The Disappearance of Jennifer Kesse
Jennifer Joyce Kesse was born in New Jersey in May of 1981. Eventually, the Kesse family made the move to Florida where Jennifer attended Vivian Gaither High School in Tampa Florida. After high school, Jennifer attended the University of Central Florida where she graduated with a degree in finances in 2003. Following this, Jennifer bought her first condo in Orlando and got a job working as a finance manager at a timeshare company. At the time of her disappearance, she was in a long distance relationship with a man named Rob Allen. In order to spend time together, the couple would take turns visiting each other on the weekends and holidays. On the weekend before her disappearance, Jennifer and Rob vacationed together in Saint Croix. After they returned on Sunday January 22nd, 2006, Jennifer stayed at Rob’s home in Fort Lauderdale and drove straight to work Monday morning. This was the last time Rob would ever see her.
Jennifer left work at 6 P.M. Monday evening and nobody has seen her since. On her way home from work, she called her father at approximately 6:15 P.M. She called Rob that night around 10 before she went to bed, something she usually did. However, this was the last time Jennifer’s phone showed any activity before being powered off. The next morning when Jennifer did not show up to work, her boss contacted her parents at 11 A.M., they quickly drove the two hour trip to Jennifer’s condo. Upon their arrival, Jennifer was nowhere to be found and her apartment displayed nothing out of the ordinary. Not even a sign of forced entry or a break-in. A wet towel was hanging in her bathroom along with clothes laid out on her bed. Leaving her family and eventually police, to assume that she had been taken that morning before work. But, there was no sign of her keys, cell phone or purse. The original theory was that Jennifer was taken while walking to her car that morning. However, throughout the course of the investigation, police began to theorize that she may have been taken while en route to her job. By that evening, Jennifer’s family began posting fliers while police organized a full fledged search using officers on foot, helicopters, boats, horses and ATVs. Sadly, there was no sign of Jennifer anywhere, it appeared that she had vanished into thin air. When police searched the complex with cadaver dogs, a scent was picked up on a back staircase leading to a pond behind Jennifer’s apartment. They also lead investigators back up the stairs, fueling ideas that Jennifer could have been taken back up to her apartment. This is a claim hard to substantiate based on the fact her apartment seemed to be in order and no evidence was ever found up there. The pond behind the building was also thoroughly searched by divers, who found nothing. The pond is small and man made, making it easy to search. There is almost no chance that they could have missed something during their search.
That Thursday, January 26th, 2006, a tenant at a nearby apartment complex, reported seeing Jennifer’s car in the parking lot, claiming it had not moved in days. Police were elated when they discovered many cameras in that area, footage that was not yet taped over. On those tapes, they saw her car being dropped off by a man between 5’3” and 5’5” at around noon the Tuesday Jennifer disappeared (see the tape here). This person has never been found, but has been identified as a person of interest in her investigation. While the car was taken by a forensics team, there was little evidence to be found in her vehicle. Investigators found a latent print and a small piece of DNA, neither of which turned up anything. However, items left inside the car led investigators to believe that the motive behind her abduction was not a robbery.
Jennifer being a young and beautiful woman, many people suspect that she was a victim of sex trafficking. While this is totally possible, she does not fit the description of the usual target for sex trafficking. Usually, women who are abducted for human trafficking are low income women, runaway teenagers, struggling with substance use disorders, etc. making them more vulnerable to traffickers and lessening their chances of being reported missing. Jennifer on the other hand, was the complete opposite of this. She had a steady job, a loving family, a healthy relationship and no known problems with substance use. While the possibility of sex trafficking is unlikely, it is still a possibility. However, Jennifer does not seem to fit the description of most women who are trafficked. This leaves the people closest to her as the most likely suspects.
While Jennifer was in Saint Croix with Rob, her brother, Logan, and his friend, Matt, stayed in Jennifer’s condo. After leaving the condo, Matt realized he left his cell phone inside the condo. Jennifer was supposed to mail the phone to him the morning she disappeared, but his phone along with Jennifer’s was turned off and never recovered. Both Logan and Matt had been investigated and declared not suspects. Regardless, it should be noted that Matt was actually an ex-boyfriend of Jennifer’s, giving him a possible motive. Yet, he was not the one seen in the video dropping off Jennifer’s car at the nearby complex.
