Parents’ relentless hunt for missing daughter heats up as new tech breathes life into case
Two decades after Jennifer Kesse mysteriously disappeared, her parents say they continue to search for their daughter every day as emerging technology gives them a sense of optimism.
Jennifer Kesse was 24 years old when she vanished on January 24, 2006, after failing to show up for work in Orlando, Florida. In an interview with Fox News affiliate WTVT, marking 20 years since her disappearance, her parents, Drew and Joyce Kesse, described how the passage of time has not brought closure.
"We look for Jennifer pretty much every day," they said. "It seems like an eternity. It seems that we’re still living in a surreal state."
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Jennifer’s car was later found about a mile from her home. Surveillance video showed a person of interest parking her car and walking away, but the individual’s face was not visible.
Drew previously shared with Fox News Digital that after Jennifer's work called to report that she failed to show, he immediately tried to reach his daughter – relying on a family rule that they would always answer each other's calls – but her phone went straight to voicemail.
"I knew something was wrong immediately," Kesse said.
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Drew and Joyce made the two-hour drive from their home in Tampa to Orlando, where they found their daughter’s apartment empty with several outfit choices laid out on her bed.
The parents immediately called the Orlando Police Department (OPD) to report Jennifer missing.
"They looked around her apartment, shrugged their shoulders and said, ‘She had a fight with her boyfriend probably, she’ll be back,’" Kesse said. "They walked out. And that was Jennifer’s last chance."
The Kesses later sued OPD to gain access to Jennifer’s case file, which spans more than 16,000 pages.
"It exhausts you. It drains you physically, mentally and emotionally, and it will in time take a toll on your actual physical health," they told FOX 13.
With the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) now overseeing the case, the Kesses said they are pursuing new investigative approaches, including working with an artificial intelligence firm to analyze the case file and surveillance video.
One focus has been on identifying the person of interest through physical characteristics visible in the video.
"An ear is just like an eye or a fingerprint. It’s very unique to a person," Drew said. "When we find the ear, then we’ve found the person."
The Kesses also said new DNA samples were tested last year and that investigators are closer than ever to identifying several people they would like to speak with.
As they continue to wait for answers, Jennifer’s parents said they still believe she was taken shortly after disappearing.
"I personally still think that Jennifer was taken and taken out of the area — state and maybe country — very quickly," her father said, adding that he believes she may have been targeted because she was alone.
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Now nearing 70, Jennifer’s parents said their determination has not faded since the search began two decades ago.
"Till we die," Joyce said. "Whatever it takes. There’s no quit in us."
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Anyone with information about Jennifer’s disappearance is encouraged to contact FDLE’s Orlando office at (407) 245-0888 or OROCColdCaseTips@fdle.state.fl.us.
The OPD and the FDLE did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News Digital's Julia Bonavita contributed to this report.