This week marks missing Orlando woman Jennifer Kesse's 40th birthday
Jennifer Kesse's 40th birthday
Jennifer Kesse has been missing for more than 15 years, and Thursday would have been a big moment to share with her family, celebrating her 40th birthday. They are still holding out hope that one day they will get some closure, but instead they celebrate another one of her birthdays dealing with the unknown.
ORLANDO, Fla. - The family of missing Orlando woman Jennifer Kesse is speaking out this week which marks her 40th birthday.
Kesse disappeared more than 15 years ago from her Orlando apartment complex. Her family has never given up hope in finding out what happened to her. She vanished when she was 24-years-old. Her birthday was on Thursday.
A FOX News true crime podcast recently shined new light on the case. Jennifer's father, Drew Kesse, says the podcast has resulted in new tips.
"They let the people tell their story in their own words. And to me, it's one of the best pieces ever done for Jennifer," he said. "I have great hope that really by the end of the year we truly might know where Jennifer is or the true direction in which we have to fight to get her."
Drew says he will never stop fighting to get closure for his family.
RELATED: Jennifer Kesse disappearance: Newly released police photos suggest violent struggle
On a January evening in 2006, Kesse chatted on the phone with her parents and boyfriend from inside her Orlando home before disappearing without a trace, stumping investigators and the young woman’s family who have searched relentlessly for her from Florida to Mexico and Russia.
Evidence photos obtained by Fox News suggest a violent struggle took place on the front hood of the 24-year-old woman’s car, a clue the family hopes will yield new leads in a case that has long been unsolved.
"It looked like someone was thrown down on the top of the hood – arms spread out and then dragged back almost like off the hood to the point where you can almost see fingers scribbling down the hood," said Kesse’s father.
"The photos look suspicious and show what appears to be a hand mark going across the hood," added Mike Torretta, a former federal agent and private investigator hired by the Kesse family.
The person of interest – believed to be male and dressed in workman’s clothes – has never been identified.