FL - Jennifer Kesse, 24, Orlando, 24 Jan 2006 - #12

[Caffeine]

I don't think it's completely out of the realm of possibility to open the door if someone's looks non threatening. Maybe she was tired and thought it was a neighbor? If the person looked non-threatening or maybe came up with some good excuse as to why she should open the door I think it's a possibility.

Something like their car broke down, their phone was dead and they needed to call AAA or something like that. Or maybe a 'new neighbor' looking to borrow some sugar or something to cook? Or even worse, she knew the person

Has there ever been any documented evidence of how many people were living in the complex? I know it was relatively uninhabited, but surely someone else lived in the same complex or building? It'd be extremely eery to be the only person living in a gigantic apartment complex.

Can someone also explain to me why there are two phones that were shut off? Whose phone is the other one and why is it relevant?

I don't want to bash any state but it seems like a lot of missing persons cases come out of Florida...

Based on her dad's description she seems like an extremely careful and safe person. So I don't necessarily think she'd open the door to anyone but you're right...it's not impossible and anyone can have a lapse in judgement.

I wonder if the apartment had a peephole and a chain lock?

 

[rd_jfc]

I don't think it's completely out of the realm of possibility to open the door if someone's looks non threatening. Maybe she was tired and thought it was a neighbor? If the person looked non-threatening or maybe came up with some good excuse as to why she should open the door I think it's a possibility.

Something like their car broke down, their phone was dead and they needed to call AAA or something like that. Or maybe a 'new neighbor' looking to borrow some sugar or something to cook? Or even worse, she knew the person

Has there ever been any documented evidence of how many people were living in the complex? I know it was relatively uninhabited, but surely someone else lived in the same complex or building? It'd be extremely eery to be the only person living in a gigantic apartment complex.

Can someone also explain to me why there are two phones that were shut off? Whose phone is the other one and why is it relevant?

I don't want to bash any state but it seems like a lot of missing persons cases come out of Florida...

I was talking to some folks in Atlanta a few years ago when I was still keeping up with missing women cases and someone asked where most missing women cases occurred. I thought about the cases in the years I was actively following, about 2001 to 2009 or so, and just so happens at that time that Atlanta was sort of the center of the largest number of cases. They were surprised but I started naming cases off to illustrate my point.

Now when you include children in it though Florida just becomes horrific on that back then during same period.

I'm pretty sure that Atlanta epicenter thing didn't continue since then, but was an odd answer at the time.

 

[rd_jfc]

Based on her dad's description she seems like an extremely careful and safe person. So I don't necessarily think she'd open the door to anyone but you're right...it's not impossible and anyone can have a lapse in judgement.

I wonder if the apartment had a peephole and a chain lock?

I don't know but I assume it would, pretty standard for apartments/condos. I don't open the door to strangers (not even with the chain latched) and I'm a male, I can't imagine her opening the door to someone she doesn't know really well. That's just sort of 101, why would any woman open the door at 10 at night because someone they don't know is knocking on it?

 

[Brainy]

I do also think she was abducted at night. I think it would be a lot harder to abduct her in the morning. I think she walked away from her apartment for some reason and then the perpetrator attacked and subdued her at gunpoint. He used Jennifer's car to take her away somewhere. She could have either been physically knocked
unconscious or some chemical agent could have been used to do that.

Yes, I also agree that her abduction was premeditated.

 

[JetsFan24]

I do also think she was abducted at night. I think it would be a lot harder to abduct her in the morning. I think she walked away from her apartment for some reason and then the perpetrator attacked and subdued her at gunpoint. He used Jennifer's car to take her away somewhere. She could have either been physically knocked
unconscious or some chemical agent could have been used to do that.

Yes, I also agree that her abduction was premeditated.

That's true. It could be as simple as someone created a loud sound outside of her door and waiting for her to investigate. Or someone staking out her place and she happened to have to run to her car that night.

The eery part is that the person likely staged her apartment too. So that indicates a familiarity.

 

[liz b.]

I read that JK's parents said she mentioned getting dinner when she got home. Also, she stopped at the mailboxes to get her mail. Don't know any details about her dinner plans, i.e. did she eat in her condo ? Go out to grab some dinner, and return ? I am thinking that something, some reason, took her out of her condo at some point that evening. jmo

 

[Force Ten]

I read that JK's parents said she mentioned getting dinner when she got home. Also, she stopped at the mailboxes to get her mail. Don't know any details about her dinner plans, i.e. did she eat in her condo ? Go out to grab some dinner, and return ? I am thinking that something, some reason, took her out of her condo at some point that evening. jmo

Ha you read my mind. I was thinking that with talking to her BF about mailing the phone out, maybe it struck then to go check her mailbox and perhaps she hadn't done so since she got back from her trip. Being outside is where she is most vulnerable. However, I don't believe it was a t night when she was abducted. The towels still being damp when the parents arrived in the afternoon and her outfits laid on the bed are indicative she was there the next morning.

