FL - Jennifer Kesse, 24, Orlando, 24 Jan 2006 - #8

[concernedperson]

It may not be too late to look. If they can determine which units were vacant or occupied by workers at the time then possibly there is some evidence that can be gleaned. I know it would be disruptive if the units are currently occupied by residents but blood trace evidence can be found. And, that could match up to Jenn.

The other thought is to hound the person responsible for the laborers assigned to the project. Even if he/she doesn't recognize the surveillance pic a supervisor on the project would as I feel the person that took Jenn knew enough about her to be there for a couple of weeks. She was on vacation just prior to the abduction so they had to have been there before to know which car was hers and her habits.

I know it is hard to pinpoint transient workers but this worker was there long enough that someone knows something. IMO.

 

[N8tiveNYR]

Why haven't the police checked every construction worker that worked there and lived there at the time of Jennifer's disappearance?

On the 48 Hours program, Sgt. Roger Brennan addressed locating the particular crew of workers that labored in the condo when Jennifer disappeared. He described the task as "difficult", but did not elaborate. IMO, the crew probably consisted of untraceable illegals and somehow the police did not act soon enough to get information about the workers.

Around 2006, here in NYC, a young actress/director named Adrienne Shelly was murdered in her apartment by a young man who was part of a crew working in her building. He was an illegal immigrant from - I'm guessing - Ecuador. Apparently, she complained about the noise level of the work being done and he got angry. He staged the murder to look as if she had committed suicide. The police acted immediately and were able to apprehend the killer and obtain a confession.

 

[ckhagen]

It would also be interesting to know if they have similar management companies...as they may draw from the same worker base.

Didn't Jenn work for a condo management company?

I wouldn't think it could be the same because the ownership of the building I'm referring to is a large, but very local company. However, a lot of these contracting immigrant workers have been displaced by the downturn in the market. So, it wouldn't be outside the realm of possibilities that workers who were in the southern parts of the state a couple years ago, could have moved up here if we have more work available. We're only 6.5-7 hours away.

 

[RR0004]

On the 48 Hours program, Sgt. Roger Brennan addressed locating the particular crew of workers that labored in the condo when Jennifer disappeared. He described the task as "difficult", but did not elaborate. IMO, the crew probably consisted of untraceable illegals and somehow the police did not act soon enough to get information about the workers.

Around 2006, here in NYC, a young actress/director named Adrienne Shelly was murdered in her apartment by a young man who was part of a crew working in her building. He was an illegal immigrant from - I'm guessing - Ecuador. Apparently, she complained about the noise level of the work being done and he got angry. He staged the murder to look as if she had committed suicide. The police acted immediately and were able to apprehend the killer and obtain a confession.

OT-That was terrible...so sad to see her movie after her death...The man was sentenced this past spring. The police also found shoe prints which fortunately led them to her killer. She had caught this guy trying to steal money from her purse.

On topic- somebody knows something...and I wish they would step forward.

 

[caramia311]

I haven't followed this story much since it first happened, but I'm beginning to think Jennifer's parent might want to bring suit against the apartment owner due to the security and safety (lack of) of this apartment building. Just hearing about how the construction workers would stand around and look is not acceptable behavior and should not be tolerated. I wonder if Jennifer ever complained to the apt. manager and not just to her friends.

I wonder if there is any further information that the family might be able to obtain through the discovery process of a civil litigation (documents, deposition testimony, etc.)

 

[Myserty64]

The investigation in this case was very slow out of the blocks resulting in the perpetrator having almost 48 hours start for his getaway or whatever else he had planned.
It seems there are no witnesses to the abduction and nobody saw Jennifer's car leave Mosaic; not even the gate guard. It appears nobody heard anything either.

It is worth remembering that in the first few weeks of the investigation the lead detective said 'this is as close to a vanishing as I have seen.'

LE just doesn't have much to work on.

Where is Jennifer? Probably not far from Mosaic but there has been no trace of her or her belongings.
I wonder if she never left the grounds at Mosaic.

This is a very sad and frustrating case.

 

[Bobbisangel]

It's a problem now because it's years later and, yes, now they could be anywhere. If there were "day laborers" staying overnight, as they say in unoccupied units, with no accountabilty - no roster of names - nothing? -then that's another security problem in and of itself that they had.

From what it sounds like it was the same group of workers who remained on site working and living there. Golden opportunity to get information. That is not the same as someone getting random work one day and fading off into the night after a days work of labor.

It should have been easy to get their names and statements, etc. But obviously that never happened. That is le's fault. It's also their fault that so many people were in and out of Jennifer's condo, which caused them to claim that they couldn't use any of the forensic evidence found in there. This is really disappointing because all of this time they have made it sound like the only evidence was that surveillance tape. When really, they did have enough reason to look closer at the workers and in other areas of the condo building. They didn't do it.

