Toyota van On June 15, 1989, a
Polaroid photo of an unidentified young woman and a boy, both gagged with black duct tape and seemingly bound, was discovered in the parking lot of a convenience store in
Port St. Joe, Florida. According to Polaroid officials, the picture had to have been taken after May 1989 because the particular film used in the photograph was not available until then. Doel and Henley's parents both met with investigators and examined the Polaroid. Doel said that she was "convinced" it was Calico. In addition, a paperback copy of
V.C. Andrews'
My Sweet Audrina, said to be one of Calico's favorite books, can be seen lying next to the woman. a forensic scientist at LANL said that the woman is "definitely not Tara". Henley's mother said that she was "almost certain" it was Michael in the Polaroid. The identification of the boy in the photograph as Henley is considered unlikely: his remains were discovered in June 1990 in the
Zuñi Mountains, about from his family's campsite from which he had disappeared and from where Calico disappeared. Police believe that Henley wandered off and subsequently died of exposure. The first was found near a construction site in
Montecito, California, on July 19, 1989, and is a blurry photo of a girl's face with tape covering her mouth and light blue striped fabric behind her, "similar to that on the pillow in the Toyota van photo". In 2009, twenty years after the Polaroid photo was found and shared by the media, pictures of a boy were sent to the Port St. Joe police chief, David Barnes. He received two letters, postmarked June 10 and August 10, 2009, from
Albuquerque, New Mexico. One letter contained a photo, printed on copy paper, of a young boy with sandy brown hair. Someone had drawn a black band in ink on the photo, over the boy's mouth, as if it were covered in tape as in the 1989 picture. The second letter contained an original image of the boy. On August 12,
The Star newspaper in Port St. Joe received a third letter, also postmarked in Albuquerque on August 10 and depicting the same image, of a boy with black marker drawn over his mouth. The boy has not been confirmed to be the same one as in the previous photo. None of the letters contained a return address or a note indicating the child's identity, making the officials there believe it may have something to do with the disappearance of Tara Calico. The letters were sent at the same time that a self-proclaimed psychic had called about Calico, saying that she had met a runaway in California with whom she worked in a strip club; this girl was eventually murdered. The caller said she had dreams suggesting the runaway may have been Calico and that she may be buried in California. Searches did not lead to any discoveries. The photos were given to the FBI for further investigation in hope of finding fingerprints or possible DNA evidence. ==Later developments==