 

[liz b.]

Ha you read my mind. I was thinking that with talking to her BF about mailing the phone out, maybe it struck then to go check her mailbox and perhaps she hadn't done so since she got back from her trip. Being outside is where she is most vulnerable. However, I don't believe it was a t night when she was abducted. The towels still being damp when the parents arrived in the afternoon and her outfits laid on the bed are indicative she was there the next morning.

I read that she stopped at the mailboxes on her way in, when she got home from work. Not sure how that could be known, unless she mentioned it to her parents/ BF... The condition of the apartment is ...interesting. LE was not there first, and the apartment may well have been interpreted any way an onlooker wanted to see it...we have no idea when she showered, for example. it could have been fairly late that night ? And so on with the clothing laid on her bed. etc...jmo, though. I believe more and more that someone showed up there late that night..jmo.

 

[JetsFan24]

I read that she stopped at the mailboxes on her way in, when she got home from work. Not sure how that could be known, unless she mentioned it to her parents/ BF... The condition of the apartment is ...interesting. LE was not there first, and the apartment may well have been interpreted any way an onlooker wanted to see it...we have no idea when she showered, for example. it could have been fairly late that night ? And so on with the clothing laid on her bed. etc...jmo, though. I believe more and more that someone showed up there late that night..jmo.

Laying out outfits seems to be a night time activity. The only suspicious thing of the apartment is the damp towel, but like you said that could've been the result of a late night shower and I think it likely was. Same thing with the bed. She was likely laying in bed getting ready for bed when someone made her come to the door or something made her come outside of the apartment.

I still wonder if the car was detailed that day. That would likely remove all signs of another person in it.

 

[EricaJ4u2]

I still wonder if the car was detailed that day. That would likely remove all signs of another person in it.

Definitely not detailed- random items (car chargerand aspirin found in console) flip flops, the strapped in DVD player inside and externally dirty as well. There are pics of the console items released.

 

[Markybug]

I'm leaning towards a morning abduction, by someone she knew.. poi related to someone she knew.

 

[JetsFan24]

I'm leaning towards a morning abduction, by someone she knew.. poi related to someone she knew.

Why did she uncharacteristically turn her cell phone off at night though? Why didn't she turn it back on in the morning? Isn't it said that she usually called her boyfriend on the morning drive?

I just don't see someone pulling this off seamlessly in the morning where absolutely no one sees anything during a high traffic commuting time. This puts the abduction and likely murder between the hours of 7:00 AM and 11:30 AM before the surveillance video sees the person parking her car. I'd imagine someone would've seen something between those hours.

Just my opinion though. The outfits say nothing to me. And the damp towel could've been from midnight and still been wet. Same with a shower. It's not as if a pot of coffee was made and brewed and still hot or something that is telling of someone being in the apartment in the morning.

 

[liz b.]

Why did she uncharacteristically turn her cell phone off at night though? Why didn't she turn it back on in the morning? Isn't it said that she usually called her boyfriend on the morning drive?

I just don't see someone pulling this off seamlessly in the morning where absolutely no one sees anything during a high traffic commuting time. This puts the abduction and likely murder between the hours of 7:00 AM and 11:30 AM before the surveillance video sees the person parking her car. I'd imagine someone would've seen something between those hours.

Just my opinion though. The outfits say nothing to me. And the damp towel could've been from midnight and still been wet. Same with a shower. It's not as if a pot of coffee was made and brewed and still hot or something that is telling of someone being in the apartment in the morning.

I wondered if she had made coffee that morning too. Also wondered if her toothbrush was wet.

I'm thinking : what if an old friend had knocked on her door very late at night. Maybe this old friend had been drinking a lot, and either wanted a place to crash, or a ride home...there would be no signs of any kind of struggle, and no forced entry. JK offered her old friend a ride home. They took her car. She never came back. jmo

 

[Markybug]

The mobile phone thing is just not clear enough to accept imo. There is no definite statement re them being switched off/powered off anywhere? Although if not off (by whatever means) at night , then someone had to switch it off in the morning at the abduction, or soon after?

