OH OH - Catherine 'Kathy' Parisi, 26, Parma, 18 July 1997 *Arrest*

[Gardener1850]

"She worked as a professional escort and that night went to an address in Parma, OH. At 6:30 p.m. she called the escort service she worked for and said no one had answered the door at the designated address. She has ever been heard from again. The next day, her 1991 Chevrolet Lumina was found in the parking lot of a shopping center on Pearl Rd. with her keys inside and $350 in cash in the console. Authorities traced the phone her prospective client used; it was a pay phone at a Cleveland donut shop."


https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/35017/4

More info about her disappearance is on her Charley Project page: http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/p/parisi_catherine.html

**NAMUS says she was last seen July 18, 1997; Charley Project says April 18, 1997.

 

[Murkywaters]

Cuyahoga County Missing Persons Unit

Catherine Parisi
Missing Age: 26
Gender: Female
Missing Since: 04/18/1997
Missing From City: Cleveland
Detective Name: Det. Haney
Detective Phone: 216.623.5118

 

[Murkywaters]

Catherine A. Parisi – The Charley Project

Details of Disappearance
Parisi was last seen in the 9200 block of Clifton Boulevard in Cleveland, Ohio on April 18, 1997. She worked as a professional escort and that night went to an address in Parma, Ohio. At 6:30 p.m., she called the escort service she worked for and said no one had answered the door at the designated address. She has never been heard from again.

The next day, her 1991 Chevrolet Lumina was found in the parking lot of a shopping center on Pearl Road, with her keys inside and $350 in cash in the console. Authorities traced the phone her prospective client used; it was a pay phone at a Cleveland donut shop.

Parisi had worked as an escort for seven years. In January 1997, a few months before her disappearance, she was violently attacked by one of her clients for the first time: James Faia, a convicted drug trafficker, allegedly robbed her at gunpoint and tried to kill her by putting a plastic bag over her head.

She survived and her assailant was indicted for attempted murder, aggravated robbery and felonious assault. At the time of Parisi's disappearance, Faia was out on bail awaiting trial. It's unclear whether he had anything to do with her disappearance, however; police could find no evidence that he was involved.

Parisi left behind a live-in boyfriend and two small children. She was attending a trade school at the time of her disappearance and hoped to be able to give up escort work and become a fashion buyer upon graduation. Foul play is suspected in her case, which remains unsolved.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Daughters fight for answers nearly 23 years after their mom goes missing

Cleveland homicide detectives on a special task force are now looking into Kathy’s case.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Our investigation found homicide detectives on a special task force are now looking into Kathy’s case.

Cleveland Police tell 19 News they’ve made progress, even though Kathy is still listed as a missing person.

19 Investigates found the Cleveland Homicide Review Task Force has now put Kathy's case on the front burner.

The task force is a joint effort between local law enforcement and the FBI.

So far the task force has solved six out of 26 of these priority cases.

That's 23 percent in more than two years.

But Kathy’s case is different. She’s still classified as a missing person. Her case is marked as “not assigned” to a homicide unit file in our documents obtained from police.

Cleveland Police told 19 Investigates that homicide detectives are working on Kathy's case because it's time to move it forward.

That’s more eyes poring over old evidence. They say investigators have made progress.

Police can’t tell us or Kathy’s family what leads they may have as to not jeopardize the investigation.

Her daughters are working with a private eye. They hope this will be the year they get answers.
Cleveland mother vanishes in 1997, never to be seen again. Now, Cleveland Police are turning up new leads in the case

 

[kelsie]

My heart breaks for her and her daughters. I hate when people judge sex workers as "less than".

 

[sammyed]

Bumping for Catherine and her daughters. Discrepancy in the dates she went missing and she probably isn't alive but they deserve answers.

I have to register my disgust here with Cleveland police who are responsible for this investigation. They've taken no responsibility and, according to her daughters. (A S. and C.P.) Facebook posts, officers laughed disrespectfully when they've gone to offer information they've found about their mother. They were young girls when their mother disappeared. I don't care what her line of work or the scenario this woman and family deserves protection and justice.

Then I search Ohio Attorney General's Missing Persons Site and they've (Cleveland police) not even got her listed as missing on there!

Seems according to daughters Catherine disappeared April 18, 1997.

 

[TwinkieDefense]

May 4, 2023 article - indicates she is still missing

What happened to Kathy Parisi, missing for 26 years?

The young mom of two disappeared 26 years ago without a trace.

www.cleveland19.com

[…]

Kathy was working as an escort and took a call in Parma.

But no one answered the door, and she was never seen again.

Kathy’s car was found at Brookview Shopping Center a day later on the west side of Cleveland on Brookpark Road off I-480.

[…]

 

[Synergizer Bunny]

My heart breaks for her and her daughters. I hate when people judge sex workers as "less than".

