CBS show 48 Hours lead to renewed interest in the case. But for the friends and family of 24 yea. Jennifer had complained about construction workers who had been living and working near her condo and had recently made her feel uncomfortable. Peter Van Sant [2008]: Did you sense somebody knew something? ORLANDO, Fla. The family of Jennifer Kesse says they have the best opportunity to find the missing woman now, 17 years after she disappeared from her Orlando condo complex. The woman had not been questioned back in 2006: DETECTIVE WRIGHT [2009 audio tape]: Do you remember a person by the name of Jennifer Kesse that turned up missing? They, in turn, told Rob. 2. And that's the end. Jennifer Kesse has been missing for 15 years, and there are still little indications as to what happened to her on the day she vanished. There is a $100,000 prize for anyone who finds her. Her parents have never stopped distributing thousands of flyers and begging anyone with information to come forward. So, makeup, curling iron all that stuff all over the vanity wet shower, wet towel. She is assumed to be dead, but a body has not been recovered, and nobody has been charged with her murder. What do you think happened?" Jennifer Kesse was 24 at the time of her disappearance and by all accounts was a successful young woman. Jennifer Kesse was first reported missing on January 24, 2006. The former University of Central Florida student had . Rob Allen, left, walks with an Orlando detective at the site where Jennifer Kesse's car was found. This meant there were. To this date, Jennifer is considered to be missing and endangered by the Orlando Police Department, the FBI, the Orange County Police, and several other agencies. The day before she disappeared, Jennifer and her fianc returned from a cruise. Michael Torretta: What I'm thinking is Jennifer comes out. The car had been wiped down and the only things missing were Jennifers cell phone, iPod, keys, purse, briefcase, and the clothes she was wearing. While the car was taken by a forensics team, there was little evidence to be found in her vehicle. It's OK. This week will mark 17 years since Jennifer Kesse disappeared from her Orlando area apartment complex on Jan 24. Roger Brennan [at the parking lot in 2008] Apparently this video, when it films, captures every two to three seconds as it's filming, so that's why you only see the subject on one side of the gate and then the opposite side of the gate and he's blocked by the posts on either side of the gate. Jennifer Joyce Kesse seemed to have everything going for her. Her face was everywhere. As time went by, the Kesses felt abandoned by the Orlando Police Department. The next day she did not show up for work. Peter Schweitzer is the senior producer. Michael Torretta is the Kesses' private investigator. Michael Torretta: That's why it's very interesting to me. of negligence in the investigation. >>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<, Read: 9 things to know about the disappearance of Jennifer Kesse. Therefore, the only ones left were the laborers who were working on her condo complex expansion. . Now imagine, over that time, fighting for unredacted copies with the citys lawyers and trying to have our private investigators find Jennifer from all those files. Chino: I met Jennifer Kesse. Joyce Kesse: We asked them for several years to make her case cold because there's more resources available for cold cases. Ashley: He had the opportunity to tell me and he didn't. Sgt. In all, the Orlando Police Department handed over more than 16,000 pages of documents and 67 hours of video and audio to the Kesses. it was like she walked in the night before and just dropped her suitcase right where it was. Chino with "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant. He was interviewed about Jennifer but denied having any involvement in her disappearance. Det. We asked the lawyers, 'Where's all the detectives work? And it came back that not a single thing had been written. It's been nearly 15 years since Jennifer Kesse was last seen. Drew Kesse accused the Orlando Police Dept. Louis Bolden: People just wanted to help them. And they kept saying, "Nope, her case is extremely active. DET. TRANSLATOR [2009 audio tape]: Yes, she remembers the case. The next morning, though, Jennifer waivered from her routine. About three years after the abduction, a former housekeeper at Jennifers condo complex said they recognized the individual in the surveillance footage as a man called Chino. Even though Rob lived in Fort Lauderdale, about 3 hours from Jennifer's condo in Orlando. Chino: I don't have to answer any questions, but that's for sure. And then, Tami says she caught a "peeping Tom" a man she believes was a worker at the complex. I don't hear helicopters in the air.". "It is Jennifer's best opportunity to be found . Roger Brennan [2008]: It didn't appear that it was a robbery. Is anyone feeling that the mom has strong narcissistic vibes, I worked on both cases. " she was in love. The Kesses are dedicated to finding the truth about what happened to their daughter on the morning of January 24, 2006. What was concerning about this was the area it was located is not an area frequented by Jennifer. Sgt. Joel Wright: I knew that Chino had been arrested for a sex crime. Detective Joel Wright was still trying to solve this confounding mystery. Clockwise from top left, Ashley, Peter Van Sant, Colleen and Tami. On that day, the Kesses learned their daughter did not report for work at Central . It's about Jennifer. And then at 10 p.m., she talked to Rob. She had shoulder-length sandy blonde