Left and Center: Michele circa, 1981
Right: Age Progressed to age 51
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: September 22, 1981
Missing From: Zelienople, Butler County, Pennsylvania
Classification: Non-Family Abduction
Date Of Birth: December 29, 1964
Age: 16 years old
Height and Weight: 5’2″ and 110 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian Female, Brown hair, Blue eyes, Michele was a chain smoker at the time of her disappearance and wore eyeglasses, she might use the nickname “Shelly”
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A wine colored v-neck sweater, blue jeans, Michele was wearing a gold necklace with a knot pendant
NCMEC Number: 601875
Details of Disappearance
Michele was last seen in Zelienople, Pennsylvania on September 22nd 1981. She was working her shift at her after school job at an appliance store known as Mel Den’s, located in the 200 block of south Main Street. She usually worked there with a classmate but the person was sick and did not attend to work that day.
At approximately 4:30 pm, Michele left the store to walk to a pharmacy about a block away so that she could purchase cold medicine. She was feeling sick at the time. It was confirmed that Michele went to the store and purchased the medication. She was last seen by her boss as she stood in the parking lot of Super Duper supermarket on South Main Street.
Michele was seen speaking with an unidentified individual in a red car. Michele never returned to her job and had left all of her personal belongings behind at Mel Den’s. She was found to not be at her job when her mother came to Mel Den’s to pick her up and take her to visit her older sister who was hospitalized at the time.
Her disappearance was reported to authorities later that evening when her brother arrived at the store to pick her up and drive her home. Her mother called police when Michele never returned home. Investigators do not believe that Michele left on her own accord. She was devoted to her older sister who was hospitalized due to a stroke which left her paralyzed several months before her disappearance.
Michele also left behind all of her personal belongings, including $100 she was planning to use for a class ring. Her family stated that Michele was street smart and knew not to trust strangers. Investigators believe that Michele was abducted by someone she knew and trusted and may have been murdered afterwards.
Her boyfriend and family were questioned and subjected to lie detector tests. They all passed and are not considered suspects in her disappearance.
At the time of her disappearance, Michele was described as a responsible teenager. Michele had her senior picture taken on the day she disappeared and she attended all of her classes that day. Her case remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Zelienople Police Department 412-452-6320
Source Information
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children