Toledo man arrested in 1997 disappearance of Cleveland mother Cathy Parisi

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – 19 Investigates has learned that authorities have made an arrest in the disappearance and death of Catherine Parisi, a young Cleveland mother who mysteriously vanished without a trace in 1997.

Michael Bukowski, 50, of Toledo, is charged with murder, involuntary manslaughter, abduction, tampering with evidence, and gross abuse of a corpse, according to court records unsealed Tuesday.

“I just don’t even know how somebody sleeps at night when they do something like that,” said Angelina Speer, Parisi’s youngest daughter.

Bukowski was arrested by Toledo Police on Monday and is currently in the Lucas County Jail, records show.

Parisi, who went by Cathy, was just 25 years old when she was last seen in April 1997.

“The arrest is almost enough comfort just to know that, something has happened,” said Speer.

Speer says this is the closest her family has been to getting closure since 1997.

“It’s been my whole entire life I have been dealing with this because I was a year and 10 months old when she died, I’m speechless,” said Speer.

Parisi’s two daughters, Angelina and Cecelia, were young children when she went missing.

Parisi working as an escort and took a call in Parma, but no one answered the door and she was never seen again.

PREVIOUS STORY: What happened to Cathy Parisi, missing for 26 years?

Cathy’s car was found at Brookview Shopping Center a day later.

It was located on the west side of Cleveland on Brookpark Road off I-480.

Her keys and $350 cash were found inside.

“We believe that it is something connected with her work,” Speer said. “He was a client, I believe.”

Years passed, and Cathy’s daughters grew up without their mom.

“I can only remember our family broken. So it’s nice to have those pictures of us all together but I don’t remember any of it,” Angelina Speer told 19 Investigates back in 2020, as she looked through family photos.

New eyes on the case

Four years ago, 19 Investigates discovered homicide detectives with Cleveland Police were investigating new leads in Kathy’s case.

“Without the Channel 19 story, I don’t think they would be as successful at getting this case to move forward,” Speer told Investigator Kelly Kennedy the day she found out the man accused of killing her mother was arrested.

That’s when we spoke to her daughters.

Cecelia and Angelina don’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 said.

Cathy’s family is still waiting for answers.

Investigator Sara Goldenberg profiled Cathy Parisi’s case in the 19 Investigates true crime podcast, Dark Side of the Land.

You can listen to our episode on this case here: “What Happened to Cathy Parisi?”

“Mostly out of all this I just pray that he just confesses so we can have her remains so we have somewhere to go at the very least to see her and she deserves that,” Speer said.

19 Investigates contacted the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office for an interview but they declined to comment on the case because it is still pending.

According to court records, Bukowski will be arraigned in February in Cuyahoga County.

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