A woman who was missing for 31 years and presumed to be dead was later discovered in a care home thousands of miles away from where she initially disappeared.
Back in 1992, Patricia Kopta, a former street preacher known as 'The Sparrow', was reported missing by her husband after she suddenly disappeared from the North Hills area in Pennsylvania.
In a strange turn of events, it was discovered earlier this year that Kopta had been living in a care facility over 1,700 miles away in Puerto Rico after she was taken in by the establishment in 1999 - seven years after she went missing in the United States.
According to CBS News and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Ross Township Deputy Police Chief Brian Kohlhepp revealed that his department was contacted by an Interpol agent and social worker who said they had reasons to believe Kopta - who was 83 at the time of the discovery - was the same woman that went missing all those years ago.
After a DNA test, the results confirmed that their suspicions were right.
Initially, the senior was reluctant to reveal any details of her past, but as time passed, she slowly started talking about how she got to the South American continent, stating she came over by a cruise ship that set off from Europe.
However, this detail has not been verified by authorities who have questioned whether Kopta ever went to Europe.
Speaking to the Post-Gazette, Patricia's sister, Gloria Smith, spoke out about her sibling being found alive after 31 years.
"We're very thankful to know that Patty is alive and well," Smith said, admitting that she always feared being told that her sister would be found dead. "It was hard on all of us because my mother, her sister, and myself worried about her constantly," Smith added.
Patricia's husband, Robert Kopta, revealed that the pair were married for nearly 20 years before her disappearance.
He said: "She could have come home at any time. She always said she wanted to go to a warm climate."
The family did say that Patricia - or "Patty," as she was fondly called by loved ones - had struggled with mental health issues prior to her disappearance. They had theorized that she may have been institutionalized.
Robert revealed that Patricia's early life had been rather ordinary; she enjoyed ballroom dancing, was a Roman Catholic, and had worked several jobs. But in the years prior to her disappearance, she claimed that the mother of God had warned her of a nuclear Armageddon, and she took to the streets to spread her message.
"She would always hang out down in Pittsburgh where things were going on. When there was a baseball game going on when a concert was going on, she would be talking to people," Robert said.
Sadly, it has been revealed that Patricia is suffering from dementia. She also told staff at the facility that she plans on staying in Puerto Rico.
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