FL FL - Carol Arcuri, 41, Boca Raton, 22 Nov 1980

[Romulus]

The Doe Network:
Case File 2800DFFL

Carol Arcuri
Missing since November 22, 1980 from Boca Raton, Florida
Classification: Endangered Missing

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Vital Statistics

• 
  [*]Date Of Birth: March 28, 1939
  [*]Age at Time of Disappearance: 41 years old
• Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'2"; 112 lbs.
• Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Brown hair.

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Circumstances of Disappearance
Carol Arcuri was last seen in Boca Raton, FL on November 22, 1980. She was reported as missing by her husband on November 23.
Friends and family said she was not the type of person who would leave her children without telling anyone, or failing to make arrangements for their care. Her clothes, jewelry, money and checkbook were found at her home.
She was separated from her husband at the time, and intended to file for divorce. She still worked with her husband at A and B Autoparts in Delray Beach.
Foul play is suspected.

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Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:Boca Raton Police Department
561-416-3350Agency Case Number: 80-31487Source Information:
FDLE
Boca Raton News
Doe Network link case
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2800dffl.html
https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/17785

 

[Gardener1850]

Feb 11, 1982
[h=1]The Palm Beach Post from West Palm Beach, Florida · Page 47[/h]

[FONT=&quot]While a bondsman continued his search for fugitive Giacomo (Jack) Arcuri, Circuit Judge John Wessel decided yesterday to put the suspected auto theft ringleader's business under a court-appointed manager. The business, A & B Used Auto Parts, 728 N. Military Trail, Delray Beach, is a 9-acre junkyard and garage. Police charge that A & B received and disassembled hundreds of motor vehicles at the rate of three or four cars a week from the Fort Lauderdale and Miami areas. Informants told police that truckloads of stolen parts were shipped to many states and to islands in the Caribbean. State Atty. David Bludworth and Brian Ahrens, who claims half ownership of the junkyard, want the proceeds from the business if and when it is sold. Assistant State Atty. Lisa Campbell said the state will continue to seek an injunction to close the business and seize its assets under the state's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Ahrens, who is Arcuri's estranged business partner, filed suit a year ago asking for a court-appointed receiver to manage the liquidation of the company. , Ms. Campbell asked the court to close the business shortly after Arcuri and co-defendant Hal Huffman were arrested Nov. 25 on charges of racketeering and grand theft. Bludworth has charged that A & B was the headquarters for one of the largest auto theft rings in South Florida. Ms. Campbell said yesterday that Ahrens is not a suspect in the auto theft ring. Ahrens charged in his civil suit that Arcuri has exclusively operated and controlled the business without his consent for the past year after the two men had a business disagreement. Just before the breakup, Carol Arcuri, wife of the suspected fugitive, disappeared under mysterious circumstances and police have long suspected that foul play was involved. Mrs. Arcuri is Ahrens' sister. Wessel advised Ahrens to close the business. "I suggest you close the place up. I'm going to appoint a receiver, probably today," he said.
[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Ahren's attorney, Stanley Narkier, said a dispute between Ahrens and the state attorney is likely over the assets of the company. Detective Dennis O'Hara of the Boca Raton Police Department said Ahrens has had a clean record since an arrest in 1974 on an auto theft charge, which was later dropped. Ahrens is not suspected of involvement in any criminal activity although several law enforcement agencies have had case files on him as an auto theft suspect for years, O'Hara said. When law officials arrested Arcuri, 44, and two other men last November, they said they counted 130 engines with serial numbers that had been altered. They confiscated a large amount of stolen car parts, but had to leave $50,000 to $100,000 worth of parts they could not prove were stolen, O'Hara said. Since the arrests and seizures, Arcuri has systematically sold off the remaining parts, O'Hara said. Arcuri's $100,000 bond was revoked Tuesday when he failed to make a court appearance and could not be located by his bondsman, Tommy Brodrick. Brodrick continued yesterday to follow up local leads in his search for Arcuri. If he does not find Arcuri soon, the bonding agency will probably send an investigator to Costa Rica, where an informant told police Arcuri had planned to flee, Brodrick said. He said the agency may also post a reward for information concerning Arcuri's whereabouts. The agency must find Arcuri in one month or forfeit the bond. The state would also like to seize Arcuri's plush Boca Raton residence at 1366 14th St. SW if authorities can prove that he used it in the course of auto theft transactions. Brodrick said he has also filed a lien against the house. Arcuri's former attorney, Joel Weissman, who also has been unable to find him, withdrew yesterday from representing him. His March 1 trial remains on the docket until next week when the court will decide whether to reschedule it[/FONT]

