In the early spring of 1993, the life of a young girl from Waterbury, Connecticut, took a turn that has left her family and community searching for answers for decades. Eleven-year-old Marisela Pino, a girl with brown hair and brown eyes, vanished on the evening of March 20, 1993. That day, she was wearing a black and gray jacket, a green and white shirt, and a green denim skirt or jeans with white socks and blue shoes.
She was a young girl with distinguishing marks that her family hoped would one day help identify her: a possible scar on her left ankle and perhaps a duck-shaped burn mark on her abdomen or chest. Marisela, who sometimes went by the surnames Pino-Vasquez or Vasquez-Pino, was last seen in the vicinity of a local spot called Nash's Pizza & Groceries.
The evening Marisela disappeared, she had been with her older sister, spending time playing video games at the pizzeria, a typical activity for children of her age. According to the owner of Nash's, the two sisters were there until about 8:00 p.m. At some point after leaving, the sisters became separated, and Marisela never made it home. Later that night, around 11:00 p.m., with Marisela still not home, her family grew deeply concerned and reported her missing to the Waterbury Police Department. The initial search and the subsequent investigation in the days and years that followed would unfortunately yield few clues as to her whereabouts. Her case was classified as an endangered missing person, a label that underscores the vulnerability of an eleven-year-old child suddenly gone without a trace.
Decades have passed since Marisela Pino was last seen, and her case remains unsolved. The lack of significant leads has been a constant source of pain for her loved ones. In an effort to generate new information, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children has released age-progressed images showing what Marisela might look like as an adult. The Waterbury Police Department continues to hold the case file, hoping for a breakthrough. The story of Marisela Pino is a somber reminder of a young life interrupted. It is the story of a child who went out to play video games with her sister and never returned, leaving behind a family with unanswered questions and a community with a missing member. The investigation into her disappearance remains open, a cold case that serves as a testament to the enduring hope of finding answers, no matter how much time has passed.Last Seen: Mar 20, 1993