hair and green eyes. Orlando police . In 2016, it had been 10 years since Jennifer went missing. Drew Kesse, who in the past has been vocal about what he feels are missteps by investigators, thanked the new team for their tireless efforts. DETECTIVE WRIGHT [2009 audio tape]: Nobody mad about anything? OK, call the police again.". Nathan Gibson. Its positive in that respect, we have met the new detective and are able to move forward. But a woman -- who wants to be called Ashley had a different opinion of Chino. And they just look.". Shortly after she vanished, Kesse's car was discovered parked around a mile from her home. My heart is here. There was a belief that James Hataway, now in prison on a different abduction, could have been the suspect; he's about 5-10 (height) and the suspect on video is probably not much taller than 5-5, so ultimately little came of that. Jennifer's loved ones hope this report will convince someone to take the courageous step of coming forward with information that could solve this heartbreaking mystery. Anyone with information into Kesses disappearance can call the Kesse Family Tip Line at 941-201-4009, or Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS (8477). At the time Allen lived in Fort Lauderdale, three hours away from Orlando where Jennifer lived. Sometime later, a study of photographs of the hood of the car concluded that the dust on the vehicle had been disturbed and appeared to indicate that an individual had been slammed into the car hood. Later that night when there was still no sign of her, police officially declared Jennifer missing. He passed. We had a guard house. Before we left, Chino even agreed to talk with the Kesse team. ORLANDO, Fla. - On a January evening in 2006, Jennifer Kesse chatted on the phone with her parents and boyfriend from inside her Orlando home before disappearing without a trace, stumping investigators and the young woman's family who have searched relentlessly for her from Florida to Mexico and Russia. He's hoping to find new clues as to who could have abducted Jennifer Kesse. Louis Bolden: If you had told me then, in 14 years we would still be looking for Jennifer Kesse, I would not have believed it. They sued the Orlando Police Department to get Jennifer's case files. The Investigation In February 2006, investigators found Jennifer Kesse's black. Lauren McCarthy: She was extremely safety conscious. As the desperate hours went by, Sergeant Roger Brennan and his team of investigators searched the streets of Orlando looking for Jennifer Kesse. Roger Brennan [at the parking lot]: This is the camera that caught the person that parked Jennifer's vehicle here. Rob Allen: We did the long distance, but after the initial date we started spending virtually every weekend together. Peter Van Sant: How often would you socialize with him? This has been backed up by the FBI who also are down and checked out the figures. Drew Kesse: I think they wanted to open the trunk in front of him to see his reaction if, in case Jennifer was in there. Advertisement. It wasn't hard to find Chino. Dirty and wet clothes were laid out on the floor, and it was clear that Kesse had showered and left the building without anything out of the ordinary happening. Security footage installed at the complex captured an individual seen driving and parking Jennifer's car on day she went missing. On the two-year anniversary of Jennifer Kesse's disappearance, her family and friends gathered on a street corner and held up signs, just as they had done the day Jennifer went missing. Michael Torretta: Yes. In fact, everywhere they looked, everything seemed normal. In the hours that followed, they all came to Jennifers condo and noticed that although her car was missing, nothing else was out of the ordinary. Jennifer Kesse, of Orlando, who went missing Jan. 24, 2006, at 24 years old. They spoke around 10 p.m. I had never heard of that happening. [Takes a deep breath with tears in her eyes]. Did David Tronnes murder his wife Shanti Cooper? Roger Brennan [2008]: We're going through canvases of areas that she would travel or that she might be at. The 24-year-old has been missing for 15 years after vanishing one morning while heading out to work. We immediately started asking everybody walking around if they had seen anything. Det. Det. I do not recognize that person. Peter Van Sant [2008]: What does that image tell you of that individual in front of the gate? He called Jennifer and asked if she would mail it to him. Monday marks 16 years since Jennifer Kesse disappeared. Peter Van Sant: You were there at the same time as Jennifer Kesse. She did look familiar. Produced by Chris Young Ritzen, Tamara Weitzman and Gabriella Demirdjian. . Detective Joel Wright was one of the original investigators. In January of 2006 she had just purchased a condo in Orlando, . She had complained of inappropriate remarks and catcalls from them, and it was also found that she had been approached by a manager where she worked, who she had turned away, but questioning of these potential suspects . Joel Wright: Unfortunately, the witnesses couldn't say which way the car went once it got out onto the surface road. DREW KESSE: We don't have her. JOEL WRIGHT [at the 2008 gathering]: Maybe the right person will see us. In 2018, Orlando Rolon became the Orlando police chief. Peter Van Sant spoke with several women who lived at the same condo complex as Jennifer Kesse. Chino. Did you ever meet her? Drew Kesse: We have film of the car being dropped off . Immediately, those who knew her knew something was terribly wrong. Det. Jennifer's car had been seen the