It was long-distance, but we made it work, Rob told Dateline this week. The investigation into the disappearance of Jennifer Kesse more than 16 years ago has been given to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for a cold case review. I hold onto that memory, her voice, and her laugh. Surveillance video captured someone driving her car . Her case is still open, and she has not been seen or heard from since 2006. Thats why this is so ridiculously difficult to deal with. Jennifer Kesse, a UCF graduate, was abducted from Orlando, Florida in 2006. Drew and Joyce took legal action against the Orlando Police Department in order to gain access to Jenns case files. Kesse was 24 years old at the time of her disappearance. Something. Despite our 16-year commitment, there are some cases that remain difficult to solve. . Her defense teams forensic psychologist believes she has personality disorders and delusional disorders and is not competent to stand trial. At approximately 8 a.m. on Thursday, January 26, a resident of the Huntington on the Green condominium complex reported they found Jennifer Kesse's car in a visitor's spot in the parking lot. You can watchthe full episode here. Her family says they are now getting new leads in her disappearance. Jenns parents also stayed at the condo, for months, in an effort to make a statement that finding their daughter was the number one priority. This week marks 14 years since Jenn disappeared from their lives. Jennifer Joyce Kesse (born May 20, 1981) is an American woman from Orlando, Florida, who has been missing since January 23, 2006. The 24-year-old simply vanished and no one has ever been arrested.. Police Found A Missing Womans Car Abandoned With The Door Open. But she didnt come back. No one has identified this POI parking Jennifer's car, and Jennifer has never been found. Thats how it was with Jenn. Jenn was a great sounding board, Rob said. Went outside of her condo locked the door on the way out. Allen says it was the last time he ever heard from her. Timeshares are big business in Florida. We were a close-knit family. Clothes on her bed. Jennifer Kesse's father marks 16 years since disappearance - WKMG Wright then realized an anonymous tip had been reported right after Kesse vanished, also suggesting Chino might know something. The next morning, her boyfriend grew concerned after she didnt call him or send him any text messages. Three and four hours would pass, and wed still be talking.. Jennifers co-workers would tell her parents that she had not come to work, after which they decided to go to her condo and check up on her. 1. But no one treated me like that. At the time she vanished, she was living in Orlando. 2. Fundraiser by Drew Kesse : Help Us Find Jennifer Kesse - GoFundMe She was the oldest of two children, and is said to have been best friends with her little brother, Logan. At a press conference, investigators said they had reason to believe Cummings was no longer alive, but they had not found her remains. Kesse was a graduate of Gaither High School in Tampa. More Controversy on the Roswell Affair: An Alien Accident? Construction was ongoing, she had said she was afraid of some of the construction workers, and there were few other residents living in the building. As of this posing, the judge in the case has not made a ruling. Jennifer Kesse was 24-years-old when she was last seen in January 2006 after leaving her Orlando condo. And by lunchtime, he was worried. When questioned about the vehicle, several residents confirmed it had been parked there for several days. Police search miles of terrain and interrogate dozens of suspects, yet a decade later her disappearance remains one of Florida's most baffling crimes. She was always, you know, a big sister and I know for a long time, I was the annoying younger brother, but as we got older, we grew closer, just naturally, Logan told Dateline. The Kesse family told Dateline they wont ever stop searching for their daughter or for answers. They believed shed been living out of her vehicle and parking at different locations around the area. And police launched an investigation. The parents of Jennifer Kesse say they are "closer than ever" to uncovering answers in the disappearance of their. A police dog was able to trace a scent that led from the car back to Jennifers building, suggesting that the person who dropped off the car returned to the site of her abduction. Theres really nothing Jenn wouldnt tell us.. En route, they called her building manager and asked him to check her apartment. I called and I called and for the first time since Jenn was a teenager, it went straight to voicemail, Drew said. While there isnt any evidence that Kessler and Kesse ever met, I do have a few questions Id like to have answered: Have investigators ever looked at Kessler as a possible person of interest in the Kesse case? Her black, Chevy Malibu car was later found a mile away on Thursday, January 26 at a condo complex around a mile down the road from where she lived. Her family has been tirelessly searching for the Tampa Bay-area native for the last 17 years