There has been a bit of hope surface in the case of missing student Tiffany Sessions, who went missing in Gainsville, FL in Feb. 1989. Gone without a trace. And there has been no trace ever since. Her mother, Hilary Sessions, has viewed more than 170 dead bodies in the 218 months (and unfortunately, still counting) since she disappeared. This is a long time for a parent to wait and hope for their child to come home. However, she has made the best of this time by helping children as the Director of Child Protection Education of America. She helps to educate children to avoid being abducted. I admire her for her strength through this.
The new development has come in the way of a “new person of interest”. I don’t know that he is considered a true suspect yet, but hopefully something will come of this. Agent Larry Ruby has been working on Tiffany’s case for the last 15 years. This person lived in the area at the time and was a delivery person who may have been around the apartment complex she lived at.
“He’s got kind of a violent history and he’s just a person that could commit a crime like this and let it roll of his shoulders and never look back,” says Ruby.Ruby says the man had a job back in February 1989 that would allow him to go to apartment complexes as a delivery man. Ruby says right now, he has not found evidence that the man knew Tiffany.“We don’t have anything that connects them together other than we’ve gotten information that he liked to cruise the campus and kind of check out the girls on campus,” says Ruby.
Ruby says that there is another suspect in this case:
Ruby says he’s not been able to rule out another man as a potential suspect either. Michael Knickerbocker, 41, is serving six consecutive life sentences for rapes in Gainesville and the 1989 rape and murder of a 12 year old girl in Starke.“We haven’t been able to associate him (Knickerbocker) to this crime and part of the reason is that we have no crime, no crime scene, no way we don’t really know what happened,” says Ruby.
Tiffany has now been missing for 18 years. At first I thought she might be a victim of Danny Rolling, but I don’t think anything came of that. I hope that one of these two leads will produce some kind of resolution to this. Her parents, friends and loved ones need to know. And Tiffany deserves justice.
News Archive: Missing Person – Tiffany Sessions
New Development in Tiffany Sessions Missing Person Case
This Day in History: Tiffany Sessions disappearance 2/9/89
Filed under: cold cases, high profile, missing person | Tagged: 1989, cold case, Florida, missing person, Tiffany Sessions |
Bonnie's Blog of Crime 
Rolling wasn’t in Florida in February 1989. His wereabouts are fairly well documented. He didn’t show up in Florida until the summer of 1990.
Also, Sessions doesn’t fit Rolling’s MO. She’s missing never found. Rolling liked to pose his victims where he killed them so that they would be found. He not only took great pleasure in sadistic acts but also wanted to display his work in ways that would cause terror. Look at the similiarities between the Grissom murders in Shreveport (Nov 4, 1989) and the Gainesville murders (Aug 24-Aug 27, 1990).
I truly hope that they find Session’s body so that the family can have some type of closure. Though, as we all know, there is little closure for the families and friends of murder victims.
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Rhiannon, YOU ARE SO INCORRECT! His DNA was found on Meg. I am a close friend of the family and we went to school together. How would you know? Your comment has brought up anger and pain. He did kill Tiffany. Just matter of time.
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Rebecca,
Are you saying that Tiffany was killed by Danny Rolling? Investigators have documented his whereabouts, and he was in Shreveport when Tiffany went missing. So, I believe he has been ruled out as a suspect. And who is Meg? I do not see a Meg as one of Danny Rollings’ victims.
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This is so sad thinking about how tiffanys family is taking this. Tis could of been anybody just think. Teach your children never walk alone. My heart goes out to this family.I am really sorry for your loss and i hope this wonderful young lady is found if not already. NEVER GIVE UP.
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I am curious about the DNA results. I am convinced that I am right and until the results are PUSHED FOR and an answer is given that says I was wrong I will continue to think I am right. Then if it is proven to be Tiffany the guessing game of WHO DID IT will be over because they caught the killer of this girl in the progress of disposing of yet another body. It was during his interrigation that he bragged about killing this girl. So the mystery of what happened to Tiffany Sessions could solved. The big question is what is the hold up?
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Did Tiffany wear pink once and a while? If she did I might be able to help shred some light on her disappearence.
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Rob,
You will need to contact Agent Larry Ruby to talk to him about this. The only number I have is (352) 367-4000.
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Does anyone know if Tiffany had a hair scrunchee in her hair at the time she disappeared? I may have a lead.
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Why don’t you get in touch with Larry Ruby.
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Has anyone checked out what Marti Miller said about Angus Rodney Groover?
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asco case#92-3588 Elizabeth Betsy Foster dob 11/09/70 was found beaten and dead in a shallow grave near the intersection of WILLISTON RD. and S us 441 on 3/26/92..Didn’t Tiffany Sessions tell her friend she was walking on Williston Rd? 2/9/89
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Yes, that is correct. Elizabeth “Betsy” Foster’s body was found, but Tiffany Sessions has never been found.
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I had never stopped thinking about this case.
Always hoping a breakthrough
Been such a long time
Anyone know if her Dad still alive?
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Last I heard he was.
