Latest news with #TiffanyValiante
Daily Mail
02-08-2025
- Daily Mail
Teen's mysterious death takes disturbing twist as axe with 'red marks' goes missing from scene and sick texts emerge
New Jersey teenager Tiffany Valiante was on the brink of an exciting new chapter as a college freshman with a starting spot on the volleyball team. But she never got the chance to set foot on the court after her life was brutally cut short under mysterious circumstances, according to her family.
Daily Mail
12-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Heartbroken parents of teen who was fatally struck by train a decade ago say she was murdered for being lesbian
The heartbroken parents of a New Jersey teenager who was fatally struck by a train a decade ago say she was murdered for being lesbian, a new lawsuit claims. Tiffany Valiante, of Mays Landing, died after she was hit by a New Jersey Transit train traveling 80mph on July 12, 2015. After less than 12 hours investigators determined that she died by suicide and purposely stepped in front of the oncoming train. Valiante had just graduated high school and was set to attend Mercy College on a volleyball scholarship. Her cause of death has long been disputed by her family. They alleged key findings in the investigation did not add up, and that officials did not properly handle crucial evidence correctly before coming to the conclusion. Now, the late teen's mother and father, Dianne and Stephen Valiante, have decided to take a stand on behalf of their daughter. On Friday, the couple filed a lawsuit against the Garden State, NJ Transit, its police department and the New Jersey Chief Medical Examiner's Office, alleging their child's death was misclassified as a suicide because authorities did not consider she might have been a victim of a 'hate crime'. The legal filing, obtained by Daily Mail, specifically highlighted newly recovered text messages between Valiante and at least two others that included anti-LGBTQ+ slurs directed at her. Valiante's sexual orientation was known and accepted by her family and friends, but investigators ruled she took her own life without considering how her being a lesbian might have played a role, the lawsuit stated. Specifically, investigators did not interview Dianne, Stephen or other family members to see if Valiante 'exhibited signs of indicative of depression, anxiety, stress, or any expression of suicidal ideation,' per the lawsuit. The filing also said they did not look into the teen's medical history to see if she had a mental health disorder, that investigators 'did not conduct a standard psychological autopsy' and did not test DNA evidence that was discovered on her body. News of the lawsuit came on what would have been her 28th birthday, as her parents, her sisters and their lawyer, Paul D'Amato, sat down for a news conference. Surrounded by images of Valiante, D'Amato briefly explained the grounds of the lawsuit before her parents spoke of their late daughter. 'She'd be 28-years-old today,' Dianne tearfully said. 'A college graduate, a caring member of the community, probably a member of law enforcement herself, or in the military - these were careers she dreamed of. 'We love her and miss her every single second of the day,' she added before thanking the public for supporting them to help them 'try and get our story out.' Her father Stephen held up an image of Valiante in one of her hands as he visibly got emotional. During the investigation, Michael Valiante, her uncle, told NJ Transit Police that she had 'an argument with a family member' before leaving 'a family gathering' that night. She was last seen in outdoor footage leaving her family's driveway around 9.28pm that day, wearing a t-shirt, shorts, shoes and a headband. She was very close to her family, including her parents and siblings, but despite that, her mother said there were times when she and Valiante bickered more than usual. Dianne previously told The Daily Beast that their feuding was 'normal teenage stuff.' During their only therapy session in 2014, Dianne admitted to being short-tempered, attributing it to menopausal changes, the outlet said. Her daughter told the professional, who concluded the mother and daughter had 'trouble communicating,' and that she was not suicidal or depressed, per the outlet. In early 2015, Valiante came out as gay, and although she thought it was initially a phase, Dianne and her husband were supportive of their daughter. Just weeks before her death, Valiante had broken up with a girl she was dating from Philadelphia. The split was amicable, per the outlet. Around 11pm, nearly two hours after she vanished, Valiante's family started to worry about where she was. They went out and searched for her themselves, but when her brother Michael spotted police activity near a railroad track by the family home, he questioned what happened. NJ Transit Police soon told him a woman had died there, but did not confirm she was his sister. He was unable to identify her body, which was found with just a sports bra and underwear on at the time. 