The morning of February 8, 2002, began the same as any other day for Brenda's family. She dropped her children off at school (as she did every morning) but then seemed to vanish into thin air. No one knew what happened to her but speculations of domestic violence were being thrown around. 11 years later, Brenda reappeared and turned herself in after she admitted to being "tired of running." But why made Brenda think her family did not want her? Read on to find out...
Her Family Experienced a Great Loss
When Brenda disappeared, her husband was left to raise the children on his own. His children were still relatively young and needed all of their father’s attention. As a result, Lee quit his job to be there for his children and support them during a very difficult time; the family had not only lost a mother and wife, but also their financial stability.
After she vanished, the family faced financial ruin and lost their home, car, and source of income. Lee described the situation that his family found themselves in during a news conference; he said that “we lost everything, we moved into assisted housing … It was not an easy issue."
Lee Became a Prime Suspect
Lee Heist had a lot on his plate when his wife suddenly disappeared. He had no idea where she was or if something terrible had happened to her. Lee spent his days trying to find his wife while making sure that his children had a roof over their heads and food in their bellies. Not only that, but he had just become the police department’s prime suspect in the disappearance of Brenda Heist.
Lee later claimed that he could deal with all of that. But there was one thing in particular that broke his heart and that was the neighborhood’s reaction. He claimed that "There were people in the neighborhood who would not let their children play with my children that hurt me more than anything else."
Brenda Heist Was Declared Dead
As we know, when Brenda disappeared, her family suffered both emotionally and financially. The family of four had become a family of three, and they had no form of income and had no idea as to when they would. Seven years had gone by and the police were no closer to finding Brenda than they had been on the day that she disappeared. So Lee found a way to bring their family some closure.
On June 10, 2009, Lee went down to the Lancaster County Court and declared his wife dead. With this declaration, the $100,000 insurance policy in Brenda's name could then be collected and used for the family to get back on their feet.
She Turned Herself In
Detective Sergeant John Schofield had been assigned to the missing person case and spent hours questioning neighbors, friends, coworkers, family members. But all of them had the same answer, that “there's no way she would have left her children." After years of searching for the missing mother, Brenda’s case went cold, until Brenda turned herself in at the Monroe County Sheriff's Office on April 26, 11 years later.
Brenda told police that she was wanted in Pennsylvania and handed them her ID for Brenda Heist. It didn't take long for police to verify her story and dial Schofield’s number. When he got the call, he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He had to see it for himself so he got on a plane and flew to Florida.
Her Reappearance May Bring Her Family Financial Ruin (Again)
After Brenda was declared dead in 2009, her family collected her life insurance money. But now that she has reappeared and is no longer declared dead, the family may have to pay the money back—plus interest! The situation that Lee finds himself in is "far outside of the realm of the normal."
Generally, if a person is in fact alive, the insurance company claims the whole policy amount back plus interest, but a case like this is more complicated and would go to court. Here it would gain public attention and the sympathy of jurors. Lancaster County attorney John Pyfer spoke on the matter, claiming that he understands both sides. However, in order to get the money back, the insurance company would need to prove that Lee knew that his wife was alive the whole time.
What Happened to Brenda Heist?
Brenda worked as a car dealership bookkeeper and spent her free time with her family. But what many didn’t know was that on the morning of her disappearance, Brenda and Lee were in the process of getting a divorce. In a desperate attempt to find a new home for herself, Brenda had applied for housing assistance.
Unfortunately, her application had been denied and Brenda didn’t know what to do next. Once her children entered the school grounds, she broke down. While she sat in her car crying, she was approached by three drifters. They asked her what was bothering her and invited her on their journey. But where were they going?
She Made Her Way to Florida
According to Brenda, she accepted the drifters’ invitation on a “whim.” The “two males and female” were headed to Florida, and to Brenda, any place was better than where she was right now. She told police that she joined them and drove to York, Pennsylvania, where they abandoned her car.
Here they met up with another group who were traveling to Florida. She described them as a “community down there living together." When they finally arrived at their destination, Brenda believed in her heart that her children were better off without her. So she changed her name to Kelsei "Lovie" Smith and began building a new identity for herself.
