In May of 2015, a 21-year-old woman from Ontario named Jessica Heppner traveled to St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador. She arrived on May 25th with a traveling companion, Norbert Kasza, and they checked into the Sheraton Hotel downtown. Jessica, who was described as being 5'9' and 160 pounds with long blonde hair and green eyes, had initially booked the hotel for a single night but extended her stay for an additional night.
On May 26th, she took a taxi from the hotel to the Topsail Road area in a town called Paradise to meet a man. This was the last time she was seen. She was expected to take a taxi back to her hotel but never arrived. Her friend and traveling companion reported her missing on May 29th, three days after she was last seen.
When police investigated Jessica's hotel room, they found her personal belongings, including two suitcases, a laptop, and her identification, had been left behind. Despite her apparent intention to return, there was no record of her boarding any flights to leave the province. The man she went to meet in Paradise was interviewed by police and is not considered a suspect in her disappearance. He told investigators that he understood she was planning to take a taxi back to her hotel. It was also known that Jessica was involved in the sex trade, though it is unclear if this is connected to her disappearance. The investigation into her vanishing became more complex as it was discovered she used two prepaid cell phones registered under false names and addresses.
The case took a perplexing turn when some of Jessica's electronic devices showed activity after she was last seen. One of her prepaid cell phones was used in Ontario a week after she disappeared, and one of her prepaid credit cards was used for a transaction in Germany in July 2015, two months after she vanished. These developments led police to consider the possibility that she may have left Newfoundland undetected, although her family finds this unlikely as she was always diligent about staying in touch with them. Her traveling companion, Norbert Kasza, who reported her missing, was later located in the United Kingdom, but reportedly denied even knowing Jessica to a former roommate. The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary has stated that while they have no evidence to suggest she was killed, there is also no evidence to confirm she is alive elsewhere. The disappearance of Jessica Heppner remains an unsolved case with many unanswered questions, leaving her family still searching for answers.Last Seen: May 28, 2015
