaving early, since according to witnesses, he was gone from the pool hall at midnight. Tara didn't leave the club until 12:30-1:00 a.m.

I think her car legitimately died, and she hitched a ride with her killer.

An alternator belt actually slipped out of my friend's car when we were in high school. I think it's very possible she was driving around for quite some time without an alternator belt and it finally happened to die that night.

Do we know if the car worked the day it was found? Posters here that claimed to have known Tara say it worked fine, but is there an article or something in the Unsolved segment that told us otherwise?

I've been through a few alternator belts in my day. Never had one fall out of the engine entirely. They've always broken but are not loose enough to drop. That made me think that it was deliberate. I could be wrong though.

Eh...it can happen. Especially the older style v-belts. I'm not going to say it happens 100% of the time, but it can and does, sometimes.

I don't think Wayne finding Tara's car before anyone else is particularly suspicious. Nobody else knew Tara was missing at 7 am aside from Wayne and his friend by all accounts, so it stands to reason no one else was looking for her car besides those two. Somebody who was very familiar with that particular car would be in a good position to readily sight it parked on a street, or left off the side of the road.

It's just an opinion of mine, but I kind of feel like this segment might have had a lot of mountains-out-of-molehills moments. So Tara opted to go home early. So she didn't say goodnight to the doorman. Maybe she had a pounding headache. Maybe she was sick of the club patrons. Maybe Wayne said something irritating earlier that day. Maybe she just wanted to go home and go to sleep. Who knows.

Wayne's stammering "I'm waiting on an answer from the Lord" spiel is odd, but is it any less awkward than Tim McClure's nervous responses--and plenty of folks here on the board think he's innocent.

An alternator belt actually slipped out of my friend's car when we were in high school. I think it's very possible she was driving around for quite some time without an alternator belt and it finally happened to die that night.

I think this is another point in favor of Wayne's innocence. If he cut her belt to drain the battery, that would mean he had her murder haphazardly planned out in advance. Because the battery would have drained over time and it would have taken longer than one day for the battery to be dead. Meaning Wayne would have no way of knowing when her car would break down. It's too unpredictable.

It's just an opinion of mine, but I kind of feel like this segment might have had a lot of mountains-out-of-molehills moments. So Tara opted to go home early. So she didn't say goodnight to the doorman. Maybe she had a pounding headache. Maybe she was sick of the club patrons. Maybe Wayne said something irritating earlier that day. Maybe she just wanted to go home and go to sleep. Who knows.

Wayne's stammering "I'm waiting on an answer from the Lord" spiel is odd, but is it any less awkward than Tim McClure's nervous responses--and plenty of folks here on the board think he's innocent.

Agreed on all points. I think I've said it before, but I've always took Wayne's "I answer to the Lord" somewhat insolent response as the guy being asked, repeatedly, if he was responsible for Tara's disappearance and that his terse reply was him being frustrated with having people ask him that over and over and that he didn't need to answer to anyone. Either way I think both his response and McClure's "holy spirit" remarks were definitely overblown and have no bearing on either case.

Let's assume Hecker is guilty for a second. There's no doubt in my mind he would have had to have had an accomplice to help him pull this off. Here's why:

-Tara left the club at 1:00 a.m. and told everyone she was going home. Her coworkers said that when she volunteered to leave early that this was very uncharacteristic of her. Maybe she was in a bad mood that day, or perhaps she and Hecker had got into an argument. Who knows?
-I'm going to assume that Tara would have phoned Hecker to let him know she was off, since no one from the pool hall said that they saw Tara arrive and talk to Hecker.
-According to UM, Hecker left the pool hall around midnight and wasn't seen again until 1:45 a.m. If this is true, that would only give Hecker less than 45 minutes to pull this crime off since Tara did not leave her job until 1:00 a.m.
-Tara would have presumeably came home and got into a fight with Hecker, and then he would have subsequently killed her most likely after an argument. I don't think he went to the club, then waited close by, only to follow Tara and get her to pull over and then abduct and kill her. He would have no reason to do this, he simply could have waited until she got home.
-Which brings up the possibility that Hecker tampered with her car by cutting the alternator belt making the car malfunction/stall. But again, why would he do this if he and Tara were living together? And it's not like it would be that difficult for Hecker to have gotten Tara to pull her car over since they were dating each other and living together! Cutting the belt just seems like such a pointless thing for Hecker to do, IMO.
-If the actual murder did occur at their apartment and Hecker took Tara's body and her car out to dispose of each, just how did he get back to the pool hall? Her car was found 3 miles away from the club she worked. The pool hall was 15 miles away from where Tara worked. So how in the hell did Hecker get back to the pool hall after abandoning Tara's car? Which brings up the accomplice/help theory. The only way Hecker would have been able to get back to the pool hall in that small time frame would have been to have gotten a ride from someone.

