32 years after Tammy Jo Zywicki disappeared, memorial ride from Shorewood to Seneca continues

It’s been 32 years since the disappearance and death of Tammy Jo Zywicki, an Iowa college student last seen after her car broke down on Interstate 80 near La Salle, and her death remains unanswered.

Zywicki, who grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, was killed sometime on or after Aug. 23, 1992, after dropping her brother off in Evanston and before continuing on toward Grinnell, Iowa, for college.

Her loved ones have remained vigilant, aiming to keep her case in the spotlight. Patrick Jones, the founder of the “Who Killed Tammy Zywicki?” Facebook group, organized a motorcycle ride in Zywicki’s memory.

Jones said that although he never knew Zywicki, he’s been following the case since the beginning and began the Facebook group to help keep her case alive.

“My daughter was about the same age,” he said. “It just struck a nerve or something, and I followed it … kept searching the internet for information, and then Facebook came around.”

The fifth annual Tammy’s Ride will leave at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, from Conrad’s Harley-Davidson at 19356 NE Frontage Road in Shorewood, make a stop on Interstate 80 at mile marker 83, where Zywicki last was seen with her car, and end at Fat Daddy’z Bar and Grill, located at 176 W. Jackson St. in Seneca.

Zywicki’s childhood friend Maryanne Fox teamed up with Jones to organize a motorcycle ride in Zywicki’s memory in South Carolina three years ago.

“I had come to the point in my life where I could put that emotion into fighting it, fighting for public awareness,” she said.

Fox said the ride is about allowing people to know who Zywicki was and that her case remains unsolved.

Fox will be holding a memorial ride in South Carolina during the same time. Even though it’s unlikely Zywicki’s killer is “sitting somewhere in S.C.,” it’s a way to keep her case public, Fox said.

“Somebody knows something,” Fox said. “People can’t just keep things to themselves. Maybe there’s a person who’s aware of what happened that will have the courage to finally come forward.”

Zywicki was seen last on the afternoon of Aug. 23, 1992, according to the Illinois State Police website.

Nine days later, her body was found along Interstate 44 in rural Lawrence County, Missouri, between Springfield and Joplin. She had been stabbed to death.

Years passed without any new leads until May 2020, when authorities in Iowa apprehended a long-haul trucker who had been implicated in the murder of three women in the 1990s and might be responsible for other homicides.

Somebody knows something. People can’t just keep things to themselves. Maybe there’s a person who’s aware of what happened that will have the courage to finally come forward.”

—  Maryanne Fox, childhood friend of Tammy Zywicki

According to news reports at the time, a day later, Illinois State Police released the following statement: “At this time, [he] does not appear to have been involved with the murder of Tammy Zywicki, who was abducted and murdered by an unknown assailant after experiencing vehicle troubles alongside I-80 near La Salle, Illinois, in August 1992.”

Todd Zywicki, Tammy’s oldest brother, said that because of DNA technology advancements, police were able to recover some amount of DNA that they thought was previously unusable.

“I have heard that they were able to use that and get a usable sample,” he said. “And they are pursuing leads based on that. So, that is encouraging.”

The Illinois State Police responded to a request for comment on the case and DNA evidence, saying that the investigation still is open and ongoing, and no further information is available at this time.

FBI media coordinator Special Agent Siobhan Johnson said the FBI continues to work with law enforcement partners to seek information related to Zywicki’s murder. It is the standard policy of the Department of Justice that the FBI not comment on the nature of any investigation that is ongoing.

Anyone with information about the Zywicki investigation is asked to call the Illinois State Police’s Division of Criminal Investigations Zone 3 at 815-726-6377 or the FBI Chicago Field Division at 312-421-6700. Callers can remain anonymous.