A woman who was missing for more than three decades and declared dead has been found living in a care home.
It was in 1992 when Patricia Kopta from Pennsylvania was reported missing by her husband.
31 years later, Ross Township Deputy Police Chief Brian Kohlhepp was contacted by a social worker who said that they had found the missing woman in an adult care home in Puerto Rico.
According to CBS News, Kopta – now 83 – was formally identified by a DNA test. She was taken into the care facility in 1999 after they found her in need of assistance.
Police said she first refused to share details of her personal life but said that she first came to Puerto Rico after taking a cruise ship from Europe.
Chief Kohlhepp also said during a press conference that Kopta eventually shared more details about her life before she arrived in the care home.
“As she asked and spoke more, she leaked enough details about her identity that they were able to connect enough dots to contact us,” he said.
In an interview with the Post-Gazette, Kopta’s sister, Gloria Smith, said: “We’re very thankful to know that Patty is alive and well. It was hard on all of us because my mother, her sister and myself worried about her constantly.”
Kopta’s husband, Robert, also revealed that they were married for almost 20 years before she vanished.
“She could have come home at any time. She always said she wanted to go to a warm climate,” he expressed.
The family confirmed that Kopta had struggled with mental health problems before she went missing.
It has been revealed that the 83-year-old is now suffering from dementia but her family is still very happy to be reunited with her.
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