Transcript of VANISHED: Jennifer Kesse

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It's early morning on Tuesday, January 24, 2006. 25-year-old Rob Allen looks at the clock and realizes he's running late for work. As he rushes out the door, he starts making his way through the gridlock of Fort Lauderdale's morning traffic. He picks up his phone and dials his girlfriend Jennifer, who lives in Orlando. The phone rings and goes to voicemail. Noticing the time, he thinks it's odd she didn't answer. Maybe she's tied up with something. As the morning progresses, a nagging voice swells in the back of his mind. It's not like Jennifer to miss his calls. The two speak every morning. Was everything all right? The two had talked the night before. They reminisced about their recent trip to Saint Croix in the amazing time them they had. They talked about how much they hated the three-hour distance between them. And then it hits him. While they were talking, there was a knock at Jennifer's door. Who was knocking so late at night? And was that somehow related to her not answering the phone. After 20 years in one of the largest unsolved missing person searches in Florida history, these questions remain unanswered. From Tenderfoot TV in Atlanta, you're listening to Up and Vanished Weekly with Payne Lindsay and Maggie Freeling.

Hey, Well, welcome back to Up and Vanished Weekly. I'm Maggie Freeling. Today's case, Jennifer Kessie, is one that I have personally thought about since I heard about it. I think about her daily because for the first time, I am living in an apartment complex where there are maintenance workers around all the time, different people coming in and out doing different jobs, and I can't help but think, what if one of these people notices me? What if they notice that I'm coming in out alone frequently? What if someone follows me in? What if someone snatches me before I can get in? All of these things go through my mind, and all of them make me think of Jennifer and what could have happened to her. I really want to tell Jennifer's story because I think not only can we try and push the needle to get answers about where she is, what happened to her, but I also think for anyone listening, it's just a really good reminder to take all the precautions possible. Because even when we do, things can still go terribly wrong. Today, I have a very special guest. Payne, welcome. Hey. You know this case super well.

You covered it for the Up & Vanished TV series. Why did you choose to look into Jennifer's case?

Her case was always on my mind because she went missing around the same time that Tara Grinstead went missing. When I was looking into Tara's disappearance way back in the day, season one of Up & Vanished, her case was almost synonymous with Tara's. Both cases were always mentioned because they were similar age, and it didn't make sense that this person who doesn't seem to know anyone in the various just completely vanishes.

Well, both from their homes.

Yeah, exactly. They vanished from their own home. There isn't really a solid person of interest if that makes sense, and they happened around the same time. I'd heard a lot about her case just from the news articles at the time, people who have reached out, and over the years, drew similarities, even though they were unrelated. I was very well aware of Jennifer's disappearance and the case in general.

This reminds me so much of Jody's case. They both were missing from their apartment complex. It seems like Jennifer might have also been walking to her car, going to work. It just scares that we've covered so many cases, women going missing from the safest place they know.

Yeah. In a seemingly normal town that doesn't have a lot of crime like that, I got a chance to sit down with Jennifer's parents who have been fighting for decades now.

Yeah, they've been looking for justice for decades, and to this day, they still feel like they haven't gotten any answers. Here was their reaction when you sat down with them for the Up and Vanished TV show. There were no laws at the time that indicated that you had to look for someone over the age of 18.

We met Officer Kutre, and he came in and we explained, I mean, look around. She's vanished. Jennifer has vanished. He said, Oh, she probably had a fight with her boyfriend, and he walked out.

There was no sense of urgency. None. All right, so let's dive right in specifically to the days leading up to Jennifer's disappearance so we get a better understanding of what could have happened.

On Wednesday, January 18, 2006, 24-year-old Jennifer Kessie made the three-hour trek from Orlando to Fort Lauderdale, where her boyfriend, Rob Allen, lived. The couple had made arrangements to take a long weekend trip to Saint Croix with some friends, and were excited to unplug for a few days. They He spent the weekend enjoying the change of scenery and time away from the normal hustle and bustle of life. At the close of the weekend, Rob and Jennifer made the return flight back to Fort Lauderdale, arriving back in the States on the evening of Sunday, January 22nd. Because of the time, Jennifer decided to spend the night at Rob's instead of making the drive back home to Orlando. The following morning, Monday, January 23rd, Jennifer left Fort Lauderdale around 6: 00 AM and drove straight to work. She arrived in the Orlando area around 9: 00 AM. It was a mostly normal day. Jennifer tried to settle back into the groove after her trip, and she left work around 6: 00 PM. That evening, Jennifer called her parents and her brother to catch them up on her vacation. Later that evening, Jennifer also called her friend Lauren. The two caught up about Jennifer's trip, and she confided in Lauren about some things that were heavy on her mind.

Jennifer was that her vacation was so short, and she expressed some frustration about the fact that she and Rob lived so far away. Around 10: 00 PM, Jennifer called Rob from her apartment's landline. Jennifer was tired from the weekend travel and the long drive back to Orlando earlier that day. At one point, the conversation got a little heated because of how challenging it was living so far away from each other. But overall, it was a typical conversation you'd expect from a dating couple who were trying to navigate the challenges of a long distance relationship. But one thing did stand out about their conversation. Rob says that while they spoke, someone knocked on Jennifer's door. Because of the time in, Jennifer's wiring to always be on guard, she didn't answer. But they noted how odd it was that someone would be stopping by unannounced so late at night. When Jennifer didn't make contact with loved ones the following day, fear started to mount. Before long, the The nature of Rob and Jennifer's last conversation and the alleged late-night knock at the door would begin to raise some eyebrows.

There are some really concerning things we need to dig into right away Everything we know about Jennifer raises red flags, right? She's a very prepared, cautious person. That is something that her parents said. She regularly carried pepper spray and a whistle. What other things did you find out her and some safety precautions she takes?

Based on everything that her friends and family and her parents told me about her, there was definitely an element of surprise here. It was a random occurrence because she was the person who was very aware, very intelligent, would look over her shoulder if it was a weird walk to the car at night.

She and her mom actually watch Law and Order and would talk about how to handle vulnerable situations together.

This is stuff that she'd even discussed before. She was not unaware. For someone like that to fall victim like she did, it just tells me that there was a real element of surprise and some form of premeditation in terms of somebody was watching her and chose a moment to approach her and do what they did when she was least expecting it.

She's on the phone with her boyfriend the night we think she goes missing, the night into morning. She's on the phone with him, and she gets a knock on the door. She doesn't answer it, but it's made note of that someone knocked on her door that night. The next morning, she's gone. What do you make of that? Did that come up in your investigation?

If that is true, I mean, if that was a real knock on the door, she clearly wasn't expecting anybody. She's on the phone with her significant other, and he didn't know about it either. And so I think that it was somebody she wasn't expecting to be there. If there was somebody knocking on her door and she opened it and there was somebody in the picture, it's pretty weird because she hasn't been seen or heard from really since then.

That person could have knocked again, maybe. And she answered it that time. Sure. Yeah.

What happened to her, it could have happened to her that night. She was never heard from after that.

Our discussion continues after a quick break. If you're a listener of true crime, then you've probably thought about what you would do if you found yourself in a dangerous situation. Here are a few tips from bestlifeonline. Com that you might find helpful. First, if you're traveling, carry a fake wallet with a few dollars inside. Keep your real wallet, cash, and ID hidden securely where it's concealed. Second, create a strong room in your home that can be secured from the inside in case you can't escape during a home invasion. It's even better if you can keep a dedicated phone there to contact authorities. Third, make a crisis package for every member of your household to use in the event of a medical emergency or if a loved one goes missing. The packet can include a recent photo, a copy of fingerprints, emergency contact information, a photocopy of their passport or ID, and a list of medical conditions, allergies, and medications taken. Always remember, awareness and preparedness are key. All right, now back to our case.

Around 9: 00 AM the next morning, Tuesday, January 24th, Rob called Jennifer on his way to work. Immediately, the call went to voicemail. Jennifer was usually up and out the door before Rob, so he found it strange that she didn't pick up. Rob had an early morning meeting on his schedule, and afterwards, he tried calling Jennifer a second time. Again, his call went directly to voicemail. Jennifer was very safety-conscious and always had her phone on, so this struck Rob as very unusual. Sometime between 10: 30 and 11: 00 AM, Rob tried to contact Jennifer at her office, hoping he would reach her there. But when he called, her coworker told him she still hadn't shown up for work that morning. Around 11: 15 AM, Jennifer's employer called her parents, Drew and Joyce Kessie. They explained that she'd missed a morning meeting, and they hadn't been able to reach her, and they wanted to make sure everything was all right. When Drew and Joyce shared they hadn't heard from her since the previous day, everyone felt this unusual behavior was concerning. Jennifer's family immediately tried calling her cell. But like Rob, their calls were sent to voicemail.

By 1: 00 PM, the family's unease was growing, so Drew and Joyce and Jennifer's brother, Logan, began the several-hour drive to Jennifer's condo in Orlando. A few months earlier, Jennifer had moved into Mosaic Virginia, a newly renovated apartment complex that had a gate and a security guard. It was supposed to be a safe and quiet neighborhood. The building was still undergoing renovation and always had workers coming and going. While en route to Orlando, Jennifer's family called the condo to see if someone could check on her. A short time later, two employees entered Jennifer's unit, but to them, nothing looked out of the ordinary. After checking the parking lot, they noticed that her black Chevy Malibu was not there. Fearing the worst, the family called Jennifer's friends as well as Orlando area hospitals and prisons to see if anyone may have information on her whereabouts. But the calls didn't turn up any helpful details. Around 3: 00 PM, Jennifer's family arrived at her condo. Inside, things looked mostly normal. They even found signs that she may have been there recently. The shower was wet, and they found a used towel. Her crawling iron and makeup were left out.

There were clothes laid on the bed. It seemed as though she had gone through her typical morning routine. However, the family noticed that Jennifer's keys, purse, purse, cell phone, iPod, and briefcase were all missing. These were all items she took with her when she left for work. Unsure of what to make of the condition of her apartment and the fact that they could not reach her, the Kessie family contacted the Orlando Police Department and Orange County Sheriff to share their concerns. When authorities arrived, they said that since Rob and Jennifer had gotten into a fight the night before, Jennifer was likely taking some time to clear her head. But to the family, that didn't sound like the Jennifer they knew. As the evening unfolded, the pit in their stomachs continued to grow. Friends and family began canvassing the area with signs and flyers. Authorities checked for card activity on Jennifer's account and tried to ping her cell phone. They issued a Bolo or be on the look out report and eventually entered Jennifer into the system as a missing person. The family urge the authorities to launch a search for Jennifer to see if anyone had seen or heard from her.

They began by asking neighborhood units and employees if they had seen or heard anything. Their concerns quickly escalated when the workers in Jennifer's complex began exhibiting strange behavior. And avoiding answering questions. And concerns shifted to suspicion when many of the workers disappeared from the apartment complex in the following days. The question on everyone's mind was whether there was some connection to Jennifer her sudden disappearance.

So her family was extremely concerned, but they felt like the police brushed them off at the beginning. They said that she was fighting with her boyfriend and needed some time away.

Yeah, it's tough because everyone was baffled. They didn't know what happened. She literally had just vanished. I talked to her ex-boyfriend. Anytime somebody goes missing or is murdered, the significant other, especially a boyfriend or husband, is immediately under fire. Statistically, it's common that they're the perpetrator. Doing their due diligence, they looked into him very thoroughly and they were able to eliminate him because he couldn't have been there at that time based on where he was, and they were able to confirm that. There was evidence of her potentially showering in the morning and had her clothes laid out She was getting ready for work, maybe. That also could have been somebody, I mean, this sounds morbid, but cleaning evidence off of a body, right? Laying the clothes. I mean, if the clothes were laid out, it's not like she put them on. It looks a little staged in that way then? Did she run to her car for a second before she got ready and that's when it happened?

I'm also like, if something happened in her apartment, then when did this person get her body out of her apartment?

Right. I mean, if it happened the night before, then it would have been easier for this perpetrator to get rid of evidence because they would have had all night in the middle of the night when it's dark to do that. In the morning, it would have been a little more difficult to go undetected entirely with all these different people other tenants in the apartment complex, the staff. There's just people around awake in the daylight that could have and should have seen something if it happened. To me, it tells me that there's a high possibility that it happened to her the previous night.

Unless she was ambushed going to her car pretty early, which would make sense. Someone maybe has a gun and is like, get in the car. No struggle. She's just in. That's how that all goes down.

Yeah. Either way, it happened in that 8: 00 to 10: 00 I think. So whatever happened to her was definitely a planned attack.

So 48 hours spoke with the Cassie family in 2023, and this is what they had to say about what they saw in Jennifer's apartment when when they first arrived.

What did you see the first time you walked in? Her travel bag.

It was like she walked in the night before and just dropped her suitcase right where it was. The rest of the home looked like a maid had been there. I want to talk about the community that Jennifer lived in, because what we know is she likely disappeared from her apartment. It's a gated community in Florida. It was very nice looking when you see all these pictures, little waterfalls and palm trees But there was a lot of renovations happening, and workers were allowed to stay in the unoccupied units during the renovation. Jennifer had made mention of this to her friends and family that they would stare at her and she'd get cat calls. The reports say that in the days after she went me saying, actually, allegedly, half the workers from the complex disappeared. Does that seem weird to you?

It does. I highly doubt that they just completely wrapped up and were done right then. I think that one of those workers or a couple of them are responsible for her disappearance and at least know that one of the other workers did something or was witnessed to it, and whether they were subcontracted, whatever, they scattered and moved on away from this place.

I mean, that makes sense to me. Pretty White Girl goes missing, and there's a bunch of workers there. I would also be like, I got to get the fuck out of here.

It's not like all these workers went to police and said, Hey, we saw somebody. I mean, It's almost like if anyone should have seen anything, it is them. It is them. Unless it was one of them.

So the interesting thing is a lot of them have been hard to find because a lot of them were undocumented, which is a detriment to this case. I mean, and just to clarify, just because someone's undocumented this climate that we're living in now does not mean that they are violent or did anything wrong. But how do you track down workers when you don't even know who you were employing?

You're going to have to get somebody at a company to give you the names of people who may be undocumented and could be a murderer. If they have those names. Could be a murderer. They don't want them to be a murderer. They don't want that to tarnish their company. Even if they don't know for sure anything happened, they're probably weary of doing that. If they were here illegally, they could have fled back to somewhere like Mexico, and now that would be damn near impossible to find them. They also could still be here. I I think that, sure, they may have fled, but I think they would have came back.

A lot of construction jobs, especially back then, too, where there might not have been a lot of regulations. Someone could just pick up a group of guys, bring them in, work for the day, cash. It's still like that. No, exactly. It's like, they might not even have gotten their names.

Exactly. There might not even be a list of names. That's my concern. That's probably more likely is that you're talking about a group of people who are undocumented in a literal way, where there isn't a list of employees with their social security numbers. It's just a group of people that may have been picked up from the local coffee shop that morning and paid in cash.

They have real fares for their own safety, deportation, stuff like that. So a bunch of immigrant workers, undocumented workers, packing up and leaving right after pretty white girl goes missing doesn't seem that strange.

It doesn't. Maybe they just simply saw police activity. The first officer who rolls up, and they're like, Uh-oh, and they just leave, It has to be as simple as that. If it's not, then it's more nefarious. It could have been as simple as they saw the cops there. They discovered that, Hey, something may have happened to this woman, and they all got spuked and they left, or one of them did something And the other people are like, I think this person may have done something, too. I didn't, but I'm out of here because I- Well, I don't want to be questioned.

Then they find out I might be undocumented.

I need people to send money to my family wherever they are, and I don't want to go to jail for for nothing. You know what I'm saying? Because I didn't do anything, which is a tough spot to be in, but I do understand that.

Right. And it's tough because we can't find these guys. I will say this case literally caused me to Fort Knox my apartment because I see workers all the time in empty apartments. I actually said to someone the other day, I know this case where likely undocumented workers, people we don't know who they are, have no record of, were staying in an apartment next to her.

Right.

That is scary.

Yeah. I mean, when you hear a story like this, you can't help but think and look over your shoulder when you're in a situation like that, right?

Because there's- These people know your routine. They can watch you. They're there every day. That's really scary.

Yeah. They're strangely close. And if there are any bad apples in there that are capable of doing something like that, it's a scary thought.

Absolutely. Seeing that tape of Jennifer's car, that was probably the worst moment. It was like being hit with a ton of bricks. Then also anger, just anger because the person was so casual. Something really bad obviously happened, and they were just so casually dropping this car off like they were getting home from work. More of our discussion after a quick break. You're listening to Up and Vanish Weekly. Hey, listeners, if you have a tip or theories about a case you want to share or a case of interest you'd like to recommend to us, then we want to hear from you. Email us, cases@tenderfoot. Tv, DM us on Instagram @uavweekly, or give us a call at 770-545-7. Com. 6411. Now, here's John with this week's critical missing case.

Hey, Maggie. Here's what I have this week. From what we know, 42-year-old Casey Lynn Mitchell recently moved to the Plano, Texas, area. Casey was reportedly dropped off at a hotel in Plano, near Willow Ross Way and Notre Dame Drive. On October 18th of 2024, the hotel was checked, but Casey wasn't there, and it's been reported that Casey may have been going towards Florida or Ohio, but we're not sure. Casey is of Caucasian ethnicity with a height of 4'11' and a weight of 105 to 110 pounds. She has strawberry blonde hair and hazel eyes. Now, Casey has a scar under her chin as well as a scar on her right ankle, and she walks with a limp. So, listeners, if you have any information about Casey's whereabouts, please contact Detective Kobe Janel with the Plano Police Department at 972-424-5678, and you can reference case number 2024 All right, now back to our case.

Over the next several days, the search for Jennifer intensified. News of her disappearance had started to circulate around the area. Authorities were desperately searching for any lead as to where Jennifer may have gone, or if anyone had seen or heard anything out of the ordinary. Then on Thursday, January 26th, two days after Jennifer lost contact with loved ones, authorities received a tip that narrowed the focus of their investigation. A resident in a complex about a mile from Jennifer's apartment noticed a strange vehicle in their parking lot. The area surrounding the complex was known to have a lot of crime and drug activity, and this parking lot was a common place for stolen in cars to get dumped. The resident had heard the description of Jennifer's car, a black Chevy Malibu, and wondered if it could be linked. When authorities arrived, they quickly confirmed it was Jennifer's car. But the condition of Jennifer's car was puzzling. The vehicle was locked and the keys were nowhere to be found. There were no signs of damage, and nothing seemed to have been stolen. Authorities even noted that there was a DVD player clearly visible in the back seat.

These signs didn't seem consistent with a car that had been stolen and dumped. As authorities secured the scene, they recovered a fingerprint from the car and a bootprint on the carpet by the gas pedal. Canine units were brought in, and they tracked a scent from Jennifer's car back to the Mosaic Millenia complex where she lived. It seemed as though they were finally on the right track. Very quickly, authorities began the largest aerial search in the Southeast. They expanded their door-to-door search efforts to see if anyone in the area had seen or heard anything. But as authorities search for a lead on where Jennifer may have gone, they also focused efforts on her vehicle. Eventually, authorities obtain security camera footage from the parking lot, which gave them some critical information. The video shows Jennifer's car entering the lot at 11: 59 AM, the day she went missing. The driver pulls into a parking space, backs out, straightens the car, parks the vehicle, and remains in the vehicle for 32 seconds before getting out. Things become more alarming when the driver begins walking towards the direction of Jennifer's complex. Authorities quickly analyze the video to put together a detailed description of the driver.

They determine the man to be 5'3 to 5'5 with long hair tied back in a bun, wearing some hat and work uniform. His feet seem abnormally large due to the boots or high tops he's wearing. Because of the timing of the frames captured on the video, authorities were unable to get a clear view of the driver's face. Despite this breakthrough evidence, authorities would now be tasked with tracking down this mysterious driver to determine if he knew what happened to Jennifer. Perhaps then they could determine whether the dodgy behavior of the workers in Jennifer's complex was somehow connected or simply a red airing.

When her car is found, there's no fingerprints. It's clean. It also doesn't look like it was ever robed, everything's in it. It seems like this person knew what they were doing, getting rid of evidence. My question is why move the car unless she was transported in that car? Do you think that's what happened?

They probably did. They probably used the to dispose of her body, and then they just ditched the car somewhere else, obviously not back at the apartment complex. Also, this could have been happening in the early morning hours when they were starting to wonder where she was, so they likely went away from her complex because of that reason.

I think one of the reasons a lot of people have heard about this case, and it got a lot of attention, was because this video, the security footage was found of the main suspect, I think, that police call him a person of interest.

You're looking at the guy who did this.

Was seen where her car was found, right? He's caught in this footage. But what makes the footage so interesting is that it's stills. I guess our technology at this time was not recording a full video. It was taking stills, and every couple of seconds when it would take the still, he was hidden behind a bar of the gate. Yeah. Then this outfit that this guy is wearing that we see looks It's like a painter outfit. He's an all-white. What do you make of this situation where we have a lot of workers here? This guy looks like he might be a worker.

It's long been thought by the parents and even the police, collectively, that it was likely some construction worker that was there working on the apartment complex that killed her. He does have that strange outfit on. It looks like a uniform. It doesn't look like a casual outfit. It looks like a uniform, an all-white painter outfit. I think that makes sense because whoever took her car from her apartment complex to this apartment complex, they're wearing what looks like a painter uniform. And sure enough, at that time, where she vanished from, they were painting and doing construction. The other night, I was half asleep and watching Unsolved mysteries, the old-school Robert And I just woke up half awake, half asleep. And I look at the TV and I see this reenactment of a guy who was wearing an all-white outfit, and he had this stereotypical painter hat on. It was like a person of interest in the Boston Strangler case, which was eerily similar in a way where these women were murdered and this same painter was at their complexes. I just looked at it and my first instinctual thought was, that looks just like the guy in the security footage, the outfit and the hat.

For me, it clicked that, okay, this isn't just a construction worker, it's specifically a painter. To me, that narrows down the search where who were the painters in Orlando at that time. I bet you he's still a painter today. Whether he's in Orlando or not is a different question, but I bet you this guy is still around and has painted other houses and apartment complexes.

Do you think then that this person is a serial killer?

I don't know. I mean, if he got away with it, which so far he has, unless he's been arrested for something else, and they've not made the connection to this case, I think anyone who's capable of murder and gets away with it is very likely to do it again.

It is incredible that we have the security footage and we can't see anything else with this still, but at the same time that we have this uniform, at least leading us in a direction, right?

What's crazy is that you're staring at the guy who likely killed her, and you just can't see who it is. At least the person that moved her car. Which, at the very least, is somebody who knows that she's dead. You're looking at the answer.

Someone who knows something.

Yeah, definitively, because no one should be moving her car at all on the morning that she goes missing.

There is one man who is identified. He is the maintenance man at the complex. His name is Chino. When some people saw this surveillance video, they thought this person looked like Chino. That would maybe be my first thought, specifically because Chino has long hair, and it looks to me like this person has a ponytail, like a bun on their head. So Chino is questioned. He took a polygraph, During the polygraph, Chino admitted that he was in her apartment a week before she passed away. Yeah, that's not good. He's saying she passed away.

He shouldn't think that she's dead. Maybe it's just a little slip and just the way that he phrased it. I do think that sometimes humans do that when they're lying. They accidentally say the truth, and they don't even hear themselves say it, really.

Oh, you think it was a Freudian slip? I was thinking just maybe fill in the flanks. He just was assuming she's like, he's just like... It could be, yeah.

