Its a sad thing, but its a relief off my mind, her husband said. Police found the body of Marelbi Ruiz Lara, 47, inside a room at the Sherry Frontenac Hotel on Collins Avenue in Miami beach on Tuesday evening, after a coworker called for a welfare . After a social worker contacted police in Pennsylvania, it took almost a year for DNA samples to confirm that the woman was indeed Patricia Kopta. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. The Associated Press contributed to this report. SEE ALSO: 2 men accused of drugging, raping Bucks County woman found dead in Miami hotel room. Bucks County woman found dead in Miami hotel room remembered . According to police, the body of Christine Englehardt, of Richboro, Bucks County, was found on March 18. Do not to buy Raspberry Rally cookies from eBay, Girl Scouts say, Brian Laundrie was 'emotional bully,' Petito family lawsuit says, Pa. woman missing since 1992 found alive in Puerto Rico. A possible drug overdose was suspected. A 24-year-old Pennsylvania woman was found dead inside a South Beach Miami hotel room after two men drugged and raped her, police said. The men are also accused of stealing her cell phone, cash and credit cards once Englehardt was unconscious, according to a judge. Copyright 2023 WPVI-TV. Patricia Kopta left behind a husband and siblings and meandered through northern Puerto Rico for a while before she was taken as a person "in need" to the adult care home in 1999, according to details announced at a news conference this week in Ross Township, where she once lived. Spring Breakers Arrested for Drugging, Raping Woman Who Later Died in Miami Hotel: Police, Police Chief Says Miami Partying Couldn't Go on Any Longer', Check Your Change! He added that one of the defendants actually helped hold her up as they went up to her hotel room. She just loved the ocean, the beach, the warm sunshine, Smith told the AP. Copyright 2021 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved. Police arrested Dorian Taylor, 24, and Evoire Collier, 21, both from North Carolina. Years went by with no sign of her. Kopta, once known as a street preacher in her home town, initially kept her past secret while in Puerto Rico. Investigators are trying to determine whether the victim's death resulted from a "green pill" the men supplied, but the Miami-Dade Medical Examiners Office said Monday it is conducting further tests, and no cause of death has been determined pending a toxicology report. I went through a lot, said Bob Kopta, a retired truck driver. Total shock," Gloria Smith said of learning the news. Detectives obtained surveillance video showing them entering the Albion Hotel with the victim and later leaving without her. MIAMI BEACH, Florida (WPVI) -- Residents in Miami Beach, Florida held a vigil on Friday night to honor a Pennsylvania woman who was found dead inside a hotel room earlier this month. Evoire Collier, 21, and Dorian Taylor, 24, both of North Carolina, were arrested over the weekend and charged with sexual battery and burglary. This type of crime should not be happening in our community," said D'Annunzio, who is the founding partner at TARA, Ink., a public relations agency that specializes in fashion, beauty, hospitality, and entertainment. A Pennsylvania woman who went missing more than 30 years ago in a case that stumped authorities who later declared her legally dead has been found living in a nursing home in Puerto Rico SAN JUAN . A Pennsylvania "street preacher" who mysteriously disappeared more than three decades ago was found alive in a nursing home in Puerto Rico, authorities and her family said Friday. Chris. The suspects are accused of stealing cash, credit cards and the womans phone and leaving her in her room without any concern for her welfare or safety.. Mourners laid flowers in a vigil Friday for the Pennsylvania woman who was found dead inside a Miami Beach hotel room. Christine Englehardt, of Richboro, Bucks County, was found dead on March 18. I thought maybe she had died.. Thats when family members noticed a change in her. All rights reserved, died after being drugged and raped in a Miami Beach hotel room. According to authorities, the body of Christine Englehardt was found last Thursday. Kopta, once known as a street preacher in her home town, initially kept her past secret while in Puerto Rico. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Please enter valid email address to continue. When there was a baseball game going on, when a concert was going on, she would be talking to people," Bob Kopta said about his wife. During the bond hearing, Collier's sister pleaded with the judge saying he has never been in trouble before. Miami Beach police say the woman was found partly nude and lifeless inside her room at the Albion on James Avenue on Thursday. Bob Kopta reported his wife, Patricia, missing in 1992. Kopta, now 86, recalled how they met near a river in Pittsburgh where he had a boat. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia newsletters. Collier and Taylor will reportedly be arraigned in about three weeks. A twin sister of Patricia Kopta died without knowing her fellow twin was still alive. By last year, a social worker at the home had enough information to alert authorities back home about the now-83-year-old woman. Shortly afterward, Kopta began preaching and was briefly institutionalized after doctors diagnosed her with delusions of grandeur and said she had signs of schizophrenia. Five-time Emmy Award-winning newscaster Calvin Hughes anchors WPLG-Local 10's 4, 5, 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts. If that is determined to be the case, the suspects could face a manslaughter or murder charge. A Pennsylvania woman who vanished more than three decades ago and was declared legally dead, was found alive in a Puerto . The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner's Office is still working to determine Christine Englehardt's cause of death after the young woman's semi-nude body was discovered Thursday at the Albion Hotel. I come home one night, and shes just gone, Bob Kopta told the AP. "I thought maybe she had died. According to police, the body of Christine Englehardt, of Richboro, Bucks County, was found on March 18. "I went through a lot," said Bob Kopta, a retired truck driver. "Shock. Former U.S. When your wife goes missing, youre a suspect.. A possible drug overdose was suspected. Online jail records did not indicate whether the two had an attorney who could speak for them. SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- A Pennsylvania woman who went missing more than 30 years ago in a case that stumped authorities who later declared her legally dead has been found living in a nursing home in Puerto Rico. MIAMI, Fla. (WTVD) -- A 24-year-old Pennsylvania woman was found dead inside a South Beach Miami hotel room after two North Carolina men drugged and raped her, police said. Samantha DiFrancesco, a close friend of Englehardt's, said she was a "genuinely good person.". Her father told NBC Miami that Englehardt traveled to South Florida from her Richboro home. "Whether she knows me or not, I still want to see her and give her a hug and tell her I love her," Smith said. All Rights Reserved. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters. "If you please let my brother come home and let our family handle the situation appropriately we will do whatever is necessary that Miami-Dade County asks of us. Patricia Kopta had been nicknamed The Sparrow because of her slight build, and often frequented parking lots and busy roads in the largely residential community of about 31,000 north of Pittsburgh, where she would caution passersby and motorists about the end of the world. Two North Carolina residents were arrested in Miami Beach last week after a Pennsylvania woman was found dead in a hotel room days earlier. Bob Kopta reported his wife, Patricia, missing in 1992. Christine Englehardt, 24, of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, was found dead at the Albion Hotel in Miami Beach on March 18, 2021. Whether she knows me or not, I still want to see her and give her a hug and tell her I love her, Smith said. "Im severely bewildered by these charges and accusations against him, but I can attest for his character and I can attest for responsibility of him standing trial for whatever charges," his sister said. By last year, a social worker at the home had enough information to alert authorities back home about the now-83-year-old woman. A Pennsylvania woman who went missing more than 30 years ago in a case that stumped authorities who later declared her legally dead has been found living in a nursing home in Puerto Rico. Mourners were gathering outside of the Albion Hotel, where. Warner Bros. Entertainment | Surveillance cameras from the Albion Hotel on James Avenue show her with the two men around 1 a.m. that morning. A Pennsylvania woman who went missing more than 30 years ago in a case that stumped authorities who later declared her legally dead has been found living in a nursing home in Puerto Rico. She said something about seeing an angel there, Smith recalled. Surveillance cameras from the Albion Hotel in South Beach show her with the two men around 1 a.m. that morning. He obtained a death declaration about seven years after her disappearance. Strangers leave roses in front of the hotel where police say a female tourist was drugged, raped and left to die @nbc6 pic.twitter.com/NtnnzwSUZS. ___ AP researcher Rhonda Shafner contributed from New York. Bob Kopta, who did not remarry, said he doesnt plan to visit, and that hes now trying to forget the past, though hes glad to know shes being taken care of. Mourners were gathering outside of the Albion Hotel, where 24-year-old Christine Englehardt was discovered dead on March 19 after officials say she was drugged and raped by two tourists. She then got a job as an elevator operator at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Patricia Kopta, a well-known Pittsburgh street preacher known as "The Sparrow," was found alive in Puerto Rico more than three decades after she went missing. Englehardt is a graduate of Council Rock High School North and was a manager at Jules Thin Crust Pizza in Newtown, Pennsylvania. We didn't expect it and it was a very big shock to find out she was alive, and we are so happy and I hope I can get down to see her.". Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison for murders of wife and son, Biden had cancerous skin lesion removed last month, doctor says, White supremacist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes kicked out of CPAC, Tom Sizemore, actor known for "Saving Private Ryan" and "Heat," dies at 61, Biden team readies new advisory panel ahead of expected reelection bid, House Democrats unhappy with White House handling of D.C.'s new criminal code, Vast majority of U.S. homes are unaffordable to the average buyer. She then got a job as an elevator operator at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Years went by with no sign of her. Her husband, Bob Kopta, and her surviving sister, 78-year-old Gloria Smith. Investigators believe the suspects gave the victim a green pill to drug her. The disappearance stumped authorities and family alike. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. In 1972, they married. Police are investigating a woman found shot dead in her car early Thursday morning in East Salem. Patricia Kopta, Pittsburgh street preacher missing since 1992, found alive in Puerto Rico 02:03. Her laugh was the most contagious laugh," said DiFrancesco. If investigators find the pill led to her death, the suspects could face manslaughter or murder charges. Evoire Collier (left) and Dorian Taylor (right) were both charged with burglary with assault or battery; sexual battery; credit card fraud; and theft. Evoire Collier, 21, and Dorian Taylor, 24, both of North Carolina, were arrested and charged with sexual battery and burglary. She had her whole life still to do things and she had dreams and goals and all these things shell never be able to do now because of them., Investigators say the two men met their victim at a restaurant, gave her a green pill and went to her hotel where they had sex with her multiple times and once she was unconscious or out the suspects remained inside the unit and didnt call for assistance or help and began to take all her items.. In 1972, they married. "As she asked and spoke more, she leaked enough details about her identity that they were able to connect enough dots to contact us," Kohlhepp said. MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- A 24-year-old Pennsylvania woman was found dead inside a Miami Beach hotel room after two men drugged and raped her last week, police said. A DNA test has confirmed her identity, Kohlhepp said. Kohlhepp said those who knew her in Puerto Rico finally made the connection and contacted Ross Township police, CBS Pittsburgh reported. MIAMI, Fla. (WFLA) A woman was found dead at a Florida hotel after she was allegedly drugged and raped by two spring breakers who stole her credit cards to spend money on their trip, police said. Two North Carolina men, Evoire Collier, 21, and Dorian Taylor, 24, have been accused of drugging Englehardt with a "green. But before she began preaching, Kopta was a straight-A student who became a model and dance instructor. Car dealership workers kidnapped, tortured in armed robbery: police, Woman buys new tires that turn out to be 9 years old. A Pittsburgh woman who went missing more than 30 years ago in a case that stumped authorities who . Police chief says Miami spring break partying 'couldn't go on any longer'. Smith, on the other hand, wants to go to the island to see her older sister. They are currently being held without bond. Both men matched the description given to police and were stopped and detained by detectives Sunday. ", Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. A pair of tourists in South Beach for spring break have been charged with drugging and raping a woman who was later found dead in a hotel. If investigators find the pill that led to her death, the suspects could face manslaughter or murder charges. An undated photo of Christine Englehardt, 24, who authorities say. Christine Englehardt of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, died Thursday morning after being found at the AlbionHotel on Miami Beach, police in Florida said. The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner's Office did not release a cause of death. ___ AP researcher Rhonda Shafner contributed from New York. Every time theyd find a body somewhere (I wondered), Is it Patricia? If investigators find the pill that led to her death, the suspects could face manslaughter or murder charges. Is it Patricia?. She would vacation often in Puerto Rico with her friends before she got married, Smith recalled. All rights reserved. ROSS TWP., Pennsylvania -- A Pennsylvania woman missing for more than three decades has been found alive in Puerto Rico. The men are accused of drugging, sexually assaulting and stealing from 24-year-old Christine Englehardt, who was later found dead in her Miami Beach hotel room. She says shes been unable to speak to the elder sibling on the phone because she cannot hold a conversation given her dementia. Waiting for your permission to load facebook comments. Patricia Kopta left behind a husband and siblings and meandered through northern Puerto Rico for a while before she was taken as a person in need to the adult care home in 1999, according to details announced at a news conference this week in Ross Township, where she once lived. When she first was taken in at the adult home, she had hinted that she had arrived in Puerto Rico via a cruise ship from Europe, Kohlhepp said. I went through a lot, said Bob Kopta, a retired truck