Pittsburgh Woman Found Alive After Going Missing Over 30 Years Ago

Patricia Kopta before she went missing. Courtesy of Ross Township Police

A Pennsylvania woman who went missing in 1992 has been found alive almost 31 years later, according to Ross Township police.

Patricia Kopta, nicknamed “the Sparrow,” was often seen on the streets of Pittsburgh, preaching about the end of the world. She had developed mental health issues and one night when she was 52, she didn’t come home, her husband Robert Kopta said Thursday during a press conference held by Ross Township Police.

Now 83, Patricia Kopta has been found living in an adult care facility in Puerto Rico. She had told her husband she wanted to go somewhere warm and had mentioned Puerto Rico. Robert Kopta said he advertised for her in the newspaper there but was not able to find her. Eventually he had her declared dead, but never remarried.

According to police, in 1999 Patricia Kopta was found wandering the streets in Puerto Rico and needed care. She was taken into the adult care home in June of that year.

She told people there that she came to Puerto Rico on a cruise ship from Europe, police said, and she would not talk about her personal life. It is unclear if she ever was in Europe.

Social Worker Makes the Connection

Now suffering from dementia, Patricia Kopta has begun talking more about her past. Some of her comments led a social worker, with the help of police, to piece together enough of her story to connect her with her family, a process that started about nine months ago.

Patricia Kopta, 83, in a Puerto Rico adult care facility. Ross Township Police

Interpol conducted a DNA test on Patricia Kopta and her sister Gloria Smith and confirmed the missing woman’s identity.

By all accounts, her family loves her and worried about her all those years. Robert Kopta said that when he saw news reports of bodies being found, through the years, he would wonder and worry if it was her. Smith said their mother always missed her and worried about her.

“We really thought she was dead all those years. We didn’t expect it. It was a very big shock to know that she was still alive,” Smith said during the press conference. “We’re so happy and I hope I can get down to see her.”

According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), 600,000 individuals go missing each year. Many missing children and adults are found quickly, alive and well, but others remain missing for more than a year. Many agencies consider cases cold after a year.

NamUs also reports that 4,400 unidentified bodies are recovered each year.