Her husband, Bob Kopta, reported her lacking a couple of months later within the fall.
At the time, he suggested authorities that it wasn’t unusual for his spouse to “drop out of sight for short periods,” in accordance with the flier.
“I come home one night and she’s gone, and nobody knew where she was at,” Kopta mentioned on the news convention with Ross Township Police.
Police mentioned they have been first knowledgeable concerning the discovery of the lacking lady when an agent from the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) and a social employee from Puerto Rico contacted them final 12 months saying that they believed Patricia was residing in an grownup care dwelling in Puerto Rico.
“What they reported to us was that she came into their care in 1999, when she was found in need in the streets of Puerto Rico,” Ross Township Deputy Chief Brian Kohlhepp mentioned.
INTERPOL and the social employee mentioned Patricia was discovered wandering the streets and thru the years she had “refused to ever discuss her private life or where she came from,” Kohlhepp mentioned.
In her superior age, Patricia began revealing nuggets that might finally spur these round her to contact Ross police, Kohlhepp mentioned.
History of psychological well being points
When she was in Pittsburgh, Patricia was a “well-known street preacher,” in accordance with the lacking individual flier.
She would strategy strangers, telling them she had visions of the Virgin Mary and that the world was coming to an finish, the flier mentioned.
Police mentioned her disappearance wasn’t overtly suspicious as a result of they “knew she had a mental health history and she had made statements to other family individuals that she was leaving, that she was concerned that she was going to be placed into a care facility here,” Kohlhepp mentioned.
Kohlhepp mentioned police knew she had possible left of her personal volition.
Her husband mentioned that his spouse had talked about eager to go to Puerto Rico to reside in a tropical surroundings.
“I even advertised in the paper down in Puerto Rico looking for her,” Kopta mentioned on the news convention, including that he spent some huge cash through the years trying to find her.
Patricia and Bob have been married for 20 years earlier than she went lacking, Kohlhepp instructed CNN.
He added that Patricia had no identified household or connections in Puerto Rico.
DNA testing helped join the dots
Police decided the girl was in actual fact Patricia by means of a nine-month-long course of by which they in contrast DNA samples supplied by her sister, Gloria Smith, and her nephew.
“We really thought she was dead all those years,” Smith mentioned on the news convention.
Even earlier than DNA testing was accomplished, the household knew it was Patricia as quickly as they noticed her picture, Kohlhepp mentioned.
Smith mentioned that she has referred to as the grownup care dwelling in Puerto Rico a number of occasions however has been unable to carry a dialog along with her sister as a result of she has dementia.
“We didn’t expect it. It was a very big shock to see – to know that she’s still alive,” her sister mentioned.
“You know, we’re so happy and I hope I can get down to see her.”
CNN has not been capable of immediately contact the girl’s household.
Source: www.9news.com.au
