Parents Have New Hope In Tabitha Tuders Case
Family Says Missing Child Looks Similar To Woman On Escort Service Web Site
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- During the summer of 2009, the parents of missing teenager Tabitha Tuders said the biggest lead in the case surfaced.
The family is calling it the best hope that their daughter is still alive after the 13-year-old girl disappeared seven years ago on her way to her school bus stop in east Nashville.
Tabitha's parents have pictures of a girl they think may be her, who is working for an escort service in Las Vegas.
Investigators say the woman is not Tabitha, but the Tuders family isn't satisfied and said there are too many similarities.
One of the many theories surrounding Tabitha's disappearance was that she was kidnapped and then sold into the underground sex trade.
The family saw a picture of a woman named Brie on the Web site of a Las Vegas-based adult business. If she is still alive, Tabitha would be 20 years old.
The family said the girl named Brie has a similar birth mark to their missing daughter.
Also, there is the double-jointed thumb, a Tuders family trait, along with similar looking teeth.
Using a morph program, the Tuders said Brie and Tabitha’s faces are also very similar.
"She resembles my daughter a whole lot. We laid a picture of this girl and everything matches up," said Tabitha's father Bo Tuders.
There is also a tattoo on Brie's back that they think might be a cry for help.
"(The tattoo) says TASOS. We don't know if that means, 'Come help me' or what. We don't know what that means," said Bo Tuders.
Another possible clue is that Tabitha's Social Security number was used once in Las Vegas after her 2003 disappearance.
Also, the Tuders said that Brie is the name of Tabitha's favorite cousin, so they said this could also be a connection.
"To me, that's the closest we've been. Everything this young lady fits Tabitha. It would make you think it is Tabitha. We want to prove it's her or not her," said Bo Tuders.
The Tuders traveled to Las Vegas and tried to find the woman who works at the Las Vegas escorts but failed.
Eventually, the FBI said they found Brie, also known as Tori Lane, in Florida, interviewed her and took a DNA sample. However, investigators ruled Brie out as being Tabitha.
Despite this, the Tuders said they still would like to meet her anyway because they are not satisfied.
After the FBI went to Las Vegas to investigate the case, investigators said within 72 hours Brie/Tori Lane's picture was taken off the adult business's Web site.
edited to add : When the comparison photo becomes available I will try to do a side by side for comparison.
edited to add : When the comparison photo becomes available I will try to do a side by side for comparison.
