On Monday 25th May 2015, 21-year-old Jessica Heppner arrived in St John’s, Newfoundland, and checked in to the Sheraton Hotel downtown. Jessica — originally from Ontario — had been visiting St John’s with a “travel companion,” Norbert Kasza, who reported her missing on Friday 29th May.
The hotel had initially been booked for one night but Jessica later decided to extend the stay for an additional night. She hadn’t returned to the room to collect her belongings, and there’s no record of her boarding any flights out of St. John’s.
Norbert didn’t call the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary to report Jessica missing until he was back in Ontario and on his way to British Columbia with plans to travel to Dubai from there. Police wanted to interview Norbert further in relation to Jessica’s disappearance, but were unable to locate him.
The initial investigation revealed little of what Jessica was doing in St. John’s and why she was there for such a short period of time. She travelled frequently and prior to the St. John’s trip, she had visited Halifax, Winnipeg, and several areas in British Columbia. It’s believed by some that Jessica may have been involved in sex work, but it’s unclear whether that has any connection to her visit to Newfoundland.
Police were able to determine Jessica was last seen visiting a man near Topsail Road in Paradise, about seventeen kilometres (a fifteen minute drive) from the Sheraton Hotel she was staying at. She had gotten a taxi there and the man told police he understood she was getting a taxi back to her hotel. Other witnesses have confirmed seeing Jessica in Paradise that day, and the man is not considered a suspect in Jessica’s disappearance.
An examination of Jessica’s laptop — which had been left in her hotel room with both of her suitcases and her identification cards — did not uncover any new information to assist police in their investigation. But despite everything Jessica left behind, and despite the lack of flight records, the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary isn’t convinced Jessica is still in Newfoundland.
Inspector Tom Warren, who worked Jessica’s case, thinks it’s a “strong possibility” she left St. John’s undetected. Jessica had visited Germany before her trip to Newfoundland. One of at least two of the prepaid credit cards she’d been using in St. John’s was used in Germany in July 2015, two months after she vanished.
Furthermore, it’s understood Jessica had two prepaid cellphones — registered using false names and addresses — and one of them was used in Ontario a week after she disappeared.
Jessica’s family doesn’t seem to put much stock in this theory. They say Jessica was always good at staying in touch no matter where she was, and they haven’t heard from her since she went missing. In June 2018, Jessica’s mother visited St. John’s to put up missing persons posters and raise awareness of her daughter’s disappearance.
Earlier that year, police had received a tip from police in England that Norbert Kasza was in Surrey, a county that borders London. Norbert, originally from Poland but living in Ontario in 2015, was reported to local police regarding an unrelated matter by someone he was staying with. When contacted, Surrey Police said:
“There is no current investigation within Surrey Police of either matter, but we would, of course, respond to any further requests from our Canadian colleagues if appropriate.”
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary says they are continuing to follow up tips in Jessica’s case and are eager to speak with Norbert about the circumstances surrounding Jessica’s disappearance. If they’ve been able to do so, that information has not been made public.
Why won’t Nobert Kasza talk to police? Why did he wait until he was back in Ontario to report Jessica missing? Is it truly possible Jessica left Newfoundland of her own volition and vanished by choice?
Also Read:
https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/longform/last-seen-jessica-heppner
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/jessica-heppner-st-johns-missing-posters-1.4693979
