{"id":130446,"date":"2026-01-24T16:12:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-24T16:12:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/130446\/"},"modified":"2026-01-24T16:12:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-24T16:12:08","slug":"jennifer-kesse-missing-20-years-after-orlando-disappearance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/130446\/","title":{"rendered":"Jennifer Kesse missing 20 years after Orlando disappearance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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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.<\/p>\n

Jennifer Kesse was 24 years old when she vanished on January 24, 2006, after failing to show up for work in Orlando, Florida<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n

“We look for Jennifer pretty much every day,” they said. “It seems like an eternity. It seems that we\u2019re still living in a surreal state.”<\/p>\n

FATHER’S PURSUIT FOR MISSING DAUGHTER HEATS UP WITH NEW EVIDENCE IN CASE THAT’S NO LONGER COLD<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Jennifer <\/p>\n

Florida investigators have reignited the search for Jennifer Kesse after her Orlando disappearance on Jan. 24, 2006. (Fox News\/Courtesy of the Kesse Family)<\/p>\n

Jennifer\u2019s car<\/a> 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\u2019s face was not visible.<\/p>\n

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 \u2013 relying on a family rule that they would always answer each other’s calls \u2013 but her phone went straight to voicemail.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I knew something was wrong immediately,” Kesse said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Jennifer <\/p>\n

Jennifer Kesse, 24, was reported missing after she failed to show up for her work on Jan. 24, 2006. (WTTV)<\/p>\n

JONBENET RAMSEY CASE COULD BENEFIT FROM NEW DNA TECHNOLOGY AS POLICE RENEW COMMITMENT<\/a><\/p>\n

Drew and Joyce made the two-hour drive from their home in Tampa to Orlando, where they found their daughter\u2019s apartment empty with several outfit choices laid out on her bed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The parents immediately called the Orlando Police Department (OPD) to report Jennifer missing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“They looked around her apartment, shrugged their shoulders and said, \u2018She had a fight with her boyfriend probably, she\u2019ll be back,\u2019” Kesse said. “They walked out. And that was Jennifer\u2019s last chance.”<\/p>\n

The Kesses later sued OPD to gain access to Jennifer\u2019s case file, which spans more than 16,000 pages.<\/p>\n

“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.<\/p>\n

With the Florida Department of Law Enforcement<\/a> (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.<\/p>\n

One focus has been on identifying the person of interest through physical characteristics<\/a> visible in the video.<\/p>\n

“An ear is just like an eye or a fingerprint. It\u2019s very unique to a person,” Drew said. “When we find the ear, then we\u2019ve found the person.”<\/p>\n

\"Jennifer <\/p>\n

Jennifer Kesse and her father, Drew, open presents in an undated family photo. (Courtesy of the Kesse Family\u00a0)<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

As they continue to wait for answers, Jennifer\u2019s parents<\/a> said they still believe she was taken shortly after disappearing.<\/p>\n

“I personally still think that Jennifer was taken and taken out of the area \u2014 state and maybe country \u2014 very quickly,” her father said, adding that he believes she may have been targeted because she was alone.<\/p>\n

\"Drew <\/p>\n

Drew and Joyce shared with Fox News affiliate WTTV that they will never stop searching for their daughter, Jennifer, who disappeared on Jan. 24, 2006. (KTTV)<\/p>\n

FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X<\/a><\/p>\n

Now nearing 70, Jennifer\u2019s parents said their determination has not faded since the search began two decades ago.<\/p>\n

“Till we die,” Joyce said. “Whatever it takes. There\u2019s no quit in us.”<\/p>\n

LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? FIND MORE ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Jennifer <\/p>\n

Jennifer Kesse smiles alongside her mother, Joyce. (Courtesy of the Kesse Family\u00a0)<\/p>\n

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Anyone with information about Jennifer\u2019s disappearance is encouraged to contact FDLE\u2019s Orlando office at\u00a0(407) 245-0888 or\u00a0OROCColdCaseTips@fdle.state.fl.us<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The OPD and the FDLE did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital\u2019s request for comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Fox News Digital’s Julia Bonavita contributed to this report.<\/p>\n