Investigators have released a haunting photograph of a young woman who was murdered more than four decades ago, hoping the image will help solve a case that has remained unsolved since 1982.
Tammy Little was only 20 when her life ended in a brutal killing that devastated the people who knew her.
Now, 44 years after her death, New Hampshire authorities are renewing their appeal for information. They hope the previously unreleased photograph will stir a forgotten memory and lead them to the person responsible.
Little was studying at Portsmouth Beauty School when she was last seen alive during the early hours of Saturday, October 16, 1982.
Three days later, on October 19, her body was found inside her apartment at 315 Maplewood Avenue in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Responding officers determined that Little had suffered severe head injuries. Her death was subsequently classified as a homicide.
More than four decades on, the circumstances of the killing remain a mystery.
The New Hampshire Cold Case Unit has now made the photograph public, appealing to anyone who knew Little—or noticed something unusual around the time of her death—to contact investigators.
Tammy Little was 20 when she was found dead from fatal head injuries in October 1982. Investigators hope the never-before-released photograph will revive a forgotten memory and help crack the cold case that has baffled detectives for decades
Little was studying at Portsmouth Beauty School when she was last seen alive during the early hours of Saturday, October 16, 1982. Her body was found three days later, on October 19, inside her apartment at 315 Maplewood Avenue in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Investigators believe the image could be an important new lead in the decades-old murder investigation.
The appeal is aimed especially at anyone who lived, worked or studied in Portsmouth during October 1982, when Little was a young woman making plans for her future.
Detectives want to hear from former classmates at Portsmouth Beauty School, as well as past neighbors, local residents and anyone who frequently spent time near the Maplewood Avenue neighborhood.
Authorities are also asking anyone who saw or spoke with Little between the early hours of October 16 and the discovery of her body three days later to come forward.
Senior Assistant Attorney General R. Christopher Knowles, who leads New Hampshire’s Cold Case Unit, said Little was a young woman whose promising future was violently taken from her.
“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.
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Knowles said investigators remained determined to find answers for Little’s loved ones. He added that releasing the photographs could reach people who knew her but had never spoken with police.
A former classmate, a neighbor or someone who crossed paths with Little in the area may remember a detail that appeared unimportant at the time, he said.
For Little’s family, the search for answers has continued across generations, with the grief of losing her deepened by the unanswered questions surrounding her final hours
After more than 40 years, that long-forgotten detail could finally prove significant.
‘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.