and said new help from state law enforcement is her "best. But because they are retired, they dont have the power to make an arrest. Rob told Dateline that Jenn had expressed to him that she felt uncomfortable at times and wasnt thrilled living alone. Jenns purse, cell phone and iPod were nowhere to be found. Kesse had expressed uncertainty about the safety of her apartment building before she went missing. My mind just didnt go there. The reason that some people suspect one or more of the construction workers is the fact that the sniffer dog had traced the person who dropped off her car right back to her building. She always said she felt safe with me, so I feel emasculated that I wasnt there to protect her, to save her.. The residence seemed to all be in rather perfect order, with nothing out of place, no signs of anything amiss. Kesse believes there is someone out there with information about his daughters disappearance. When viewing surveillance videos, investigators spot an unidentified person parking Jennifer's car at 12pm on the day Jennifer went missing. Jennifer Kesse: Why Has This Missing-Persons Case Never Been Solved? Questioning family, acquaintances, and her boyfriend didnt turn up much, but it was uncovered that Jennifer had been complaining of being harassed by construction workers near her condo in the days leading up to her mysterious disappearance. Its tedious work, its going to be long and hard but were at the point now where we can see where we can move ahead and we have moved ahead. Jennifer Kesse: Investigation into Orlando woman's disappearance turned In January of 2006, Jennifer took a trip with Allen to St. Croix, a Caribbean Island in the Virgin Islands chain for a romantic getaway. It was just strange enough and had just enough possibility to catch my attention. However, it had been reported by some local news sources early in the case that Kessler was jealous of Cummings. Her 2004 Chevy Malibu was found two days later about a mile away from her condo. "That four-month agreement has turned into three years and ten months and the department is still incapable of fulfilling their end of the agreement. . Two days later, Jennifer's car is found at a nearby apartment complex. Our hearts continue to go out to the entire Kesse family, and our detectives will continue to investigate any new leads. There was nothing amiss at Jennifer Jenn Kesses condo in Orlando, Florida on the day she vanished 14 years ago. She never arrived. The private investigator believes she may have been abducted by a construction worker. Kessler spent a lot of time in many Florida cities, including Oviedo, which is basically a suburb of Orlando, where Kesse lived. Little evidence found in 15 years since Jennifer Kesse's - WKMG Rob tried to call Jenn as he rushed to work, but got her voicemail, which he thought was odd. Her family said it was completely out of character for Jennifer not to call if she was going to be late for work. On every level, Jenns case has been a challenge, Drew told Dateline. A reporter would later call the suspect the luckiest person of interest ever.. During that presser they also announced that Jennifer Sybert was actually named Kimberly Kessler; she had been living under a fake name and using a fake Social Security number. New Theories Into Disappearance of Florida Woman on 48 HOURS Jennifer Kesse disappearance: 17 years later, family says they have new In October, the CBS show 48 Hours Investigates dug into the case and where it stands. She also had a long-distance love with boyfriend Rob Allen, who lived around 3 hours away in Ft. Lauderdale, but with whom she was very serious, finding time to see him every weekend. Its notable that despite the fact that an unknown mans sweater was found in her laundry hamper, her condo was never treated as a possible crime scene. Investigator Torretta told Dateline he wants another chance to search the lake because a clue from Jenns apartment complex could be submerged beneath the surface -- the old carpet being torn from the condo across the hall. Jennifer Joyce Kesse seemed to have everything going for her. But no, she would not do that. Drew paused, softly laughed, remembering the one thing that he actually hadnt known about his daughter. Campos allegedly told Adam that shes likely eaten up by alligators already.. From January 2005 until January 2006, Rob and Jenn traveled back and forth between Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale to see each other, and also traveled together internationally as much as they could. Its been 14 years and shes not back. Jenns boyfriend, Rob, and Robs mother, drove up from Ft. Lauderdale as soon as he heard Jenn was missing. Every Friday, we send out an email with the scariest horror movies and TV shows streaming that weekend along with creepy news, updates from the horror movie pipeline, and links to the best scary content on the web. More than a dozen years later, her parents are still looking for her. We havent seen the states evidence yet and dont know Kesslers motive for killing Cummings (if shes guilty of what shes been accused of). The