Cops: Someone Knows Suspect In Jennifer Kesse Disappearance

"Jennifer, wherever you are, we love you, and we're never going to stop trying to find you and bring you home."

A grainy black and white profile of an unidentified person may not show much, but the video is the best lead Orlando cops have into the disappearance of Jennifer Kesse.

Orlando, Fla. police say the surveillance tape shows someone dropping off Jennifer's car in a parking lot at a condo complex about a mile from where she disappeared.

It's the same person caught on surveillance camera walking away from the apartment complex. Until now, police called him a "person of interest." Now, they say, he's their suspect.

The out-of-focus, wide-angle surveillance-camera video shows a person who parked Jennifer's car at a south Orlando condominium complex.

The suspect, estimated to be 5'3" to 5'5" tall, was recorded walking away by another security camera about noon on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2006.

"We're absolutely positive someone has information we need to bring that young lady home," Chief Mike McCoy told reporters at Orlando Police Headquarters in a briefing on the Kesse disappearance. "The value of that video is to generate some leads... rock someone's heart and rock someone's mind."

Looking For Clues in Missing Woman's Disappearance

None of this adds up for family and friends of Jennifer Kesse, 24, of Orlando. Everything was going perfectly for the young financial analyst who recently bought a new condo, got a promotion at work, and had a break in the islands with her boyfriend. But then, the young and talented Jennifer vanished, leaving behind no clues.

On January 22, 2006, Jennifer and her boyfriend, Robert Allen, returned home from a relaxing vacation in St. Croix. Robert and Jennifer have a long distance relationship -- she's in Orlando and he's in Fort Lauderdale -- but they see each other just about every weekend.

After their long weekend getaway in the islands, the couple returned to their respective jobs on the following Monday. It was business as usual and Jennifer called her father, brother, a few close friends, and her boyfriend after work.

Her last phone call was at 9:56 p.m. to Robert on Monday night.

Police believe on Tuesday morning, January 24, Jennifer showered and got ready for work.

But she never made it to her job at Westgate Resorts, where she managed the financial department, which oversees timeshares.

Joyce Kesse, Jennifer's mother, says her daughter is never late for work.

"She's ambitious and dedicated to her career," Joyce said. "When I got the call from her employer that she didn't show for work, I knew something was wrong. That was the beginning of this hellish nightmare."

Mother Feels Jennifer's Presence

For two days, Jennifer's family and friends converged on her condo in a new condominium development in Orlando, located near the Mall at Millenia.

There was no sign of the young woman. Then, on Thursday, January 26, Jennifer's black 2004 Chevy Malibu was found abandoned about one mile from her home.

Det. Glen Gause of the Orlando Police Department described the area where her car was recovered as a drug area.

"It's not a nice part of town," Gause said.

Any and all evidence inside the car was sent for further analysis to crime labs operated by the FBI and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

The only tangible clue to date is surveillance video of the area where Jennifer's car was abandoned.

A surveillance camera caught a glimpse of an individual walking in the area of her vehicle on the morning of her disappearance. Police want to talk to this "person of interest."

Det. Gause and his partner, Det. Emmett Browning, believe this individual is a male wearing dark clothing. Because the video is from far away and through a chain link fence, it has been difficult to identify the mysterious person.

Police believe this "person of interest" may know something about Jennifer's disappearance.

"We consider this case a suspicious missing persons case," Det. Gause said. "It's suspicious because Jennifer is stable, has no criminal history, is close to her family, and it doesn't appear she ran off. We are hoping she's alive right now."

And so do the dozens of family and friends who come and go at Jennifer's apartment, trying to help find her.

Grid searches in the area of Jennifer Kesse's condo and location where her car was found were conducted within 48 hours of her disappearance, to no avail.

At least half a million flyers have been circulated in Orlando.

"I feel her presence," Joyce Kesse, Jennifer's mother, said. "I have a strange feeling she's alive."

Jennifer's parents, Joyce and Drew, don't wear watches these days. They don't count the days since Jennifer went missing, because each day that passes by without news about their daughter is difficult.

Right now, the couple is grateful to friends, family and law enforcement who continue to search for their little girl.

Jennifer is an outgoing and friendly young woman with bright green eyes. She has a tattoo of a shamrock on the small of her back. Police believe this is a stranger abduction case, and possibly a carjacking.

Det. Gause says she may have been abducted while getting in or out of her car. She may have met her intruder while stopping off at a FedEx drop box or for coffee on her way to work. Police are trying to piece together the puzzle of clues.

"I hope my phone rings in the next minute and it's someone telling me she's been found," Joyce said.