I've always thought that it was one of the workers too. I don't know how he would have gotten her out of there besides meeting up with her at her car and forcing her to get in and drive. I don't think that he kept her around there because that would have been to risky.

Because the behavior of some of the workers bothered Jennifer it seems that is the first place LE would have looked. They had all of the workers right there and would have known if one of them suddenly decided not to show up for work after Jennifer disappeared...like quit working there. I agree that LE really botched this case up.

As far as the video of the person walking by the apts where Jennifer's car was found...that person might have just been someone walking by and not even related to the case. I think the person who took Jennifer headed towards the back of the apts so that he could go down and around the back of the apts and into the back of Jennifer's condo place. That is the route the dogs followed if I remember right. I think he was headed back over to the condo's to pick up his own vehicle or to go back to work. I wonder what time he dropped her car off. Could it have been his lunch hour or in the morning before work or after work?

I've even wondered if the killer couldn't be someone who lives at the condo's or was seeing someone there but had his eye on Jennifer. Maybe someone who left for work about the same time that she did so he saw her every morning. I wonder if any single guys lived there? Her disappearance is such a mystery and I wonder if it will ever be solved because it was so botched from the beginning.

 

[Myserty64]

Don't forget we have now learned that workers at Mosaic were allowed to live in the empty condos.
As soon as I heard that I saw a big red flag.

If this was known from the beginning I believe the investigation should have concentrated on just who was living in which condo.
It's too late now.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

WHOA! Didn't they change the locks before Jen moved in???!?? If they didn't then that opens up some entirely new scenarios of what could have happened. I believe they had changed some of the locks, but IIRC, not all of them. We found out about the pass key break-ins on one of the apartment sites where people can blog about their experiences there.

Jen could've been actually abducted in her apartment instead of near her car. They could knocked her out and put her in something to take her outisde, like a trash bag or can. But didn't anyone see anything like that around there? Like a large object being moved out of Jen's apartment that day? I have been saying this all along. Nothing tells me that Jenn wasn't inside the apartment and someone took her from there. While there wasn't any sign of a struggle, sometimes there isn't. It would depend on the surprise, the use of a weapon to threaten her movements, and other factors. You also have to remember there were not that many condos rented/sold at that point so people were sparse. They do have condos with garages attached IIRC where her car could have been kept for a time, too.

They could've put her in a van or something then to one of those vacant condos you guys said the workers were allowed to use? There they could've done whatever they did to her but wouldn't neighbors or people on the street heard her scream or just some commotion?? Wouldn't it have alerted someone if they just took her to another condo in the same area?? It would almost make more sense if they just took her away from the condos to a different area. If the perp gained control of Jenn early in the attack, he could prevent her from making noise. Also, if there were empty condos surrounding the immediate area...no one would hear much. Eventually, I do believe he/they took her elsewhere. I am not convinced the person who dropped off the car and the actual perp are one in the same.


Did Jenn have a deadbolt on her door? Is there any way of telling if she had it on that night?

Yes, if memory serves me correctly...she did have a deadbolt. It was stated by security the door was locked upon their arrival which led LE to believe she had locked it herself and left for work hence their theory. However, if someone had a key to her apartment or her keys...locking it would buy them more time.

 

[Crazy Canuck]

As far as the video of the person walking by the apts where Jennifer's car was found...that person might have just been someone walking by and not even related to the case. I think the person who took Jennifer headed towards the back of the apts so that he could go down and around the back of the apts and into the back of Jennifer's condo place. That is the route the dogs followed if I remember right. I think he was headed back over to the condo's to pick up his own vehicle or to go back to work. I wonder what time he dropped her car off. Could it have been his lunch hour or in the morning before work or after work?

About a year ago the police revealed that they have the poi on video parking her car. So we know for sure that he isn't an innocent bystander and was involved in some fashion.

 

[christine2448]

About a year ago the police revealed that they have the poi on video parking her car. So we know for sure that he isn't an innocent bystander and was involved in some fashion.

I don't recall that. (not odd ) Do you have a link? TIA.

 

[UCFAlumni2002]

Crazy Canuk *sorry about spelling* is right

http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Local/2007/5/17/new_evidence_in_the_jennifer_kesse_case.html

Video Of Suspect Released In Jennifer Kesse Case
Thursday, May 17, 2007 7:10:06 PM

Video
Kesse Surveillance Video
Timeline of Kesse Case
Police, Parents Plead For Kesse's Return
Additional Information
Find Jennifer Kesse Web Site
On Thursday, Orlando Police released a video of a man they are calling a suspect in the disappearance of Jennifer Kesse in January of 2006.

