Tami Lynn Leppert

[bigted12]

Originally Posted by dynoguy88

Her mother didn’t hint anything about watching the death scene on Scarface. It was verified by the director and others on set that she was there watching the scene get filmed. She had the breakdown immediately and then the director contacted Walter Liebowitz, the family friend Tammy was staying with in Miami while filming. Tammi had to be escorted to a trailer. That’s where Walter came to pick her up. She quit the film and went home.

The death scene in question happened on the fourth day of filming. All had gone well up to that point. Tammi’s part was recast with another bikini blonde (the woman who slaps Vinny next to the swimming pool and calls him a pig later in the movie.) It’s not uncommon for actors to be on set watching scenes get filmed that don’t involve them. Movies in particular have weird schedules where even the smallest part needs to be ready at a certain time.

I don’t question the breakdowns, whether they were PTSD related or not. But in the end, my gut still tells me her fate ended up being nothing more than wrong place and wrong time. I can see why the seven months leading up to her disappearance sound notable but it just didn’t end up mattering in the end. If she had ended up coming home that day with the friend who had picked her up, there still would have been major mental issues to deal with.

What you've said reminds me a lot of many of the theories when it comes to Blair Adams.

Blair was clearly paranoid, he was obviously fleeing from someone or something, imaginary or not. but the thing is, he just happened to get murdered.

So was Blair right? was the person he was fleeing from catch up with him and kill him? or was it a strange coincidence which has nothing to do with his paranoia?

According to Tammys mother, Tammy said "he's trying to kill me" and "if he kills me i want you to get revenge"

So Tammy here is predicting her murder, because not long later, according to your theory and actually most theories... she gets out of that car after an argument and one way or another is murdered.

I personally believe that her paranoia was brought on by a one off time she took LSD or something, it messed with her mental health, which lead to the episodes and later put her in danger when she got out of the car, or could even still be out there..

But yeah, what you're saying isn't impossible.. but i dunno how probable it is..

[blacksymbiote]

Part of me thinks that she may have met with foul play, but the other part thinks she just never wanted to be found. Makes me wonder what the likelihood of the phone calls saying she was fine and studying to be a nurse were legit.

[tvscript124]

Originally Posted by blacksymbiote

Part of me thinks that she may have met with foul play, but the other part thinks she just never wanted to be found. Makes me wonder what the likelihood of the phone calls saying she was fine and studying to be a nurse were legit.

Unfortunately, the more time passes, the more we'll never know. If she were alive today she'd be 60. I hope she is alive, but wouldn't there have been some trace of her by now?

[XCalibur]

Originally Posted by blacksymbiote

Part of me thinks that she may have met with foul play, but the other part thinks she just never wanted to be found. Makes me wonder what the likelihood of the phone calls saying she was fine and studying to be a nurse were legit.

doubtful. Her mom has been deceased for many years. There is zero reason for her to hide anymore. And from what I understand she has younger siblings who have been looking for her for a long time. Why keep them guessing? Even if she wants nothing to do with them why not just notify someone she is okay and to stop looking? Given what we know about Tammy, I doubt she was vindictive enough to just let them wonder for years what happened to her. Is it possible? Sure. Likely? I highly doubt it.

[TheCars1986]

Originally Posted by dynoguy88

Her mother didn’t hint anything about watching the death scene on Scarface. It was verified by the director and others on set that she was there watching the scene get filmed. She had the breakdown immediately and then the director contacted Walter Liebowitz, the family friend Tammy was staying with in Miami while filming. Tammi had to be escorted to a trailer. That’s where Walter came to pick her up. She quit the film and went home.

I stand corrected. And I still think this particular scene had absolutely nothing to do with her disappearance, nor her "breakdown" or fear of someone out trying to kill her. Her mother had her talk to the police, but she never mentioned any threats on her life. These psychological issues also started after she filmed Spring Break. Her behavior changed after the wrap party. I would wager at this party someone gave her mind altering drugs, which increases the risk of childhood schizophrenia. Her behavior after this party fits schizophrenia symptoms. I do not buy that she knew someone who was involved with organized crime.

Originally Posted by dynoguy88

I don’t question the breakdowns, whether they were PTSD related or not. But in the end, my gut still tells me her fate ended up being nothing more than wrong place and wrong time. I can see why the seven months leading up to her disappearance sound notable but it just didn’t end up mattering in the end. If she had ended up coming home that day with the friend who had picked her up, there still would have been major mental issues to deal with.

I don't question the validity of her mental issues at all. I just don't believe that they are related to her disappearance, other than possibly trusting someone she shouldn't have to give her a ride to Ft. Lauderdale. The other wrench in this case is that a woman called the police 2 years after she disappeared and said that Tami was alive and studying to become a nurse. Which opens up 3 possibilities, IMO: caller was a crank, caller was involved with her disappearance or knew who was responsible, or Tami was in fact alive in 1985.

