Passineau was last seen on April 11, 2004, in the vicinity of the 100 block of west Water Street in Syracuse, New York. She has never been heard from again. Her family did not report her missing until May, as Passineau has a reputation as a drifter who changed residences frequently and would sometimes drop out of sight for a few days. Her loved ones say she would never go this long without contacting them, however.

Passineau has not cashed any of her social services benefit checks since April, or refilled her prescriptions. She has also not been seen at Syracuse University Hospital since then. Prior to her disappearance, she came to the pediatric emergency room at least twice a month, seeking help for herself, sometimes simply asking for food. She visited the emergency room thirty times in 2003, but none of the workers there have made contact with her since her disappearance.

Nicholas Lee Wiley, who has a long criminal record and had been charged with murdering two Syracuse women, told police he had killed seven people in total. He said one of his victims was "a red-haired girl named Tammy." Passineau is the only missing person in the Syracuse area who fits that description. A photograph of Wiley is posted below this case summary. Investigators searched through local landfills for the bodies of his alleged other victims, but found no evidence. Area missing persons reports do not match Wiley's descriptions of the other people he says he killed.

In December 2004, Wiley was linked to Passineau through DNA; dried blood found on a box cutter belonging to him turned out to be hers. He has been charged with second-degree murder in Passineau's case in March 2005, although her remains have not been found. In October 2006, Wiley was convicted of all three murder counts against him and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Passineau is the mother of a son who was an infant at the time of her disappearance. He was in foster care when she vanished; he had been taken shortly after birth, as the state alleged his mother was not capable of caring for him. She frequented the Clinton Square area of Syracuse prior to her disappearance. She resided on Bellevue Avenue in Syracuse. Foul play is expected in her case due to the circumstances involved.

Above: Wiley