Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Case Updates with Photos

Patricia Gail Kopta
Kopta, date, approximate 1992
Date Missing 06/20/1992
Missing From
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 01/28/1940 (82)
Age 52 years old
Height and Weight 5'0 - 5'4, 110 pounds
Medical Conditions According to her husband, Kopta has paranoid schizophrenia.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Graying black hair, green eyes. Kopta is known as The Sparrow. Her nickname is Pat.
Details of Disappearance Kopta was last seen in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on June 20, 1992. Her husband didn't report her missing until November 27; he told the police his wife had a tendency to drop out of sight for short periods, and that's why he was initially unconcerned by her absence. They lived in Ross, Pennsylvania.
Kopta was well known as a street preacher in Pittsburgh in the years prior to her disappearance. She walked throughout the city, approaching strangers and telling them she'd had a vision of the Virgin Mary and the world was about to end. Her sister stated she'd had a "religious obsession" since she was a child.
She led a normal life, with a job as an elevator operator at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, until 1984, when her religious vision occurred. Soon after, Kopta lost her job because she was "seeing things" and her behavior was disruptive, and then she began to walk the streets to spread her message. She believed she was chosen as one of God's 144,000 "bond servants" on earth, and gave up all her other hobbies, such as dancing, to devote her life to spreading the word of God.
Unlike most people who stayed on the streets all day, she maintained a neat, attractive appearance, wearing makeup and a dress or skirt each day. She had had numerous run-ins with the police and, each time, would tell them to be ready because the end of the world was coming.
Her sister stated Kopta was often mistreated by the strangers she approached. At least once she was beaten and robbed of her jewelry, and she had a vision that she would eventually be beaten to death. She told others she would die a martyr on the streets when she was too tired to walk any longer. Before her disappearance, Kopta's sister had tried to get her to seek medical treatment for her feet, which were in poor condition from excessive walking.
Kopta's family believes she took a flight to Puerto Rico after her disappearance, spent a week or two there, then returned to Pittsburgh. She wrote a letter saying someone was after her, but her husband stated she always thought someone was after her.
There has been no indication of Kopta's whereabouts since 1992, and the circumstances of her disappearance are unclear.
Investigating Agency
Ross Police Department
412-931-9070
Other
NamUs
The North Hills News Record
The Pittsburgh Press
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Missing Person Photos

A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2 to 5 percent of missing children in Europe. By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends. A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.

Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Case Updates with Photos