Come to think of it, the more I think about it the less likely Hecker seems to be guilty. The accomplice scenario is an attractive one, but I don't find this likely at all. Had Hecker killed Tara on the spur of the moment in some sort of rage, then disposed of her body and her car, then hiked to a payphone to phone someone at the pool hall for a ride, don't you think all of this would have taken longer than 45 minutes? Even if Hecker had this whole thing planned and someone else knew about it who helpd dispose of her body, what motive would this person have in aiding Hecker? Not to mention that there was never any evidence uncovered hinting at an accomplice. The only conceivable scenario in which Hecker is guilty (that actually makes sense and seems logical) would be that Tara left the club and legitimately had car trouble that night and she phoned Hecker who came to her aide but then killed her shortly after. What exactly could have happened in that small window of time to set Hecker over the edge and make him kill Tara? And if Hecker did come to pick up Tara since she was having car trouble, that would mean that her car trouble would have started sometime after 1:00 a.m. (when she left the club to go home). She would have then had to have phoned Hecker for help and if she walked to a payphone this would have meant even more time. Then Hecker would have arrived, picked her up, killed her for some unknown reason, then hide her body so well that it has never been found, all in time to make it back to the pool hall by 1:45 a.m. He even would have been brazen enough to report her missing the next morning.

So all in all, I think this is just as likley a random serial killer targeting Tara when he saw that she had car trouble on the side of the road. Probably offered her a lift and then killed her. I will say this again though, the admirerer of Tara wrote some pretty creepy notes to her about being "very excited that you'll marrie me." Very bizarre if you ask me. His actions seem more suspect IMHO than Hecker's arrogant demeanor in his UM interview.

I read from pg 17 all the way back to pg 9 (where I found this reply) and this really seals the deal for me. I'm not going to dismiss what others here have said about Wayne - he could've indeed been jealous, controlling abusive etc - but it seems highly improbable he could've killed Tara, disposed of the body (in such a way as to keep it hidden for 25+ yrs now) and covered his tracks without slipping up somewhere, especially if this was not pre-meditated and given the time constraints as reported.

I read from pg 17 all the way back to pg 9 (where I found this reply) and this really seals the deal for me. I'm not going to dismiss what others here have said about Wayne - he could've indeed been jealous, controlling abusive etc - but it seems highly improbable he could've killed Tara, disposed of the body (in such a way as to keep it hidden for 25+ yrs now) and covered his tracks without slipping up somewhere, especially if this was not pre-meditated and given the time constraints as reported.

I haven't seen the segment in quite some time, but was the random attack angle ever even considered? Or was it just Hecker and the infatuated customer?

I haven't seen the segment in quite some time, but was the random attack angle ever even considered? Or was it just Hecker and the infatuated customer?

It was 2/3rds Hecker and 1/3rd the infatuated customer (which I don't think they ever established an alibi for? watched the lifetime version of the segment)

I don't recall there being any mention of a random act of violence. everything seemed to center around the club and Wayne's whereabouts. I do think that if she had a vehicle breakdown, it is likely she was abducted by a stranger. there doesn't seem to be any mention of the vehicle having problems (in the segment) but as we know sometimes they leave out details like that.

I don't recall there being any mention of a random act of violence. everything seemed to center around the club and Wayne's whereabouts. I do think that if she had a vehicle breakdown, it is likely she was abducted by a stranger. there doesn't seem to be any mention of the vehicle having problems (in the segment) but as we know sometimes they leave out details like that.

I believe they mention the broken fan belt in the segment, and other reports on the case state that her alternator was missing. I still think she pulled over and tried to get to a callbox and was abducted/offered a ride by someone she recognized. But I do find it strange she left her mace in the car in that scenario. You would think she would have taken the mace with her on the way to the callbox or getting into a car--unless she recognized and trusted the person. As odd as Wayne's interview is, I don't think it was him. He didn't have a lot of time in his absence from the pool hall, and whatever happened to Tara she hasn't been found to this day. It just doesn't seem like he would have had the opportunity to do it and get away with the evidence so well.

Also, she usually never left work early and she goes missing the one day she changes her routine. Wayne wouldn't have known that Tara was leaving early, as they were only letting people go early since it was slow that night; Tara had never before volunteered to do it. Could it have been sabotage on her car? Possibly, but the abductor would have had to have been lying in wait. I lean toward a stranger abduction. It could have even been a customer who had been friendly in the past, and she thought it could be okay to step out of the car and trust him.