Valarie Cuccia Missing Person Case

Sep 01, 2010

Sep 14, 2022

Valarie

Cuccia

72

20

66 inches

120 lbs

White / Caucasian

Female

In the spring of 1974, a 20-year-old college student and talented musician named Valarie Lorraine Cuccia disappeared from her Brooklyn, New York neighborhood, leaving behind a mystery that has endured for decades. On the evening of May 4th, Valarie and a friend made their way from the Canarsie neighborhood to a discotheque in Bay Ridge then known as the Banana Fish nightclub, located at 96th Street and 3rd Avenue. The two friends separated once inside the club. The last time Valarie was seen by her friend, she was getting into a blue metallic-finished car with two unidentified white males. The vehicle was noted to have Massachusetts license plates. Valarie was last seen wearing a plaid coat with a fur collar, a striped polo shirt, tan pants, and black boots with studs on the side. She has a scar on her left calf. Valarie was a student at the City College of New York and was a gifted musician who enjoyed playing the guitar. A testament to her talent, she had sold one of her musical compositions by the age of 16, and two of her songs were featured on an album by a group called January Tyme. She lived at home with her parents and younger sister in Canarsie and was not known to have any serious boyfriends or to date frequently. In the years following her disappearance, her family was tormented by false leads and cruel hoaxes, including attempts to extort money with false claims of her whereabouts. These false tips sent them on fruitless journeys, including to Florida, in the desperate hope of finding Valarie. Over the years, the investigation into Valarie's disappearance has continued, with one of her brothers, a former New York State Police investigator, remaining a steadfast advocate for her case. He has expressed his belief that his sister was murdered and that someone holds the key to solving the mystery. Valarie's parents have since passed away without ever learning what happened to their daughter, but her brothers continue their search for answers. The case of Valarie Cuccia remains an active investigation, a poignant reminder of a young life cut short and a family's enduring love and quest for closure. The core of the case rests on the events of that May evening, the two unidentified men, and the blue car with Massachusetts plates, details that have been the focal point of the investigation for nearly half a century.

May 04, 1974

Brooklyn

New York

Kings County

11201

8986

New York State Police - Forensic Investigation Support Services

Albany

New York

Albany County

12226

1220 Washington Avenue, New York

8004452500

State

Law Enforcement

https://troopers.ny.gov/forensic-investigation-support-services

QSPH93107

New York State Police - Forensic Investigation Support Services

Black

Brown

Brown

09/16/2026