The towel and shower is another piece leaning towards morning , but , i wonder how far back from jenns normal start , you could have a shower and the cubicle still be wet by lunchtime?..

 

[CircuitGuy]

When I lived in Tampa, FL, it seemed like towels could stay wet for a whole night and day in January. The average high in Jan is 70 degrees [21C]. Sometimes it's in the 70s and steamy, and you might turn the air on just to get rid of the humidity. It's possible the towel stayed wet all night.

 

[CircuitGuy]

My opinion on the car is it was located somewhere that would increminate someone.

Do you think the police never even figured out the person the real perps were trying to incriminate? Or do you think figured it out but have no reason to release it?

The disappeared show said it was an area where drug deals happened? Was it just your typical rough apartment complex or a place known for drugs more than the average cheap apartments? If it was known, maybe perp was hoping to misdirect the police into thinking she went there to buy drugs? This could cause them to get bogged down questioning a bunch of people in the drug trade who would lie to the police and may be covering other unrelated crimes.

 

[CircuitGuy]

I do not think her b/f was involved, but I wonder out of curiosity how effective it is to watch a suspect as they search someone's car and possibly find a body. If they get overwrought on finding a body, it could be out of guilt or shock. If they are stoic, it could be because they don't care or they're so shocked. If they're nervous before they open the trunk, it could similarly have guilty and innocent explanations. I wonder if there's any science to show an experienced police officer can tell anything from a suspect's reaction.

 

[rd_jfc]

Do you think the police never even figured out the person the real perps were trying to incriminate? Or do you think figured it out but have no reason to release it?

The disappeared show said it was an area where drug deals happened? Was it just your typical rough apartment complex or a place known for drugs more than the average cheap apartments? If it was known, maybe perp was hoping to misdirect the police into thinking she went there to buy drugs? This could cause them to get bogged down questioning a bunch of people in the drug trade who would lie to the police and may be covering other unrelated crimes.

We have a poster here who has lived in the apartments and knows the area well and has provided insight on the crime statistics, very helpful insight, but I visited there one afternoon (on a Sunday I think?) to examine the scene and they are not cheap apartments. It's a typical suburban family apartment complex with parents keeping a watchful eye on their children while some dude looks around.

The significance of this complex in my opinion was that Texas and Americana is the first intersection with bus service both ways, up and down Texas and east west on Americana. It was back then the start of apartment complexes after traversing a mile or so on Americana from Mosaic. The apartment complexes surrounded the corner and probably extended extensively, and they probably all had about the same crime statistics.

There were zero young men standing around for starters, the streets were quiet, and at night the layout is not what you would call conducive to drug deals. And it was under surveillance.

 

[liz b.]

We have a poster here who has lived in the apartments and knows the area well and has provided insight on the crime statistics, very helpful insight, but I visited there one afternoon (on a Sunday I think?) to examine the scene and they are not cheap apartments. It's a typical suburban family apartment complex with parents keeping a watchful eye on their children while some dude looks around.

The significance of this complex in my opinion was that Texas and Americana is the first intersection with bus service both ways, up and down Texas and east west on Americana. It was back then the start of apartment complexes after traversing a mile or so on Americana from Mosaic. The apartment complexes surrounded the corner and probably extended extensively, and they probably all had about the same crime statistics.

There were zero young men standing around for starters, the streets were quiet, and at night the layout is not what you would call conducive to drug deals. And it was under surveillance.

Is the place where the car was found a condo complex ? TIA.

 

[JetsFan24]

I wondered if she had made coffee that morning too. Also wondered if her toothbrush was wet.

I'm thinking : what if an old friend had knocked on her door very late at night. Maybe this old friend had been drinking a lot, and either wanted a place to crash, or a ride home...there would be no signs of any kind of struggle, and no forced entry. JK offered her old friend a ride home. They took her car. She never came back. jmo

That's sort of what I was getting at. It also could've been some sort of nonthreatening situation. Someone comes to the door claiming they locked themselves out of their apartment, and their cell phone was dead, etc. I don't think it's that unreasonable to think
someone might pop their door open to be a good samaritan.

Again, this seems to be done so well amen obviously premeditated that a person would not risk doing that as workers are arriving at the complex, people are starting to head to work and all that jazz.

I'm actually a bit shocked that some people favor it being a morning incident. Not a knock on them of course as it's just my personal opinion!

It was mentioned before but I wonder what evidence there was that indicated the phones were shut off at 10:40 PM. Or how that can be detected? Because the show seemed pretty hellbent on that being a clue.