NEW YORK (CNN) -- For three years, family, friends and her college sorority sisters have been looking for Jennifer Kesse, wondering what happened to her.
Last week, on the third anniversary of Kesse's disappearance, an inmate in a Florida prison said he might have the answer.
David Russ, a convicted killer being held at the Seminole County Jail, spoke last week with the missing woman's father, Drew Kesse, claiming he had information that could lead to a break in the case.
Details are being withheld from the public. In a jailhouse phone call with CNN, Russ hinted he'd eavesdropped on other inmates. He also was outspoken about his skepticism toward investigators.
"The investigators have messed this case up from the beginning and cannot be trusted," he said. That's why he asked to speak directly with the missing woman's father, he said.
Orlando police are just as skeptical of Russ. They said he provided information they already had.
"His information is not some big break in the case," said Sgt. Barbara Jones of the Orlando Police Department. "We are still hoping for new tips that could lead us to finding Jennifer Kesse."
The 24-year-old financial adviser was just back from a Caribbean vacation with her boyfriend and was getting back into her routine. She went to work at her new job, came home to her new condominium and called her parents.
At 10 p.m., she called her boyfriend, who lived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Then, her family believes, she went to bed.
The next morning, she got up and showered for work. Her clothes were neatly laid out on her bed, her family says, suggesting she may have tried on a few outfits before deciding what to wear to the office. Then, she disappeared, her family said.
She did not show up for work that Tuesday morning and her employer reported her missing.
Police found Kesse's Chevy Malibu two days later. It was parked in a gated lot about one mile down the road from the condominium complex where she lived. Inside the vehicle, police found some of Kesse's personal items, but her purse, wallet, two cell phones and briefcase were missing. The car doors were locked and the car keys were not found.
Police later released a video surveillance tape of the car being parked in the lot by someone other than Kesse.
The grainy video partially shows a person walking away from the car, past a parking lot gate. Police are uncertain if this person of interest is a man or a woman, because the image is partially obscured by the gate.
The person is described as 5 feet 4 inches, with a short haircut, wearing light-colored clothes and dark shoes. The video is time and date-stamped at noon on the day Kesse disappeared.
Forensic tests on the vehicle came back inconclusive, Sgt. Jones said. No blood or other trace evidence was found to show that Kesse had been injured in the vehicle.
Drew Kesse said that every Tuesday, landscapers worked at the condo complex near his daughter's parking space. The landscapers said they didn't see Kesse leaving her apartment and getting into her car, which she did every weekday morning between 7:30 and 7:45 a.m.
"The only theory we could come up with is that she walked out her front door and was kidnapped somewhere between her front door and the parking lot where her car was. We think since the landscapers didn't see her, she must not have even made it out of the hallways or stairwells of the condo complex," Drew Kesse said.
He added that there weren't any surveillance cameras in the hallways or stairwells at the time his daughter was living there.
Sgt. Jones said investigators have developed forensic evidence from Kesse's car that could someday match with a person of interest and identify a suspect. Police have also released a photo of a green clover tattoo on Kesse's left hip.
Anyone with information leading to Jennifer Kesse or the person responsible for her disappearance is asked to call the tip line at 1-800-423-TIPS. The reward is $10,000. Kesse would be 26 years old and has blonde hair, green eyes, is 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 125 pounds.
The following is from MySpace:
Jennifer Kesse, 24, never showed up to work Tuesday Jan. 24th and no one has heard from her since Monday the 23rd. She lives at the Mosaic at Millenia condominiums on Conroy Road. Police are confirming that Jennifer may have left her home at Mosaic at Millenia on Monday night or Tuesday morning looking for a roadside mailbox to mail a package. They will not say where or whether she made it there, but the package is also missing. Her car was found at the Huntington on the Green apartments at Americana and Texas on Thursday morning the 26th, about 1 mile from where Jennifer lives.
Who I'd like to meet:
The Kesse Family has announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to The Person of Interest. They have secured a cell phone dedicated to tips for this purpose. The cell .. is 407-722-2162. You do not have to leave your name if you want to remain unidentified just information which will lead us to The Person of Interest or Jennifer. The Family are the only ones to receive the calls. This .. is not connected to the police or to Crimeline it is carried by the family only. The Kesse's are not interested in prosecuting anyone, they simply want Jennifer to be returned to them. If you have any information concerning The Person of Interest please call and reunite the family with the daughter they love and miss deeply. They know someone knows something and it is time to bring Jennifer home!
