Tammy Jo Zywicki to be memorialized by former soccer team Monday

The disappearance and death of Tammy Jo Zywicki, an Iowa college student last seen after her car broke down on Interstate 80 near La Salle, has left her friends and family searching for answers after more than 30 years.

Zywicki, who grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, was killed Aug. 23, 1992, after dropping her brother off in Evanston and heading to Grinnell, Iowa, for college.

Last June, Shaw Local News Network sent a Freedom of Information Act request to state police, requesting the information they shared with the Philadelphia-based Vidocq Society, a pro bono service that provides assistance to the law enforcement community in solving cold case homicides.

State police responded with the following: “ISP is still actively investigating pending lab results in this case from the FBI, ISP and private labs. Additional investigative tasks may be conducted as a result of the pending lab results. Releasing the information at this time could compromise the investigation. ISP continues to analyze evidence and prepare reports.”

Zywicki’s family and friends have made it their mission to keep her case in the spotlight, teaming with the Facebook group “Who Killed Tammy Zywicki?” to organize a motorcycle ride in Zywicki’s memory in August or September for the past few years.

For the first time in 2023, her former high school soccer team came together for the Tammy Zywicki Memorial Game, marking 30 years since her disappearance and death. They will play another memorial game at 7 p.m. Monday, April 14, against Riverside High School in Greer, South Carolina.

This year, her friends and family announced that they became an official sponsor of the Lady Eagles.

“Tammy’s mother and brothers [made] personal donations, with the highest being from her mother of $500,” said Maryanne Blackwell (Fox), a childhood friend of Tammy. “We generated a GoFundMe through our Facebook group ‘Who Killed Tammy Zywicki?‘”

Zywicki graduated from Eastside High School in Taylors, South Carolina, where she not only played on the girls soccer team, but also played a critical role in its formation. She grew up playing with her three brothers, so soccer was an important aspect of her life.

The team will wear patches on the armband of their jerseys with her name and her number 15.

Dean Zywicki, Tammy’s brother, said Zywicki was a humble person and would most likely request that no one go out of their way for the event, but believes she would be touched by the memorial game.

“I have no doubt that she watches the Lady Eagles play and cheers them on and will be watching this game too,“ he said.

“She would appreciate all of the kind things people say about her and know that she was genuine about her kindness and happy to know she is remembered for it.”

Zywicki was seen last on the afternoon of Aug. 23, 1992, according to the Illinois State Police website.

Nine days later, her body was found along Interstate 44 in rural Lawrence County, Missouri, between Springfield and Joplin. She had been stabbed to death.

Some of her personal belongings were never recovered, according to the FBI website, including a Cannon 35 mm camera and a Lorus-brand wristwatch. The watch had a green umbrella on its face and a green band and plays the tune “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head.”

According to the FBI website, a tractor-trailer and its driver were spotted near Zywicki’s car between 3:10 and 4 p.m. Aug. 23. The driver of the tractor/trailer was described as a white man with dark and bushy hair who was between 35 and 40 years older and more than 6 feet tall.

Anyone with information about the Zywicki investigation is asked to call the Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigations Zone 3 at 815-726-6377. Callers can remain anonymous.