Her family said she suffered from mental health issues and feared being institutionalized, CBS Pittsburgh reported. According to police records, surveillance footage showed the two men entering the hotel lobby Englehardt, at about 1 a.m. on Thursday, March 18, then exiting the hotel without Englehardt about 30 minutes later. When your wife goes missing, youre a suspect.. A twin sister of Patricia Kopta died without knowing her fellow twin was still alive. She was a . Two North Carolina residents were arrested in Miami Beach last week after a Pennsylvania woman was found dead in a hotel room days earlier. She Was Just Found in Puerto Rico, Check Your Change! 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. Upon her release, she kept preaching until she vanished in 1992. "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. If investigators find the pill that led to her death, the suspects could face manslaughter or murder charges. The disappearance stumped authorities and family alike. ALSO SEE: Miami Beach chaos isnt all college spring breakers. Pa. Woman Went Missing in 1992 and Declared Dead. She Was Just Found in Christine . She says shes been unable to speak to the elder sibling on the phone because she cannot hold a conversation given her dementia. Evoire Collier, 21, and Dorian Taylor, 24, are accused of stealing the womans credit cards. Police are investigating a woman found shot dead in her car early Thursday morning in East Salem. ___ AP researcher Rhonda Shafner contributed from New York. Investigators believe Englehardt made contact with the suspects in a restaurant. Pennsylvania woman declared dead found alive in Puerto Rico decades later "We really thought she was dead all those years. She then got a job as an elevator operator at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Theyre also accused of stealing her credit cards and using them at several locations across Miami Beach. Kopta, once known as a street preacher in her home town, initially kept her past secret while in Puerto Rico. 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. She died in South Beach hotel - Miami Herald, Men visiting Miami Beach drugged and raped woman who later died, police say - WPLG, Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation Inmate Search. But before she began preaching, Kopta was a straight-A student who became a model and dance instructor. They are charged with sexual battery as well. "She would always hang out down in Pittsburgh where things were going on. Latest Parkinson's Treatment Might Surprise You, Mother found 15-year-old daughter dead in apartment, police say, Former Puyallup police officer arrested for rape, linked to another unsolved assault, Police investigating how 3 men accused of murder entered Peachtree City teen's apartment, 18-year-old wanted for allegedly shooting girl at Monroeville hotel arrested, Woman possibly kidnapped by man she met on dating app: suburban police, Woman dead, 3 men hospitalized after shooting in West Palm Beach apartment, Akron Police arrest man for murder of 1-year-old killed in 2020 triple shooting, Young woman found stabbed to death inside suburban home. The Medical Examiner has not made a ruling on the cause of death as they are still awaiting toxicology results, officials said. Her husband, Bob Kopta, and her surviving sister, 78-year-old Gloria Smith. 2 men accused of drugging, raping Pa. woman found dead in Miami hotel room 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. 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. These Valuable Pennies Are Worth Thousands, Alleged Miami Beach Serial Rapist Facing More Charges After 5th Accuser Comes Forward. So he published ads in Puerto Rican newspapers, but never got a response. Privacy Policy | "To lose your child just to go down for a little vacation," Doreen said . WPLG-TV reports the woman's body was found partially clothed in her room at the hotel, according to Miami Beach Police. The people causing problems on Miami Beach are mostly out-of-state visitors, but many aren't college spring breakers, city officials say. Evoire Collier, 21, and Dorian Taylor, 24, both of North Carolina, were arrested over the weekend and charged with sexual battery and burglary. Bob Kopta reported his wife, Patricia, missing in 1992. filled in details of Kopta's life at the news conference and in telephone interviews Friday with The Associated Press. Terms of Use | 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. 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.. 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. According to police, the body of Christine Englehardt, of Richboro, Bucks County, was found on March 18. Is it Patricia?'". A DNA test has confirmed her identity, Kohlhepp said. Two North Carolina men, Evoire Collier, 21, and Dorian Taylor, 24, have been accused of drugging Englehardt with a "green. Smith said her sister quit her job at the glass company after 10 years because of migraines that doctors blamed on stress. The Miami Herald reports Collier confessed to police, The Miami Herald quotes the police report, 2 spring breakers drugged, raped woman, then partied, cops say. 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. Total shock," Gloria Smith said of learning the news. Men visiting Miami Beach drugged and raped woman who later died - WPLG All rights reserved, died after being drugged and raped in a Miami Beach hotel room. "It's a sad thing, but it's a relief off my mind," her husband said. If you need help with the Public File, call (954) 364-2526. The victim was identified by authorities as 24-year-old Christine Englehardt from Pennsylvania. RELATED: Police chief says Miami spring break partying 'couldn't go on any longer'. She would vacation often in Puerto Rico with her friends before she got married, Smith recalled. Collier and Taylor are facing charges of burglary with battery, petty theft, sexual battery and credit card fraud. I come home one night, and shes just gone, Bob Kopta told the AP. 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 (WPVI) -- 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. According to police, the body of Christine Englehardt, of Richboro, Bucks County, was found on March 18. 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. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. By Lauren Silver, Cox Media Group National Content Desk. Meanwhile, Patricia Kopta apparently was wandering the island's northern towns of Naranjito, Corozal and Toa Alta, located just southwest of the capital of San Juan. Mourners laid flowers in a vigil Friday for the Pennsylvania woman who was found dead inside a Miami Beach hotel room. Police arrested Dorian Taylor, 24, and Evoire Collier, 21, both from North Carolina. (Ross Township Police . Christine Englehardt: 2 Accused of Drugging, Sexually Assaulting Woman Missing Pennsylvania woman found alive after more than 30 years. Surveillance cameras from the Albion Hotel on James Avenue show Englehardt with the two men around 1 a.m. that morning. I thought maybe she had died.. Two North Carolina men face charges in the case. Five-time Emmy Award-winning newscaster Calvin Hughes anchors WPLG-Local 10's 4, 5, 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts. Kopta, now 86, recalled how they met near a river in Pittsburgh where he had a boat. Elizabeth Khamermesh remembered her high school friend Englehardt as a bright person with dreams. "She was the person you brought in that lit up the whole room. I went through a lot, said Bob Kopta, a retired truck driver. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Police chief says Miami spring break partying 'couldn't go on any longer'. 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. 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. Investigators believe the suspects gave the victim a green pill to drug her. In 1972, they married. Woman's sexual assault, death on South Beach devastates family Miami Beach chaos isnt all college spring breakers. Bucks County woman drugged, raped before death at Miami Beach hotel Pennsylvania woman missing since 1992 found alive in Puerto Rico Recommended Stories Business Insider GOP Gov. Smith, on the other hand, wants to go to the island to see her older sister. When your wife goes missing, youre a suspect.. If investigators find the pill led to her death, the suspects could face manslaughter or murder charges. But before she began preaching, Kopta was a straight-A student who became a model and dance instructor. A woman who police say died after being drugged and raped in a Miami Beach hotel room was visiting Florida from the Philadelphia suburbs. Woman Found Dead In Miami Hotel Room, Boyfriend Reportedly Missing The disappearance stumped authorities and family alike. According to authorities, the. Online jail records did not indicate whether the two had an attorney who could speak for them. 1 min read. He obtained a death declaration about seven years after her disappearance. 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. 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. Shortly afterward, Kopta began preaching and was briefly institutionalized after doctors diagnosed her with delusions of grandeur and said she had signs of schizophrenia. If the drug they are alleged to have given to Englehardt is proven to have played a role in her death, they could also be facing a manslaughter or murder charge. Vigil planned for spring breaker who died after being raped in Miami She said something about seeing an angel there, Smith recalled. The two men are accused of going with the woman 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, WPLG reports. Miami Beach police say the woman was found partly nude and lifeless inside her room at the Albion on James Avenue on Thursday. . "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. A 24-year-old Pennsylvania woman was found dead at the Albion Hotel on James Avenue in Miami Beach on Thursday, March 18. 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. "This is the last person I would ever think this would happen to. 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. "It is just very sad to see someone die so young, she didn't deserve it, it was horrible," Khamermesh. The Miami Herald quotes the police report: The fact that the victim was under the influence of alcohol and narcotics, she could not have consented to sex with the defendants.. "I went through a lot," said Bob Kopta, a retired truck driver. She says shes been unable to speak to the elder sibling on the phone because she cannot hold a conversation given her dementia. He gave her and her friends a ride and fell in love. He obtained a death declaration about seven years after her disappearance. Thats when family members noticed a change in her. ", First published on March 3, 2023 / 2:29 PM. By Antonio Planas and The Associated Press. A 24-year-old Pennsylvania woman was found dead in a Miami Beach hotel room last week; police said she'd been drugged and raped. Surveillance cameras from the Albion Hotel in South Beach show her with the two men around 1 a.m. that morning. She then got a job as an elevator operator at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Bob Kopta, who did not remarry, said he doesn't plan to visit, and that he's now trying to forget the past, though he's glad to know she's being taken care of. Copyright 2023 Local10.com is published by WPLG INC., a Berkshire Hathaway company. Englehardt is a graduate of Council Rock High School North and was a manager at Jules Thin Crust Pizza in Newtown. Englehardt came from Pennsylvania to Miami Beach for spring break. I went through a lot, said Bob Kopta, a retired truck driver. Investigators say she was drugged and raped by two men. Warner Bros. Entertainment | South Beach death: Woman, 24, found dead in Florida hotel room was Shortly afterward, Kopta began preaching and was briefly institutionalized after doctors diagnosed her with delusions of grandeur and said she had signs of schizophrenia. Investigators believe Englehardt made contact with the suspects in a restaurant. Bob Kopta reported his wife, Patricia, missing in 1992. 