TX TARA BRECKENRIDGE: Missing from Houston, TX - 4 August 1992 - Age 23

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NamUs: The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Tara was last seen leaving her place of employment at The Men's Club in the 3300 block of Sage in Southwest Houston, TX, where she worked as a waitress. She was returning home at the time of her disappearance. Her vehicle, a red 1986 Pontiac Fiero was found abandoned and locked in the 1200 block of West Loop North near 12th Sreet, on her route home. The cars alternator belt was missing, there was no sign of a struggle, she has never been seen since. Foul play is suspected.

edited by staff to add media link
www.crimewatchers.net

TARA BRECKENRIDGE has been missing from Houston, #TEXAS since August 4, 1992. She was last seen in her red Pontiac Fiero.

Tara Breckenridge left work at an upscale Houston adult club after her shift as a waitress ended. A security guard walked Breckenridge to her car, a 1986 red Pontiac Fiero, and she drove off. That was the last time anyone reported seeing her alive.
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Name: Tara Suzette Breckenridge
Case Classification: Endangered Missing
Missing Since: August 04, 1992
Location Last Seen: Houston, Harris County, Texas

Physical Description
Date of Birth: September 30, 1968
Age: 23 years old
Race: White
Gender: Female
Height: 5'5"
Weight: 110 - 120 lbs.
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Nickname/Alias: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Scar under the left side of her lower lip, under her left arm and on the left side of her body. She was known to keep her fingernails long and painted red.

Identifiers
Dentals: Available. Her two upper front teeth are discolored in the middle.
Fingerprints: Not Available
DNA: Available

Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing: Light colored shirt, blue shorts and sandals.
Jewelry: Del Rio High School class ring engraved "Class of 1991".
Additional Personal Items: Contact lenses or eyeglasses.


Circumstances of Disappearance

On Monday, August 3, 1992, Breckenridge worked her evening shift as a waitress at the Men's Club, an upscale adult night spot in the 3300 block of Sage in Southwest Houston, Texas. Her shift left her to work into Tuesday, August 4, 1992.

It was a slow night and management decided to send two waitresses home early. When the manager asked for volunteers to end their shift early, Breckenridge volunteered to leave, which was considered uncharacteristic of her. The security guard at the club told police that he walked her to her car and that she drove off without incident. This was the last time Breckenridge was seen.

Her vehicle, a red 1986 Pontiac Fiero, was found abandoned and locked by Wayne Hecker, her live-in boyfriend at the time. The vehicle was located at 7:00 a.m. in the 1200 block of West Loop North near 12th Street, on Breckridge's route home about three miles from the club. The car alarm and flashers were not on but a can of mace she always carried with her was left in the vehicle. There were no signs of a struggle but the car's alternator belt was missing.

One of the possible suspects in the case is Hecker. The relationship between Breckenridge and Hecker was strained and Breckenridge discussed on occasion leaving Hecker. Hecker later told the police that, at the moment Breckenridge was leaving The Men's Club, he was in a pool hall fifteen minutes away. He said he called Breckenridge earlier that evening, but never spoke to her. When Hecker got home at 5:00 a.m. and did not find Breckenridge, he said he went to go find her. Employees of the club Hecker was at claimed that he left the club at approximately midnight and was next seen again at approximately 1:45 a.m. Hecker has not been charged with Breckenridge's disappearance and has maintained his innocence.

Foul play is suspected. She has not been seen nor heard from since.

Breckenridge grew up in Del Rio, Texas, and was the third of five children in a devoutly religious family. After high school, she arrived in Houston to pursue a career in photography.
 
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She left work 25 years ago, then disappeared

A Houston woman left work 25 years ago. She disappeared after that.
www.chron.com www.chron.com

She left work 25 years ago, then disappeared
Brett Barrouquere
February 12, 2017

Tara Breckenridge left work at an upscale Houston adult club after her shift as a waitress ended.

A security guard walked Breckenridge to her car, a 1986 red Pontiac Fiero, and she drove off. That was the last time anyone reported seeing her alive.

Breckenridge has been missing since Aug. 4, 1992 - 25 years.

Police found the car about three miles from the club at 1200 block of West Loop North near 12th Street. The vehicle was locked and a can of mace still inside.

A twist came when investigators inspected under the hood. The cars alternator belt was missing.

Police looked into two men as possibly being connected to the disappearance, including an unidentified male admirer who left her $100 tips as well as a love note telling her, "Not to be scared. Do what your heart tells you."

Breckenridge, a native of Del Rio, has never been found and the other person police were interested in died in October 2015.

Police have long suspected foul play and that Breckenridge is dead, but haven't gathered enough information to bring charges against anyone or close the case.
 
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unsolved.com

Tara Breckenridge

A waitress at a Houston strip club suddenly vanishes without a trace. Read more about this unsolved mystery and watch the case now.
unsolved.com unsolved.com

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Police feared that Tara was a victim of foul play. It wasn’t long before suspicion began to center on Wayne Hecker. Sergeant Brad Rudolph of the Houston Police Department, interrogated Wayne and was especially curious about his activities the night Tara disappeared:

“We have employees of the club that indicated that he left the club at approximately midnight and was next seen at approximately 1:45 in the morning.”

The pool hall is located fifteen minutes from The Men’s Club. Tara’s car was found about three miles from the club. According to witnesses, Wayne was gone from the pool hall for a full hour and forty-five minutes. But with no concrete evidence of foul play, Tara was officially listed as missing.

