Michelle Maenza was an 11-year-old girl who vanished on November 26, 1973, in Rochester, New York, after leaving school to retrieve a purse her mother had left at a nearby shopping plaza. Witnesses reported seeing a beige or tan car speeding through the area with a crying child in the passenger seat. Later that day a motorist on Route 350 in Walworth saw a large beige or tan vehicle stopped with a flat tire and a man holding a girl by the wrist; when offered help the man concealed the girl and blocked the license plate and the motorist left unnerved.

On November 28 her body was found face down in a ditch along a rural road in Macedon. Investigators determined she had been sexually assaulted and strangled with a ligature and bore blunt-force injuries. Evidence recovered included biological material, a partial palm print, white cat fur on her clothing, and vegetation in her grasp. Her death was later linked by pattern to other regional killings of girls sharing matching initials in what became known as the Alphabet or Double Initial cases. No arrest has been publicly tied to her murder, and the investigation remains open. If anyone knew Michelle, saw a beige or tan car in Rochester or on Route 350 that afternoon, or has information that could help, please come forward.