[bigted12]

Originally Posted by tvscript124

Unfortunately, the more time passes, the more we'll never know. If she were alive today she'd be 60. I hope she is alive, but wouldn't there have been some trace of her by now?

I'm not against the idea that she's still alive, someone once claimed that she just drifted away and later became a prostitute.

UM was full of cases where someone because of mental health problems or whatever just vanished... theres the case of patricia meehan..

It is possible that her disapparance has nothing to do with her strange behavior, but it's hard for me to believe that. all things being normal after that argument, freakout or whatever you want to call it in the car, Tammy would have just taken the bus home, she had that pretty privilege where she could have walked into the bank or wherever and said "i'm stranded, i have no money.." and you know someone is "lending" her 20 bucks!

So something was impeding her from going home, it might be easy to say she ran away, but you don't choose a situation like that, a friend picking you up, no shoes, no purse... to decide to run away. she could have at any time took some clothes, a bag, her purse.. and left. but she didnt....

It's a strange concept for me that a girl who was paranoid about being murdered gets let out of a car, then just happens to try and hitch a ride with a killer of all people who kills her and 42 years on, no sign of her body...

Maybe she did just walk off that day, impaired by mental health problems, maybe she had problems remembering who she was, where she lived...and just became another faceless person and she could have become a prostitute to be able to survive.

but as for studying medicine and wanting to be a nurse..she would have needed all kinds of ID, security checks and references...this is a very famous case, tammy lynn lampert isn't a common name. if you've got a blonde nurse with that name around florida or anywhere in the US, then enough people know the case to identify her. but nobody has.

Something stopped her from going home that day, i'm not 100% against the theory that someone killed her, but the level of coincidence that someone who was paranoid about being murdered would just happen to get into a strangers car or bump into a killer.. is too much for me.

her mental health problems are the reason she never made it home. one way or another.

[blacksymbiote]

It's possible she's deceased by now without any foul play involved. If she did manage to change her identity and died with a fake name and no strange circumstances, then it's possible they may never know.

[StackTime]

I think we make too much of it. One conspiracy or another, the mother to blame, Scarface, cocaine, murder witness, Mickey Rourke, prostitution....

Her mental health issues left her about as vulnerable as one could be alone on the streets. This vulnerability ultimately resulted in her demise one way or another - foul play, suicide, exposure to the elements/animals.

In some ways it reminds me of Elisa Lam, just without the social media, more thoroughly documented psychiatric history, and discovery of the body.

[tvscript124]

Originally Posted by StackTime

I think we make too much of it. One conspiracy or another, the mother to blame, Scarface, cocaine, murder witness, Mickey Rourke, prostitution....

Her mental health issues left her about as vulnerable as one could be alone on the streets. This vulnerability ultimately resulted in her demise one way or another - foul play, suicide, exposure to the elements/animals.

In some ways it reminds me of Elisa Lam, just without the social media, more thoroughly documented psychiatric history, and discovery of the body.

Whatever the cause of her mental health issues--drugs, paranoid schizophrenia (even though it doesn't just suddenly come on like that), or anything else--she was definitely vulnerable...and somehow she just wandered off like Patricia Meehan and some of the other missing women profiled, then met a tragic end. It's a truly sad case.

[XCalibur]

Originally Posted by bigted12

Maybe you're right, maybe it's like the sneha anne philip case and it's easy to get distracted by the things going on at work and in her social life when she was pretty certainly a victim of 911.

The thing is though, do we have any evidence that tammy was scared of blood? or is it just something that someone has invented trying to make a theory fit? and if she was afraid of fake blood, then having her to do a couple of scenes on a movie like scarface is a bizarre choice!

But lets pretend that this plucked out of thin air "fact" is correct and she was scared of fake blood, according to leibowitz she was hystrical in a trailer talking about money laundering and "where will i hide?"

The poster above me will claim that leibowitz lied... but why would he? he claims that tammy was talking about money laundring, what benefit does that have for leibowitz? so if she was frantic and hysterical crying about money laundering and "where will i hide?" whats the relation between that and seeing fake blood? none, it makes no sense.

so she was clearly suffering from some level of mental illness.

UM was full of cases where somebody maybe due to mental illness "episodes" just wandered off right? what was the case where a woman crashed her car and then walked off down the freeway never to be seen again, or the woman who appeared in a town not knowing who she was?