Brenda Lied to the Police
When Brenda turned herself in, she told police about her time in Florida. Her appearance had changed drastically over the years so everyone assumed the worst. Brenda knew this and so she told a story to match it. She told police that she had been homeless and finding shelter under bridges and in a tent.
Brenda claimed that the garage bins were her food source and that she had briefly lived with a man in a camper. However, the last two years she had spent on the streets. The more attention that Brenda’s case got, the more stories flooded in from people she had met in Florida. It turns out that when describing her last 11 years to the police, she left out that she lived a beach-bum lifestyle, assumed other identities, dated other men, and worked as a housekeeper. But wait, there was more.
She Found Love on the Streets
Part of Brenda’s story was true, she had in fact been homeless for the first two years following her disappearing act, yet she left out the fact that she had ended a long-term relationship with a man. For the next seven years, the couple lived in the camper and made money as day laborers. They would clean boats and do other odd jobs, all of which never required an ID.
Brenda claimed to have loved the man while they were together, but he had problems that she couldn’t handle any longer. The man used to abuse alcohol and pills, a combination that drove Brenda away. After the relationship ended, Brenda found herself wandering the streets once again. According to her ex-partner, when Brenda left, she took all of his money with her.
Making New Friends
One of Brenda’s friends from Florida came forward and shared some information about the Heist that she knew in 2010. Sondra Forrester first met Brenda after a neighbor recommended her as a housekeeper. Brenda, who had been going by the name Lovey Smith, would babysit their children. The neighbor spoke highly of her and so Forrester hired her.
In the beginning, Forrester claimed that they would share small talk and exchange pleasantries. But as time went on, their conversations became more personal. Finally, the two grew close and shared more intimate details of their life, or so Forrester thought.
Brenda Fed People Lies
When the women first met, Brenda told Forrester that she was in a bad relationship with her boyfriend. Forrester said that "She described it as sort of an abusive situation, saying that he was maybe an alcoholic.” This part of her story may have been true, considering that she had been involved with a man, but what came next was a web of lies.
Forrester believed that the woman before her had lived a hard life but it couldn’t have been further from the truth. She told Forrester that she never had children, nor did she ever want them. Heist claimed that her mother had died when she was only six years old and that she was a widow. Brenda even told Forrester that “she had been married for, like, 20 years to a man named Lee” but that “he had died."
Brenda Moved In With Forrester
Time passed and the women formed a friendship. Forrester wanted to help Brenda and invited her to move in with her family; Brenda accepted and ended up living there for between 10 to 11 months. According to Forrester, Brenda would use their computer and cell phone daily. She even had a Facebook page and had an active profile on an internet dating site. Forrester said that "She had friends outside of me."
Forrester told police that "we were close, she was a friend, and we did things on weekends." Brenda even played with her three children and referred to them as her "sweeties." Therefore, the family was shocked at the latest photos of Brenda. Forester claimed that during her stay, Brenda looked nothing like the woman who walked into the police station.
Another Twist in the Tale
Just when you thought that things couldn’t get stranger, Forrester revealed a chilling detail. During her stay with the Forresters, Heist grew close with one of their sons who just so happened to be around the same age as the one she left behind in Pennsylvania. But he knew her as Miss Lovey. So when her true identity was revealed, Forrester decided to break the news to her son, gently.
But his reaction wasn’t what she had been expecting. He responded by saying that he already knew. Forrester described the encounter with her son saying that "I was stunned that he knew that.” When she asked how he knew, the little boy replied with a simple, “Miss Lovey told me.”
The Forresters Moved Away
At the beginning of 2012, Forrester broke the news to Brenda that she could no longer live with them. The family was moving in a different direction and unfortunately, it didn’t involve her. But Forrester claimed that Brenda wasn’t left out on the streets. She moved in with Forrester’s ex-husband and then in with a family that she was working for in Gulf Breeze.
Forrester claims that this is where Brenda had been living “ until very recently." Forrester’s ex-husband grew worried as Brenda’s phone had been disconnected and her Facebook page taken down. But when he arrived at the home, the owner claimed that he hadn’t seen her in weeks.
