A Look at Tiffany Valiante's Death as 'Unsolved Mysteries' Tells Her Story

The first episode of Unsolved Mysteries Volume 3, titled "Mystery at Mile Marker 45," focuses on the cold case of Tiffany Valiante.

On Saturday, July 12, 2015, at 9.30 p.m., after an argument with her parents, 18-year-old Tiffany Valiante left the family home and walked out into the dark. Sadly, it was the last time she was seen alive.

Her death was ruled a suicide but a closer look at the evidence, as seen in Unsolved Mysteries, raises questions of whether something more sinister was at play. The episode asks whether Valiante took her own life or whether her killers have got away with murder.

Newsweek has everything you need to know about the mysterious case of Tiffany Valiante.

What Happened To Tiffany Valiante?

On Saturday, July 12, 2015, Tiffany Valiante and her family and friends were celebrating her high school graduation in the small town of Mays Landing, New Jersey.

That evening, at approximately 9.30 p.m. following an argument with her parents, Valiante left her home in shorts and a T-shirt, walking barefoot down the drive.

The CCTV footage of her walking from her home is the last time Valiante was seen alive.

To begin with, Valiante's decision to go out in the dark was strange, her family and friends pointed out in Unsolved Mysteries. They all recall how much Valiante hated the dark.

Soon after she left home, Valiante's parents realized nobody knew of their daughter's whereabouts and they began to worry when their texts and calls went unanswered. Moments later, they found Valiante's cell phone lying in the grass outside of their house.

Tiffany Valiante's body was discovered in the early hours of Sunday, July 13, 2015.

Her partially clothed and barefoot body was discovered four miles away from her family home, on a dark stretch of railroad track. Within hours, the New Jersey authorities ruled her death a suicide. According to the New Jersey Transit Police and the medical examiner's office, Valiante was hit by a train. It is a ruling that continues to make no sense to Valiante's family and friends.

In Unsolved Mysteries, they speak of Valiante's plans for the future, her excitement to go to college on a volleyball scholarship, and her genuine mental state which appeared happy and positive.

Speaking in Unsolved Mysteries, Valiante's mother, Dianne Valiante, said: "My daughter wasn't depressed. She wasn't suicidal. Tiffany was happy! She was making plans to go to college, she was making plans with her roommate, and she was making plans to play softball that Wednesday. She had plans to go to Great Adventure the next morning with friends."

Ever since Valiante's death, her family and a team of experts working pro bono have been working to solve what happened to Valiante.

They have uncovered a host of evidence that points to foul play and questions over the legitimacy of the original investigation into her death.

For example, no family members were interviewed in the immediate aftermath of Valiante's death, there was no psychological autopsy carried out and no rape kit was completed.

When Valiante's body was found, she had no shoes on, only her sports bra and underwear. Her mother Dianne found her white headband and shoes almost two miles from where her body was discovered, three weeks later.

Additionally, evidence at the scene was either left behind or stored poorly. As a result, the evidence became moldy and was unable to be used for DNA testing.

One piece of evidence that is missing from Unsolved Mysteries is the fact an ax with "red markings" was found near where Valiante's body was uncovered. However, the ax, which is suspected to be a potential murder weapon by Valiante's family and friends, went missing while in storage and before it could be tested, reports NJ.com.

After they won a court order to have evidence tested and when the mishandling of evidence was revealed, Valiente's parents, Dianne and Stephen Valiente, said in a statement: "We were hopeful for a miracle with the DNA testing, especially knowing Tiffany's death from the start was dismissed as a suicide without a proper investigation ever conducted. There's no excuse for evidence being mishandled."

Newsweek has contacted New Jersey Transit for comment.

Valiante's family believes Tiffany was killed and her killer remains at large. They also want the state of New Jersey to change the manner of her death from "suicide" to "unexplained."

Ahead of the release of Unsolved Mysteries, Dianne and Stephen Valiante released the following statement: "We know every day Tiffany is looking down on us, giving us the strength to help find those who snatched her and were responsible for her death just before she was to start her incredibly promising college career.

"We know so many others that also believe Tiffany's death was not suicide, that there was a rush to judgment to close the case, and that the real story of how and why she died has yet to be told. The combination of this new, deeply-researched, fact-based program, and the increased reward, might just be what's necessary to help get Tiff's case reopened."

If you know anything about Valiante's death, you can submit a tip now at unsolved.com/tips/

Unsolved Mysteries Volume 3 airs Tuesday, October 25, and November 1 on Netflix.