From the OCR Text: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/129624377/

 

[Gardener1850]

January 13, 1982
[h=1]The Palm Beach Post from West Palm Beach, Florida · Page 33[/h]

J V Weissman contended that the car sales were just fluctuations in the normal flow of business inventory. Police found a $1,500 check in co-defendant Hal Huffman's pocket when he was arrested. The check was made out to Arcuri and bore a notation that it was a deposit on Arcuri's house. O'Hara did not testify as to who had made out the check, but he said the check is evidence Arcuri had been trying to sell his house. O'Hara said police had seen a "for sale" sign on Arcuri's $35,000 sports car and had been informed he had found a buyer. 428-1422 Ft. Lauderdale & Delray 732-1407 West Palm & Boynton Check or cash only 3655 N. Federal Hwy. U.S.1 Delray Beach (Between Delray & Boynton) By Jeff Stanfield Poll SHII Writ.r Assistant State Atty. Ann Vitunac yesterday charged that accused auto theft ringleader Giacomo (Jack) Arcuri is preparing to flee to Central America. Arcuri's defense lawyer said the state's accusations are groundless. The prosecution also charged that Arcuri is rapidly selling his cars at the A & B Used Auto Parts junkyard in Delray Beach, which lawmen say was the headquarters of the reputed theft ring. Boca Raton Police Detective Dennis O'Hara testified before Circuit Court Judge William Rutter that a confidential informant said Arcuri plans to leave the country. "Jack Arcuri had admitted he would not go to court and had a oneway ticket to Costa Rica," O'Hara testified. But Arcuri said he doesn't even possess a passport. The testimony came during a hearing on the state's request that Rutter increase Arcuri's $100,000 bond. Rutter declined to increase the bond, saying the state must produce more evidence that Arcuri will not show up for his March 1 trial. mi & w - on innuendo," Weissman said. O'Hara also testified that a document of A & B Used Auto Parts bore the signature of the missing Carol Arcuri, 41, the defendant's wife. O'Hara conducted a homicide investigation into her disappearance more than one year ago, but found no evidence of foul play. Under Weissman's questioning, however, O'Hara said he had not 'established whether the signature was real or what connection Arcuri had with it. After the hearing, Arcuri said he did not have any explanation for the signature or any knowledge of his wife's whereabouts. "I don't know, you'll have to ask the police," he said. "They seem to have more information than I do." O'Hara told the court police had evidence Arcuri is selling off his home, car and business assets. Police took aerial photographs of the 9-acre junkyard on Nov. 28 and Jan. 6 and determined that less than two-thirds of the salvage vehicles remained on the lot five weeks after the Nov. 25 arrests. O'Hara said this was evidence Arcuri is selling off the firm's assets. In a civil suit filed against Arcuri and Huffman, the state has attempted to freeze the assets of the business that were not seized in a Nov. 25 search of the premises for stolen autos and parts. But so far, Palm Beach County Circuit Court Judge John Wessel has declined to grant the state's repeated requests. Ann Vitunac . . . gives warning Arcuri's defense lawyer, Joel Weiss-man argued that the state tried to increase the bond through innuendo. "Judge, what they are doing is going....

OCR text: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/129711759/

 

[CastlesBurning]

Bumping for Carol - it's now been over 40 years.

Carol Arcuri – The Charley Project

 

[citizen_sleuth]

Although they had been married for 21 years, by the 1979 the relationship between Carol and Jack Arcuri was on the rocks. Jack went to live with his girlfriend in Opa-Locka while Carol stayed in their Delray Beach home with their two youngest children, returning for attempts at reunification approximately six times over the following year and a half, each time staying for a night or two before absconding once again.

