Missing
Maria C. Procopio
Procopio, approximately 1999; Procopio's ring; Andrew Thomas
Date and time person was reported missing : 09/24/1999
Missing location (approx) :
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Female
Ethnicity :
White
DOB : 10/01/1964 (56)
Age at the time of disappearance: 34 years old
Height / Weight : 5'3 - 5'4, 129 - 160 pounds
Description, clothing, jewerly and more : A gold ring with marquise-, round- and baguette-cut diamonds with a total weight of one carat. A picture of the ring is posted with this case summary.
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Procopio left work at QVC, where she was an accounts receivable specialist, in West Chester, Pennsylvania at approximately 5:10 p.m. on September 24, 1999. She told her coworkers she was planning to meet someone after work.
She was last seen near the Newton Shopping Center in the vicinity of Route 3 and Route 252 at approximately 7:00 p.m. that day. She never arrived home and has never been heard from again. She was reported missing by her sister on October 5.
Procopio's vehicle, a red 1990 Pontiac Sunbird coupe, was located behind Chick's Tavern in the 200 block of Front Street in Bridgeport, Pennsylvania on October 7, two weeks after Procopio disappeared. It was legally parked, the anti-theft device was in place, and the driver's seat was adjusted to Procopio's height. It had been wiped completely clean of fingerprints.
After Procopio's disappearance, authorities discovered that she had been secretly working as a dominatrix, using the name Mistress Maria. She had her own 900 number and hundreds of clients. Her family and friends knew nothing about it. It is unclear what, if anything, the dominatrix work has to do with her disappearance.
Procopio's loved ones believe her boyfriend, Andrew Charles Thomas, physically abused her prior to her disappearance, but this has not been confirmed. Procopio was the one who had tipped authorities off to his criminal activities, just days before she disappeared.
When police searched Thomas's apartment for evidence in her case, they found counterfeit cash, night-vision equipment and fake identification. He was found guilty of welfare fraud and counterfeiting after Procopio vanished and sentenced to prison.
In September 2012, Thomas committed suicide after fatally shooting a police officer in Plymouth Township, Pennsylvania. Although he maintained his innocence in Procopio's disappearance to the end, he was and is the prime suspect in her presumed murder. A photograph of Thomas is posted with this case summary.
Procopio resided in the 2400 block of south Opal Street in Philadelphia at the time of her disappearance, and frequented West Chester and Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. Foul play is suspected in her disappearance. She was declared legally dead in 2006.
Other information and links : ncy
Philadelphia Police Department
215-685-1751
September 2021 updates and sources
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are not known. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2�5% of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
Several organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and imAge at the time of disappearance: s of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
Philadelphia Police Department
The Philadelphia Daily News
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
