Pennsylvania woman missing since 1992 found alive in Puerto Rico

Pennsylvania who went missing more than 30 years ago and was legally declared dead has turned up, very much alive, in a nursing home in Puerto Rico.Patricia Kopta, 83, was last seen by her family in Pittsburgh in 1992, according to a missing person flyer posted by the Pennsylvania Emergency Response Center.

At the time, she was a well-known street preacher known as “The Sparrow” because of her slight build.Her husband Bob Kopta reported her missing in 1992, noting it wasn’t uncommon for his wife to leave for short periods of time.

No doubt he didn’t expect his wife’s disappearance to remain a mystery 31 years later.“I come home one night and she’s gone, and nobody knew where she was at,” Bob Kopta said at a news conference with Ross Township Police last week.

Read more: Use of Tragically Hip’s music at CPC event causes social media clash U.S. police eventually learned the story of what happened to Patricia after being contacted by an agent from the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and a social worker from Puerto Rico who cared for her.“What they reported to us was that she came into their care in 1999, when she was found in need in the streets of Puerto Rico,” said Ross Township Deputy Chief Brian Kohlhepp.Through the years that Patricia remained at the care home, she refused to share details about her private life and where she came from.