It's so tragic. She was a very pretty lady. It's definitely a dangerous business; however, she was making appointments through a service. You would think the service would vet the clients. I guess that they didn't and gave her (and others) a false sense of security. The guy who tried to kill her sure sounds like he had a motive.

JMO.

 

[ekardh]

Unfortunately, Kathy’s line of work exposed her to a high risk of violence, but it's too much of a coincidence that the man who had tried to kill her was out on bail awaiting trial at the time.

Do we know what became of this guy?

 

[czany]

Unfortunately, Kathy’s line of work exposed her to a high risk of violence, but it's too much of a coincidence that the man who had tried to kill her was out on bail awaiting trial at the time.

Do we know what became of this guy?

i totally agree, its not that coincidental that he is out on bail waiting trial and she goes missing with her money in the car, duh drug traffickers dont need money, AND they have enough to make people disappear without evidence, ugh dropped the ball on this one but they are trying now, hopefully some dna or SOMETHING!

 

[OakleyShades]

Toledo man arrested for decades-old abduction and murder

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - A Toledo man has been arrested and booked into the Lucas County jail in connection to a decades-old disappearance and death of a young mother.

Records show Michael Bukowski, of Toledo, was booked into the Lucas County jail on Monday, Jan. 20. A Cuyahoga County grand jury indicted him on a slew of charges in the death of Catherine Parisi, a young mother who disappeared in the 90s without a trace.

Court records say Bukowski is charged with murder, involuntary manslaughter, abduction, felonious assault, gross abuse of a corpse, and tampering with evidence. Additional details surrounding the disappearance and death weren’t immediately available.

Our sister station in Cleveland reported last year that the case was still active and a new detective was assigned to investigate Parisi’s disappearance.

Catherine Parisi, who went by Cathy, was 25 when she was last seen in April of 1997. The mother of two reportedly worked as an escort to pay the bills. Our sister station reported in 2024 that Parisi took a call in Parma the day she disappeared but no one answered the door and she was never seen again. Investigators found her car at a shopping center the next day.

Parisi’s daughters told WOIO in 2020 they didn’t think their mom’s case got enough resources or attention at the time she went missing because of what she did for a living. Cecelia said her mom wanted a better life.

“She was funny and intelligent and the life of the party, and she was always a good person,” Cecelia Parisi told WOIO.

A timeline for possible extradition to Cuyahoga County is unclear. The next court date is scheduled for Feb. 4.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Cathy Parisi and her oldest daughter Cecelia

He’s set to face a judge in Cleveland on February 4

19 Investigates: Suspect arrested in cold case disappearance of Cleveland mother Cathy Parisi

Toledo Police arrested 50-year-old Michael Bukowski in connection with her disappearance.

www.cleveland19.com

 

[mlhenn]

Catherine A. Parisi – The Charley Project

Last updated January 24, 2025; two pictures added, details of disappearance updated.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

His arraignment is next Tuesday and the judge is expected to set his bond.

Investigators seek more information on suspect charged in Cleveland cold case murder

Michael Bukowski, 50, was charged with the murder of Cleveland mother Catherine Parisi. She has been missing since 1997.

www.cleveland19.com

 

[dotr]

Jan 28, 2025
Michael J. Bukowski, 50, was arrested by Toledo Police on Jan. 20; Jeep employee has bond set at $500,000.

 

[dotr]

March 31, 2025

Toledo man charged in 1997 cold case murder of Catherine Parisi awaits next pretrial hearing

Michael Bukowski is accused of killing the Cleveland woman before moving to Toledo and starting a life there.

www.wtol.com

''In January, Bukowski's attorney, Terry Gilbert, told the court that Bukowski is a team leader at Toledo's Jeep plant and shares custody of his two daughters. Several family members were present in court, and Gilbert said he had received between eight and 10 letters from neighbors and relatives vouching for Bukowski’s character.'

Michael Bukowski is accused of the 1997 abduction and murder of 26-year-old Catherine A. Parisi, of Cleveland.

''Assistant Prosecutor Ben McNair pushed back during January's court appearance, detailing that as a teenager, Bukowski had admitted to raping a 14-year-old girl and later attacked her with a hammer while on home confinement for unrelated robberies — an act McNair said was meant to intimidate the victim.''

 

[TwinkieDefense]

April 17, 2025 article

Court records reveal evidence collected in missing Cleveland mother’s case from 1997

Prosecutors have charged a Toledo man in connection with Cathy Parisi's disappearance.

www.cleveland19.com

[…]

It includes trace evidence from a vacuum of Parisi’s car, DNA evidence, including her underwear and razor, real estate maps, aerial photos and photos from Bukowski’s apartment and car.

It also lists fingerprint comparisons and even copies of Bob Marley and Aerosmith CD covers.

[…]