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BRADENTON, Fla. - Saturday will mark two decades of a real-life nightmare for a Bradenton family.
Every moment since Jennifer Kesse’s dad, Drew Kesse, got a call she hadn't shown up for work, he and his wife Joyce Kesse, have kept up hope they could find the missing piece that would lead to her disappearance.
"We look for Jennifer pretty much every day," he explained.
"It seems like an eternity," Joyce Kesse added. "It seems that we're living in a surreal state."
The backstory:
Jennifer Kesse has been missing since January 24, 2006.
RELATED: Jennifer Kesse’s family hopes recently released photos will lead to new tips in her disappearance
A search that began with fliers and word of mouth in Jennifer's Orlando neighborhood has led her family on a winding road.
Jennifer Kesse’s car was found one mile from her home, with her dad saying there may have been a struggle.
Surveillance video shows a potential person of interest parking her car and walking away.
After years of inaction, the Kesse’s sued the Orlando Police Department for the case file.
"It exhausts you," explained Joyce Kesse. "It drains you physically, mentally and emotionally and it will in time take a toll on your actual physical health."
What's next:
With FDLE at the helm, there are signs of hope.
The Kesse's are working with an AI firm to study not just the 16,000-page case file for unsung clues, but also to analyze this video.
RELATED: Jennifer Kesse case: Newly released police photos suggest violent struggle
While it has long been a dead end because the person of interest's face isn't visible, the goal is now to match the ear with every publicly available photo database.
"An ear is just like an eye or a fingerprint. It's very unique to a person," explained Drew Kesse. "When we find the ear, then we find the person."
Even more reason for hope is that new DNA samples were tested last year, with investigators closer than ever to identifying several people they'd like to speak with.
What they're saying:
But her parents are only left to speculate, for now, on what someone could have wanted with their daughter.
"I personally still think that Jennifer was taken and taken out of the area state and maybe country very quickly," said Drew Kesse. "Not specifically for Jennifer, but specifically for a female who was alone."
This started when they were in their 40s, and now, Drew and Joyce Kesse are nearing 70 and Jennifer is frozen in time at 24.
After having been through so much, with the top of the mountain still to reach, it remains a question of how long until they keep going.
"Until we die," said Joyce Kesse.
"Yeah, whatever it takes," said Drew Kesse. "We have unconditional love for our children and our family. We've said it every time he's asked. There's no quit in us."
The Source: This article was written with interviews with the Kesse family conducted by FOX 13’s Evan Axelbank.