By ALEXA CIMINO FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
Published: 12:29 EDT, 30 March 2025 | Updated: 12:36 EDT, 30 March 2025
Nineteen years after Jennifer Kesse disappeared, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) has launched a new tip line, hoping to generate fresh leads in the long-unsolved case.
Jennifer's father, Drew Kesse, remains hopeful that even the smallest piece of information could be the key to finding his daughter.
'We have been fielding leads for 19 years, to be quite honest with you. And we still get them on a weekly basis. It's absolutely incredible,' Kesse told Fox 35 Orlando.
The FDLE's initiative aims to direct information straight to law enforcement rather than the family.
'It took nineteen years, but I think it's a smart deal to give people the opportunity to speak up in any way, shape, manner or form right to the authorities.' he added.
Jennifer vanished on January 24, 2006, after returning from a trip with her boyfriend. She was last seen at her Orlando condo.
When she failed to show up for work the next day, her family grew alarmed.
Inside her condo, everything appeared normal - her pajamas were on the floor, a damp towel lay by the shower, and her hair tools were out.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) has launched a new tip line, hoping to generate fresh leads in the long-unsolved case of Jennifer Kesse
But her car, phone, purse, and keys were gone.
Two days later, her car was found abandoned a mile away at another condo complex.
Surveillance footage captured an unidentified individual parking it and walking away, but their face was obscured by fencing.
Despite efforts to enhance the footage with the involvement of NASA, the person - believed to be a man around 5'3' to 5'5' with large feet and workman's clothes - has never been identified.
Over the past 19 years, 14,000 tips have been submitted, rewards have been offered, and numerous people have been questioned, yet no solid evidence has emerged.
'It's just unfathomable that we don't even have any direction,' Drew previously told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview.
He remains convinced that someone knows what happened.
Jennifer Kesse's father Drew Kesse (pictured together) hopes that, after 19 years, the family will finally get the truth about what happened to her
Jennifer's dad fears she was abducted and immediately trafficked out of the US by someone she didn't know
'More than one person knows what happened,' he said, urging them to come forward.
The Kesse family has long criticized the initial police response.
'The first police officer looked round her apartment and said 'oh she probably had a fight with her boyfriend, she'll be back' and walked out. And that's when we lost Jennifer.'
At the time, Florida law didn't require immediate searches for missing adults, prompting the passage of the Jennifer Kesse and Tiffany Sessions Missing Persons Act in 2008.
Frustrated with the investigation, the family sued to access case records in 2018. They uncovered overlooked evidence, including signs of a possible struggle on Jennifer's car that were never tested for DNA.
'So we lost a lead there too,' he said. 'There was a lot of things that were not done as it wasn't taken seriously.
The family has spent over $700,000 searching for answers.
In 2022, FDLE took over the case, reigniting hope. Investigators have spoken to over 60 people in the past year, followed dozens of leads, and submitted evidence for new DNA testing.
Surveillance footage captured a person of interest leaving Jennifer's car at another condo complex on the day she disappeared
Grainy footage shows a figure who cops want to speak to
Jennifer¿s dad is hopeful a new team of investigators and a chilling piece of surveillance footage will finally hold the key to bringing his daughter home
'They have put full energy into trying to find out what happened to Jennifer,' he said. 'It seems as though now, after 19 years, it's Jennifer's time.'
Theories about her disappearance have pointed to construction workers at her condo complex, some of whom made Jennifer uncomfortable.
A set of keys had also been stolen around the time she vanished. Her father believes she was abducted and likely trafficked.
'I think it was a job for someone - probably to pay off a debt of some sort - and they came, did the job and then left. I don't think she is in the country and I don't think she was in the country very quickly,' he said.
'I don't think it was about Jennifer but they wanted a beautiful white woman with blue eyes and blond hair.'
After years of searching, he has come to terms with the belief that Jennifer is no longer alive, though her mother still holds hope.
'I believe Jennifer will have fought at some point - we taught her to fight - and I think she took her chances...I think she's no longer with us.'
Time is running out, he fears. 'The sad thing is people might be dead by this time. We've had detectives who have worked on the case who have passed away,' Drew Kesse said.
The Kesse family has spent 19 years and around $700,000 desperately searching for the missing 24-year-old
When Jennifer¿s car was found back in 2006, investigators noticed signs of what appeared to be a struggle on the hood of the vehicle (pictured)
The Mosaic at Millenia condo complex in Orlando where Jennifer lived. Inside her condo, everything appeared to be as it should be on the morning of her disappearance
'People we wanted to talk to who have passed away. That person [who took Jennifer] might no longer be here, they might have passed or might be in another country. Obviously the longer things go on, the less chances you have.'
Jennifer was declared legally dead in 2016, and her family recently parted with her car, having exhausted all possible forensic testing.
For Kesse, the hardest part has been realizing that 'life goes on' while his daughter remains missing.
'We're strong people. We don't have a choice, well we do have a choice. We can go around the corner and cry but we choose to be proactive and to try to find our daughter to this day.
Kesse is determined that he'll never stop looking for Jennifer.
'We're never going to give up trying and doing everything we can. My biggest hope is that we can bring Jennifer home before Joyce and I pass. I was 48 when this started and I'm 68 now. I don't want to leave this for her brother,' Kesse said.
'I don't want to go to my grave not knowing where my daughter is.
'I don't expect her to be alive. I don't expect her to come back home to daddy. I do expect her to be found and identified.'
Information on Kesse can be sent to the email: OROCColdCaseTips@fdle.state.fl.us