Tami Faye Kowalchuk was 17 when she was last seen in Tacoma, Washington, around Christmas of 1999. Described as a white female, 5 feet tall, about 100 pounds, with blonde hair, blue eyes and a teardrop tattoo under her right eye, reports differ on the exact last sighting: some records give December 25, 1999, while other accounts place her getting into a small white car outside her family’s home on December 26. That same evening she phoned her mother saying she was with a truck driver known as Tony and asked to gather clothes to go on a long-haul trip; her mother refused and told her to return for a 10:00 p.m. court-ordered curfew. Tami never returned and was not reported missing until 2004 because of a history of running away.

Tami had documented struggles before she vanished, including ADHD, behavioral issues, expulsions, prior runaways, methamphetamine use and involvement in sex work. She had recently been released from Echo Glen Children’s Center, where she had reportedly shown improvement. The Tacoma Police Department treats the case as open and cold; investigators have considered both runaway and foul-play possibilities. Her information is listed with national missing-person systems and age-progressed images have been circulated.

Does anyone who knew Tami, Tony, or who was in Tacoma that Christmas season have information that could help bring clarity to her disappearance?