Valentin was last seen in Hartford, Connecticut on July 26, 1986. She was walking home from work when accepted a ride from an acquaintance, Pedro Miranda, in his white Ford Mustang Cobra. She has never been heard from again.

Miranda's criminal record dates back to 1977. He was convicted of kidnapping, raping and choking a woman in 1998 and is now registered as a sex offender. In December 2008, he was charged with Valentin's murder and with the murders of 13-year-old Mayra Cruz and 17-year-old Carmen Lopez, who was pregnant at the time of her death. Miranda knew all three girls. Photographs of Cruz, Lopez and Miranda are posted below this case summary. Cruz disappeared from Hartford in 1987 and Lopez in 1988; both were subsequently found strangled. Miranda could face the death penalty if convicted of the charges against him. He is awaiting trial. Lopez's boyfriend, Miguel Roman, was convicted of her murder and sentenced to 60 years in prison in spite of testimony that DNA found at the crime scene wasn't his. He is now petitioning for a new trial. A photograph of Roman is posted below this case summary.

Valentin's body has never been located. Foul play is suspected in her case due to the circumstances involved.

Top Left: Mayra Cruz;
Top Right: Carmen Lopez;
Bottom Left: Miguel Roman;
Bottom Center: Pedro Miranda in 1987;
Bottom Right: Pedro Miranda in 2008