SheWhoMustNotBeNamed
Former Member
Missing Since: June 7, 1962 from Bloomfield, Pennsylvania
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: August 15, 1951
Age: 10 years old
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Brown eyes.
Details of Disappearance
Verdecchia was last seen on June 7, 1962 in Bloomfield, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. She completed a half-day of classes at Immaculate Conception School, went home, and changed out of her uniform and into street clothes. At 12:30 p.m. she went to Martinique Apartments on Baum Boulevard in Bloomfield to run errands for a woman who lived there. The woman sent Verdecchia to the store. She was last seen re-entering the apartment complex at 2:45 p.m.
Verdecchia has never been heard from again. She was missed at 6:00 p.m. and her disappearance was reported to the police at 10:30 p.m. after her relatives had searched for her with no result. A few days after her disappearance, a piece of jewelry believed to have belonged to her was found at the entrance to the Highland Park Zoo, but a massive search turned up no other sign of her. Authorities are uncertain if the jewelry is connected to her disappearance; she could have lost it before she vanished.
In 1991, an adult man came forward and said that in 1962, when he was nine years old, he witnessed a Presbyterian minister molest and murder a young girl in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. If the account is true the victim was probably Verdecchia, the only girl reported missing in the area at that time. The witness's account was never confirmed and the minister, who maintains his innocence, has not been charged in connection with Verdecchia's case.
Verdecchia lived with her aunt at the time of her disappearance. She had moved in with her after her own parents separated in 1957. Neither parent played a big part in Verdecchia's life. At first investigators believed Verdecchia's mother had taken her, but she was located and cleared as a suspect, as was the child's father. Both of Verdecchia's parents are now deceased, but her aunt still lives in Bloomfield.
Foul play is suspected in Verdecchia's case; her aunt believes she is deceased and was probably attacked inside the Martinique Apartments. Her disappearance remains a mystery.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Pittsburgh Police Bureau
412-323-7800