It may sound unbelievable but a woman from the United States, who went missing in 1992 and later declared dead, has been found alive in Puerto Rico. According to a NewYork Times report, the woman from Pennsylvania went missing 30 years ago and her family believed that she was dead. The authorities have now located her at a nursing home in Puerto Rico ending the decades-long mystery.
The woman named Patricia Kopta is now 83 years old and she was found in Puerto Rico after she shared some information about her past to nursing home staff, who had been taking care of her for years, the NYT report added quoting poli Chief Brian Kohlhepp of the Ross Township Police Department.
She was discovered wandering the streets of northern Puerto Rico in 1999. She was identified by a social worker and taken to a shelter home. Now she lives in a nursing home on the Caribbean island after being diagnosed with dementia.
Kopta, a former street preacher in her hometown, initially kept her background hidden while staying in Puerto Rico. However, as her dementia progressed, she began to reveal details about her life. Meanwhile, nursing home staff made contact with Pennsylvania authorities, who were able to establish a link. Ross Township police said DNA samples confirmed her identity.
According to authorities, she was showing signs of schizophrenia before leaving Pennsylvania. She was also hospitalised for a short time after doctors diagnosed her with “delusions of grandeur”.
She was worried about being institutionalized and that could have prompted her to flee the country, according to the authorities.
Bob Kopta, Patricia’s husband, said they had been married for 20 years before she went missing and after that he never remarried.
“You have no idea what we’ve been through. It’s a huge relief to know she’s still alive,” Mr Kopta said at a press conference.
Patricia has two sisters, a twin who passed away six years ago and a younger sister. Her surviving sister Gloria Smith was also shocked when she came to know about Patricia. She also revealed that her sister used to travel to Puerto Rico with her friends before she married.
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