Valerie Lorraine Cuccia
Cuccia, circa 1973; Age-progression to age 60 (circa 2013)
- Missing Since 05/04/1974
- Missing From Brooklyn, New York
- Classification Endangered Missing
- Sex Female
- Race White
- Date of Birth 10/12/1953 (70)
- Age 20 years old
- Height and Weight 5'6, 120 pounds
- Clothing/Jewelry Description A plaid coat with a fake fur collar and a belt around the waist, tan or camel-colored pants with cuffs, a striped polo shirt, and black boots with studs on the sides. Carrying a wallet.
- Associated Vehicle(s) Blue car with a metallic finish and Massachusetts license plates
- Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Black hair, brown eyes. Cuccia has a scar on her left calf, and her cheeks show dimples when she smiles. She may use the alternate birthdate October 16, 1953.
Details of Disappearance
Cuccia met a female friend at the P.S. (Public School) 211 Park in the New York City borough of Brooklyn on May 4, 1974. They hitchhiked together to the Banana Fish nightclub (now defunct) on 96th Street and 3rd Avenue that evening, then separated once inside the club.
Cuccia's friend saw her getting into a car two unidentified Caucasian men at 9:00 p.m. The friend described the men as "hard looking" and said their car was a blue with a metallic finish and Massachusetts license plates. She may have been forced into it. She has never been heard from again.
Cuccia attended the City College of New York in 1974 and enjoyed playing the guitar; she owned two guitars, which were left behind at her home. She lived with her parents and younger sister in the 1300 block of east 96th Street in the Canarsie neighborhood at the time of her disappearance, and her family stated she had no serious boyfriends and rarely went on dates.
Cuccia's parents are now deceased, but her two brothers, one of whom became a New York State police officer, still hope for answers in her disappearance. Her case remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
- New York Police Department 646-610-6914
Updated 4 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated July 14, 2022; date of disappearance corrected.