Mystery of New York's Renegade Subway Psychic, Forget About What We Know About Roswell: It's What's Missing About the Case That We Need to Look For, Archeologists Discover Another Secret Corridor Inside the Great Pyramid of Giza, UFO Whistleblowers: When Secrets are Revealed. And I never thought it would be the last time.. Even as they continue to search for her, Jennifer Kesse's story is a complete mystery, and it remains to be seen what becomes of this all. Surveillance images showed a person dropping off her car and walking away at around 12 noon on January 24, about four hours after Jennifer would have been abducted while leaving her apartment for work. Kesses family members told Eyewitness News that in 2022, they hired a new team and said that they were working on several leads in her disappearance. She was a college graduate of the University of Central Florida. The family took over the investigation in 2017 after they successfully sued Orlando Police for Kesse's cold case files which they said were 'gathering dust', with no new information filed since 2010. We need to continue the search to at least find the remnant piece of carpet, Investigator Torretta said. How do you decide, as a parent, when the right time is to give up the search for your child? Joyce said. I know that as the boyfriend, Im prime suspect number one, Rob said. Were truly starting to talk to the people we really need to talk to which leads us down many paths. Copyright 2023 ClickOrlando.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. Tracy Ocasio was 27 years old when she disappeared in 2009. Wright would uncover a new lead in the case when he learned from another resident at the condo that the man on the surveillance footage resembled a man she knew from the complex, a former maintenance worker there known simply as Chino, who had also just happened to have done some repairs in Jennifer's condo one week before she disappeared. From all appearances, Jennifer Kesse of Orlando, Florida was a happy, successful, well-adjusted 24-year-old woman with a bright future. Founded in 2010, Thought Catalog is owned and operated by The Thought & Expression Company, Inc. For over a decade, we've been at the bleeding edge of media, pioneering an infrastructure for creatives to flourish both artistically and financially. We only haunt the willing. Nothing was done, no investigation, Jenns father Drew said. Other commenters on this theory have pointed out that, in those shapeless clothes and with her hair back, her silhouette is reminiscent of what we can make out in the surveillance videos of the person who parked Kesses vehiclesmaller frame, gender-neutral clothing, and a possible bun or ponytail (instead of what some believe may be as a hat). Future news of events, Zoom movie marathons, books, and streaming updates will be delivered first to our newsletter readers. The Nassau County sheriff filed an emergency petition requesting the ability to administer medical care and force feed Kessler, who had dropped from 196 to 74 pounds since she was jailed in 2018. The disappearance of Jennifer Kesse - CBS News It was early that Tuesday morning when Jenn didnt show up for an important meeting at her job that her employer and co-workers became concerned because they knew it was very unlike her to miss work. Logan said he believes one of the workers from her apartment complex is to blame. Unfortunately, no. Orlando police never named a suspect in Kesses disappearance. One PI named Michael Torretta found evidence that a witness had seen an unidentified person dumping a rolled-up piece of carpet into a lake not far from where Jennifer lived, but when divers were brought in to search, they could find nothing of interest, another dead end. Published: 8:55 AM EST January 24, 2023 Updated: 6:13 PM EST January 24, 2023 ORLANDO, Fla. Where is Jennifer Kesse? 9 things to know about the disappearance of Jennifer Kesse - Yahoo News The next morning, when her boyfriend called her office, he was told that Jennifer had not arrived. This post is really different from what I usually write up, and Im a little worried Ill get roasted for it, but Im eager to hear what you all think. The Disappearance of Jennifer Kesse - Stories of the Unsolved Mike confirmed to Dateline that many of the workers were allowed to stay in the empty condos in the complex which, according to family members, made Jenn uncomfortable. Shes the most responsible person I know. Bear with me as I lay out the main connection points and possibilities: The details of the Cummings disappearance are similar to those of the Kesse disappearance: a young woman and her vehicle go missing, the vehicle is later found abandoned in a parking lot, and surveillance cameras catch the person parking the vehicle (in Cummings case, positively identified as Kessler) parking and walking away. He said the family and private investigative team is ready to speak with any other law enforcement force. When I reflect back to that time, I feel numb.. It was January 24, 2006. The family said there was a seven-year gap in the case files where nothing was recorded.