Someone out there knows something that can help us bring Jenn home. Take a moment and think about everyone you know, as hard as it may be, someone you know family, friends, co-workers and/or neighbors are behaving differently, maybe they stopped coming to work, have not been at school, are drinking more than usual, they are acting different in some way! It is critically important that you call with this information it may be nothing or it may be the missing clue that will solve this case PLEASE CALL CRIMELINE NO NAMES, NO CALLER ID,NO HASSLES.
August 24th, 2007 Family Letter Friday August 24th marks 19 months since Jennifer was last seen or heard from. She is still considered “Missing and Endangered” by Orlando Police., Orange County Police, FDLE and the FBI. We, as her family, still hold out HOPE that Jennifer will be found alive and brought home. We hold that belief due to the continuing fact that nothing has been found or used of hers since 1/23/2006, 19 months ago. So until someone comes forward or evidence is discovered to the contrary we will stay with the belief she is alive, held against her will and is waiting to be found and rescued! We will not stop our fight to find our Missing Daughter for the good or the bad, Jennifer needs to come home – NOW!! We again plead with anyone who has any information about Jennifer or the Suspect who last drove and parked her car in the Huntington on the Green Condo’s at the corner of Americana and Texas Ave in Orlando Florida, 1/24/2006 at Noon, to come forward for Jennifer’s sake. End her pain now! There is still reward money available for information leading to Jennifer’s whereabouts as well as for information leading to the Suspect’s Identification and whereabouts. We are a desperate family looking for our loved Daughter who was taken in an instant without cause. Please take the time to view the photos of the Suspect/Person of Interest on this website. Take the time as many of you have many times to pass on the information to all the people you know and ask them to read about her abduction and pass on her website to all they know. Awareness is everything and we continue to this day to receive tips everyday and we thank you, don’t stop her awareness campaign. Jennifer will be found and you, the people, who visit this site and care enough to keep her story moving forward are our biggest asset. You do make a difference when you pass on her information – Please do not stop!!!
******UPDATE******* Family Letter, April 2008 - We, Jennifer’s family and friends, want to keep you up to date with the latest information and actions concerning Jennifer’s Abduction. The investigation into Jennifer’s disappearance has stayed extremely active as of late and leads continue to come in on a regular basis from multiple sources. We ask everyone to continue the awareness campaign of Jennifer’s situation, it will, in the end produce the right information we will need to bring an end to her personal Hell. Additional resources have been afforded to the Orlando Police department to bolster their efforts to help in resolving the mystery of what has happened to our loved one, Jennifer. We will continue to have patience and we will persevere through the daunting effort of trying to find Jennifer and the person or persons who “Took Her” over 2 years and 2 months ago. Jennifer remains an extremely high priority for all agencies involved with the task of finding her and for that we are thankful. Recently we found pictures of Jennifer’s 4 leaf glover Tattoo she has on her left hip as well as a good picture of her pocket book she had with her at the time of her Abduction. We are trying to get those posted here as soon as possible, they may spark a memory in someone’s mind of seeing either of them. Please also be aware of Jennifer’s distinguishing marks; her Cleft Chin, Green eyes which sometime can be Blue, a chicken pox mark next to her right eye, surgery scar on her inner left elbow, her poor eyesight as well as now her 4 leaf glover tattoo. We don’t think at this point Jennifer will look like the pictures we all see and distribute, so we ask to be aware of the things which most likely won’t change on her physically. We are also working hard on the proposed laws enhancing Florida’s existing missing persons laws and we are down to the wire and still need help in contacting any state Senator or Representative and ask them to support SB 502 and HB 223 and pass it this session which ends in the next 3 weeks in Tallahassee. We thank everyone who has helped us through emails and phone calls to legislators on this important proposed law, which you may read about just above this writing. This effort has been an education in our legislative system and a daunting task, as we as ordinary citizens try and pass laws without lobbyists, lawyers, Interest groups or a large bank account. We can and are making a difference as we join together for a common cause worth fighting for and we are grateful for all your help. Please check back soon to this website, CBS 48 Hours Investigates is doing an entire show on Jennifer in late April/early May and we will post the date as soon as we get it. We also want to thank all the media outlets for continuing to tell Jennifer’s story, all of you have been a God send for her awareness and without you our quest would be even harder. Please also remember there is still an Abductor(s) out in our community/state/country/world somewhere who must be identified and taken off our streets so as not to have one more victim of this heinous crime acted on by this person(s).
www.JENNIFERKESSE.com
November 24, 2008 - 34 months ago Jennifer's journey into hell began-a letter from Jenn's mom
Surreal, that word continues to summarize best, Jenn's abduction.
