On September 20, 1988, nineteen-year-old Terra Leigh Calico set out on her morning bike ride along Highway 47 in Valencia County, New Mexico. She never came home. In the nearly 37 years since her disappearance, this case has become one of America's most haunting unsolved mysteries, defined by a chilling Polaroid photograph discovered in a Florida parking lot and decades of whispered accusations that have never led to justice. But the story most people know is only part of the truth. 

In this episode of The Redacted Report, we pull back the curtain on the facts that never made it into the official narrative. We examine evidence that was lost, destroyed, or never properly collected, including a suitcase containing telephone wire found during a drug investigation at a nearby motel and later destroyed by a detective.

We explore persistent rumors of a pink bicycle and underwear with Terra's initials that were allegedly found but never logged as evidence, and we reveal the shocking truth about the Walkman and cassette tape pieces that were analyzed and determined not to belong to Terra at all. This episode takes a hard look at witnesses who were overlooked or ignored, including a pivotal eyewitness who reported seeing a group of four or five young men and one woman waiting in Terra's path on the morning she vanished. That witness is now dead, their full account lost to time. 

We also examine the story of a man named Ishmael who came forward, was placed under hypnosis, identified a suspect from a photo lineup, and then was abandoned by the detective who was supposed to follow up with him. We explore the chilling connection to David Parker Ray, the Toy Box Killer, who was born in Belen and whose family had a ranch near where Terra disappeared. Ray closely resembled the composite sketch of the man seen following Terra, but FBI investigators ruled him out based on his meticulous record-keeping, which contained no mention of Terra Calico. With Ray eliminated as a suspect, investigators turned their attention to local young men who allegedly knew Terra and had been harassing her for months before she vanished.

The episode delves deep into the mysteries surrounding the Polaroid photographs, including the famous Port Saint Joe image and two additional photographs found in California and on an Amtrak train. We examine the phone number written on the spine of the V.C. Andrews novel in the photograph, which yielded 300 possible combinations and 57 valid phone numbers, none of which produced any leads. We discuss the beach sighting of a young woman matching the photograph being given verbal orders by several men, and we address Marilyn Manson's claim that he used to drop similar staged photographs in Florida as pranks. We reveal the threatening notes that were left on Terra's car for months before her disappearance, notes that were dismissed as high school antics and have since disappeared from the evidence record. 

We examine the case of Debra Lansdell, a 29-year-old woman from nearby Peralta who vanished on September 21, 1985, almost exactly three years before Terra and nearly to the exact day.The episode covers the breakthrough that came in October 2020 when the Rocky Mountain Information Network completed a two-year analysis of the case and recommended pursuing loose ends that had never been fully explored. We discuss the sealed search warrant executed in September 2021 and the June 2023 announcement that law enforcement believes there is sufficient evidence to submit the case to the District Attorney's Office for potential charges. We examine the statute of limitations problems that complicate prosecution and the ongoing search efforts, including the September 2025 mine shaft investigation that employed fly traps designed to attract insects that feed on human remains.

This is a story about more than just one missing woman. It is a story about systemic failures, about evidence that was mishandled or destroyed, about witnesses who were ignored, about a community that may have known the truth for decades and chosen to remain silent. It is a story about families who waited their entire lives for answers and died without ever receiving them.The FBI reward of $20,000 remains in place. Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to contact the Valencia County Sheriff's Office at 505-866-2400 or submit tips online at tips.fbi.gov.

After 37 years, the truth is still out there. Someone knows what happened on Highway 47 that September morning. This episode is a call to finally break the silence.