morning she disappeared. In 2009, Detective Wright interviewed him and asked him about working in Jennifer's condo: DETECTIVE WRIGHT [2009 audio tape]: when you did the work in her unit, uh was she present while you were doing it. Michael Torretta: She's locking the door and never sees it comin'. We know that the police, at least according to Drew Kesse, didn't interview the non-english speaking construction workers. Michael Torretta: I think it's important because it paints a picture that I don't believe I would have gotten from the 16,000 documents. She had a great job. They feared that time was running out. Drew thinks it will be a "miracle" if his beloved daughter is found alive - yet with the help of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and his own team of private investigators, he remains hopeful. The Kesses are offering $15,000 as a reward for valuable information on where Jennifer could be at this time. by the walk. Michael Torretta: This is something that is haunting me. Her parents also continue to pursue leads, hoping to one day either find her or her remains. Tami filed a police report and to this day she says they have never found the "peeping Tom" or the white van he was driving. We, her family Drew, Joyce, and Logan, and friends believe she was taken the morning of Tuesday, January 24, 2006, from in or around her Orlando, Florida home. Louis Bolden: At the time, we thought, "They want what? And the forensic examination produced just a little as well a latent print and a small DNA fiber. Unfortunately, no. Kevin Harris was an aspiring hip-hop artist when he was gunned down. Kesse's family says they are now convinced the image of the black Chevrolet . Christie joined the ClickOrlando team in November 2021. 1. Did he know more than he had admitted? This is precisely the case with the Jennifer Kesse disappearance. Her car was found a few days later nearby but despite reward offers topping $100,000, Kesse has never been found. Since her disappearance, there has been no activity on Jennifer's cell phone, bank accounts, social media accounts, etc. Now, nearly 15 years later, evidence photos obtained by Fox News suggest a violent . Louis Bolden: Technology then was not what technology is now. Copyright 2023 ClickOrlando.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. Peter Van Sant: Why is what the woman at the Mosaic told you important? When they left, one of the friends forgot his cell phone. Jennifer Kesse, of Orlando, who went missing Jan. 24, 2006, at 24 years old. Surveillance video caught an unidentified person getting out of her car after she went missing. Peter Van Sant [2008]: What do you believe happened? Rob Allen: When the police officer asked me to follow with him and to look at the inside of the car and the inside of the trunk, my stomach was churning as far as, "What could you find, you know?". Jennifer Kesse- Missing from Orlando since 2006 by Nikki January 23, 2020 Florida Jennifer Kesse was a successful, hard-working, bubbly, family oriented 24 year old when she vanished January 24th, 2006. Based on this evidence, police investigators believed that she had left her home and was abducted, either on the walk to her car, or while she was traveling to work. SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - The family of missing woman Jennifer Kesse marked the start of another year with no answers. They also couldn't count on getting any reliable forensic evidence from Jennifer's condo. Dirty and wet clothes were laid out on the floor, and it was clear that Kesse had showered and left the building without anything out of the ordinary happening. "OK, call the hospitals again. Joel Wright: It told me that he passed the polygraph. Drew Kesse: But police were very quick to shut us down on certain things. You unfortunately take things for granted. A private investigation team for . In 2008, on the second anniversary of Jennifer's disappearance, family and friends gathered on a street corner in Orlando. Louis Bolden: The community just rallied. Michael Torretta: When you talk about challenging investigations, this is the one. Joel Wright: Chino was very cooperative. Although he wasn't in charge during the initial investigation, he sympathizes with the Kesses. Chief Orlando Rolon: After the number of years that we have spent trying to solve Jennifer's disappearance, I think it was time to also honor the wishes of the family. And he says there is nothing in the files indicating that police ever spoke to them. The next morning was when Jennifer didn't show up for work and didn't answer her phone. In many of these instances, the person involved may well have seemed to just vanish from the surface of the Earth, leaving behind almost no evidence of what happened to them. Kesse and her boyfriend, Robert Allen . When Tami, who also asked to only use her first name, moved into the complex years later, she believed workers often entered her apartment when she wasn't home. Det. Jennifer Kesse missing cold case remains unsolved 10 years after disappearance - Orlando Sentinel http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/._jennifer.html I saw it on Disappeared recently. Joel Wright: She did look at the photo and said, "That looks like Chino.". Seventeen years ago, Jennifer Kesse disappeared in Orlando in a high-profile case that made national news. All this did was shut more doors than it opened, mainly because her bank account keycard has not been used since the day she vanished from the face of the earth with no indication whatsoever. Sgt. Joel Wright: Some of the people who were working on the property left.