By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
ROCKFORD —Thirty-four years ago Tammy Tracey went to Searls Park and was never seen alive again.
Now, and for generations to come, visitors to the park will see Tracey’s image and name as a way to honor her legacy and her family’s decades-long plight for justice in her killing.
Dozens of friends, family members and other supporters of the Tracey family gathered today on what would’ve been her 54th birthday to dedicate portions of the park in her honor. From now on, the main roadway and entrances to the park at 4950 Safford Road will be named for Tracey, who was 19 years old when she was killed after going to the park to wax her car. Her name is also attached to the Tammy Tracey Memorial Shelter.
“Now, every single person that comes into this park will forever see the name Tammy Tracey,” Rockford Park District Executive Director Jay Sandine said. “Every single person that looks up directions on how to get to this park, will forever see the name Tammy Tracey.”
Naming the shelter for her is a fitting honor, Sandine said, because it is a gathering place for birthdays, baby showers and other celebrations of love.
“This is where the greatest gathering of love in our parks take place,” Sandine said. “After tonight, every family reunion, every birthday party, every gathering of family, friends and love here at Searls Park will always have the name Tammy Tracey attached to it.”
For years, family members and police said they knew who killed Tracey but lacked key pieces of evidence in order to make an arrest. That changed last year, and 33 years after her killing Jesse Smith, 65, was charged with murder. He has pleaded not guilty and his trial is pending.
“She’s been after that monster since it happened,” said Tracie Boolman, a longtime friend of Tracey’s mother, Linda. “She’s been waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting, so this is one step closer to the final part of it, but we’re not there yet.”
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Winnebago County State’s Attorney J. Hanley vowed to those gathered today that his office would work “doggedly, diligently with all of our hearts and minds to bring justice for Tammy, and we will do just that.”
Tracey was last seen at the park on May 27, 1987, and her body wasn’t found until April 15, 1988, in the Sugar River Forest Preserve in Durand. An autopsy showed she had been shot and stabbed.
The Auburn High School graduate’s killing frustrated detectives for decades, and year after year the family posted Tracey’s image on billboards to keep her memory and their quest for justice alive.
Linda Tracey, Tammy’s mother, was overwhelmed by the gathering of supporters who filled every park bench seat under the shelter and overflowed into the grass around it. She thanked them and others in the community for their years of support in her quest for justice.
“I can’t put into words how I feel that all of you came today to honor Tammy. We appreciate the support you’ve given us over the years and thank you for being here to share her day,” Linda Tracey said. “I know Tammy is looking down on us with a big smile on her face.”
Photos: Tammy Tracey honored with dedication at Searls Park in Rockford
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas.