Jennifer Kesse, 24, vanished from her Orlando condo on Jan. 24, 2006. Her car was found a mile away on Jan. 26 and security footage captured the driver, but the image was too grainy to identify. Over the years the family and investigators followed many leads, obtained thousands of pages of records, and enlisted state and federal help. In October 2025 the family began working with an AI firm to try to enhance the footage and narrow suspects; the case remains active.
After 20 Years, Family Turns to AI to Identify Suspect in Jennifer Kesse Disappearance
FBIJennifer Kesse.
Jennifer Kesse, a 24-year-old finance professional, disappeared from her Orlando condominium on Jan. 24, 2006. Two decades later, her family renewed hope by turning to artificial intelligence to try to clarify grainy surveillance footage that may show a person of interest.
Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via GettyA mobile billboard showing missing woman Jennifer Kesse on June 5, 2007, in Orlando, Florida.
Background
Born May 20, 1981, in New Jersey and raised in Tampa, Florida, Jennifer graduated with honors in finance from the University of Central Florida in 2003. She worked as a finance manager at Central Florida Investments Timeshare Company and owned a condo in the gated Mosaic at Millenia complex in Orlando.
FBIJennifer Kesse.
The Disappearance
Jennifer returned from a trip to Saint Croix on Jan. 22, 2006. She spoke with family and her boyfriend late on Jan. 23; the call with her boyfriend was the last time anyone heard from her directly. On the morning of Jan. 24 she failed to show up for work and did not send her usual message. Her parents went to her condo and found the apartment in a state that suggested she had prepared for work: damp towel in the bathroom, makeup and hair tools out, pajamas on the floor. Missing were her keys, purse, cell phone and iPod.
Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via GettyJennifer Kesse's parents Joyce Kesse and Drew Kesse during a news conference on May 17, 2007.
The Car, The Video And Early Leads
Jennifer’s 2004 Chevy Malibu was recovered two days later, on Jan. 26, parked about a mile from her condo outside another apartment complex. Security footage captured the vehicle arriving and the driver exiting and walking away, but the video was grainy and the person’s face was not discernible.
Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via GettyJoyce Kesse, mother of missing person Jennifer Kesse, hugs Orlando Police Chief Mina before a news conference on January 24, 2018.
Investigators — with FBI assistance — estimated the figure’s height at about 5'3" to 5'5" and suggested the clothing resembled work attire, such as a painter or maintenance worker. NASA attempted an early enhancement of the footage but could not produce a clear identification.
Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via GettyDrew Kesse during a news conference on May 17, 2007 in Orlando, Florida.
Investigation, Challenges And Theories
At the time of Jennifer’s disappearance the complex was undergoing renovations, and numerous workers were living in vacant units. Jennifer had told her parents she felt uneasy about some of those workers; other residents also reported unwelcome attention from laborers on site. The family’s private investigator, Michael Torretta, later said as many as 10 workers were living across from Jennifer’s unit and believes one of them may have been involved.
Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via GettyDrew Kesse, Joyce Kesse and Logan Kesse at a news conference on January 24, 2018, marking 12 years since the disappearance of Jennifer Kesse.
Investigators faced multiple setbacks: incomplete visitor logs, a set of stolen complex keys reported a month earlier, and a compromised apartment scene after family and friends gathered there. Photos of Jennifer’s car showed marks that her father described as handprints on the hood, but they produced no definitive leads.
Tips over the years produced searches with no conclusive results, including dive team searches of Lake Fischer in 2019 and sonar work in 2024. The state of Florida declared Jennifer legally dead in 2016.
Files, Private Efforts And Renewed Investigations
Frustrated by slow progress, the Kesse family sued for access to police files. After giving the department time to develop new leads, the Orlando Police Department released 16,000 pages of documents and 67 hours of video and audio to the family for a fee. That transfer included a condition that police would no longer lead the investigation, leaving the family and their private investigator to comb the files. The family reports spending more than $500,000 on efforts by 2019.
In 2022 the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) became involved to re-examine physical evidence and re-interview witnesses.
AI Renewed Hope
In October 2025, Drew Kesse announced the family was working with an AI firm to attempt further enhancement of the grainy surveillance footage. The family hopes AI can clarify small identifying features — even an ear — that could be used as biometric evidence to narrow suspects. Drew said investigators have reduced the list of persons of interest "to a few as opposed to many."
Family Message And Ongoing Search
“We will never stop looking for you until you are found and brought home where you belong,”
The Kesse family marked the 20th anniversary of Jennifer’s disappearance with an emotional public message reiterating their commitment to continue searching. The case remains active, with involvement from the family, private investigators and the FDLE; the family is hopeful that modern image analysis and other technologies can finally produce the credible lead they need.
Note: All details above are drawn from public reporting and statements by the Kesse family, investigators, and law enforcement as of early 2026.
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