Jack Arcuri maintained that he went to bed at 7 p.m. on the night of November 22, 1980, and that his wife was gone when he woke up at 9 p.m. The couple's son, 13-year-old Jack Jr., contradicted his father's statement when he told investigators that his father was in the kitchen when he returned home from watching a movie at around 11:15 p.m., and that when he inquired as to his mother's whereabouts, his father told him she was out drinking with friends and chided him for not waking him up. "Remember, you had to wake me up," Jack told his son.

When his wife never came home, Jack Arcuri reported her missing.

On December 5, 1980, police searched the Arcuri home at 1366 SW 14th St. in Boca Raton for clues in Carol's disappearance, but unfortunately walked away with nothing more than three suspected "marijuana cigarettes" in her jewelry box, "an unidentified red and yellow capsule," and a roll of nylon tape.

Lynn Arcuri Fox, the couple's oldest daughter, doubted her father's version of events and aired her suspicions to the police. After catching wind of his daughter's betrayal, Jack disowned his oldest daughters, changed the locks on the house, and communicated to police through his attorney that they should not contact him again.

"He disowned all the daughters because they went to the police department and reported her missing," Carol's father, Harry Aherns of Delray Beach, told the press. In January 1981, Arcuri filed a lawsuit in Palm Beach County Circuit Court against his daughters––Lynn Arcuri Fox, then 21-years-old, and Joanne Arcuri, then 14-years-old––for allegedly trespassing in his home and stealing his belongings.

During the investigation into Carol Arcuri's disappearance, police inadvertently learned about her husband's illegal enterprise. Boca Raton Police Detective Dennis O'Hara said that during the course of his investigation he "spoke with numerous persons in the auto body business throughout Palm Beach County who state that it is common knowledge tht [sic] Jack Arcuri steals cars and sells the stolen parts throughout South Florida."

It was not the first time Arcuri's business came under scrutiny. In the fall of 1974, Arcuri and his cadre of criminals––comprised of his brother Leonard Arcuri, Brian Stanley Aherns, and Ernest Leo Crump––were arrested and charged with five felony counts including grand larceny, tampering with evidence, auto theft, possession of stolen property, and conspiracy to commit a felony. Leonard Arcuri and Brian Aherns were arrested at the body shop as they tried to destroy incriminating evidence while Jack and Ernest Crump were arrested at 1865 SW Second St., Delray. In addition to the charges previously listed, Jack Arcuri was also charged with bribing a police officer.

Arcuri's auto parts shop––A & B Used Auto Parts, located at 728 N. Military Road Trail, Delray Beach––was revealed to be front for an auto theft ring of which Arcuri served as the leader. According to police, Arcuri and his associate Hal Noel Huffman used lock picks and slam hammers to break into and steal cars in Dade and Broward counties which they would then drive back to and park at a 'drop spot'––a supermarket parking lot at the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Military Trail. The cars would later be picked up and driven to A & B. This process would be repeated around three or four times a week, according to investigators, and had been going on since at least 1974.

Arcuri would drive his associate, presumably Huffman, down to Miami from Delray Beach multiple times per week to steal cars. The pair would then disassemble the stolen vehicles and either grind or burn off the parts' serial numbers.

In addition to the auto shop, Arcuri also owned or had an interest in Preferred Hotline Associates Inc. (2816 NE 10th Terrace, Wilton Manors), a teletype referral service that police believe he used to fence stolen parts, and L.J.J.C. Inc. (19 W. Flagler St., Miami).

Police arrested Arcuri, Huffman, and Donald Lee Summers in November 1981 on charges of racketeering and grand theft auto, although Arcuri posted $100,000 bond within hours of his arrest and continued to sell off remaining parts. At the time of his arrest, Hal Huffman had a $1,500 check in his pocket made out to Arcuri from a fictitious 'David Larkin', ostensibly for a deposit on Arcuri's house. Prosectors caught wind of Arcuri's illegal liquidation sale in mid-January and moved to have him placed in police custody, arguing he was a flight risk.