driver. Evoire Collier, 21, and Dorian Taylor, 24, are accused of stealing the womans credit cards. All Rights Reserved. MIAMI, Fla. (WGHP) A Pennsylvania man who was wanted after a woman was found dead in a North Carolina hotel earlier this week was found and arrested in Miami, Florida, according to the Davie . "She would always hang out down in Pittsburgh where things were going on. Soldier Gets 45 Years for Helping Neo-Nazi Group in Plot to Kill Troops, Jan. 6 Rioter Guilty of Stealing Badge and Radio From Beaten Officer, From Haiti Through Liberty City to Top Federal Prosecutor in South Florida: the Unlikely Story of Markenzy Lapointe, Pa. Woman Went Missing in 1992 and Declared Dead. "I didn't believe it. The Miami Herald reports the 24-year-old Pennsylvania woman was found "semi nude" and dead Thursday in her hotel room in Miami Beach. Copyright 2023 WPVI-TV. Her husband, Bob Kopta, and her surviving sister, 78-year-old Gloria Smith. Recommended Stories Business Insider GOP Gov. But on March 18, the Bucks County, Pennsylvania woman was found dead in her hotel room while on vacation in Miami Beach. The victim was identified by authorities as 24-year-old. She Was Just Found in Puerto Rico, Check Your Change! It just breaks your heart when you know she was a genuinely good person who would do anything for anybody. Investigators believe the suspects gave the victim a green pill to drug her. To think that someone would do this to her, she was young too, said Hailey Davis, the victims friend. "We really thought she was dead all those years. The missing person case of Patricia Kopta has been solved. I thought maybe she had died.. ", First published on March 3, 2023 / 2:29 PM. A twin sister of Patricia Kopta died without knowing her fellow twin was still alive. In recent weeks, South Beach has seen brawls, crowd stampedes and police confrontations involving the use of pepper balls.. But before she began preaching, Kopta was a straight-A student who became a model and dance instructor. Smith said her sister quit her job at the glass company after 10 years because of migraines that doctors blamed on stress. Christian De La Rosa joined Local 10 News in April 2017 after spending time as a reporter and anchor in Atlanta, San Diego, Orlando and Panama City Beach. ROSS TWP., Pennsylvania -- A Pennsylvania woman missing for more than three decades has been found alive in Puerto Rico. Two North Carolina men are accused of drugging and raping the Pennsylvania woman. Surveillance video reportedly shows two men entering the Albion Hotel with the victim and later leaving without her. Investigators say she was drugged and raped by two men. Missing Pennsylvania woman found alive after more than 30 years. But she began to divulge details as she suffered progressively from dementia, Ross Township Deputy Police Chief Brian Kohlhepp said. accused of drugging and raping a 24-year-old woman later found dead in her hotel room. Shortly afterward, Kopta began preaching and was briefly institutionalized after doctors diagnosed her with "delusions of grandeur" and said she had signs of schizophrenia. According to the Miami Herald: The arrests come as Miami Beach police and city officials have been grappling with the overwhelming spring break crowds, instituting an 8 p.m. curfew aimed at cracking down on rowdy revelers on the streets. Miami Beach police are investigating the death of a woman whose body was found barricaded in a hotel room she reportedly shared with her now-missing boyfriend. RELATED: Police chief says Miami spring break partying 'couldn't go on any longer'. Englehardt came from Pennsylvania to Miami Beach for spring break. One of the Miami Beach detectives on the case testified at a bond hearing Monday and said that based on the surveillance footage, Englehardt was staggering and appeared to be in no condition to give any kind of consent prior to entering the hotel. Both men were held without bond. MIAMI BEACH, Florida (WPVI) -- Residents in Miami Beach, Florida held a vigil on Friday night to honor a Pennsylvania woman who was found dead inside a hotel room earlier this month. One investigator said that a court surveillance video shows the suspects holding the victim up and that the video made it clear she was unable to consent. "Miami Beach, we have blood on our hands. She then got a job as an elevator operator at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Kopta, now 86, recalled how they met near a river in Pittsburgh where he had a boat. She Was Just Found in Puerto Rico, Actor Tom Sizemore, of Saving Private Ryan,' Dies at 61. Ad Choices. Her husband, Bob Kopta, and Gloria Smith, 78, filled in details of Koptas life at the news conference and in telephone interviews Friday with The Associated Press. She Was Just Found in Puerto Rico, Check Your Change! So he published ads in Puerto Rican newspapers, but never got a response. Evoire Collier, 21, and Dorian Taylor, 24, then allegedly stole her phone and credit cards, using them to fund their South Beach vacation, police said. All Rights Reserved. Miami Beach's commission meets and decides to extend a curfew and causeway closures for at least the next three weekends while out-of-town crowds gather in the city. She always said she wanted to go to a warm climate," he said. A DNA test has confirmed her identity, Kohlhepp said. Updated: Mar 3, 2023 / 02:26 PM EST. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. March 24, 2021, 12:10 AM. To think she went through what she went through, it's sickening; it's sick," DiFrancesco said. Read full article. She says she's been unable to speak to the elder sibling on the phone because she cannot hold a conversation, given her dementia. Patricia Kopta had been nicknamed "The Sparrow" because of her slight build, and often frequented parking lots and busy roads in the largely residential community of about 31,000 north of Pittsburgh, where she would caution passersby and motorists about the end of the world. RELATED: Police chief says Miami spring break partying 'couldn't go on any longer'. Patricia Kopta left behind a husband and siblings and meandered through northern Puerto Rico for a while before she was taken as a person in need to the adult care home in 1999, according to details announced at a news conference this week in Ross Township, where she once lived. Miami Beach police are investigating the death of a woman whose body was found barricaded in a hotel room she reportedly shared with her now-missing boyfriend. Police went as far as to consult a psychic, while Kopta recalled his wife once mentioned she would like to go to Puerto Rico because of its balmy weather. Upon her release, she kept preaching until she vanished in 1992. Investigators believe Englehardt made contact with the suspects in a restaurant. Meanwhile, Patricia Kopta apparently was wandering the islands northern towns of Naranjito, Corozal and Toa Alta, located just southwest of the capital of San Juan. According to police, the body of Christine Englehardt, of Richboro, Bucks County, was found on March 18. Smith, on the other hand, wants to go to the island to see her older sister. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. But before she began preaching, Kopta was a straight-A student who became a model and dance instructor. Patricia Kopta left behind a husband and siblings and meandered through northern Puerto Rico for a while before she was taken as a person "in need" to the . He gave her and her friends a ride and fell in love. (Ross Township Police . A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. "She just loved the ocean, the beach, the warm sunshine," Smith told the AP. According to . A Pennsylvania woman who went missing more than 30 years ago in a case that stumped authorities who later declared her legally dead has been found living in a nursing home in Puerto Rico. The men are accused of stealing the dead woman's credit cards to help fund their South Beach vacation, the report says. Smith said her sister quit her job at the glass company after 10 years because of migraines that doctors blamed on stress. Samantha DiFrancesco, a close friend of Englehardt's, said she was a "genuinely good person.". Christine Englehardt of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, died Thursday morning after being found at the Albion Hotel on Miami Beach during spring break, police said By NBC10 Staff Published March . Two North Carolina men face charges in the case. He obtained a death declaration about seven years after her disappearance. By Antonio Planas and The Associated Press. The victim was identified by authorities as 24-year-old Christine Englehardt from Pennsylvania. After a social worker contacted police in Pennsylvania, it took almost a year for DNA samples to confirm that the woman was indeed Patricia Kopta. These Valuable Pennies Are Worth Thousands, Alleged Miami Beach Serial Rapist Facing More Charges After 5th Accuser Comes Forward. Crowds continue to pack South Beach and even with an 8 p.m. curfew, law enforcement has their hands full. RELATED: Police chief says Miami spring break partying 'couldn't go on any longer'. "It is just very sad to see someone die so young, she didn't deserve it, it was horrible," Khamermesh. Smith said her sister quit her job at the glass company after 10 years because of migraines that doctors blamed on stress. March 03, 2023 at 10:52 am EST. A 24-year-old Pennsylvania woman was found dead inside a South Beach Miami hotel room after two men drugged and raped her, police said. Kopta, a street preacher known as "The Sparrow," was reported missing by her husband in 1992 and was found in Puerto Rico, March 3, 2023. Police went as far as to consult a psychic, while Kopta recalled his wife once mentioned she would like to go to Puerto Rico because of its balmy weather. 2 men accused of drugging, raping Pa. woman found dead in Miami hotel room. The medical examiner has not made a ruling on the cause of death as toxicology results are pending, officials said. D'Annunzio never met Englehardt, but he said the news of her death really affected him. Miami Beach police say the woman was found partly nude and lifeless inside her room at the Albion on James Avenue on Thursday. "I don't . Taylor and Collier appeared in court Monday and are being held with no bond. ALSO SEE: Miami Beach chaos isnt all college spring breakers. A woman who police say died after being drugged and raped in a Miami Beach hotel room was visiting Florida from the Philadelphia suburbs. She was a . 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