I don't have any reason to doubt the mother and wing, the poster above me claims that a 12 year old wing was in cahoots with the mother and they both lied to keep tammy raking in those millions from her role as an extra...

but i don't have any real reason to doubt them, if tammy was believing that a van was outside stalking her, bizarre rants about money laundering, having wing taste her mothers cooking scared it was poisoned and this 180 change after the party then it's very reasonable to think this has something to do with her disapparance.

she'd have to be very very very very unlucky to get out of that car after the argument and just happen to hitch a ride with a killer, or get to fort lauderdale and just happen to run into a killer...

maybe she did. but if her mental state was what we're told it was, that could have been the main reason.

i mean a girl so scared of fake blood! but is brave enough to get into a strangers car? thats a stretch.

Isn't anyone who runs into a killer unlucky? But it does happen. And with all the perverted creeps like Christopher Wilder running around, coupled with the fact Tammy was easy on the eyes, it increases the odds even more.

As to her getting into a stranger's car, we don't even know that she did willingly. She could have been abducted or grabbed depending on where she was. No one saw her after she was dropped off at the convenience store so far as I know, but we do know she made three calls to her aunt and another relative.

I personally think its less likely she ran away without taking more things with her, and that she hasn't surfaced in all these years if she is alive. She pretty much disappeared off the face of the Earth, I've not even read of any sightings.

[Street Novelist]

I don't think filming Scarface had anything to do with her disappearance. I think she had severe mental illness that went undiagnosed. Who knows what happened? Ingest drugs that triggered a mental episode? Hitchhike with the wrong driver? We'll never know.

[bigted12]

Originally Posted by XCalibur

Isn't anyone who runs into a killer unlucky? But it does happen. And with all the perverted creeps like Christopher Wilder running around, coupled with the fact Tammy was easy on the eyes, it increases the odds even more.

As to her getting into a stranger's car, we don't even know that she did willingly. She could have been abducted or grabbed depending on where she was. No one saw her after she was dropped off at the convenience store so far as I know, but we do know she made three calls to her aunt and another relative.

I personally think its less likely she ran away without taking more things with her, and that she hasn't surfaced in all these years if she is alive. She pretty much disappeared off the face of the Earth, I've not even read of any sightings.

The thing is, if someone goes around saying "someone is trying to kill me" and then one of the next times this person is alone, they just happen to thumb a ride from a killer.. yeah i do think thats maybe a billion to one coincidence, i don't doubt theres evil people out there, but i dunno! i think it's a really easy way of trying to wrap this up.

it's over simplyifing it. like i said in my comment i don't believe it's impossible, but i think it's a way of just wrapping it up when it's not that probable.

If tammy was mentally stable she would have just caught the bus home, i agree with you when you say we've had no sightings of her, but then again, we haven't found a body either...

[Dogface82]

Originally Posted by bigted12

is it?!

So it's "legit" to believe that for whatever reason, Tammy was outside, they had locked her out and for some bizarre reason ignore her, thats when the vengeful 80lb beauty queen grabs a baseball bat and does a joe dimaggio on the window?! everyone of course deserving of such wrath...

As for your second point, we can in many instances and scenarios try to figure out what somebody was thinking, for example, if a woman goes missing after leaving her car... then more investigation into the case shows she was out of gas, then of course we can speculate that in a logical chain of events she thought and planned and tried walking to find a gas station and something could have happened to her...

100%

but what we can't do is pluck career plans out of thin air for somebody we've never met. if you had sat down with tammy way back in 83' and she expressed some level of boredem with showbiz and while talking her to saw brochures for berkley or georgetown on her kitchen table, or even anything smiliar. then i'd say "hey! maybe you're right!"

but although i love to come here and think and ask questions and wonder what happened in all these cases... to invent tammys career plans and tell us what she did and didn't like...you can't.

Maybe you have a perfect life. Have never been locked out accidently or on purpose. Perhaps someone always jumps up to cater to your whims.

The beauty queen life style did not exist where I grew up. When I went to live and work in the south I learned about it and the effects it had on people. Some thrived and loved it. Some were successful but couldn't wait to get away from it. It was stated Tammy was the sole source of income for her mother. That could well be true. Or she was the major source. Nobody but you said anything about "millions". Those beauty queen gigs like car or boat shows could bring in a lot of untaxed cash. I was the sole support of my family of 6 and I never made more than $100 a week before I was 18. I was locked out in the dead of winter. It was spiteful. I didn't break any windows, I kicked the door down. And my mother whined to the sheriff that I was crazy and should be locked up. He knew there were several people home and not one went to the door. He told her she got what she was asking for. Poor Tammy on the other hand was put under medical observation tested clean for drugs and alchohol. And didn't appear crazy to any of the staff. I can understand her frustration with an overbearing "stage mother". Even if Tammy was not effected by events at a party, even if there was no tension at home. When she was dropped off upset, with no money, shoeless or with just flipflops she was vulnerable. She didn't have to meet a serial killer. Any uncaring jerk willing to take advantage of her could be responsible for her dissapearance. Its been stated she made calls but not to her mother!