At the hearing, BRPD Detective Dennis O'Hara testified that law enforcement learned from an informant that "Jack Arcuri had admitted he would not go to court and had a one-way ticket to Costa Rica."

Arcuri's defense attorney, Joel Weissman, was granted permission by a judge to withdraw from the case in early February, citing unspecified irreconcilable differences with his client. The bond was revoked by a judge on February 9, 1982 after he failed to show at his hearing and was unable to be located by his bondsman, Tommy Broderick.

"I don't think he's gone... I don't know what position I'm in to be honest with you," Broderick said. "Up until a week ago, everything was fine. Today (Weissman) told one of my employees we had a problem."

Weissman also informed the court that Arcuri's girlfriend, Rebecca Miller, told him that Arcuri had only left "to get his head straightened out" and would be back in Palm Beach for the start of his trial on March 1. "I don't believe Jack intentionally left," Weissman said on February 5. "There's no reason for him to flee. There's nothing pending. The (criminal) case set for March 1 can't be reached then anyway."

Jack Arcuri committed suicide in a trailer park in Tucson, AZ in 1982. According to reports, a friend of Arcuri's found his body inside a mobile home parked near a hotel––he ran a hose attached to the exhaust pipe into the mobile home and left the engine running, said Tucson police Sgt. Ron Penning. A note was found with the body, but it made no mention of Carol.

Police positively identified the body as Arcuri's after detectives from both departments compared fingerprints of the deceased to those of Arcuri, in addition to confirming the presence of Arcuri's scars and tattoos.

Timeline

• (At least) 1974: Arcuri steals cars to be disassembled and sold for parts at A & M.
• 3 November 1974: Arcuri, his brother Leonard, Brian Stanley Aherns, and Ernest Leo Crump arrested on charges relating to auto theft.
• December 1979: A Palm Beach County sheriff's deputy and a Boca Raton police officer search A&B Used Auto Parts for a stolen Mercedes (which they did not find). Arcuri later challenged their authority in court.
• 14 November 1980: Jack strangles Carol, according to Lynn Fox.
• 15 November 1980: Lynn Arcuri Fox sees her mother looking "unwell" at a social club meeting; Carol allegedly goes out with another man.
• 17 November 1980: Arcuri takes his wife to see West Palm Beach physician Gerald Summer because of yellowing and blood in her eyes, coughing, and headaches. Summer concluded she was fine aside from an iron deficiency.
• 21 November 1980: Carol attends a football banquet for her 13-year-old son.
• 22 November 1980: Carol Arcuri goes missing.
• 5 December 1980: Arcuri's home searched for evidence relating to his wife's disappearance.
• 10 November 1981: Arcuri and Huffman observed stealing a 1981 Pontiac Grand Prix while under police surveillance.
• 24 November 1981: Arcuri and Huffman observed stealing a 1978 Pontiac Grand Prix while under police surveillance.
• 25 November 1981: Arcuri and Huffman arrested; Arcuri posts bond and is released; Arcuri and Huffman observed stealing a 1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass while under police surveillance.
• 17 December 1981: Judge orders A & B Used Auto Parts to be shut down.
• 12 January 1982: Prosectors seek bond increase (denied)
• 5 February 1982: Scheduled deposition in Arcuri's case against his daughters cancelled
• 9 February 1982: Bond revoked by judge
• 13 February 1982: Arcuri's body found in Tucson.
• 1 March 1982: Scheduled start date for Arcuri's trial.

Sources

"2 charged with running auto ring," Fort Lauderdale News, 26 November 1981, pg. 7B.

"4 Arrested for Car Thefts," Palm Beach Post [West Palm Beach], 5 November 1974, pg. C2.

"4 Men Charged With Auto Thefts," Miami Herald, 5 November 1974, pg. 2B.

Mike Capuzzo, "Tucson police think Arcuri killed himself," Miami Herald, 18 February 1982, pg.

