She Walked to School and Never Arrived: The Unsolved Disappearance of Nelida De Jesus Del Valle

 

📢 MISSING PERSON ALERT — NELIDA DE JESUS DEL VALLE 📢

This is Nelida De Jesus Del Valle, a young girl who vanished nearly 50 years ago and has never been found. Her case remains unsolved, and her family and communities are still searching for answers.

🧒 Name: Nelida De Jesus Del Valle

📍 Last Seen: Boston, Massachusetts

🗓️ Date Missing: December 20, 1976

🎂 Date of Birth: July 9, 1967

📏 Age at Disappearance: 9 years old (would be 58 now)

📏 Height/Weight (when last seen): 4′0″, 50 lbs

👀 Race: Hispanic

👩‍🦱 Hair: Brown

👀 Eyes: Brown

📌 Distinguishing Details: Ears pierced, spoke Spanish and limited English

👗 Clothing: Gold-colored coat, dark blue slacks, white pullover sweater, black platform shoes, hat and gloves

Nelida was a third-grade student at William Blackstone Elementary School on Shawmut Avenue. On the morning of December 20, 1976, she left her home to walk to school — a short one-and-a-half-block walk — but never arrived. Despite extensive investigations, she has not been seen or heard from since.

In early January 1977, two weeks after Nelida disappeared, some of her clothing (a hat and gloves) were found in the possession of Anthony “Rudy” Flores. A neighbor reported that Flores had given the items to her child, and she noted that Flores resembled a sketch of a potential abductor.

When police questioned Flores, they found a fake police badge and a fake gun in his possession. Another witness said they had seen Nelida walking with Flores and holding his hand.

Flores was arrested on related charges, but law enforcement could not gather enough evidence to tie him directly to Nelida’s disappearance. As a result, he was released and was never charged in connection with her case. He remains a suspect in Nelida’s disappearance.

Over the years, investigators followed various leads. In 1985, Nelida’s mother believed she recognized her daughter’s image in a photograph found in the apartment of another man, David R. Collins, who had a long criminal history. However, the image was later confirmed to be someone else, and Collins is not believed to have been involved in Nelida’s disappearance.

Despite these leads and investigations over decades, Nelida’s case remains unsolved. There is no confirmed evidence of what happened to her, and no remains have ever been found.

💔 Her disappearance is classified as a non-family abduction. Foul play is strongly suspected, and the Boston Police Department continues to consider this case open.

📞 If you have any information, even something that might seem small or unrelated, please contact:

📍 Boston Police Department (Massachusetts) – 617-343-4200

🧠 Please share this post. Spread awareness. Even after decades, cold cases can be solved when someone comes forward with new information. The public’s help has brought justice and closure in countless other cases — and it might one day bring answers for Nelida’s family.

#MissingPerson #FindNelida #BringHerHome #JusticeForNelida #NeverForgotten