Quick Entry #17: Where is Tina Faye Kemp?
I chose this case as I saw only a few articles written. And the ones that were, Were done by "bloggers" who can't actually research or write. Most just do the standard copy and paste without doing any actual research into the case. Mostly to get their names out there. Delaware seems to be rather low in the quality advocate field. I'm sure there are a few out there though. My good friend Andrea did a great post on this case. And it can be read here. Missing Angels also wrote a good one. It can be read here. I dedicated Foreigner's Blue Morning, Blue Day to this entry. The song had started to fall on the billboard chart at this point. But it was really the only song I saw that somewhat fit this entry. And I love Foreigner. Also, If you're reading this entry and there are typos. I'll correct them eventually. I have a splitting headache. So bare with me. It's my brain trying to comprehend my own stupidity I think haha. Enjoy the read.
“It wasn't the same as it is now, you know, with all the alerts that they send out,” Brenda said. “Now, you know, the whole town will get together and go search for people. None of that happened.”
Brenda (Tina's Sister) to Dateline in 2022
Tina Faye Kemp
Missing Since: 2/03/1979
Saturday at Around 9am
(Was officially reported Missing on the 5th)
Missing From: Felton, Delaware (Kent County)
Date of Birth: 10/20/1964
(14 years old when she disappeared)
Parents:
Father: Thomas Kemp
Mother: Ruth Kemp (Deceased in 2011)
Siblings: Brenda King, Patty, Peggy, Charlotte, Elizabeth
Height & Weight:
Around 5'1 & Around 100lbs
Hair & Eyes:
Dark Brown Hair & Blue Eyes
Wearing:
White Sweater, Red and White Flannel Shirt, Blue Jeans, Red & White Boys Sneakers, Leather Strap on Left Arm w/name "ERIC" on it, & a Gold Band Ring w/ White Rhinestones. (None of these items were ever recovered.)
Other: Tina has some freckles. She has a half-inch mole on her right triceps. (Other reports say it's on her shoulder)
Agency Case Number:
0000264784
302-739-2600
Case Number:
05-512-79
Delaware State Police Homicide Unit: 302-739-5901
1-800-TIP-3333
National Center For Missing & Exploited Children:
24-Hour Call Center: 1-800-843-5678
Details of Disappearance
Tina Faye Kemp supposedly walked away from her home, (I say "supposedly" this only because no one saw her leave. Not insinuating anything. Although a few articles state do in fact state she was last seen leaving. I've yet to see any reporting saying anyone saw her leave. The family didn't. So did a neighbor? A passerby? Seems as if it's speculation) Which according to NAMUS was 1/2 a mile South of Felton, after hanging laundry outside her home on February 3rd 1979 at around 9am. And since that morning, Tina has never been seen again. The area was rural at the time and mostly agricultural according to reports. Other reporting from such sources as the Charley Project state the family lived off Main St. Apparently, Tina had run away on two previous occasions. According to her sister Brenda, Tina once ran away to her boyfriend Eric's house. And another time Brenda saw Tina walking down a road that led to Frederica. (The article states Frederick. But I believe the author meant Frederica. Which is only a little over 6 miles away from Felton. The closest Frederick is in Maryland.) Both times Tina was taken back home. The family started searching for Tina after they noticed she was missing. No time frame is given in the reports as to when they noticed her missing. They immediately searched the surrounding areas and went to the boyfriend Eric's house. He stated she wasn't there and he hadn't seen her. I guess the family's thought process was since Tina had run away before. She likely did it again. And they'd give her time to come back home. When Tina didn't return by the 5th. Tina's mother Ruth notified Law Enforcement and a Missing Persons report was filed. There are a lot of mentions in articles online of a snowstorm that occurred right after her disappearance. I've read about a snowstorm and a thunderstorm. According to my research the actual snowstorm occurred on February 19th of 1979. That's when Felton County received 25 inches of snow over a 24 hour period. There was some scattered snow that dropped between the 5th and the 19th. At one point I believe I saw a little over 5 inches (In one day) hit the ground in Felton in between that time frame. There are no reports as to how Law Enforcement proceeded with the investigation. So I am not sure if any Canines were used to try and track Tina's scent. Or if Law Enforcement did any door to door knocking to see if anyone saw Tina walking away from home. However, Being familiar with how Law Enforcement handled Missing Persons Reports back then. I doubt much was done. Law Enforcement usually assumed the child had run away. And they usually assumed they would return. I expect as such here. Especially since Tina had done so before. So unless some other factors dictated otherwise, I doubt much was done. It's not like it is now with the Amber Alerts and so on. One small detail, According to the Dateline Article. Tina's sister Brenda thought Tina might not have been feeling well that day. Additionally, The article states Law Enforcement hasn't had any leads, Nor are there any Persons of Interest or Suspects in the case.
Analysis
Not a lot to go on here. I do see that on Websleuths that Tina's niece is active on her case. And that's a good thing. If Tina did leave of her own volition, I doubt she intended on staying away for too long. I wish there were more details on why Tina ran away prior to her disappearance. Was it normal teenage drama? Was there trouble at home? And I wish there were more details regarding the morning she disappeared. How long was it before they noticed Tina missing? Those damn Dateline articles never ask the right questions. I'll probably update this entry at some point as this headache is getting worse and I'm sure I'm forgetting some things.
News Coverage
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Official Missing Poster
Additional Photos