An Attempt to End It All
Brenda told the police that three days before she turned herself in, she tried to perform an act to end it all. She attempted to commit suicide by swallowing a bunch of sleeping and sinus pills. Much to her dismay, all this did was cause her to throw them all up. Once again, Brenda found herself in a position with nowhere to turn.
She had no money and had finally grown tired of running. That was when she decided to walk to the police station and reveal her true identity.
An Emotional Reunion
When Brenda’s mother (who is very much alive) heard the news about her daughter, she claimed that she was both stunned and elated. Jean Copenhaver had heard the news of her daughter’s reappearance from Lee Heist (whose reaction we’ll get into in a bit). Making her way from Texas, all Jean wanted to do was hold her daughter close.
While Brenda told police of her time in Florida, her mother walked into the interview room. Heist cried as her mother held her, telling her that everything was going to be alright. Copenhaver believes that her daughter had a “nervous breakdown." But she wasn’t worried about the past, she’s focused on getting her daughter the help that she needs and as soon as she possibly can.
A Doctors Opinion on Heist’s Behavior
According to Copenhaver, her daughter was under a lot of stress from her divorce and failed assisted living applications. She truly believes that her daughter had a “nervous breakdown” and that she saw running to be her only chance of survival, yet doctors had a slightly different opinion on her behavior.
When she was a child, Heist’s father was involved in the military. This meant that their family was constantly moving. One doctor believes that this may have left her with issues forming healthy attachments with those around her. Another doctor had a theory that growing up with an alcoholic father left her without being taught coping skills necessary for dealing with life’s issues.
What Happened to Brenda?
After Brenda spoke to the police, she was held in prison for a parole violation. According to reports, she had stolen a driver’s license from one of the homes that she cleaned in Florida. She was also charged for possession of marijuana and a number of traffic violations. Brenda was also in trouble for forgery and for providing law enforcement with a false name.
Despite knowing that she was going to be in trouble with the police, Brenda turned herself in any way. Maybe she also made this decision on a “whim.”
What Happened to Brenda?
After Brenda spoke to the police, she was held in prison for a parole violation. According to reports, she had stolen a driver’s license from one of the homes that she cleaned in Florida. She was also charged for possession of marijuana and a number of traffic violations. Brenda was also in trouble for forgery and for providing law enforcement with a false name.
Despite knowing that she was going to be in trouble with the police, Brenda turned herself in any way. Maybe she also made this decision on a “whim.”
Her Family Moved On
While Brenda was in Florida creating a new life for herself, her family was at home trying to recreate theirs. When she finally reappeared, Heist’s daughter was a 19-year-old freshman at Montgomery County Community College. Her son had recently graduated from West Chester University and is on his way to becoming a police officer. And her former husband, Lee Heist, has since gotten remarried.
Brenda’s daughter wanted nothing to do with her mother, stating that she hopes she “rots in hell.” Lee claims that he’s allowing the children to make their own decision when it comes to having a relationship with their mother. He told Schofield that “they're adults now, and he's going to respect whatever decision they make."
After Being Missing for 42 Years, Woman Is Found in the Strangest Place
Imagine driving your loved one to see the doctor for a routine checkup and coming back to find them missing. That is precisely what happened to a couple from upstate New York. A man drove his wife to her doctor's appointment on August 3, 1975, and told his wife that he would return as soon as it was over. The wife agreed to wait for her husband's return, so off the husband went running his errands.
When the husband returned, he expected to find his wife waiting for him. Instead, he sat waiting for her, and when she did not show up, he received the shock of his life. The receptionists at the front desk explained to him that his wife was nowhere in the office. What could have possibly happened to her while he was gone? It would take a long and grueling 42 years for the mystery of where his wife went to be solved.
Just a Cold
The day started like any other for the Stevens. They both had their to-do lists. Florence "Flora" Stevens had a doctor’s appointment and her husband too had a list of things to get accomplished and so, he took Flora to the local clinic to get her cold checked out.
Flora's husband drove her to the clinic and dropped her off with the intention of picking her up later. But little did he know that he would be going home alone that night. Florence was a 36-year-old woman full of life. She lived for adventure and excitement which is why it was so startling to discover that she was missing when her husband went to pick her up from the local clinic.