[bigted12]

Originally Posted by Dogface82

Maybe you have a perfect life. Have never been locked out accidently or on purpose. Perhaps someone always jumps up to cater to your whims.

The beauty queen life style did not exist where I grew up. When I went to live and work in the south I learned about it and the effects it had on people. Some thrived and loved it. Some were successful but couldn't wait to get away from it. It was stated Tammy was the sole source of income for her mother. That could well be true. Or she was the major source. Nobody but you said anything about "millions". Those beauty queen gigs like car or boat shows could bring in a lot of untaxed cash. I was the sole support of my family of 6 and I never made more than $100 a week before I was 18. I was locked out in the dead of winter. It was spiteful. I didn't break any windows, I kicked the door down. And my mother whined to the sheriff that I was crazy and should be locked up. He knew there were several people home and not one went to the door. He told her she got what she was asking for. Poor Tammy on the other hand was put under medical observation tested clean for drugs and alchohol. And didn't appear crazy to any of the staff. I can understand her frustration with an overbearing "stage mother". Even if Tammy was not effected by events at a party, even if there was no tension at home. When she was dropped off upset, with no money, shoeless or with just flipflops she was vulnerable. She didn't have to meet a serial killer. Any uncaring jerk willing to take advantage of her could be responsible for her dissapearance. Its been stated she made calls but not to her mother!

What a bizarre response...

Everyone at some point has been locked out, me included. it's not part of having a "a perfect life and everyone catering to my whims"

But what i didn't do is grab a baseball bat and smash the place up, to claim thats normal is just wierd.

Tammy wasn't her mothers only source of income, tammys mother ran a talent agency, wing being one of her cilents. by all accounts they did ok.

My theory is that she took something at the party, willingly or not, which messed with ther brain chemstry, and thats why she came back "a different person"

so of course the drugs wouldn't show when she was taken in for observation, it was about 5 or 6 days later, do you understand that drugs dont stay in your system forever and have whats called an "half-life" ?

over 20 years using forums like this and you might have just given me the most bizarre response to date.. impressive.

[Dogface82]

Originally Posted by bigted12

What a bizarre response...

Everyone at some point has been locked out, me included. it's not part of having a "a perfect life and everyone catering to my whims"

But what i didn't do is grab a baseball bat and smash the place up, to claim thats normal is just wierd.

Tammy wasn't her mothers only source of income, tammys mother ran a talent agency, wing being one of her cilents. by all accounts they did ok.

My theory is that she took something at the party, willingly or not, which messed with ther brain chemstry, and thats why she came back "a different person"

so of course the drugs wouldn't show when she was taken in for observation, it was about 5 or 6 days later, do you understand that drugs dont stay in your system forever and have whats called an "half-life" ?

over 20 years using forums like this and you might have just given me the most bizarre response to date.. impressive.

What is bizarre about accepting that another poster did independent research including reading the police report that Tammy only broke one window. The rampage was her mothers exaggeration! That account was repeated by unsolved mysteries with no verification.It was one of my favorite series but it was short on facts and long on mystery and "good television"

If you read and comprehended my posts you would realize I am in agreement that she was changed by events at or after the party. I am not a doctor so I am limited to speculation based on personal experience. LSD, Ketamine, pure grain alchohol, and barbituates are a few things that could have affected Tammy. She didn't necessarily have to go into a psychotic break or even have any other psych issues. Just getting drugged and having "lost time" with no hallucinations can seriously change someones outlook because trust and a degree of innocence is lost. I think lost trust with her mother, the people in the movie industry added to the "normal" stress of a young woman that age overwhelmed her. Unfortunately I think she came to a bad end before she could pull out of it.
I didn't know Tammy, I was too busy overseas in 1983. I did meet and talk with some young women during the 1970s-1980 who were looking for someone they could trust or even run away with. I was able to convince a few that getting married at 15, which was legal at the time, or running away was probably jumping from the frying pan into the fire.


Added:
Tammy's mother was a talent agent: Tammy and Wing seem to be her only or primary talent. How much income did Wing and the others generate? Tammy was in fact her primary source and maybe her only source of income. I did not want to get into the ugly speculation that Tammy's mother had her "committed" as a means of controlling her finances rather than concern for her well being. Tammy was 18, free to drop her and get another agent. Or change career paths. Leaving mom with no income!

You seem to be stuck on a very narrow theory based primarily on what Tammy's mother said.