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. ROSS TWP., Pennsylvania -- A Pennsylvania woman missing for more than three decades has been found alive in Puerto Rico. By last year, a social worker at the home had enough information to alert authorities back home about the now-83-year-old woman. Woman Found Dead In Miami Hotel Room, Boyfriend Reportedly Missing 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. March 3, 2023, 4:10 PM PST. Kopta, now 86, recalled how they met near a river in Pittsburgh where he had a boat. filled in details of Koptas life at the news conference and in telephone interviews Friday with The Associated Press. The suspects were reportedly recorded on video using the credit cards around Miami Beach, including at a liquor store. On Friday night, publicist Nick D'Annunzio organized a vigil to honor the memory of Englehardt, according to ABC affiliate WPLG. 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 . To think she went through what she went through, it's sickening; it's sick," DiFrancesco said. Englehardt is a graduate of Council Rock High School North and was a manager at Jules Thin Crust Pizza in Newtown, Pennsylvania. 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! In recent weeks, South Beach has seen brawls, crowd stampedes and police confrontations involving the use of pepper balls.. Sign up to receive breaking True Crime Daily news, exclusive stories and behind-the-scenes info. "Every time they'd find a body somewhere (I wondered), 'Is it Patricia? May 18, 2021 / 6:48 PM / CBS Miami. She would vacation often in Puerto Rico with her friends before she got married, Smith recalled. Chris. She just loved the ocean, the beach, the warm sunshine, Smith told the AP. Two North Carolina men are accused of drugging and raping the Pennsylvania woman. According to police, the body of Christine Englehardt, of Richboro, Bucks County, was found on March 18. The medical examiner has not made a ruling on the cause of death as toxicology results are pending, officials said. 2 spring breakers drugged, raped, robbed PA woman found dead at hotel ___ AP researcher Rhonda Shafner contributed from New York. She said something about seeing an angel there, Smith recalled. To think that someone would do this to her, she was young too, said Hailey Davis, the victims friend. Pa. Woman Who Died During Miami Beach Vacation Remembered as 'Ray of Kohlhepp said those who knew her in Puerto Rico finally made the connection and contacted Ross Township police, CBS Pittsburgh reported. Surveillance video reportedly shows two men entering the Albion Hotel with the victim and later leaving without her. A Pennsylvania woman who vanished more than three decades ago and was declared legally dead, was found alive in a Puerto . Thats when family members noticed a change in her. "When your wife goes missing, you're a suspect.". I thought maybe she had died.. 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 . 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. Her laugh was the most contagious laugh," said DiFrancesco. All Rights Reserved. Vigil held for Bucks County, Pa. woman found dead in Miami hotel room They are currently being held without bond. Miami Beach spring break horror: Woman found dead in hotel room Police allege the suspects, from . In 1972, they married. Smith said her sister quit her job at the glass company after 10 years because of migraines that doctors blamed on stress. "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. 2023 Telepictures Productions Inc. A possible drug overdose was suspected. D'Annunzio never met Englehardt, but he said the news of her death really affected him. 2 men accused of drugging, raping Pa. woman found dead in Miami hotel room. 2 North Carolina men arrested after Pennsylvania woman found dead in Investigators believe the suspects gave the victim a green pill to drug her. Former U.S. 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. Surveillance cameras from the Albion Hotel on James Avenue show her with the two men around 1 a.m. that morning. The men are also accused of stealing her cell phone, cash and credit cards once Englehardt was unconscious, according to a judge. After graduating high school, she worked in finance at a Pittsburgh plate glass company and would attend ballroom dancing events weekly, according to her family. Missing Pennsylvania woman found alive after more than 30 years 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. 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. Two Miami Spring Breakers Drugged, Raped Woman Found Dead: Cops 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. 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. ROSS TWP., Pennsylvania -- A Pennsylvania woman missing for more than three decades has been found alive in Puerto Rico. / CBS/AP. She always said she wanted to go to a warm climate," he said. Years went by with no sign of her. 2 men accused of drugging, raping Pa. woman found dead in Miami hotel room It worked. A twin sister of Patricia Kopta died without knowing her fellow twin was still alive.