Danielle Hale Chief Economist | realtors.com
Jennifer Kesse vanished in 2006, leaving her family searching for answers nearly two decades later. At the time of her disappearance, the 24-year-old had just started a job at a timeshare company and purchased an Orlando condo, which became the last place she was seen.
On January 24, 2006, Kesse did not show up for work. Concerned coworkers contacted her parents, Drew and Joyce Kesse, who then went to her condo. They found her car missing but noticed signs that she had been home that morning: a damp towel in the bathroom and pajamas on the floor.
Her belongings like iPod, keys, cell phone, and purse were absent. Her car reappeared at a nearby complex two days after she was reported missing.
Jennifer’s parents expressed shock over the situation as they believed their daughter was safe in her gated community with security. Despite ongoing efforts by detectives and private investigators hired by the family over 19 years, Jennifer remains missing.
In 2020, Drew Kesse told Fox News: “We don’t care when. We don’t care how and frankly, we don’t care who. We just want our daughter back.”
The family suspects something happened when Jennifer was preparing to leave for work that day. Joyce Kesse shared with "48 Hours": “She slept [in her condo] for sure... Locks the door of her condo; that’s where the mystery starts.”
Police investigations revealed no surveillance footage from Jennifer's condo as cameras were not installed yet. A set of keys for the complex had gone missing a month before Jennifer disappeared.
Two days into their investigation, police found Jennifer's car at another complex but without any evidence inside it. Witnesses saw it speeding out of her parking lot on the morning she vanished but couldn't identify its direction or driver due to obscured camera footage.
A significant theory suggests involvement from construction or maintenance workers at Jennifer's condo complex. Drew Kesse recalled his daughter's discomfort around workers there: “Whenever workers entered her apartment... Jen was always on the phone with us.”
Private investigator Michael Torretta supported this theory, noting several workers lived across from Jennifer’s unit: “What I’m thinking is... She probably was attacked immediately upon exiting.”
Despite offering a $500,000 reward in 2019 for information leading to their daughter’s whereabouts, no breakthrough has occurred.
January 2025 marked 19 years since Jennifer's disappearance. The Kesses posted on Facebook expressing disbelief over unresolved case status: “How can a missing person’s case with such awareness not produce even a direction...”
After changing ownership multiple times since Jennifer's disappearance in 2008 and again in recent years until being relisted briefly in early 2024 before removal later that year—her former home stands as an unsettling reminder of unanswered questions surrounding what transpired nearly two decades ago.
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