Tara's boyfriend Wayne Hecker is also the one that discovered Tara's vehicle at 7:00 am
 
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unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com

Tara Breckenridge

Real Name: Tara Suzette Breckenridge Nicknames: Sue Location: Houston, Texas Date: August 4, 1992 Occupation: Waitress Date Of Birth: September 30, 1968 Height: 5'5" Weight: 120 lbs. Marital Status: Single Characteristics: Brown hair, brown eyes, a scar on her lower lip, left arm, and left side...
unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com

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Suspects: Investigators consider Wayne Hecker a suspect in Tara's disappearance. According to her friends and family, their relationship had problems and she had talked about leaving him. Investigators looked into Wayne's activities on the night of her disappearance. According to employees at the pool hall, he left there sometime between 12 and 12:30AM. He did not come back until 1:45AM.
Investigators noted that Tara's car was found three miles from the men's club, halfway between the club and the pool hall. They believe that Wayne may have had enough time (one hour and forty-five minutes) to find her, kill her, and dispose of her body and car. When asked about him being considered a suspect in Tara's disappearance, Wayne claimed that he did not "owe an explanation to anyone but the Lord."
Investigators are also suspicious of a male admirer who left her $100 tips as well as a love note stating, "Do not to be scared. Do what your heart tells you. I'm very excited that you'll marry me." Another note from the admirer said "The more you hold out, the longer you jeopardize what I feel for you." She had apparently rejected his advances. The man was interviewed, but investigators no longer consider him a suspect.
A man named Robert Beaty was also considered a possible suspect in Tara's disappearance. He contacted her family shortly after she vanished, claiming to be a police officer. He was later arrested for impersonating a police officer; in his home they found handcuffs, a BB gun, and detective magazines. He told police that he believed Tara's abductor was a "detective wanna-be" and a cab driver. Interestingly, Beaty himself was a cab driver. Her family, however, did not believe he was involved in the case.
 
Interesting comments on this article
unsolved.com

The Mysterious Disapperance of Tara Breckenridge - Unsolved Mysteries

A waitress at a Houston strip club suddenly vanishes without a trace. Read more about this unsolved mystery and watch the case now.
unsolved.com unsolved.com

The Bartender....
April 21, 2016 at 10:50 PM

I was one of the bartenders that night at the pool hall. Wayne was acting weird that night. He wanted to start bartending. He was suppose to work as a bar back that night as a way to start learning. He took off and didn’t return until almost closing. When he did return he was all anxious to get behind the bar. I was irritated with him because it was a very busy night and really could have used the help. If I remember right after all these years he even asked me to lie and say that he had been behind the bar all night so the owner wouldn’t know he didn’t bar back like he said he would. I told him I would not lie for him under any circumstances. My husband was working the door that night and knew exactly when Wayne left and when he came back. He was not alone. He was with his friend Dennis Burns. There was talk around the pool hall just a few days earlier that Tara was definitely kicking him out of the apartment this time because he was sponging off her. He was not working that I know of. As I remember it he was trying to make money playing pool. I could be wrong about that. Regardless, it was well know around the regulars that Tara was done with him this time and he was mad about it. One of the jokes I remember is he would have get a real job and stop living like a gigolo. We were all interviewed by the police. We told them every detail we could remember. The way he was acting that night, something was up. He was definitely different. Hyper almost after he returned to the pool hall. Rumor has it that a confession was made by his friend. I think it was Dennis Burns, I could be wrong. It somehow was told to another pool player friend that they will never find Tara, she was sold into sex slavery. At the time my friend told me that confession many years had already passed. I didn’t think that there would be anyway she would still be alive. I told that person they needed to go to the police anyway and tell them. I don’t know if they ever did. I was so adamant to the detectives that they needed to hold Wayne as the main suspect. I guess seeing how his life ended, Dennis Burns dying of a drug overdose, maybe in the end they got what they had coming. I can’t imagine holding onto a secret like that and it not eat you up alive! But Wayne was good at putting on the “boy next door” act. My personal opinion is that he was what we called “stuck on himself”; selfish and self-centered. It was an underlying current to his “good boy” act. From what I remember he half-hearted attempts at “finding” her. If he really did kidnap her and sell her into the sex trafficking trade, he would have to spend his life pretending to mourn her, pretending to find her abductors. I did not see any great grieving from him around the pool hall after she disappeared. Hope this doesn’t upset anybody.
 

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HPD Incident #840303-92
Tara Breckenridge
Missing Person
1200 West Loop North (in between I-10 West and Hwy 290)
August 4, 1992

On Monday, August 3, 1992, Tara Breckenridge worked her evening shift as a waitress at the Men’s Club. Tara’s shift led her to work just past midnight into Tuesday, August 4, 1992. At approximately 1 o’clock, in the morning, now Tuesday, August 4. 1992, Tara drove off from the club in her red Pontiac Fiero.

On Tuesday, August 4, 1992, at approximately 5 o’clock in the morning, Tara’s live in boyfriend, after having worked himself until 3:30 in the morning and then going out with some friends was driven home by a friend. Upon his arrival home, he discovered that Tara was not home. Both the boyfriend and this friend reportedly began to search for her and despite going to her place of employment they were unable to locate her. The boyfriend reported that upon their drive back home, he located her abandoned car along the freeway (1200 West Loop North). At approximately 7:30 in the morning, the boyfriend called and reported this to the police.

Tara Breckenridge was nowhere to be found and has not been seen since driving off from the Men’s Club in her red Pontiac Fiero.

The Houston Police Department Homicide Division Cold Case Squad is requesting anyone with information about this missing person to contact the Cold Case Squad at 713-308-3618 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
 
Tara's car was found abandoned at 1200 block of West Loop North near 12th Street three miles from the club she was last seen leaving. The vehicle was locked and a can of mace still inside. The cars alternator belt was missing.

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