Crime & Safety

Little Girl's Disappearance Still Unsolved 50 Years Later

Mary Ann Verdecchia's disappearance rocked the Pittsburgh area in 1962.

One of the oldest and most memorable missing person cases in southwestern Pennsylvania is that of Mary Ann Verdecchia, who disappeared from Pittsburgh's Bloomfield neighborhood on June 7, 1962.

The 10-year-old had lived with her aunt in the five years after her parents separated. She had returned home after a half-day of classes at Immaculate Conception School, changed out of her school uniform and went outside at about 12:30 p.m.

Witnesses saw Mary Ann go into the Martinique Apartments along Baum Boulevard. A woman resident for whom she ran errands sent her to the store. She was seen going back into the apartments at about 2:45 p.m. That was the last reported sighting of her.

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At about 6 p.m., Mary Ann's relatives began looking for her. They called police at about 10:30 that night.

Mary Ann was described as 4 feet 10 inches tall, weighing 60 pounds and having brown eyes and black hair with a brownish tint that was worn in a ponytail.

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She had thin legs and fingers, and her breasts were just beginning to develop. She also had a scar on the center of her forehead. Mary Ann was last seen wearing a white blouse and red shorts with white tennis shoes.

The investigation into her disappearance was led by former Pittsburgh police Assistant Chief Therese Rocco of the Brookline neighborhood, who headed the police bureau's missing persons squad. The search involved one of the largest police manhunts in history, with throngs of detectives who combed Bloomfield and beyond.

The little girl's disappearance still makes its way into the Pittsburgh media every few years.

Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact the Pittsburgh police at 412-323-7800 or use the department's Tip Form.

For more information about this and other missing person cases, visit the websites for Pennsylvania Missing PersonsNamUs and The Doe Network.

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