PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — More than four decades after a 20-year-old New Hampshire woman was found murdered inside her Portsmouth apartment, investigators are making a renewed plea for information that could help solve the cold case.
The New Hampshire Cold Case Unit has released a previously unseen photograph of Tammy Little as authorities mark the 44th anniversary of her 1982 killing.
Investigators hope the photograph will spark memories among people who knew Little or lived, worked, or attended school in Portsmouth at the time.
Little was a student at the Portsmouth Beauty School when she was last seen alive during the early morning hours of Oct. 16, 1982.
Three days later, on Oct. 19, she was found murdered inside her apartment at 315 Maplewood Avenue. An autopsy determined that she died from massive head injuries, according to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office.
Little’s family described her as a joyful person who was always there for others.
“Tammy was the most joyful person. She was everyone’s friend,” her family said in a statement. “Her light was so bright.”
The New Hampshire Cold Case Unit and Portsmouth Police Department continue to investigate her death. Authorities say investigators are reviewing old case files, examining physical evidence for possible modern forensic testing and pursuing available leads.
“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,” Senior Assistant Attorney General R. Christopher Knowles, chief of the Cold Case Unit, said.
Investigators are particularly interested in hearing from anyone who attended Portsmouth Beauty School with Little in 1982, people who lived near or regularly visited the Maplewood Avenue area, and anyone who saw or spoke with Little between the early morning hours of Oct. 16 and the discovery of her body on Oct. 19.
“No matter how much time has passed, we believe there are people who hold information critical to solving this case,” Knowles said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit tip line at 603-271-2663 or email coldcaseunit@dos.nh.gov.
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