"No Longer Cold": Investigators Announce Updates in the 2006 Disappearance of Jennifer Kesse
In January 2006, 24-year-old Jennifer Kesse disappeared from her home in Orlando, Florida. Now, after nearly 20 years, investigators have announced they have new leads in the case
Update
On May 20, 2025, the family of Jennifer Kesse celebrated what would have been her 44th birthday. For the past 19 years, they have been left to wonder what happened to Jennifer and have had few, if any, answers.
However, there may be reason for hope. On that same day, May 20th, there was an announcement by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) that Jennifer’s case was no longer considered cold.
After interviewing 45 people since 2022, they had several “persons of interest.” They believe new evidence might shed light on what happened to Jennifer that morning. According to Jennifer’s father, Drew, after conversations with law enforcement, he was told that the list of potential suspects is a “very short list at this point.”
He was also told that they had found additional evidence that had never been tested. Drew Kesse called the announcement “Huge.” He added, “Who knows where that could lead?”
The FDLE first took over Jennifer’s case in December 2022. After which, witnesses were reinterviewed, and the unit announced they had found several “persons of interest” that needed a second look. They were hopeful that the use of AI might provide new identification tools to enhance the existing surveillance footage.
The team had obtained assistance from NASA to enhance the security footage from Jennifer’s complex parking lot, which revealed that her car was missing on the day of her disappearance and was located in another condo parking lot three days later.
Security footage shows an individual parking her car in the lot and then getting out and walking away. However, their face is obscured by a gate, and thus far it has been impossible to identify this person.
Disappearance of Jennifer Kesse
In September 2024, we covered the disappearance of Jennifer Kesse. Her 2006 disappearance made national news due to the strange and baffling circumstances surrounding it.
On January 24, 2006, 24-year-old Jennifer Kesse disappeared from her Orlando, Florida, apartment complex. The last known person to hear from Jennifer was her boyfriend, Rob Allen, who spoke to her on the phone about 10 p.m. the night before. The two had just recently returned from a vacation in Saint Croix.
Rob became concerned when he hadn’t heard from Jennifer that day. Meanwhile, Central Florida Investments Timeshare Company, where Jennifer worked, also became concerned. It wasn’t like Jennifer not to show up or even call. After repeated attempts to phone her, a co-worker finally alerted Jennifer’s parents, Drew and Joyce.
Jennifer’s parents made the two-hour drive from Tampa to Orlando. Upon their arrival, they discovered that Jennifer was nowhere to be found and that her personal belongings, as well as her car, were noticeably missing.
They also noticed that clothes were laid out, as well as a wet towel, suggesting that Jennifer had been there that morning.
The Kesse’s contacted the police, who were hesitant to begin an investigation. As Jennifer was an adult and could have driven away willingly. Meanwhile, her family contacted the media, spoke to neighbors in the complex, and tried everything they could think of to locate their daughter.
Finally, convinced Jennifer might have been the victim of foul play, the police sent a detective to help scour the area. They soon reached the same conclusion as the Kesse family: something was definitely wrong.
Evidence of Foul Play
In the days immediately following her disappearance, detectives stumbled upon a handful of clues, yet none of them yielded any absolute answers. The authorities faced difficulty in establishing whether Jennifer was potentially abducted from inside her residence or while en route to her workplace.
On January 26, 2006, investigators found the first clue to Jennifer’s disappearance. Her car, a 2004 Chevy Malibu, was discovered parked in another complex less than a mile from her home.
Hoping surveillance footage from nearby buildings would offer them some clues, investigators examined the footage. The grainy footage showed a person parking Jennifer’s car around noon on the day she disappeared.
Though the individual was captured on camera, their face was obscured by a gate, making it impossible to positively identify them. The blurry CCTV footage of the “person of interest” became a primary focus of the investigation.
Though their identity remains unknown, several theories have surfaced about this individual. However, none have resulted in a definitive identification. The FBI, after intensive scrutiny of the tape, could only conclude the person was probably male, and between 5’3” and 5’5”.
