WEARING red joggers, a white sweatshirt and her distinctive Rolex watch, student Tiffany Sessions switched on her Walkman and headed towards the woods for a run. She was never seen again.
Now, 36 years on, detectives believe the watch she was wearing that day could finally give Tiffany’s heartbroken family the answers they long.
The last known photo of Tiffany Sessions before she vanished – wearing the gold RolexCredit: Supplied
The Rolex model Tiffany was wearing when she disappeared
Crews out searching for missing Tiffany in 1989Credit: Supplied
It was February 9, 1989, when Tiffany, 20, vanished without a trace in Gainesville, .
The University of Florida student is believed to have been snatched, raped and murdered by and convicted predator Paul Rowles, who died of cancer behind bars in 2013, aged 64.
Now, in a bid to finally solve the case, police have put out a worldwide search for her Rolex – which can be identified by its serial number, RG09006 – in the hope that it will lead back to the killer.
Her heartbroken mother, Hilary, 80, told The Sun: “According to her flatmate, Tiffany took all her off except for her Rolex watch because she wanted to make sure she got back in time.
“We have a worldwide alert at Rolex for anybody bringing in that serial number.
“It was a unique watch, a blue face, and it had Rolex written across at an angle. It was a special anniversary edition, and I think it was in 1988 that she got it.”
Hilary, who worked in the US Air Force before becoming a commercial airline pilot, will never forget the phone call that was the beginning of every mother’s worst nightmare.
She says: “At about 9pm, I got a telephone call from Tiffany’s roommate, Kathy, she said, ‘Mrs Sessions, I think we have a problem.’
“That was the beginning of my life turning upside down.”
Searches of the wooded area failed to show any signs of her body, and the investigation appeared to run cold with no suspects – leaving Hilary in limbo.
Updates from the police were few and far between – with three searches in 2009, 2013 and 2016 uncovering nothing.
Hilary said: “Of course the searches were a big let down. When Tiffany was first missing it was a rollercoaster ride that no one ever wants to be on, the highest highs and the lowest lows.
“The hardest part is: is she going to knock on the door and I’m going to give her a big hug, or am I going to have to arrange a funeral? I go between super hot and super cold.
“Two weeks ago I set up a memorial for Tiffany on a piece of property, 1,000 acres undeveloped, it’s a natural organic farm and put a memorial there and we had a small private service. I wanted it to be very quiet.
“It’s not a burial place, it’s a place for me to go and talk to Tiffy. It’s horrific not having her body.
“But I have come to the realisation we may not find anything and all I want is closure, even if it’s just a finger bone, then we could get DNA on it, then I’m happy.”
After decades with no real movement on the case, a lead emerged in 2013.
Hilary Sessions with her daughter TiffanyCredit: Supplied
Hilary celebrating her 40th birthday with TiffanyCredit: Supplied
Serial killer Paul Rowles died – and police found a black notebook belonging to him which had the exact date Tiffany disappeared written in the centre: ‘2-9-89’.
Next to it was a note that read ‘#2’, which suspect could mean that Tiffany was his second victim.
Rowles, who lived locally and was familiar with the route Tiffany ran due to his in construction and pizza delivery, did not show up to work on the day she vanished and had already been convicted of murdering beauty-pageant contestant Linda Fida, 20, in 1972, in Miami .
Released from custody just nine years later, he went on to rape and attempted to kill a 15-year-old girl in 1994, before he was jailed for another 19 years.
Shortly before his death, evidence also linked Rowles to the murder of college student Beth Foster, found in 1992 in a wooded area of Gainesville, just one mile from where Tiffany vanished.
I got a telephone call from her roommate [saying she was missing]. That was the beginning of my life turning upside down.
Hilary Sessions
Hilary added: “I’ve had over 100 people work on this case.
“The major thing I am getting from all of them is that something happened to her throat, whether he strangled her, choked her with some sort of necklace or ligature around the neck, that she was either shot in the back of the head, front of the head or she was hit by a rock above her left eye.
“The motivation was sex. Rowles apparently had a major problem with being able to get an erection. I believe he raped her, absolutely.”
FRESH SEARCH FOR TIFFANY
Todd Hand, a veteran detective who has discovered hundreds of dead bodies in his 33-year career, is the man tasked with finding Tiffany’s body.
He stresses that while Rowles is the prime suspect, it is not certain that he is the one who killed her.
Next year, he will use to search underneath the concrete where Rowles worked.
Hand told The Sun: “Tiffany was abducted and probably hit over the head. I think she was abducted by a single male. If she hadn’t been injured, she would have put up a pretty good struggle, as that was her temperament.
“It all depends on what theory you have for what happened to her. I believe whoever abducted her subsequently killed her, or she was killed by a blow from the abduction.
“I believe she is somewhere in the area where she was abducted, and I think she is probably buried, but I also think she might be underneath something else, like a pavement.”
Serial killer Paul Rowles had a notebook with the date Tiffany vanished written inCredit: Alachua County Sheriff's Office
The heartbroken mum hopes to finally find out what happened to her daughterCredit: Supplied
A new search for Tiffany will take place next yearCredit: Supplied
Hand said Rowles was known to work around the area where Tiffany would often walk – and there would have been plenty of opportunity to bury a body.
“So many of these sites where she walked were under construction, and his job was to take scaffolding from his construction company to the sites, set them up and when they were done, disassemble and bring them back to the construction company,” he said.
“So he knew where all these sites were because he worked there.
“If Rowles had anything to do with it, then he could have dug a hole [underneath the building work].”
The veteran detective said he hopes to excavate the area before next – and hopefully bring her mother some much-needed closure.
“[The last photo I have of Tiffany] was taken at time,” says Hilary.
“She and I got together, we spent 10 days together at my mum and dad’s house. We went out on the boat, and we went to the clubs for brunches and dinners. We had a wonderful time.
“She and I talked all the time.
“I want every parent to always give their child the biggest hug in the entire world, every time they separate and kiss them.
“Because it might be the last time.
“We will never stop looking. The sheriffs are keeping Tiffy’s case open – until we can find bones which can be DNA identified.”
The Sun has approached Rolex for a response.
- Anyone with information on Tiffany’s disappearance can report information to (352) 367-4164, (352) 756-3308 or thand@alachuasheriff.org
