An American woman who was declared legally dead after going missing more than 30 years ago has returned alive in Puerto Rico, her family and police said.
Patricia Kopta, now 83, was last seen in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1992 when detectives began looking into her disappearance.
She was known for being an “eccentric” street preacher who went by the name “Sparrow,” Ross Township Police Deputy Chief Brian Kohlhepp said Friday.
Ms Kopta, who suffers from dementia, has been living in a nursing home after being taken in as a “person in need” seven years after her disappearance.
“It’s a relief she wasn’t killed”
Her husband Bob Kopta said he was married to Ms Kopta for 20 years before she disappeared.
He said, “It’s a relief to know she’s not lying in a ditch somewhere, or killed somewhere.”
The 86-year-old added that her family suspected she might be in Puerto Rico, but she was pronounced dead about 25 years ago.
The retired electrician also said he consulted with a psychic about his whereabouts.
Ms Kopta has two sisters: a twin, who died six years ago, and a younger sister who was relieved to learn she is still alive, Kopta added.
He said he has experienced a variety of emotions over the years but is pleased to know his wife is alive and cared for.
“After 30 years, you try to forget about it. Now I can forget about it. We know what happened and she is taking care of her now,” she said.
Patricia Kopta returned alive to Puerto Rico more than 30 years after her disappearance
Ms Kopta ‘feared of being institutionalised’
Mr. Kopta said his wife had worked as an elevator operator at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh before disappearing.
Before her disappearance, US-based doctors at a mental health facility had diagnosed Ms Kopta with “delusions of grandeur” and said she had signs of schizophrenia.
But Ms. Kopta was released from the facility and continued to preach until she passed away, her family said.
Mr Kohlhepp said police believe Ms Kopta fled the country because she was “concerned about being institutionalised”.
He is thought to have regularly roamed Puerto Rico’s northern cities of Naranjito, Corozal, and Toa Alta, located just southwest of the capital San Juan, during his time on the island.
Ms Kopta had kept details about her life under wraps when she ended up in a nursing home, but she has begun to divulge information over the years.
Last year she revealed information that prompted a nursing home social worker to contact Pennsylvania authorities about her identity.
Bob Kopta said he suspected his wife might be in Puerto Rico
“She loved the ocean”
Ms Kopta suggested that she arrived in Puerto Rico on a cruise ship from Europe when she first arrived home, police said.
However, her family claimed that she was actually a straight student in the United States who became a model and dance instructor.
After graduating from high school, she worked in finance at a Pittsburgh glass company and, according to her family, would attend weekly ballroom dancing events.
Ms Kopta’s younger sister, Gloria Smith, now 78, said her sister often vacationed in Puerto Rico with friends before getting married.
“He loved the ocean, the beach, the warm sun.”
Ms Smith said she hopes to visit her sister, even though her mental state has deteriorated.
“Whether she knows me or not, I still want to see her and hug her and tell her I love her,” Ms. Smith said.