Police said they inadvertently released the video one year ago and asked the media to withhold it while they investigated Kesse's disappearance.

The video shows a man walking back and forth past a car police believe belonged to Kesse. The video also shows the man getting into the car.

During a press conference, Sgt. Barbara Jones said they were releasing the video after consultation with investigators and Kesse's parents because they had run out of clues.

"It is time the value of this video has come, and it is our belief that the value of that video will support and give opportunity to those with information and we're absolutely positive someone has the information we need to bring this young lady home," said Orlando Police Chief Michael McCoy said.

Kesse vanished from her condo near the Mall at Millenia sometime before she was supposed to report for work.

Kesse's parents said that the release of this information could not have come at a better time because their daughter's 26th birthday is Sunday.

Kesse's coworkers at the Westgate Resorts said they are holding out hope for her safe return home.

Tom Dugan, the Chief Financial Officer at Westgate, said the morning Jennifer disappeared is still fresh in his mind.

He has known Jennifer since she was about 12 years old, and as a parent himself, he said he prays every day for her safe return.

"She’s foremost in our minds,” Dugan said. “There's not a day that goes by that a lot of us at Westgate don't think of Jennifer. She was a great coworker and intelligent girl."

The reward for information leading to Kesse's wherabouts currently stands at $10,000. A $250,000 reward will be offered starting next week.

Kesse's employer, time share mogul David Seigel, said he plans to offer a $1 million reward for Kesse's safe return, but only for a short time.

Anyone with information can call the Orlando Police Department or Crimeline at (800) 423-TIPS. They can also call the family's tipline at (407) 722-2162.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Timeline Of Events

Investigators say Jennifer Kesse's family last spoke to her on Monday evening, January 23, 2006.

She was reported missing the next day, after not showing up for work at Central Florida Investments in Ocoee.

Her car, a black 2004 Chevy Malibu, and her purse, were missing as well.

Thursday, January 26
Investigators headed to a condominium complex near Kesse's home, where her Malibu was found.

Wednesday, February 1
The search efforts got a boost when national group Childwatch got involved. The group, known for helping to locate missing children, helps coordinate the big volunteer efforts across central florida.

Saturday, February 4
Police release surveillance images from the apartment complex where Kesse's car was found. They show a man standing near a gate who they label a "person of interest."

Sunday, February 12
Police swarmed a house near Orange Blossom Trail and served a search warrant, sfter receiving a tip that Jennifer Kesse was being held against her will. But they came up empty handed.

The case has remained open, and posters have stayed up all over town. However until now, there have been no real developments made public.

 

[UCFAlumni2002]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,273616,00.html

JONES: Yes, the image that the public saw were still photos that were taken from video surveillance that was from a camera at the apartment complex or condominium complex where her vehicle was taken. We labeled that person as a person of interest. We had the entire video, which we released the rest of the video, which shows this — with the person that we were calling the person of interest parking her vehicle in the condominium complex, exiting the car and then, we believe, walking by that gated area, which is the still photo that people shot — that people saw.
The difference now is, is we are publicly announcing that now we consider this person of interest an actual suspect in the disappearance of Jennifer Kesse.

****please note- Jennifer did not go on a Carribean Cruise as it is reported here. Jennifer and her boyfriend flew to St Croix for their vacation... just fyi so there is no confusion later ****

 

[gaia227]

I am a little confused and is it probably because I don't have a very cohesive understanding of how illegal immigrants live in this country as far as how they rent apts, what they provide to get work, etc.

Did the apt mgmt company hire individual laborers to work or did they contract a company for whom the laborers worked? In either event aren't the employers responsible for keeping records of who they had hired to work for them? Especially considering these guys were living in the empty condos one would think the mgmt company would want to know who they are. Even if the laborers are getting paid under the table wouldn't the hiring company still have kept some records for themselves as to who they had hired so they could keep track of who was paid what?

It is hard to accept these men can be hired to do a job, lived in the apt building and worked their for many days, even weeks and yet at the end of it they just disappear into anonomity at the end of it all. If the crew members names were at least known couldn't LE try to track them through apt rental records, etc. Even if they are illegal they still have to live somewhere and I assume they use their real names to rent an apt.....

 

[BeavisMom62]

On the 48 Hours program, Sgt. Roger Brennan addressed locating the particular crew of workers that labored in the condo when Jennifer disappeared. He described the task as "difficult", but did not elaborate. IMO, the crew probably consisted of untraceable illegals and somehow the police did not act soon enough to get information about the workers.