It's either that, it's benign, and he just said that because that's the assumption. Or he shouldn't be saying that.

He's in a polygraph. He's probably nervous.

He's not saying, I don't know where she went. He's saying that he was in her apartment a week before she died.

It sounds like you might need to pop up on Chino.

I mean, maybe I do. He fits the bill. The outfit the person is wearing in the security footage matches what he would been wearing. He was in her apartment, so would have known the layout, seen some of her stuff, seen her, and maybe got the idea.

He's the maintenance guy. You see the maintenance people. Yes, he would know her. To me, that's like, okay, you now know her schedule. You know the workings of her apartment, her day, her life. That, Chino, to me, is very interesting. More on this case after a quick break.

Hey, it's John from the Up and Vanished team. If you're enjoying this episode, then you should check out Season 1 of the Tenderfoot Original Series, Up and Vanished. In 2016, documentary filmmaker, Payne Lindsay, stumbled across the decade-old disappearance of beloved Beauty Queen and high school teacher, Tara Grinstead. Tara mysteriously vanished from her home in the small rural town of Ocilla, Georgia. And after 11 years and the largest case file in Georgia Bureau of Investigation's history, the case had grown cold. Driven to find out what may have happened to Tara, Payne began investigating and documented everything in the podcast. The result was an award-winning number one series, which drew National wide attention, as well as leading to two arrests. The series was then adapted to television as Payne investigated a fresh batch of unsolved cases, including the disappearance of Jennifer Kessie. Listen to the flagship Tenderfoot TV series, Up and Vanished, wherever you get your podcasts or binge ad-free exclusively on Tenderfoot Plus. Now, back to the show.

Peter Van Sant from 48 Hours actually knocked on Chino's door when they investigated Jennifer's case, and I want to play part of their interaction.

Hey, how are you?

Chino. I'm Peter Van Sant with CBS News.

We agreed not to use his full name.

When we asked about Jennifer Kessie, Chino quickly reiterated that he was innocent. I even did a lie detector test. I mean, everybody knows for a fact that I had nothing to do with Jennifer Kessie. You had nothing to do with her disappearance? Not at all. Where were you the morning of January 24th, 2006. I don't have to answer any questions, but that's for sure. He needs to be eliminated better than he has been. Maybe it's somebody who knows him. Somebody else who was working there at least has has a suspicion about somebody. They have to, but maybe they were too scared to say anything or were just not around anymore because they were trying to protect their own family.

Her dad has brought up that he thought maybe she was abducted by human traffickers. There was a human trafficking ring uncovered in Orlando shortly before Jennifer went missing. So that is something that happens.

The thing is, we don't know so much, so it's hard to rule anything out. But I will say that I didn't find any strong evidence to support that theory. Not to say it isn't possible. That gets tossed around a lot when it's a complete mystery, like movies taken that just exaggerate some things and have put that in the mainstream media or it's like a narrative that's from Hollywood a little bit. Of course, it does happen, unfortunately, but it's usually not what happened in a case like this. It's usually something way closer, way less elaborate, and close to home. It's like the simplest answer is usually correct. I think that's It's a deal here. I think it's somebody who is working in that complex, likely a painter. If you're her father, and it's 20 years past now, nearly, and there's no answers, I'm sure he's thought of every single possibility in the world that could have happened to her.

Seeing you with her dad when you guys were searching the lake was crushing.

It was really tough. There have been all kinds of random tips over the years, none of which have really panned out to anything, but there was one that had not been followed up on about a possible location for her body.

Right. Here's how Jennifer's dad, Drew, explained the tip when you spoke with him for the Up and Vanished TV show.

This particular lead came in from one of our court dates.

She reached out to our lawyer, and our lawyer took a statement from her, and then our investigative team went to her. Basically, she was visiting a friend's house, and she was sitting outside enjoying a sunny morning and looked across this body of water and saw a car pull up across the lake. It's not too big of a piece of body of water. I saw a gentleman get out, take something out of the car, walk it to the lake, presumably something that looked like rolled up rug, and dropped it in a lake, hurriedly looked around, got in his car and took off.

