New Hampshire authorities have released a never-before-seen photograph of Tammy Little in a fresh push to crack her 1982 murder.
The New Hampshire Cold Case Unit and the state Department of Justice unveiled the image on the 44th anniversary of the 20-year-old’s death, hoping it jars loose memories from classmates, neighbors or anyone who crossed paths with her in Portsmouth that October. Little, a student at Portsmouth Beauty School, was found dead inside her Maplewood Avenue apartment on October 19, 1982, three days after she was last seen alive on October 16.
An autopsy determined she suffered “massive head injuries,” according to the DOJ. The brutality of the killing and the decades of silence since have made it one of the state’s most stubborn cold cases.
Chief of the Cold Case Unit and Senior Assistant Attorney General R. Christopher Knowles said in a statement: “We are releasing these new photographs today with the hope that someone who knew her, perhaps a former classmate at the Portsmouth Beauty School or a resident of the Maplewood Avenue neighborhood, will remember a detail they have not previously shared.”
Investigators are specifically targeting two groups: fellow students from Portsmouth Beauty School who attended alongside Little in 1982, and former residents of the Maplewood Avenue area. They also want to hear from anyone who frequented the neighborhood around the time of her disappearance or death, or who saw or spoke to her in the days before October 16 or the morning she vanished.
The family of Tammy Little released their own statement alongside the police appeal, painting a portrait of a young woman defined by warmth and availability.
“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,” her family wrote. They described her as “everyone’s friend” and someone who was always “there” for anyone who “needed someone to talk to.”
The statement continued: “Today, her light lives on with me; she is my guardian angel and lives within my heart. There is not a day that I do not think about her and the more days we could have had together.”
Knowles added: “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. Our unit, alongside the Portsmouth Police Department, remains steadfast in our commitment to finding answers for Tammy and her loved ones.”
He pressed the point that time has not closed the case. “No matter how much time has passed, we believe there are people who hold information critical to solving this case.”
The investigation remains active, with authorities continuing to review case files, evaluate physical evidence for modern forensic testing, and pursue all available leads. The Portsmouth Police Department has partnered with the state Cold Case Unit throughout the decades-long effort.
Anyone with information can contact the Cold Case Unit at (603) 271-2663 or via email at [email protected]. Tips may also be submitted through the state DOJ’s cold case portal at www.doj.nh.gov/criminal/cold-case.