Left and Center: Denise circa, 1970
Right: Age Progressed to age 58
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: July 7, 1970
Missing From: Queens, Queens County, New York
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: February 20, 1954
Age: 16 years old
Height and Weight: 5’3″ and 103 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian Female, Brown hair, Brown eyes, Denise’s ears are pierced
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A red/white top, blue shorts sized XS, Denise was known to be wearing the following two rings: a gold boys’ school ring and a gold ring with her initials “DS”
NCMEC Number: 924905
Details of Disappearance
Denise went missing from Queens, New York on July 7th 1970. During that afternoon, Denise spent much of her time speaking with her boyfriend over the phone. He was out of state visiting a sick relative in Pennsylvania at the time.
That day, it was also Denise’s sister, Lorraines, 19th birthday. When she finished calling her boyfriend, she started helping her mother set up for the birthday party. However, her mother smelled what she believed to be alcohol on Denise’s breath and an argument broke out.
Her mother threatened to tell her father when he returned home from work at the post office. This caused Denise to angrily storm out of the apartment. She was seen hopping the fence in the courtyard behind the building. She exited through an adjacent Mets apartment building. A neighbor saw her get out as she came in. Denise has never been seen again.
Denise was reported missing the next day when she didn’t return home. Her family waited all night for her to come back. Investigators are unsure if she ran away or if foul play was involved.
Her family followed up on many leads in her case and continue to hope they’ll get a resolution in her disappearance. When a sighting came in that Denise was spotted in Maine, her father drove the whole family there to look for her but didn’t find anything. It’s been considered that she might’ve died from a drug overdose. A drug dealer lived in the Mets building in 1970. This hasn’t been confirmed.
Denise’s boyfriend is not considered a suspect in her disappearance. Law enforcement were able to clear him of suspicion almost immediately and he even came back to New York to help search for her. Investigators have no suspects in her case.
Denise remains missing. Her father went to his grave believing Denise was still alive. Lorraine and her mother continue to fight for answers in her case which remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
New York State Division of Criminal Justice Service 800-346-3543
Source Information
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children