In the summer of 1970, in the Woodside neighborhood of Queens, New York, 16-year-old Denise Sheehy vanished after a disagreement with her mother. On July 7th, a day that was meant for celebration as it was her older sister Lorraine's 19th birthday, Denise found herself in an argument with her mother who believed she smelled alcohol on her breath.
Upset by the confrontation and the threat of her father being told, Denise stormed out of their apartment in the Mets Apartment Complex around 5:00 p.m. She was last seen by a neighbor climbing over a fence behind the building. Denise left without any personal belongings, wearing blue shorts, a red and white top, and white clog sandals. She also had on two gold rings, one with her initials 'DS' and a boy's school ring.
The hours turned into a day, and with no sign of Denise, her parents reported her missing on July 8, 1970. The New York City Police Department began an investigation, searching the family's apartment and the surrounding areas, but found no clues as to where she may have gone. Her boyfriend, who had been out of town visiting a sick relative, returned to Queens to help with the search for Denise. He was questioned by police and quickly ruled out as having any involvement in her disappearance. The family has also stated they do not believe he was involved.
Decades have passed since Denise Sheehy was last seen, and her case remains one of New York's haunting cold cases. Her father has since passed away, but her mother and sisters have held onto hope for her return. Denise has never been declared legally dead. The official classification of her case is that of an endangered missing person. The disappearance of Denise Sheehy is a story of a teenage girl who vanished after a seemingly typical family argument, leaving behind a family with decades of unanswered questions. The investigation into what happened to her after she climbed over that fence on a summer evening in 1970 has yielded no definitive answers, and her whereabouts remain unknown.Last Seen: Jul 7, 1970