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[…] The case is still very much unsolved though there are some leads here and there. […]
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Michael Knickerbocker doesn’t have me convinced he is involved…He could provide no details because there was no details…Nothing was ever positively indentified as the victims ever in his possesion…Maybe one day the truth will be revealed about what went on on SW 35th PL on the so called date of 2/9/89…The same street as the victims residence…
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Such a sad story. I remember and will never forget when it first happened. Never taught it could take so long. And still not solved. I feel for her father
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Well I will say one thing , from the looks of the street she was walking on it kinda makes sense that this guy if he was a delivery person , he could have recognized her and maybe even stopped on the side of the road and who knows maybe she recognized him from the deliveries in the complex , sparked up a conversation and lured her in the car and knocked her out. But if he did . Where is that car now and can they get any form of evidence or DNA from it. Also where EXACTLY was this guy living? Did they ever check the house or the back yard was it located near wooded land?? You can get dogs to sniff around at these places. Also where were this mans ( michaels) parents living at the time ? Where’s there house located? Do they own any land? You kinda want to back track and connect the dots with friends , relatives and past past jobs not even current , because usually a killer knows where they will put a body and 9 times out of 10 it’s a FAMILAR area!! Also it usually doesn’t have to be far . I usually like to estimate the most distance a killer is likely to go with a body would be 30 miles proximity for reasons of getting caught and the type of city they live in. I watch a lot of shows and I always notice the distances killers are willing to travel with there victims when it comes to getting rid of a body so my conclusion is 30 mile radius or they will keep it really close even in there ” back yards”. Don’t forget once it’s done they need to get rid of it fast! I would back track everything . Gosh I wish I was working this case . In not a detective but I love solving mysteries.
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One more thing! Who said she left the apartment ? Did anyone see her leave the apartment THAT DAY at THAT TIME? Who was the room mate ? Can anyone account what the room mate was doing? Just cause the roommate said Tiffany went for a walk doesn’t mean she went for a walk . Out of all the days this girl Tiffany Sessions goes on a walk by herself for the first time without her friends , she disappears ? I’m not saying it couldn’t happen anything is possible. What was her boyfriend like ? Did he have any drug dealer friends? From what I read he was a dealer. What were these friends like of her boyfriends ? Remember anything can be a possibility . There have been crimes that didn’t make any sense , crimes of passion , Anything ,but you always have to master the possibilities.
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Danielle,
These questions you bring up in your second comments have ben addressed by detectives back when it happened. Her roommate and boyfriend were cleared/
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Just hope that her Dad will have some kind of a closure before …..
Long wait. Too long
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So this suspect was 23 years old and Tiffany at the time was 19 . So this guy wasn’t old. He was young ,probably good looking at that age. The reason why i think she might have known this person or briefly remembered this person in this alleged car is because if she was attacked in the woods and think about this.. If your going to sneak up and attack someone , your so focused on covering there mouth maube knocking them out , you want to get them down to the ground and get a hold of them FAST so they cant get away. Also if your the attacker , you are not technically giving a rats ass about any accessories that might have been thown off when you attack someone. Youve just attacked someone now you have to get that person out of there . You dont have tome to look around for a walk man and whatever else . Which makes me believe even more she could have entered a car with everything on her and thats why no one ever found a walk man or whatever else she may have been carrying. Usually when you get in a fight or fighting somwone off , things tend to pop off. Also another thing that really bothers me is i am a runner and i always always carry my keys with me i have it around my wrist or place in my pocket so i can get into my house in case my sister leaves or is in the shower and i camt get in . You not only want to lock the front door for when your leaving but you want to lock it as well for the person who may be inside the house when you leave the house, it’s for their safety as well. Is anyone really really sure this girl left the house ? Are they really sure it was exactly her talking to a group of people in a car? People in gainsville sure like to booze it up. Theres more parties Going on than studing . I know a lot of drop outs Who got to caught up in partying than studing and they had scholarships. So who knows if these alleged witnesses really saw this girl . They could have had their BEER GOGGLES on and thought Every blonde was Tiffany Sessions. Oh and next day hangovers dont count from witnesses. It was happy hour the time she disappeared so lets not excited about this story of her talking to this car full of people.You never know , You have to really look at everything . I also read about this columbian drug dealer boyfriend. The fact that this boyfriend would be friends with guys who would try to extort money out of mr. Sessions really bothers me. Her boyfriend sounds like a real CREEP! Plus let’s not forget he is columbian and columbians will CUT your THROAT . Take it from Tony Mantanna aka SCARFACE he didn’t like them either. Can’t be trusted . By all means I’m not prejudiced but lets be real .. I’m not saying everyone is bad but the bad apples don’t give you a good name especially if there’s more bad apples over shadowing the good ones. 🙂
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Gosh this story bothers me . I remember it like it was yesterday . I was 7 years old. Oh and just because someone is cleared doesn’t mean they can’t find something new. I have seen so many shows where suspects have been cleared only to learn detectives learned something new and they ended up being the person to commit the crime . Clear doesn’t necessarily mean clear , maybe clear for that moment but not clear Forever, until everything is CASE CLOSED!.
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Little bit of HOPE. Then Gone!!!!!!!!
4 ever or NOT
I hope NOT
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