A woman who was declared missing over three decades ago has been found in a nursing home 1,700 miles (2,700km) away from her family home.
Patricia Kopta, who lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was reported missing by her husband, Bob, on 27 November 1992, five months after she vanished on 20 June 1992.
The woman suffered mental health issues, and doctors explained she had "delusions of grandeur" with suspicions of schizophrenia a decade before her disappearance.
Highlights
- Patricia 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 deteriorating mental health.
Image credits: WPXI
After police couldn’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 to Puerto Rico frequently before marrying Bob, according to her sister, Gloria Smith.
A poster released by the Pennsylvania Emergency Response Center read: "Her family believes she took a flight to Puerto Rico after her disappearance and spent a week or two there before returning to Pittsburgh. She has not been seen or heard from since."
Patricia Kopta's husband, Bob, reported her missing in November 1992
Image credits: WPXI
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
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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 Police said.
"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 outlet WMTW.
"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
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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."
Authorities have suggested that Patricia left her home due to concerns that she'd be placed in a mental health facility in Pittsburgh
Police reported 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.
Authorities have also suggested that Patricia left her home due to concerns that she'd be placed in a mental health care facility in Pittsburgh.
"At least she was cared for and he got his closure," someone commented
