Caught on cam yet hidden: Is this Jennifer Kesse's assailant?
As investigators raced to figure out what happened to Jennifer Kesse 20 years ago, pressure mounted quickly — but solid answers didn’t. Years later, former Orlando Police Chief Orlando Rolon says decisions made in those early days shaped everything that followed. By the time he became chief, Jennifer had already been missing for almost 13 years and the case had gone cold. What frustrated her family most, they say, were the missed opportunities at the very start — the hours when time mattered most. When Jennifer’s car was eventually found just a mile from her condo, surveillance video offered a glimpse of a person behind the wheel — but not their face. The grainy footage, captured by a single outdated camera, showed someone parking the car, wiping it down, and walking away, their identity hidden by timing and fencing. To Jennifer’s parents, it felt like the cruelest kind of evidence: proof that someone was involved, but no way to know who. In 2018, the Kesses sued for access to Jennifer’s case files, uncovering thousands of pages of records, troubling gaps, and evidence they believe deserved deeper scrutiny. Even today, investigators say theories exist — but without conclusive evidence, answers remain just out of reach. FOX 35 Docs | Part 3
Who is Jennifer Kesse?
Twenty years after Jennifer Kesse disappeared, life in Central Florida has moved on — but for her family, time remains frozen. Outside, life in Orlando is busy and loud, just as it always has been. But for Drew and Joyce Kesse, time has never really moved past January 24, 2006. That’s the day Jennifer, just 24 years old, vanished after leaving her condo near Mall of Millenia. There were no witnesses and no obvious signs of what happened — at least not at first. A car was later found, surveillance video surfaced, and then the answers stopped coming. FOX35 spoke to Drew and Joyce inside their home, flipping through photos and reflecting on everything Jennifer has missed — weddings, grandchildren, ordinary moments. One thing has not changed in 20 years — and that is their focus on finding Jennifer, no matter how long it takes. FOX 35 Docs | Part 1
Finding Jennifer Kesse: Could this be the missing link?
In the months after Jennifer Kesse disappeared, her face was everywhere in Orlando — on buses, on posters, wrapped around her family’s SUV. Over time, those images faded, but her parents say the search never did. Even now, they live with what they describe as “two minds”: one focused on everyday life, and the other always searching for Jennifer. Tips continue to come in, sometimes daily, and Drew and Joyce say they read every single one. In 2022, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement took over the case, and in the spring of 2025, investigators announced Jennifer’s disappearance was no longer considered cold. Using new DNA evidence and emerging technology, including artificial intelligence, FDLE is reexamining the infamous surveillance video — this time focusing not on the face behind the gate post, but on a small detail once overlooked: the suspect’s ear. For Jennifer’s family, it’s a renewed chance at answers they’ve waited two decades for. And while they acknowledge the painful possibility that Jennifer may never be found, they say knowing everything possible was done matters — and that hope, no matter how fragile, is something they refuse to give up. FOX 35 Docs | Part 4
Jan. 24, 2006: The day Jennifer Kesse vanished
In January 2006, Jennifer Kesse’s disappearance wasn’t a cold case — it was breaking news. Inside the FOX 35 newsroom, anchors and producers quickly realized this story felt different. That Tuesday morning, Jennifer didn’t show up for work, something her parents and coworkers say never happened. When her parents tried calling her, her phone went straight to voicemail — a first, and an immediate red flag. Inside Jennifer’s condo, there were signs of a normal morning: a damp towel, pajamas left behind, no sign of a struggle. But Jennifer’s keys, purse, iPod, and car were gone. Her parents say Jennifer had recently mentioned feeling uneasy around construction workers at her condo complex, where renovations were ongoing. As hours passed, the family grew frustrated with what they describe as a slow initial response from law enforcement, fearing precious time was being lost. Friends and sorority sisters began handing out flyers, while Jennifer’s family took matters into their own hands — the beginning of a fight they never imagined would last two decades. FOX 35 Docs | Part 2
Jennifer Kesse: 20 Years Later | FOX 35 Docs
A lot has changed in the 20 years since Jennifer Kesse disappeared on January 24, 2006. But even now, she’s never been found. What went wrong on that January day? Should the cold case already have been cracked? And is there any hope left to find her? FOX 35’s Garrett Wymer looks at those questions through the eyes of Jennifer’s parents Drew and Joyce Kesse, former Orlando police Chief Orlando Rolon and FOX 35 News Anchor Amy Kaufeldt, who has covered the case for two decades.
Jennifer Kesse: Orlando woman missing for 20 years; FOX 35 explores cold case
Jennifer Kesse, 24, disappeared from her Orlando condo on Jan. 24, 2006 -- and has never been seen or found. The case went cold, then reopened. FOX 35's Garrett Wymer talked with Kesse's parents, former Orlando police chief Orlando Rolon, and Anchor Amy Kaufeldt about what we know -- and don't know -- 20 years later.