The Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office is revisiting a 38-year-old murder case involving a young woman who was killed just outside Warrenton, Virginia.
Tammy Thorpe, 20, was found shot to death on a gravel road off Route 17 in Fauquier County around 7:30 a.m. on Oct. 23, 1988. Police said she had been shot twice in the head with a .25-caliber pistol.
Her brother Ricky Thorpe still wants answers about his sister’s murder. He said he wants closure for their 82-year-old mother and 81-year-old father.
“Tammy was a beloved daughter and sister who was kind, caring and sweet. She loved life. She lived life to the fullest,” Ricky said in a statement.
“Although her life was short, she left a lasting impression on everyone that she met.”
Tammy was last seen getting gas around 2:40 a.m. on Oct. 23, 1988, in Warrenton. She had attended a dance at the Ruritan Club in Marshall, Virginia, and was last seen wearing a white blouse, blue pants, flat-heeled shoes and a watch.
The same morning that Tammy’s body was found, investigators retrieved her gold Pontiac Grand Am from the Warrenton Plaza Shopping Center, Virginia State Police said in a news release.
The doors of the car were unlocked as the keys were in the ignition. Tammy’s dark blue purse was still inside the vehicle.
Investigators said nothing appeared to be missing from her purse, and that no illicit drugs were found in the car.
“We encourage anyone with information, no matter how small it may seem, to come forward and assist law enforcement,” Sgt. John Payne, of the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office, said in a release.
The Virginia State Police joined the investigation in 2023 to help the FCSO use new investigative techniques and testing in an effort to solve the case.
Anyone with information that could assist in the investigation is urged to contact the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office at 540-347-3300.
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