The Catskills Resort
The summer of 1975 was a fun roller coaster of a time. There was a vibe in the air and it was a high time, where the parties were constant and the good times could be had by anyone, anywhere.
For Flora, her good time happened to be at her place of employment. She worked at the lavish and hip resort call The Concord located in the Catskills. The Concord was the place to be since it held 1,200 rooms and was a huge hit for tourists and locals to unwind.
Education Is Important
During the investigation into Flora's whereabout, the detectives discovered that she once attended Lincoln High School in New York. The officers on the case learned this bit of information from her application to The Concord.
But how was an old high school name going to help the police locate Flora? With hardly anything to go on, there was one thing the detectives did know, she was married to a man named Robert Stevens.
End of the Line
Back in 1975 people didn't have the internet to help them locate missing family members. In fact, trying to find someone was a whole different ball game with a different set of rules. And for Flora, no one knew if she had any family she might have gone off to visit.
Not even her husband had any ideas of where his wife could have gone. There were no breadcrumbs leading him to her. There was no cellphone to track which made it incredibly difficult to figure out where she may have gone. The whole situation seemed hopeless.
Going Cold
The detectives and Flora's husband, Robert, tried to figure out what happened to Flora. But the days turned into weeks and weeks into months. Each new lead seemed to go nowhere, and it became clear that the detective on the case had to put a pin in solving Flora's disappearance.
With no new leads or trails to follow, it was time to mark the case as unsolved. No one knew where Flora had gone and Robert needed closure. So, he stopped looking for Flora and moved on with his life. Little did he know that it would take nearly half a century for the case of Robert's missing wife to be solved.
Fresh Eyes
After the case went cold, it wouldn't be looked at again until 2017. It was then that Yan Salomon, one of the senior investigators from New York, discovered an interesting fact that would bust the case wide open. As he was going through old files, he uncovered an interesting detail that had been overlooked during the initial search for Flora.
Salomon realized that there was something familiar about Flora's case. As he continued to look over the evidence, he found something that he believed solved the case. He found human remains and jumped to the conclusion that the woman he found was Flora. But before he could wrap up the case, he had to figure out who the remains belonged to.
Putting the Pieces Together
Over the next several days, Salomon had to make some phone calls to determine who the remains belong to. The first call he made was to the Sullivan County Sheriff's office. Yan Salomon's first objective was to speak to the detective there and bring up the case.
During Salomon's conversation with the detective at the Sullivan office, he explained how he found remains of a woman in the Catskills area. The detective was all too happy to help solve a decade-long case and he decided to help Salomon identify the body.
Playing the Numbers Game
Unfortunately, 70,000 women go missing in the United States each year. This number is relatively high because some women that end up on the list are cold cases.
For Salomon, it was going to be difficult to take on the case of Flora by himself. But with a little luck and a keen eye, he was determined to figure out what happened to Flora, even if that meant determining what killed her.
On the Hunt
Salomon needed to access a database to figure out whose body he had found and if it belonged to Flora. He understood that going through 21,894 files would take too much time so he decided to get a team to help him sort through all the missing cases.
As you can imagine, it took some time to sort through all those open case files. But the team was determined and focused on looking for a connection to the body that Salomon found.
Wrong Trail
After all the many hours of hard work, Salomon asked his team for one more favor. He asked his team to try to find any living relatives or friends that may be connected to the woman he found.
Unfortunately, even after some time, neither he nor his team found any living relatives that were connected to the woman he found. And so the case of Flora remained unsolved.
Handing Off the Case
With so much time invested in cracking the case, Salomon had no other choice but to hand off Flora's case to Detective Rich Morgan from the Sullivan County Police Department. Salomon couldn't crack the case on his own, not even with the highly skilled team he had.
Detective Rich Morgan took over the extensive case and was charged with connecting Flora's case with the body that Salomon located. Somehow, Detective Morgan knew that there had to be a link and so he dug deeper. It took him some time, but after a while, he finally managed to dig up new information.
The Missing Link
Detective Morgan caught a break when he discovered the woman's identification badge. Now, finally, they had a name to go with the body that Salomon found months prior.
