Right:Tyler and Ariana
Right:Tyler and Ariana
Name: Tyler Christopher Payne
Case Classification: Endangered Missing
Missing Since: January 15, 2007
Location Last Seen: Tucson, Pima County, Arizona
Date of Birth: November 15, 2001
Age: 5 years old
Race: White
Gender: Male
Height: 3'0"
Weight: 60 lbs
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Nickname/Alias: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Unknown
Dentals: Unknown
Fingerprints: Unknown
DNA: Unknown
Clothing: Unknown
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Unknown
Tyler and his 4-year-old sister, Ariana, were last seen by their mother on March 9, 2006, at their father's apartment. A few months earlier, she had let Tyler and Ariana visit their father, Christopher Payne, but he never returned them. Tyler and Ariana's mother had full custody of them, but Child Protective Services told a police officer in March 2006 not to return the children to her. CPS blocked the mother from reclaiming custody and told the police department not to help her enforce a court custody order. Custody documents showed Payne had been denied any contact with his children and had a history of domestic violence, but CPS never checked on the welfare of Ariana and Tyler again.
On February 17, 2007, workers cleaning out an abandoned storage unit threw a plastic tub into a garage bin. Disturbed by the tub's smell, workers called the police the next day. Police found Ariana's decomposing body. She had been stuffed inside a trash bag, a designer bag, and sealed in the plastic tub. According to her autopsy result, she had multiple broken ribs, her spine had been snapped, and her right shoulder and been broken.
Despite finding Ariana's remains and some evidence, police did not completely empty the garage bin at the time of her discovery. Two weeks later, after receiving an anonymous tip that Tyler's body had also been placed in a plastic tub in the storage unit, police searched the landfill for Tyler's body. After two days, the search was called off.
Payne was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and was sentenced to death. His girlfriend pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and agreed to testify against Payne to avoid the death penalty.
The exact date of death for Tyler and Ariana is not known. It's assumed to be around July of 2006. NamUs uses January 15, 2007, as the date of last contact.
Agency Name: Tucson Police Department
Agency Contact Person: N/A
Agency Phone Number: 520-791-4444
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: 0702180489
NamUs Case Number: 6503
NCMEC Case Number: 1065550
NamUs
Tuscan Citizen - Mar. 6, 2007 & Apr. 1, 2009
Arizona Daily Star - Apr. 8, 2007
FOX 11-TV News
Ancestry.com
Added: 11/30/22; Last Updated: 11/30/22 - By: Doe-NamUs-App
Questions or comments? Please contact appropriate member of the Area Team
** Listed information is from the time of disappearance.
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