Kathy Rigsby Portelli, a 43-year-old woman from Melbourne, Florida, has been missing since July 21, 1998. She was last seen leaving a drug treatment session at Circles of Care in Melbourne with two unidentified men. Portelli, who struggled with drug and alcohol addiction, had a history of disappearing for days at a time, which led to a delay in her being reported missing.
Her mother officially reported her disappearance on August 3, 1998, after she failed to pick up her Social Security disability check for the second consecutive month.
Investigators found some of Portelli's belongings after she vanished. Her pager was discovered in Cocoa, Florida. When her family tried to contact her via the pager, a man answered, stating he had found it but refused to provide any further details. Additionally, her Social Security card was found at a man's home in Cocoa, who claimed she had left it there prior to her disappearance.
Portelli's life before she went missing was marked by personal struggles. According to her family, she grew up in a religious household and had even considered becoming a minister. However, she developed a drug addiction as a young adult after marrying her husband. The couple had three children together; at the time of her disappearance, their two daughters were living with Portelli's mother, and their son was in foster care. Her relationship with her ex-husband was reportedly violent, and he was investigated in connection with her disappearance, but no evidence was found to implicate him.
Authorities believe that Kathy Rigsby Portelli may have been taken against her will. Her case remains unsolved, and she is still classified as an endangered missing person. At the time of her disappearance, she was described as a Caucasian female with blonde hair and brown eyes, standing 5'2" tall and weighing 110 pounds. She has scars on both wrists and her neck, and two permanent plates in her jaw from a previous fracture. She was last seen wearing a t-shirt and jeans.Last Seen: Jul 21, 1998