We brought cadaver dogs out there, and to our surprise, they made a hit. When they hit on cadaver, the dog sits down. They find something, they sit.

They can smell off of the water?

Yes, they can smell insanely far. They can smell cadaver hundreds of years old, deep within the ground. This cadaver dog picked up on a scent, and he sat down. Next thing you know, hours later and throughout the following next day, the police department is combing the lake with divers, and they searched it extensively but didn't find anything. Seeing a grown man cry is always... In knowing it's the dad, it's just awful.

What got me seeing his hope, right? You guys are at that lake, and I'm watching now, years later, knowing you're finding nothing. So seeing his face as you're searching, that hope in his face, but I know nothing's going to be found. That was the last lead, yeah? That was the last unchecked lead that we have.

That was the last unchecked lead that I'm aware of. But I do know that the case file is enormous, and the Kessie family eventually did get it from the police, and I know they've been going through it, but there's There's probably other things in there that point this way or that way. I know that the Kessies are fighters, and they're going to never stop looking for Jennifer, and they will run these down. I would be glad to help again in any way I could.

What are the next steps in this case? What do you think could break this case open? You've been on the ground, you've done dogs, you've done lake searches. What will break this case?

It's tough to say, I think if there's a concentrated focus back on who it could have potentially been back then, who were the painters back then in that part of Orlando. That business, you know your competition, you know these people. I think that somewhere in the network, generally, of people who painted professionally in Orlando, somebody, sometimes, somewhere has discussed this and learned that so-and-so may have been involved in this. I think the answer lies in there, and it's as simple as having heard a name or so-and-so rumored this. Maybe that points us directly to the suspect. But I think that they're likely still around. If they fled to a different country for a long period of time, going on 20 years now, have never been caught, they probably would eventually feel safe again. Safe enough to go back to the States to make more money. Would not be surprised at all if he's not even that far away, that he's still doing the same job somewhere in the States.

Payne, thank you for coming on and sharing your experience working this case and with Jennifer family. Really appreciate it.

Of course.

It's been almost 20 years since Jennifer Kessey went missing, and her father, Drew, for better or worse, is aware of that reality.

I They don't take women to sit them in a corner and look at them. They take women to rape them, to use them, abuse them, and then kill them if they don't want them anymore. That's why women get taken, period.

And With Jennifer, I think it's pretty clear she didn't leave on her own. Someone did something bad to her. Drew told channel 10, Tampa Bay News in multiple interviews, he and his family will not stop until they get answers.

We know how many law enforcement officials have looked at Jennifer's case and have come up with absolutely nothing. But now it's our turn. We're not going to stop until we take our last breath or she comes home to us for the good or the bad.

Jennifer is described as being 5'8, 135 pounds, with green eyes and sandy blonde hair. Identifying marks include a green Shamrock tattoo on her left hip. She would now be 43 years old. If you have any information about Jennifer Kessie's disappearance, contact the FBI's Violent Crime Apprehension Program Unit at 800-634-4097. Thank you so much for listening to this week's episode of Up and Vanished Weekly. Be sure to tune in next Friday as we dig into another new case. Until next time.

Up and Vanish Weekly is a production of Tinderfoot TV in Association with Odyssey. Your host are Maggie Freeling and myselfelf, Payne Lindsay. The show is written by Maggie Freeling, myself, and John Street. Executive producers are Donald Albright and myself. Lead producer is John Street. Additional production by Meredith Steadman and Mike Rooney. Research for the series by Jamie Albright, Célicia Stanton, and Caroleyn Talmage. Edit and mix by Dylan Harrington and Sean Nerny. Supervising producer is Tracy Kaplan. Artwork by Byron McCoy. Original music by Makeup and Vanity Set. Special thanks to Oren Rosenbaum and the team at UTA, Beck Media & Marketing, and The Nord Group. For more podcasts like Up and Vanished Weekly, search Tenderfoot TV on your favorite podcast visit us at tenderfoot. Tv. Thanks for listening.