The ID badge proved that the woman worked in the Catskill Mountains just as Flora did. But Detective Morgan discovered that the woman also went missing around the same time that Flora did. With one woman dead and the other missing since 1975, chances were that sooner or later, Flora's body would be found too.
One Dead End After Another
As days turned into weeks and weeks into months with no sign or further clues as to where Flora went, Robert started to lose hope. Sadly, Robert passed away 10 years after reporting that Flora went missing.
With the passing of Robert, things got even more complicated for Detective Morgan. Now, with no further living relatives, Flora's case was getting colder than it ever had been before.
The Clue That Changed Everything
When it came to modern technology, Detective Morgan had all that he needed to solve the case. On a hunch, Detective Morgan scoured the Social Security Database in hopes that he would get a ping on Flora's case. And sure enough, he discovered that Flora's social security number was in use. Someone out there was using Flora's social security number, so Detective Morgan wanted to know if it was a case of an identity thief or something else.
Detective Morgan tracked down the use of the social security number to an assisted living facility that was nearly 250 miles away. In a small town north of Boston, Morgan would finally get some answers.
The Right Person?
The Detective called the home hoping to get to the bottom of the case. He spoke with several of the staff members only to discover that the person using Flora's social security number was, in fact, someone named Flora.
With the name spot on, Morgan got his hopes up. It was then the staff mentioned that Flora's last name wasn't Stevens but Harris. Detective Morgan discovered that Harris had been there since 2001.
Some Kind of Fraud?
For Detective Morgan, Flora's case was getting weirder and weirder. He knew that the chances of Flora being alive were slim, but to have found someone pretending to be her would be worth a trip to the assisted living facility.
That is exactly what Detective Morgan did. He drove down himself to ensure that who he was dealing with was in fact, Flora. After all, the case had been open for so long, he wanted to see it closed. And coming to see someone with the same first name, and birthday, but a different last name was all too coincidental.
What Was Going On?
In order to be absolutely sure, Detective Morgan took a colleague with him to the assisted living north of Boston. He wasn't taking any chances in cracking this case.
But when they finally got to the place, Detective Morgan and his colleague were shocked to discover a new clue to this already baffling case. They brought with them a photo that only the real Flora Stevens would recognize.
Was It Really Her?
As the Detectives spoke with the old woman at the nursing home, they were amazed by her answers to their questions. But it was what she said after shown the picture that shocked the detectives.
When shown the picture, she clearly pointed herself out exclaiming that it was really her. But what was even more extraordinary was her ability to point out her ex-husband, Robert. It was then that the detectives knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that they had found Flora Stevens.
And You Are?
Unfortunately, Flora wasn't able to fill in the details as to what happened the day she disappeared. Flora's memory could not recall the facts.
The detectives were thrilled to have solved a case, but although Flora was alive, her memory was so far gone that she couldn't give them any further details.
Abuse or Neglect?
After speaking with FLora, the detectives believe that poor Flora may have experienced psychiatric issues that led her to run away. Apparently, Flora had a really bad marriage and was in an abusive relationship a long time ago.
Many people working on the case believed that Flora took the opportunity and ran from the abusive relationship.
Hidden for a Reason
Flora's caretaker, Mbuva, has been with Flora for a long time. When questioned by the detectives, he shed a bit of light on the situation by saying how Flora didn't want to be found.
He also went on to express how he could tell that a lot happened to Flora earlier in her life. It was clear by Flora's demeanor that she had been through a lot and when she had a chance to bail, she took it.
Put to Bed
Sullivan County was able to close the case on Flora, despite the fact that all this time they were searching for Flora Stevens and not Flora Harris. Still, they deserved it due to how many man-hours and years it took to solve it.
According to her caregiver and others who have spent time around her, Flora's catchphrase was always "none of your business." Flora clearly never wanted people to know where she was.
Goodbye
While it may have taken 42 years to find Flora, the detectives solved more than one case. They figured out who the remains, that Salomon found, belonged to as well as what happened to Flora.
The most important thing was that Flora was safe and sound. When the detectives left Flora, she simply gave them a smile and a wave and wished them well. Surely it was the happy ending that the detectives were hoping for.