'What I saw that night, no one needs to see that. It was probably one of the most horrific things I've seen, being struck by a train,' Michael said on Netflix's Unsolved Mysteries. He broke the devastating news to his parents that the dead woman found on the tracks was in fact his sister around 2.30am. It is not the first time her family has taken legal action to try to get to the bottom of her death, as they have taken NJ Transit to court on several occasions to obtain investigation records. In 2017, authorities said they would look over the initial medical examiner' findings, but suicide has remained the cause of death. The family has yet to receive all of the requested paperwork, The Daily Beast reported. Michelle Amendolia, the nurse who pronounced Valiante dead that dreadful day, also spoke on Friday at the press conference as she detailed how it was not unusual for pedestrian deaths involving a train to be ruled a suicide. But, according to Amendolia, the fact that the victim was found with little to no clothes on made the case suspicious to her. She said that when people are hit by trains their body remains mostly intact and fully clothed, but 'this was not the case here.' 'That was my first pedestrian with a train strike, and since then I've done about five more,' Amendolia said. 'If I were called to the scene today, I would tell law enforcement not to rush and pursue this as a suicide, but instead as a crime.' Her parents are seeking damages under the New Jersey Constitutional Amendment for Victims' Rights, according to D'Amato. The bill states that a victim of a crime in New Jersey has to be treated with 'fairness, compassion and respect by the criminal justice system'. 'I'm asking the state of New Jersey, work with us, don't fight us,' D'Amato said at the press conference.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Yahoo
Citing A Trove of Recovered Texts and Other New Evidence, Tiffany Valiante's Parents File New Lawsuit Alleging Her 2015 Death Was A Hate-Crime Murder, Not Suicide
Believed to be first filing under the N.J. Constitution's Crime Victims Bill of Rights ATLANTIC CITY, N.J., July 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On the eve of the 10th anniversary of Tiffany Valiante's suspicious death, her parents have filed a landmark lawsuit asserting that the 18-year-old was the victim of a premeditated hate-crime murder, not suicide. The filing, believed to be the first brought under the New Jersey Constitution's Crime Victims' Bill of Rights Act, asks the court to direct state agencies to release to the family long-withheld evidence key to a 'full and proper investigation' that could ultimately hold accountable all those responsible for Tiffany's death. The new lawsuit was announced at a news conference today attended by family members and Tucker, her beloved yellow Labrador an accomplished student-athlete and openly gay teenager from Mays Landing, was struck by a New Jersey Transit train near midnight on July 12, 2015. Authorities quickly ruled her death a suicide; several forensic experts that have reviewed the case contend critical evidence about her life and death was ignored or mishandled. 'Tragically, this suspicious death case was closed in less than 12 hours without a full and proper investigation that Tiffany and her family – victims in their own right - deserved then and now 10 years later,' said Paul D'Amato, of the D'Amato Law Firm, which represents the Valiante family. 'Our legal and forensic team—working pro bono for nearly one decade — is now seeking, under the Crime Victims Bill of Rights, court-ordered access to all relevant state evidence so we can finally determine what really happened to Tiffany.' Besides Mr. D'Amato, the legal team includes Stephen Van Natten, and Alexa D'Amato Barrera. The litany of new revelations in the complaint include: Recovered (by Cornerstone Discovery's team led by Digital Forensics Examiner Jason Silva) hate-filled text messages directed at Tiffany in the months before her death—some using a violent anti-lesbian slur; they point to repeated harassment and threats. Independent forensic pathologist Dr. Wayne Ross, following his preliminary review of the case, asserts Tiffany was likely murdered and her body placed on the tracks to mask a murder, leading investigators to think it was a suicide. Investigators never explored Tiffany's sexual identity as a possible motive, nor did they consider hate crime or foul play in their initial investigation; experts agree that homicide must first be ruled out before suicide is even considered as a cause of death. The fact the toxicology report showed no signs of alcohol or drugs in her system was also apparently dismissed as insignificant. Key standard investigative procedures were skipped in the rush to judgement; they never conducted a full autopsy, rape kit, or psychological autopsy. Even the Nurse Practitioner who pronounced Tiffany at the scene has expressed grave concerns regarding the 'surgical' precision of her dismemberment, uncharacteristic of a train strike. The Valiante family is asking the court to authorize a full review by the parents' legal team of the evidence held by the New Jersey Transit Police and the Medical Examiner's Office, including access to the NJT train itself and all relevant surveillance and physical data. Once they've completed their work, they will present their findings to prosecutors. The case has attracted international attention, especially after Netflix aired the episode 'Mystery at Mile Marker 45' as part of its Unsolved Mysteries series, which has been viewed by millions. And the #JusticeforTiffany petition, urging the case re-opening, has now been signed by more than 15,000 individuals and viewed worldwide by more than 200,000. Contacts: Paul R. D'Amato / paul@ 609-926-3300 Steph Rosenfeld / steph@ / 215-514-4101 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