Despite the active, ongoing efforts of multiple law enforcement
agencies, we still are without answers.....as to what happened that
fateful Tuesday, January 24, 2006. HOPE - one of the most powerful
words in the English language. FAITH and BELIEVE are important words
also. DREAM - we dream of the day when Jenn's hell is over, when
answers are revealed. MIRACLES - we pray for Jenn's miracle, two words
come to mind, Shawn Hornbeck, abducted at age 11 from Missouri on
10/6/2002---found on January 12, 2007!!!! More and more people are
found alive, yes, we are aware of the statistics against the miracle.
Someone has to be that statistic that defies the odds.......and lord
knows we are praying Jenn will be found alive.
Life goes on.....albeit with heartache and pain.....living is a daily
chore, a decision you must make, for if you choose to be angry, bitter
and miserable you have allowed evil to win twice, and to destroy you.
So....push to live to be as happy and functional as you can. This is
the message for all of Jenn's friends, colleagues and family and sisters
:-), live and laugh and remember , always. Be safe and pay attention to
your surroundings.
I miss Jenn more than I can put into words, her laughter, her wit, her
smile, her quirky ways, having intellectual conversations on everything
and anything. I miss shopping with her, playing scrabble, walking on
the beach, shelling....being together. I miss hearing her stories and
our Friday conversations as we drove home from work. I miss baking with
her, especially during the holidays. I treasure all the wonderful
memories and times spent together.
Thank you to each and every person, who continues to visit Jenn's
website, your messages of encouragement warm the soul. The countless
prayers give us strength and help tremendously. Please remember to pray
for all the missing and for all the law enforcement personnel who work
hard daily in trying to find answers for a family in pain. Enjoy the
Thanksgiving holiday, and be thankful for those in your life whom you
love and care about.
Awareness remains key, so again, thank you for continuing to spread the
word, here and abroad via the internet. Someone knows something, we
just must not have reached the right person, but we will with your help.
"The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up."
-Mark Twain
With gratitude,
Joyce Kesse (and Drew & Logan Kesse)
THE DAILY MOTIVATOR
Friday, October 17, 2008
The reward is closer
+++++++++++++++++++
What can you do when there seems to be no hope? You can keep
going.
What's the best option when you feel like giving up? The
best option is to keep going.
How can you respond when circumstances are acting against
you? The most effective response is to continue working your
way forward no matter what other factors may be present.
All that you know is based on past experience, and yet the
future does not equal the past. For right now you can take
action to determine that future and to change the way things
will be.
Though it can be easy to give up, remember this. When you're
at the point of giving up, you're also at the point where
maximum value can be created.
If you feel like giving up, then you have nothing to lose
and everything to gain by continuing to push forward. Keep
going, for the reward is closer with every step you take.
Ralph Marston
www.greatday.com
For anyone who is feeling the emotional affects of a person who is missing, please read the following information which has been very helpful to our family and friends and countless others across the country.
http://jenniferkesse.net/considerations.pdf
If this is your first time on JenniferKesse.com, thank you for stopping by. Since your here, could you do us favor? As soon as your finished understanding what the site is about, could you please email it to everyone you know. Thank you, it's important to us, and we'll forever appreciate it.
For an excellent article and 4 minute video with CBS Early Morning Show with Howard Smith about Jennifer Kesse's Disappearance - Click Here
Everyone asks - What Can We Do Next To Help?
Here's your answer
Tape them to your car windows.
Ask everyone you know close to you to put one on their car window also.
Send a couple copies to anyone in your family that doesn't have a printer and lives in Central Florida
Ask them to put them on their cars also.
Stop by every truck stop you see and talk to some of the drivers and give them flyers. Ask them to drop them off at their next stop.
Stop by businesses with fleet vans and ask them to put the flyers in their side windows.
Most grocery and department stores use front windows for displays, display these flyers there.
Phone booths are rare, but tape flyers on the ones that are there.
If you have family in Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana or South Carolina, send them the links and ask them to do the same thing.
Remember - The objective is to turn Central Florida into a moving billboard of Jennifer's profile. The more flyers moving through the area, the more eyes we'll have out looking for her.
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