Patricia Kopta’s story seems to be taken straight out of a Hollywood movie. The 83-year-old who was last seen on June 1992, was found 31-years-later after all hopes of her being alive were gone. Here is the astonishing journey of this woman that gave us the chills.
After vanishing from her hometown of Pittsburgh more than 3 decades ago, Kopta who suffers from dementia, was found in a nursing home in Puerto Rico where she’s been since 1999.
They were able to track her down thanks to a social worker who was worried about her well-being. And it took almost a year for the DNA sample to confirm her identity and prove that she was indeed Patricia.
When she disappeared, Patricia left behind her younger sister Gloria and her husband Robert whom she married in 1972.
Robert who is 86 now, had explained that his wife suffered from mental health issue and that over the years her behavior got more inconsistent. He explained, ’’Something must have happened. Somebody got to her because she started on this whole ’the world is going to end’ thing.’’
The husband further added that Patricia would wander around telling strangers ’’to go home because the world was going to end in three days.’’
People on the street nicknamed Patricia ’’The Sparrow’’ because of her tiny frame. Kopta used to work at a glass company for 10 years, but had to quit because of migraines which doctors said were due to stress. She then started a job as an elevator operator.
With her dark hair and green eyes people thought the then young woman ’’looked like an airline stewardess from the early 1960s.’’ Her sister recalls, ’’She just loved the ocean, the beach, the warm sunshine,’’ and said that young Patricia would often vacation in Puerto Rico before meeting her husband Robert.
Things took a turn to the worse in the early 90s when Patricia was robbed and they stole her engagement ring. She later had a few encounters with the police and was even arrested.
Robert explained that his wife had a habit of disappearing for short periods of time. He noted, ’’I come home one night and she’s just gone, and nobody knows where she’s at.’’
But after nearly 6 months of her not coming back home, he filed a missing person’s report and alerted the police about her disappearance.
Robert did not remarry, however he doesn’t have any plans on seeing Patricia and admits that he now wants to forget the past, even though he says that her being found is a ’’relief off my mind.’’
Patricia’s sister Gloria, however, wants to travel to Puerto Rico to see her sister, given that she can’t have a phone conversation with her due to her dementia. Gloria noted, ’’Whether she knows me or not, I still want to see her and give her a hug and tell her I love her.’’
Kopta had a twin sister who passed away without knowing that her sister was still alive.
Another mind-blowing event is this story of a young girl who went missing and was finally found 6 years later.
This is such a bittersweet story for everyone involved. I'm so glad for her family that she was found and they know that she's safe. It's a tragedy that they lost so much time with her due to her mental health issues and not knowing where she was. At least her sister can see her after many years. I'm sure she has been so worried and seeing her sister will be good for her. I wish them all the best.
What a horrible man her husband must be, not to be willing to go and see his wife. Also very suspicious that he didn't report her missing for six months.
