The episodes of Unsolved Mysteries are made to highlight some of the most suspicious and haunting death cases, and one of them was from volume 3, episode 1, titled Mystery at Mile Marker 45, featuring the tragic death of an 18-year-old athlete, Tiffany Valiante.
As described in the Unsolved Mysteries episode, Tiffany was an energetic and bright girl who got a scholarship to play volleyball. She was ambitious and wanted to make a career in the sport.
However, on July 12, 2015, the Valiante family was completely floored after discovering Tiffany's dead body four miles away from her house as she was struck by a New Jersey Transit train. Tiffany and her family went to celebrate her cousin's graduation party the same day, a few hours before her death.
As revealed by Tiffany's mother, Dianne, in the Unsolved Mysteries episode, they got a call from Tiffany's friend claiming she had used her credit card without knowledge. Tiffany initially denied it but later confessed to her mother.
Following her confession, Tiffany's mother went inside the house to call her husband, but in a few minutes, their daughter disappeared. Everyone in the neighborhood, including her friends, started texting Tiffany but got no response.
How did Tiffany Valiante die? Exploring the death featured in Unsolved Mysteries
Tiffany Valiante's death case is undeniably one of the most puzzling cases featured in Unsolved Mysteries. While most of the investigators ruled her death as suicide, Tiffany's family and some other officials believe she was brutally killed.
The Netflix series includes interviews with Tiffany's parents, uncles, and the investigators. It also highlighted the X (earlier Twitter) post shared a day before her death, which reads:
"Dude I probably shouldn't be but I'm kinda content rn"
The investigators couldn't find the reason why Tiffany would commit suicide as she was full of life. Her mother also stated that the teenager even stayed away from dr*gs and alcohol, which insinuates that Tiffany did not show any signs of mental distress or struggles.
Tiffany Valiante's parents believed she was murdered
Despite the investigation suggesting suicide, Tiffany Valiante's family and their family attorney, Paul D'Amato, believed the girl was first killed and then put on the tracks to frame it as a suicide.
The attorney stated that Dianne and Steve talked about their daughter's death and were convinced she didn't take her life. The Unsolved Mysteries episode also showed she was captured in the deer camera placed outside their house, which showed Tiffany fully clothed and a vehicle coming from her front.
However, when they found her dead body, her trainers were missing; she was barefoot and without her headband. The attorney and Dianne theorized that Tiffany got inside the car approaching her, and her phone was snatched and thrown away.
The medical examiner's report also suggested that Tiffany's arm and legs were cut from the torso. If the train hit her, her parts would have been torn apart, not cut.
It is also revealed in the Unsolved Mysteries episode that a convenience store worker later called the police, claiming he heard three of the workers talking about how Tiffany died.
The worker claimed that the three boys were talking about a male and two females picking up Tiffany in a vehicle, removing her clothes near the train tracks, and even pointing a gun. However, when the police investigated the three boys, none admitted to saying such things.
Since no evidence was presented proving that Tiffany was killed, her death case was closed as a suicide. However, her parents still believe someone in New Jersey got away with her death.
Unsolved Mysteries is streaming on Netflix.
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