Around 2006, here in NYC, a young actress/director named Adrienne Shelly was murdered in her apartment by a young man who was part of a crew working in her building. He was an illegal immigrant from - I'm guessing - Ecuador. Apparently, she complained about the noise level of the work being done and he got angry. He staged the murder to look as if she had committed suicide. The police acted immediately and were able to apprehend the killer and obtain a confession.

I remember that. Didn't he hang her in the shower or something?

 

[LillyRush]

I totally agree, gaia, and don't understand it either. This was not a typical day labor employee situation.

I am a little confused and is it probably because I don't have a very cohesive understanding of how illegal immigrants live in this country as far as how they rent apts, what they provide to get work, etc.

Did the apt mgmt company hire individual laborers to work or did they contract a company for whom the laborers worked? In either event aren't the employers responsible for keeping records of who they had hired to work for them? Especially considering these guys were living in the empty condos one would think the mgmt company would want to know who they are. Even if the laborers are getting paid under the table wouldn't the hiring company still have kept some records for themselves as to who they had hired so they could keep track of who was paid what?

It is hard to accept these men can be hired to do a job, lived in the apt building and worked their for many days, even weeks and yet at the end of it they just disappear into anonomity at the end of it all. If the crew members names were at least known couldn't LE try to track them through apt rental records, etc. Even if they are illegal they still have to live somewhere and I assume they use their real names to rent an apt.....

 

[gaia227]

I remember that. Didn't he hang her in the shower or something?

Yes, he did. He tried to make it look like a suicide and in the beginning it was even reported as a suicide but of course all of that changed.

 

[gaia227]

I totally agree, gaia, and don't understand it either. This was not a typical day labor employee situation.

Thank you! I am glad I am not the only one confused over here.

 

[UCFAlumni2002]

Bumping for Jenn

 

[UCFAlumni2002]

We are less then 2 weeks away from the 2 1/2 year mark of Jennifer Kesse's abduction. Please pray for answers and find below the letter from Jenn's Family website at www.findjenniferkesse.com


Family Letter, July 2008 -
As we approach the 2 1/2 year mark since Jennifer was abducted January 24,2006, we, her family, would like to again thank all of those who support Jennifer in our efforts to find her. We remain strong, focused and working hard to find Jennifer as well as multi Law Enforcement Agencies working Jennifer’s case. Leads continue to come in and with the recent CBS 48 Hours special on Jennifer, 7/2/08, the tips have once again increased dramatically, for which we are greatly thankful. All involved still have great hope that Jennifer’s abduction will be solved. This is NOT a Cold Case! We continue to ask that if you know any information or anyone who does, that they reach out to whomever they feel comfortable with in giving that information to, be it police, Crimeline (there are still rewards for Jennifer and the Suspect), a lawyer, clergy, or media outlet. They will get the information to the right people for follow up. To this day nothing has been found or used of Jennifer’s and that fact gives us a continued source of hope and energy in the fight to find her.
As we have stated in the past, we will not go away, we will not stop the awareness needed to find Jennifer and bring her home where she belongs and we will not be intimidated or discouraged as time passes. Are we desperate? Yes, the time Jennifer has been Missing is simply too long. People must remember that there is an ABDUCTOR still loose and must be found and brought to justice. If we can identify the Suspect who last drove Jennifer’s car and walked away, we will find Jennifer! Imagine for 1 second 2 people falling off the face of the earth and no one knows where they are? Just not possible. The clues are there for us to find and put together, there is at least one person and most likely more that know what has happened to Jennifer – they need to speak up, step forward and lead us to our daughter - NOW.
July 1, 2008, the Jennifer Kesse-Tiffany Sessions Missing Persons Act took effect. The new law greatly enhances who can report a Missing Person, what information must be taken and put into local and state databases quickly and efficiently and collect DNA if after 90 days the person has not been located. Thanks to the many people who worked so hard to make the law a reality.
Ordinary people can make a difference in their communities and they must also take back their communities from the lawless criminals, those who do not respect our laws which make us the greatest country in the world. Not until we, as a community, stand up and say enough is enough will we make our communities safer. Take stock in your community and be its’ eyes and ears. Police cannot do it alone. They are there to support you, you must take the actions needed to fight crime, if not, there will be no one to blame but ourselves for letting a small percentage of our population ruin our neighborhoods and freedoms we so greatly enjoy. Be the Solution! Rise to the occasion and make a difference today. You see a crime call police. You know of a crime, call police, for you may be the next victim!
We hope that you all continue to pass on Jennifer’s information to everyone you know and ask them to pass it on also. Together we will find our missing loved ones – together we will bring them all home and together we will make our city, county, state and nation even a better place to live.

May Good win over evil,
Kesse family and friends​