LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office detectives are revisiting a decades-old cold case involving the deaths of two Florida teenagers whose bodies were discovered in rural La Porte County more than 35 years ago.

On March 11, 1989, deputies responded to State Road 8, about one mile west of State Road 39, where the body of 16-year-old Tamara Gifford was found in a water-filled ditch. Gifford, originally from Florida, had relatives living in nearby Starke County.

Two days later, investigators located the body of 17-year-old Christina Hillis, also from Florida, in the same general area. Authorities determined the deaths likely occurred in December 1988. Both girls had been reported as runaways on December 7 of that year and were believed to have been in Starke County prior to their deaths.

Detectives interviewed numerous individuals in La Porte and Starke Counties as well as in Florida, but no solid leads developed and the investigation eventually went cold.

In recent weeks, members of the Sheriff’s Criminal Investigations Division have reexamined the case file, focusing on the cause and manner of death. Detectives, crime scene investigators, and a retired deputy also revisited the location where the bodies were found and have been in contact with family members of both victims.

The Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information about the deaths of Gifford or Hillis to contact Chief of Detectives Andy Hynek at 219-326-7700, ext. 2401, or by email at ahynek@lcso.in.gov.