TOLEDO, Ohio — A Toledo man has been arrested in connection to the decades-old disappearance and death of Catherine Parisi, a young mother who went missing in 1997. Michael Bukowski, 52, was booked into the Lucas County jail on January 20 after being indicted by a Cuyahoga County grand jury. He faces multiple charges, including murder, involuntary manslaughter, abduction, felonious assault, gross abuse of a corpse, and tampering with evidence.
Parisi, who was 25 at the time of her disappearance, was last seen in April 1997. She was a mother of two and worked as an escort to support her family. Authorities said Parisi took a call in Parma the day she vanished, but when she arrived at the address, no one answered the door. She was never seen again. The following day, her car was found abandoned at a shopping center.
The case went cold for years, but in 2024, a new detective was assigned to investigate Parisi’s disappearance, reviving hope for answers. The Cuyahoga County grand jury indictment against Bukowski comes after years of renewed investigation into Parisi’s case, which had been initially dismissed by some as under-resourced due to her occupation.
Parisi’s daughters, who were just children when their mother went missing, expressed in a 2020 interview that they felt the case did not receive the attention it deserved. They cited their mother’s work as an escort as a possible factor in the lack of resources devoted to finding her.
“She was funny and intelligent and the life of the party, and she was always a good person,” said Cecelia Parisi, one of Catherine’s daughters, in the 2020 interview. “She wanted a better life for us.”
The charges against Bukowski mark a significant development in the case. Details surrounding the circumstances of Parisi’s death remain unclear, as investigators have not disclosed further information. The timeline for Bukowski’s possible extradition to Cuyahoga County is yet to be determined, but his next court appearance is scheduled for February 4.
As the investigation continues, the family of Catherine Parisi is one step closer to seeking justice for the young mother who disappeared nearly three decades ago.