Tammy Jean Daniel
Physical Description
Height: 5’7”
Weight: Approximately 130 pounds
Hair Color: Light brown or dark blonde
Eye Color: Blue
Distinguishing Marks: Scar on upper abdomen (from spleen removal)
Clothing Last Seen Wearing
Black T-shirt
Black leather jacket
Blue jeans
Tammy Jean Daniel was 24 years old when she disappeared from Stanaford, West Virginia, on June 2, 1987. That night, her parents had picked her up from a local club and brought her back to the trailer she shared with her husband, Ronald “Gene” Daniel. When they arrived, the trailer was locked and dark. Rather than wake her husband, Tammy decided to spend the night in a tent set up outside.
Her parents left but returned a short time later to check on her. When they didn’t see Tammy around the tent, they assumed she had gone inside and left again. It wasn’t until the following day that they learned something was terribly wrong.
Gene claimed that he and Tammy had argued and that she had walked off on her own. Days passed without any word from Tammy, and her family grew increasingly worried. She was officially reported missing not long after.
As investigators looked closer, troubling signs emerged. A neighbor reported that Gene had borrowed a vacuum cleaner around the time Tammy vanished — and when it was returned, it smelled foul and contained a sticky residue. Testing showed traces of blood matching Tammy’s blood type. A search of the trailer also revealed bloodstains in the bedroom, deep enough to have soaked through the carpet and into the floor.
In 1988, Gene Daniel was indicted for Tammy’s murder, but the case was later dismissed due to lack of physical evidence. He would later be convicted of an unrelated murder in 1989.
Tammy has never been found. In time, she was declared legally deceased, but her family continues to wait for answers that have never fully come.
What You Can Do
If you know anything about what happened to Tammy Jean Daniel or where she might be, please contact the Raleigh County Sheriff's Office at 304-255-9300.
Tammy is listed in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) under case number MP21070.
Tammy’s case is still open. Even after all these years, her family holds onto hope that one day the truth will come to light and that Tammy will finally be brought home.
Behind the Scenes of the Project
A FOIA request was submitted to the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office on March 2, 2025, in an effort to obtain records related to Tammy Jean Daniel’s case. When no response was received, a series of follow-up calls were made throughout March and early April—first given individuals by name to speak to, and later leaving voicemails as we continued to seek clarification.
Despite outreach on March 25, March 26, March 31, and April 7, no reply was received. A formal follow-up letter was mailed on April 9 in hopes of prompting a response. The 2nd follow up letter was sent April 30.
The effort to obtain documentation remains ongoing. While we wait, our commitment to keeping Tammy’s case visible and remembered continues without pause.