THE SEARCH BEGINS

First posted September 11th, 2009

On the morning of Saturday, Sept. 19th, 1992, Tammy’s aunt, Vicki Larsen, with whom Tammy was living at the time, began her search for Tammy by calling Tammy’s place of employment.¹

When Larsen learned nobody had seen Tammy at work, she called Tammy’s friend Travis Novak, who also had not seen her. The last either of them knew, Tammy had gone out on homecoming eve with Eric Stukel. Larsen got Stukel’s phone number and the spelling of his last name from Novak.^1,2

Larsen then called Stukel, who told her that Tammy had left his house to walk home Thursday night, and that he had not seen her since.²  

Travis Novak, learning that Larsen was having no luck finding Tammy, called Tammy’s friend Marjo Swedeen, who was going to school in Vermillion, SD.¹

Concerned, Swedeen drove to Yankton to start searching for Tammy at local haunts, asking friends if they had seen or heard from Tammy.¹

Swedeen and Novak planned to meet up after he got off work that night, but before then Swedeen would arrive at a party being thrown by Dan Fitch in search of Tammy, at which she would learn that Stukel was in attendance, watching a movie, seemingly unconcerned about Tammy’s disappearance and unwilling to talk to Swedeen.¹

Swedeen linked up with Travis Novak after he got off work and told him about Stukel’s seeming indifference to Tammy’s disappearance. The decision then was made to confront Stukel directly the next day, which they would do.¹

WORKS CITED

1. Rothanzl, Lorna. “Friends Testify at Stukel Trial.” Yankton Press and Dakotan.  Oct. 2nd, 1996.

2. Rothanzl, Lorna. “Stukel Takes Stand: Prosecution Rests, Stukel Denies Knowledge Of Death.”  Yankton Press and Dakotan, Oct. 3, 1996