Another theory is that someone had been stalking Jennifer in the weeks leading up to her disappearance. But, this theory has some holes in it based on Jennifer’s dynamic schedule. Especially the weekend before her disappearance when she was not home and had two adult men staying in her apartment. In spite of this, it is not an impossible circumstance. Around the time of her disappearance, there had been many construction workers doing renovations in the same complex Jennifer lived in. Many internet sleuths have theorized that maybe one of the workers had taken Jennifer after learning what time she usually left for work from spending so much time in the complex. This would explain the appearance of the individual seen parking Jennifer’s car, many believe the man was wearing clothes that a painter to contractor would wear. But again, this has not been proven. Orlando Police Department is said to have spoken to the workers that were there, like everyone else investigated thus far, none of them checked out. But there are a few different issues with this part of the investigation. Before she was abducted, Jennifer was complaining to friends and family that she had been harassed by some of the men working on the building. Additionally, some of the workers had actually been living in some of the empty apartments in the complex while they were completing their project. While some of those empty apartments had been searched, police had not been able to search all of them due to a variety of reasons. Some being that owners of the apartments did not consent to a search of their property. Another hole in the theory that one of the workers was not responsible, it is possible that some of the workers were not legal citizens. Some have suspected that not all of the workers were located and/or identified due to their immigration status. This idea is not out of the realm of possibility, approximately one-third of all construction workers (carpenters, painters, etc.) are undocumented immigrants. Meaning, it is totally possible that some of the workers were able to evade police investigation. Officers reportedly struggled with the language barrier between themselves and many of the workers, making interrogations quite difficult. I have been unable to find much to substantiate this, so take it with a grain of salt. The Orlando Police Department abides by the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. These acts require police to have a sworn in translator to interpret all interrogations and questioning of individuals, suspects or not. But, it is possible that one was never consulted for the questioning of these workers. It is something that we may never get answers on.
There have also been other people of interest in Jennifer’s investigation. While Jennifer’s boyfriend, Rob, had an alibi at the time she was taken, there was another man in her life some have suspected may have been involved. While his name is not quite public, there was an ex-boyfriend of Jennifer’s who at the time, supposedly became interested in Jennifer again and was trying to pursue her. The night before Jennifer disappeared, this ex was reportedly at a bar located near Jennifer’s apartment. According to police, he was interrogated thoroughly on more than one occasion and was declared not a suspect. But, many people struggle to believe Orlando police on this due to the fact this man is yet to speak out about the allegations against him. While this may seem suspicious, it is possible that he has decided to remain low profile in order to evade public suspicion, even if he is innocent. Nonetheless, it is still suspicious behavior. Along with her ex-boyfriend, there was another man in Jennifer’s life who was trying to pursue her. According to friends and a few co-workers, one of Jennifer’s superiors had expressed romantic interest in Jennifer on more than one occasion, all of which she rejected. He would also get extremely jealous when he heard about Jennifer’s relationship with Rob. Some even claim that he was growing increasingly aggravated over promotion Jennifer received, one he did not think she should have gotten. What is even more suspicious is that on the morning of her disappearance, he was late to work. Something outrageously out of character for him. After Jennifer was abducted, this same superior supposedly made comments claiming that, “Jennifer was definitely dead” or that she had to of, “been eaten by gators by now”. To many, including myself, he seems like the most likely suspect. In spite of this, police still claim that he is not a suspect. This does not matter to the internet sleuths out there, who swear up and down that this man had to be responsible somehow in her death. Even going as far to claim that while he was not the one on the surveillance footage parking Jennifer’s car, he could of paid someone to do it. Similar to Jennifer’s ex, this man has remained silent for years, refusing to address the public. Although he can be given the benefit of the doubt, I am much more suspect of this man than I am of her ex. My only issue is that I struggle with the idea that he paid someone off to move her car and they have never come forward, even after the $1,000,000 reward was offered in 2007. Sadly, it is completely possible that this person would have good reason to not come forward.
