Tammy Lynn Leppert was Rockledge, Florida’s golden girl. Born in 1965, she had a sparkle that drew everyone in. Her blonde hair and warm hazel eyes made her a pageant queen by age four, winning nearly 280 of 300 contests by her teens. At 13, she shone on the cover of CoverGirl magazine, her ticket to a bigger stage. Tammy adored the glitz, slipping into elegant gowns and feathered hats like she was born for it. Her mother, Linda Curtis, was her tireless supporter, driving her to events and celebrating every triumph with pride.
Tammy’s sights were set on Hollywood. Her debut in Little Darlings (1980) as a spirited party girl had locals buzzing about their hometown star. She dreamed of Oscars and rubbing elbows with legends like Burt Reynolds, telling reporters acting was her calling. In 1983, she landed a small but iconic role in Scarface, catching eyes as the bikini-clad girl in the chainsaw scene. That year, Spring Break featured her on its poster, her fame surging. But while Tammy’s star rose, something troubling stirred beneath the surface.
After filming Spring Break, Tammy went to a party alone. She returned shaken, her usual spark dimmed. Fear took hold; she believed someone was after her. While shooting Scarface in Miami, staying with family friend Walter Liebowitz, a crisis hit. A scene with fake blood overwhelmed her, leaving her in tears and needing to be calmed in a trailer. Walter urged her mom to seek help, unsure if Tammy’s terror was real or in her mind. Back in Rockledge, her paranoia deepened. She suspected poison in her meals, and her behavior grew erratic.
On July 1, 1983, Tammy’s turmoil erupted. She broke windows at home and clashed with a friend, Wing. Her mother, worried sick, had her admitted to Melbourne Mental Health for a three-day stay. Tests found no drugs, deepening the mystery. On July 6, Tammy left home, calling to her mom, “I’ll see you later!” A friend drove her to Cocoa Beach, where they fought. He dropped her off at the Glass Bank, five miles away, in a blue floral shirt, denim skirt, sandals, and with a gray purse. That was the last trace of her.
Detective Jim Skragg of the Cocoa Beach Police investigated. The friend said Tammy insisted on getting out after their argument. Some friends thought she might have left home to escape personal struggles. Whispers of her being barefoot or pregnant surfaced, but nothing was solid. Detective Harold Lewis later received two calls from a woman claiming Tammy was alive—one saying she’d call when ready, another that she was studying nursing. Neither panned out. Linda Curtis said Tammy feared the friend who drove her, but police found no evidence to pursue him.
Speculation grew. Did Tammy run from her fears, or was she taken? Police eyed Christopher Wilder, the “Beauty Queen Killer,” who preyed on models in 1984. Tammy fit his pattern, but no link was found. John Brennan Crutchley, the “Vampire Rapist,” was another suspect, but evidence was absent. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children offered an age-progressed image, yet answers eluded. Linda Curtis longed for closure, pleading for any lead until her death in 1995 from heart disease. Tammy’s case remains a haunting question mark, a local tragedy that lingers. Was it a breakdown, a disappearance by choice, or something sinister? Forty-two years on, Rockledge still hopes for the truth.
