A haunting new photograph of a young woman murdered more than four decades ago has been released by investigators desperate to solve a case that has remained stubbornly unsolved since 1982.
Tammy Little was just 20 years old when her life was cut short in a brutal killing that shocked those who knew her.
Now, 44 years after her death, authorities in New Hampshire are making a renewed appeal for information, hoping the previously unreleased image will jog someone’s memory and finally bring her killer to justice.
Little, a student at Portsmouth Beauty School, was last seen alive in the early hours of Saturday, October 16, 1982.
Three days later, on October 19, her body was discovered inside her apartment at 315 Maplewood Avenue in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
When law enforcement arrived at the scene they concurred that Little had suffered severe head injuries and subsequently ruled her death a homicide.
Despite the passage of decades, the circumstances surrounding her killing remain unresolved.
Now, the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit has released a photograph of Little in the hope that someone who remembers her - or recalls something unusual in the days surrounding her death - will finally come forward.
Tammy Little was found dead at 20 with fatal head injuries in October 1982. Now, investigators are hoping the never-before-released image will jog a forgotten memory and finally crack the chilling cold case that has baffled detectives for decades
Little was a student at Portsmouth Beauty School when she was last seen alive in the early hours of Saturday, October 16, 1982. Three days later, on October 19, her body was discovered inside her apartment at 315 Maplewood Avenue in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Investigators believe the image could prove crucial in breathing new life into the murder probe.
The appeal is particularly directed at people who lived, worked or studied in the Portsmouth area in October 1982, when Little was a young woman building a future for herself.
Detectives are keen to hear from anyone who attended Portsmouth Beauty School alongside her, as well as former neighbors, local residents and people who regularly visited the Maplewood Avenue neighborhood.
They are also seeking information from anyone who may have seen or spoken to Little between the early hours of October 16 and the discovery of her body three days later.
Senior Assistant Attorney General R. Christopher Knowles, chief of New Hampshire’s Cold Case Unit, said Little was a young woman whose promising future had been cruelly taken away.
‘Tammy was a young woman with a bright future ahead of her, and her life was taken in a brutal and senseless act of violence,’ he said.
Knowles said investigators remained committed to finding answers for Little’s loved ones, adding that the release of the photographs was intended to reach people who might have known her but had never previously spoken to police.
He said someone who attended classes with Little, lived near her apartment or crossed paths with her in the neighborhood might remember a detail that had seemed insignificant at the time.
For Little’s family, the search for answers has endured across generations, with the pain of losing her compounded by the mystery surrounding her final hours
More than 40 years later, that memory could take on an entirely different significance.
‘No matter how much time has passed, we believe there are people who hold information critical to solving this case,’ Knowles said.
The investigation remains active, with the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit working alongside detectives from the Portsmouth Police Department.
For Little’s family, however, the decades without answers have meant living with an absence that time has done little to soften.
In a statement shared through New Hampshire law enforcement, her relatives remembered a young woman whose warmth and kindness made her a source of comfort to those around her.
‘Tammy was the most joyful person. She was everyone’s friend,’ the family said.
They recalled how she was always there for people who were struggling, offering a listening ear and knowing just what to say when someone needed support.
‘She was the one you called to lift you up, and she was the one to share your happiness with. Her light was so bright.’
The statement offered a deeply personal glimpse of the woman behind the cold case a beloved daughter, relative and friend whose future was stolen.
‘Today, her light lives on with me; she is my guardian angel and lives within my heart,’ the family said.
They added that there was not a day when they did not think about her, or about the years and experiences they had been denied by her untimely death.
Anyone with information about her death can contact the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit on (603) 271-2663, email coldcaseunit@dos.nh.gov, or submit a tip online at www.doj.nh.gov/criminal/cold-case.