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 retriever.
Tiffany, 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 Change.org 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 / [email protected]/ 609-926-3300
Steph Rosenfeld / [email protected] / 215-514-4101
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/076e4d24-2068-4950-9726-da0579d3b4a1