When NASA was asked to enhance the video, they came to the same conclusions. The person appears to wear clothes that suggest they are a workman or painter.
After Jennifer’s car was searched, only a small fiber and a fingerprint were found, leading to the conclusion that it had been wiped clean. The only unusual marks were in the dust on the hood of the Malibu and scuff marks that seemed to indicate a struggle of some type.
“It looked like someone was thrown down on the top of the hood — arms spread out and then dragged back almost like off the hood to the point where you can almost see fingers scribbling down the hood,” Drew, Jennifer’s father, told one news reporter.
Theories
While investigating Jennifer's disappearance, authorities explored various theories and potential leads. One prominent lead centered around the construction workers working at Jennifer's condominium complex.
There were reports that Jennifer had expressed discomfort around some of these workers due to their harassment. Given their unrestricted access to the property, some investigators considered the possibility that she might have been targeted by one of them.
This possibility was followed up on by both authorities and Jennifer’s family. However, the language barrier proved difficult, even for the detectives assigned to the case, and no information was forthcoming.
One witness came forward to say they’d seen Jennifer’s car leaving the complex, driving erratically, but the lead did not pan out. Another person reported seeing Jennifer and an unknown male arguing in her Chevy Malibu. Again, the clue led nowhere.
Jennifer’s phone never pinged, leading to the conclusion that it had been turned off. Her bank card was never used. Her keys, phone, iPad, and the clothes she wore that day have never been found.
Although no one knows for sure what happened to Jennifer, the prevailing theory is that she might have been abducted by one of the workmen at her condo complex. Many other women had complained about the cat calls, leering glances, and inappropriate remarks of the laborers.
The construction dust found on the hood of Jennifer’s car, as well as the clothing worn by the person of interest in the surveillance footage, seems to point to this theory.
Status of the Investigation
In 2010, Jennifer’s case was taken over by the FBI at the request of the Orlando Police Department. In 2014, a new investigation began while the FBI followed up on leads and tips.
The state of Florida declared Jennifer Kesse legally dead in 2016. Kesse’s family filed suit against the Orlando Police Department in 2018 to gain access to the records relating to her case. They won a ruling the following year and were given over 16,000 pages of records.
In December 2022, her case was officially handed over to the FDLE -Florida Department of Law Enforcement cold case unit.
The recent announcement that the case has gone from cold to active has given hope to Jennifer’s family and friends that they may one day have some closure and know what happened to her.
“I’m driven to find my daughter.” Her father, Drew, stated. “There’s nothing else in my life, I have to be honest with you, more important than finding Jennifer.”
Sources:
Bonavita, J. “Father’s pursuit for missing daughter heats up with new evidence in case that’s no longer cold.” Fox News. 6 July 2025, https://www.foxnews.com/us/fathers-pursuit-missing-daughter-heats-up-new-evidence-case-thats-no-longer-cold?msockid=16be08b1b51961eb02781bbfb46760c9
“Disappearance of Jennifer Kesse.” Crime Timeline. 30 June 2025, https://crimetimelines.com/missing-persons/disappearance-of-jennifer-kesse/
Jennifer Kesse Left for Work in 2006 and Never Returned Home. Here’s What Her Family Thinks Happened — and Why NASA Got Involved in the Case. People.com. https://people.com/jennifer-kesse-disappearance-missing-case-8774071
Whiteside, S. “Jennifer Kesse case no longer cold after nearly 20 years, family says.” NewsNation, 26 June 2025, https://www.newsnationnow.com/missing/jennifer-kesse-case-new-evidence/
Such a sad, tragic story .💔
My heart aches for her devastated family/friends. I pray Jennifer is located & returned home and her family/friends find long awaited answers to what occurred the day she was abducted.🙏🏼
BTW…her name is Jennifer KESSE. (pronounced KESSIE) Not KEESE.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Jennifer_Kesse?wprov=sfti1#
https://www.google.com/gasearch?q=jennifer%20kesse&source=sh/x/gs/m2/5