Reward Doubled to $40,000 in 2015 Tiffany Valiante Suspicious Disappearance, Death
Netflix announces case will be featured in new 'Unsolved Mysteries' season starting Oct. 18th
More than seven years after her highly suspicious death, and the controversial investigation that followed, Tiffany Valiante's parents remain hopeful there finally will be #JusticeForTiffany. Stephen and Dianne Valiante, of Mays Landing, said today they have renewed confidence their daughter's case will be reopened and that those responsible for their daughter's death will be held accountable. Effective today, following the announcement that the case will be featured in the Unsolved Mysteries episode, Mystery At Mile Marker 45, when the program's new season debuts on Netflix on October 18th, they have doubled to $40,000 the reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction of those responsible for Tiffany's July 12, 2015, death along the New Jersey Transit (NJT) Atlantic City Line tracks near her house.
"We know every day Tiffany is looking down on us, giving us the strength to help find those who snatched her and were responsible for her death just before she was to start her incredibly promising college career," said the parents. "We know so many others that also believe Tiffany's death was not suicide, that there was a rush to judgement to close the case, and that the real story of how and why she died has yet to be told. The combination of this new, deeply-researched, fact-based program, and the increased reward, might just be what's necessary to help get Tiff's case reopened," they added through Paul D'Amato, a family friend and New Jersey-based attorney.
Mr. D'Amato said he joins the Valiante family and its legion of supporters from the area and around the country who continue to fight for #JusticeForTiffany. "Little known is that Stephen and Dianne had to re- mortgage their house, use their own savings to pay for DNA testing of evidence that was gathered but never examined after Tiffany's death, which was quickly ruled a suicide before a robust probe could be conducted. Due to compromised or lost evidence, which included a bloody axe found at the scene, the nationally recognized forensic DNA lab's report was incomplete and inconclusive. I share the parents' belief that there are those who know what really happened to cause Tiff's death, but they've yet to come forward. Maybe, just maybe, someone watching Unsolved Mysteries (www.unsolved.com) will see something then say something to law enforcement that can lead to definitive answers." Anyone with information about the case is urged to immediately contact law enforcement, including the state Office of Attorney General at 800-277-2427.
He added, "The N.J. Medical Examiner abruptly concluded Tiffany's death was suicide despite the lack of motive, without conducting a full autopsy, a rape-kit analysis, or proper DNA-evidence analysis, all for reasons still unknown seven-plus years after her mysterious death."
James Carney, former Judge of the Atlantic County Surrogate's Court, is among many who believe there can be no justice for Tiffany until the circumstances surrounding her death are re-examined by a state agency, like the New Jersey Attorney General, or the federal Department of Justice.
Prior to her death, Tiffany was making plans to attend her first year at Mercy College (Dobbs Ferry, New York), where she was awarded an athletic scholarship. An all-conference volleyball player at Oakcrest High School and for the East Coast Crush Volleyball Club, she was heavily recruited by colleges and longed to play at the highest level – possibly someday in the Olympic games - while pursuing a career in criminal justice.