Attorney Says Mishandled Evidence Hampered Independent DNA Testing in Tiffany Valiante Case

MAYS LANDING, N.J. — The attorney representing the family of Tiffany Valiante says improperly stored evidence left independent DNA testing unable to produce scientifically reliable results that could be used in court, adding another chapter to a South Jersey case that continues to generate questions more than a decade after the 18-year-old's death.

During an appearance on The Gabe Staino Show on News Talk 1400 & 92.3 WOND, attorney Paul D'Amato discussed what he described as years of legal battles to obtain evidence connected to Valiante's 2015 death.

Valiante, an 18-year-old Mays Landing resident who had recently graduated from Oakcrest High School and earned a volleyball scholarship to Mercyhurst University, was struck and killed by a New Jersey Transit train on July 12, 2015, in Galloway Township.

The Southern Regional Medical Examiner ruled her death a suicide. Her family, however, has consistently challenged that finding, arguing investigators failed to fully examine evidence that could point to another explanation. The case later gained national attention after being featured on Netflix's Unsolved Mysteries, renewing public interest in the investigation.

Speaking with host Gabe Staino, D'Amato said he eventually secured a court order allowing an independent forensic laboratory in Ohio to examine evidence after what he described as years of legal efforts.

According to D'Amato, the laboratory immediately identified problems with how the evidence had been preserved.

He said the lab informed him that some evidence had been stored in plastic bags rather than paper bags, allowing mold to develop and contaminating the material. As a result, he said, the laboratory warned the testing results could not be considered scientifically reliable for use in court.

D'Amato said analysts were still able to identify DNA from an unknown male on one piece of evidence, but because of the contamination, the laboratory concluded it could not draw reliable forensic conclusions from the sample.

"The family paid $10,000 to have this testing done because the State of New Jersey would not do it," D'Amato said during the interview.

He also described a lengthy legal process to obtain DNA evidence, saying he filed multiple lawsuits after being told investigators considered the case a suicide. According to D'Amato, the family sought independent testing because they believed significant questions about Valiante's death remained unanswered.

Despite his criticism of how evidence was handled, D'Amato credited several deputy attorneys general with eventually helping move the family's requests forward, saying their cooperation allowed the independent testing to proceed.

The interview also featured Marie McGovern of Street Smart Video, who discussed her work on an upcoming documentary examining the Valiante case.

McGovern said she encountered an unusual reluctance among people who knew Valiante to speak publicly about the case. She also said she noticed what she described as an absence of social media posts from several individuals during the period surrounding Valiante's death, though she said she could not explain the reason.

According to McGovern, those experiences only deepened her interest in continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding Valiante's death.

The Tiffany Valiante case has remained one of South Jersey's most closely followed unsolved controversies since her death 11 years ago. While her family continues to challenge the official findings through legal action and public advocacy, state investigators have continued to stand by the original determination that Valiante died by suicide. No criminal charges have ever been filed in connection with her death.

During the WOND interview, D'Amato said he believes the condition of the physical evidence has made it significantly more difficult to determine exactly what happened on the night Valiante died, leaving questions he says may never be fully answered.