Awomanwho was declaredmissingoverthree decades agohas been found in anursing home1,700 miles (2,700km) away from her family home.
The woman suffered mental health issues, and doctors explained she had “delusions of grandeur” with suspicions of schizophrenia a decade before her disappearance.
HighlightsPatricia Kopta, a woman who had been missing for over 30 years, was found in a nursing home in Puerto Rico.Patricia was declared dead in 1999, but her family discovered her alive in 2023.The woman may have left her home due to concerns that she’d be placed into a mental health facility, authorities said.
Bob didn’t immediately report her missing because it wasn’t unusual for Patricia to leave her home for long periods of time due to her deterioratingmental health.
A woman who was reported missing and later deceased over 30 years ago has been found in a nursing home in Puerto Rico
Image credits:WPXI
Afterpolicecouldn’t find her, the woman was classified as a “critical missing person.”
Her family knew she loved “the ocean, the beach, and the warm sunshine” and that she had traveled toPuerto Ricofrequently before marrying Bob, according to her sister, Gloria Smith.
Patricia Kopta’s husband, Bob, reported her missing in November 1992
Bob paid for adverts in Puerto Rican newspapers in the hopes that someone might see his wife. In his desperation, he even went to see a psychic to get answers that he couldn’t find through other means.
Seven years after her disappearance, Patricia’s family was given a legal declaration that considered her dead.
However, the family would have to wait until 2023 to see Patricia again.
Bob waited five months to report her disappearance because Patricia would sometimes leave their house for long periods of time as a result of her mental health issues
The 83-year-old woman was located in a nursing home in the territory of Puerto Rico after she began speaking more about her past. This was reportedly an effect of her suffering from dementia.
The woman was reportedly admitted to the facility in June 1999 when she was seen wandering around the home.
After learning about her story, a social worker contacted authorities, and Patricia’s sister, Gloria, flew to Puerto Rico. A DNA test confirmed that she was indeed Patricia Kopta, Ross Township Policesaid.
“She’s being well taken care of. We really thought she was dead all those years. It was a very big shock to know that she’s still alive,” Gloria told the local news outletWMTW.
“We’re very thankful to know that Patty is alive and well.”
She was finally found in 2023 after she began talking about her past at an adult care home on the Caribbean island
Bob, who was 86 when his wife was found, never remarried.
In the 31 years since the disappearance, Bob experienced great trauma, including being a suspect in the case and thinking that every body found was his wife of over 20 years.
“You wouldn’t believe what we’ve been through,” he said during a press conference in March 2023.
“After 30 years, you try to forget about it. Now, I can forget about it. We know what happened, and she is taken care of now.
“She could have come home any time. But that’s what she wanted. She always said she wanted to go to a warm climate.”
Policereported that the woman arrived on the Caribbean island on a cruise ship from Europe, but what she did in the territory before entering the nursing home is unknown.
“At least she was cared for and he got his closure,” someone commented
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