Many that knew Jennifer, struggle with the idea that she could have been kidnapped without putting up a fight. Jennifer is said to have been incredibly safety conscious. Jennifer being a lover of true crime, was always aware of her surroundings according to her family. Those close to Jennifer claim that she was prone to anxiety about being a victim of a violent crime. Consequently, she seldom put herself into situations that would make her vulnerable to an attack. Leading them to believe a few different theories. Either Jennifer was threatened with a weapon, rendered unconscious through an injury or chloroform, or that she knew her captor and went willingly. Another issue they have is the supposed height of the man captured on video. Jennifer was a tall woman, standing at 5’8” and physically fit. They struggle with the idea that the man who over powered her could have been smaller than her. Leading many to believe the previously mentioned theories about the weapon, Jennifer being unconscious, or knowing her captor. This has also fueled the theory that whoever abandoned her vehicle was not her abductor, but someone who was paid to park her car or did so because he was part of the abduction. Meaning, it is possible that a taller man was able to subdue Jennifer and a different man parked the car.
There are also other theories surrounding her disappearance of Jennifer involving the construction being done in her complex. Jennifer lived in a gated community. Therefore, visitors would have to be let in at the gate in front of the complex. Unfortunately, because of the construction, this gate was left open for months. It is possible that a stranger could have gotten in at this time since the entrance was no longer regulated. As a result, the stranger theory is not off the table. Yet, I struggle to believe that someone could have been staking out Jennifer in broad daylight without any of the residences or Jennifer herself, seeing them. But again, this would not have been impossible, just unlikely. There are yet to be any leads to substantiate such ideas. Due to a lack of evidence though, this theory cannot be ruled out.
Since Jennifer was not seen on the morning of her disappearance, there has been some speculation that Jennifer could have been abducted on Monday the 21st. There are a few things however that can debunk this theory. The first being that her family has a hard time believing that she would have gone out that night without telling anyone. On the other hand, some suggest that maybe she left something in her car that she could have needed such as face wash or a toothbrush and this was when she could have been taken. This would make Jennifer’s kidnapping more likely to be a crime of opportunity. If this were the case, I would find I hard to believe that there was such little evidence left due to a lack of planning. Contradictory to this, because the abduction happened at night, there would be little to no witnesses and would give the perpetrator plenty of time to clean up. Jennifer’s family struggles to accept this theory based on the state of the apartment when they arrived the next morning. They say that if Jennifer had not been there since the night before, her towel would have dried and her clothes would not have been laid out on the bed. This seems to debunk the night time abduction theory to an extent, but not completely. All this theory does is open more avenues of possibilities, making it even harder to pinpoint a direct route to take in the investigation.
The case of Jennifer Kesse has baffled people for the past 15 years. While few people have claimed to be a witness to the physical abduction or claimed to have seen her after, these leads have led investigators nowhere. Orlando police have also been subject to criticism about how they conducted the case. There are individuals that believe the police have completely botched the investigation. My one counter claim to this is that because the case is still ongoing and open, the police department is not able to share everything they have shared. Which can look shady, but is a crucial component of the investigation to ensure that when they catch her abductor, they are sure it is the right person. Nonetheless, it is totally possible that they have made mistakes that resulted in being unable to find Jennifer. Investigators have never closed this case and still follow up on leads. Some of these leads have led to new searches, the most recent being conducted in 2012. This search consisted of over 100 police officers searching a wooded area that an anonymous tip led them to. sadly, the search turned up nothing. This search did prove though that they have not forgotten about Jennifer.
As of January of 2021, the 15 year anniversary of Jennifer’s disappearance, the Kesse family was able to obtain previously confidential police files. Because of this, Jennifer’s family has taken the reigns of the investigation. The great part about this is that the Kesse family is able to do things the police might not have been able to do because of different law enforcement rules. Either way, the Kesse family has been hard at work. Frustrated with the lack of leads in almost a decade, the Kesse family was able to obtain these files through the court in order to continue looking for their lost loved one.
Jennifer Kesse was 24 years old when she went missing. As of when I began this article, she has been missing for 15 years, 8 months and 18 days. She is about 5’8” and approximately 130 pounds. She has blonde hair, green eyes and has a shamrock tattoo on her left hip. To find an age progressed photo of Jennifer, click here.
If you have any information about Jennifer Kesse, report a tip to the Orlando Police Department. A tip can be left anonymously. Contact the Orlando Police Department: 321.235.5300. Or contact the Kesse family tippling at 941-201-4009.
Additional Links:
Donate directly to the Kesse family to help fund the search: click here
The website made by the Kesse family to spread information: click here
The FBI page about Jennifer Kesse. This page has an option to submit an online tip: click here
For more information about Jennifer’s disappearance, listen to the podcast, Unconcluded. Found any platform offering podcasts.