Carol Cioe, "Suspects Plead Guilty In Car-Theft Ring Case," Palm Beach Post [West Palm Beach], 9 April 1982, pg. C3.

"Court Ruling Permits Search for Stolen Cars," Palm Beach Post [West Palm Beach], 15 July 1982, pg. C2.

Rose-Marie Donovan, "Murder, Disappearance Still Mysteries in Boca," Palm Beach Post [West Palm Beach], 1 July 1981, pg. 3.

Joanne Fanizza and Pete Gordon, "Dead man is missing suspect–police," Fort Lauderdale News, 18 February 1982, pg. 3B.

John J. Gersuk, "Boca Raton Fugitive An Apparent Suicide," Palm Beach Post [West Palm Beach], 17 February 1982, pg. C7.

"Judge takes back seizure order," Miami Herald, 19 December 1981, pg. 2B.

Anne Krueger, "Family Is Left Baffled," Palm Beach Post [West Palm Beach], 14 December 1980, pg. B2.

Deborah Petit, "Judge ponders fate of missing mother," Fort Lauderdale News, 17 March 1985, pg. 1B, 7B. [part 1] [part 2]

Rich Pollack, "Bondsman may be forced to forfeit $100,000 in Boca Raton theft case," Fort Lauderdale News, 16 February 1982, pg. 8B.

Rich Pollack, "Neighbors block moving vans: Dispute erupts at suspect's home," Fort Lauderdale News, 11 February 1982, pg. 3B.

Rich Pollack, "Suicide leaves mystery behind," Fort Lauderdale News, 21 February 1982, pg. 1B, 5B. [part 1] [part 2]

Marion Phelps, "Daughter presses search for mom," Fort Lauderdale News, 12 January 1981, pg. 1B.

Robert Rivas, "Massive car-theft ring cracked, officials say; 3 men face charges," Miami Herald, 18 December 1981, pg. 1C, 2C. [part 1] [part 2]

Susan Salisbury, "Husband of missing woman sues daughters," Fort Lauderdale News, 17 January 1981, pg. 1B.

Susan Salisbury, "Man facing trials gone; bail could be forfeited," Fort Lauderdale News, 6 February 1982, pg. 2B.

Susan Salisbury, "Partners ordered not to sell: State seeks to seize parts business," Fort Lauderdale News, 17 December 1981, pg. 1B.

Susan Salisbury, "Warrant out for defendant who missed hearing," Fort Lauderdale News, 10 February 1982, pg. 10B.

Susan Salisbury and Fred Schneyer, "Missing woman told of husband strangling her: Police say they've 'reached a dead end'," Fort Lauderdale News, 31 December 1980, pg. 1B, 2B. [part 1] [part 2]

Debbie K. Solomon, "Boca Raton woman leaves only a trail of questions," Fort Lauderdale News, 12 December 1980, pg. 1B.

Jeff Stanfield, "Appointee To Manage Arcuri Firm: Fugitive's Auto Business May Be Seized By State," Palm Beach Post [West Palm Beach], 11 February 1982, pg. C1.

Jeff Stanfield, "Attorney: Accused Thief May Flee," Palm Beach Post [West Palm Beach], 13 January 1982, pg. C6.

Jeff Stanfield, "Judge Closes Auto Junkyard in Delray Beach," Palm Beach Post [West Palm Beach], 18 December 1981, pg. extra-2.

Jeff Stanfield, "Suspect's Arrest Ordered," Palm Beach Post, 10 February 1982, pg. C4.

Jeff Stanfield, "Suspect's Whereabouts in Question," Palm Beach Post [West Palm Beach], 4 February 1982, pg. C4.

 

[John/Jane Doe]

Carol Arcuri – The Charley Project

 

[theshadow45]

Bumping, today is Carol’s birthday.

 

[Sleuthster]

He disowned a 14 yo daughter and called police because she traspassed on his property?? what? Those poor kids. Their mother disappears and he should have been there to support and comfort them through this. Of course I believe he knows what happened to her. Reminds me of Brenda Snouffer's disappearance. Her ex husband owned a chop shop and she was supposed to testify against him and instead disappeared.