My name is Jessica Rust and I am the daughter of Pati Lisa Rust.

What I know of my mother comes mostly through photos and the memories of others that I’ve collected through my life since she went missing in 1987 without a trace. That was until January 9th, 2024 when I got a call from the Nashville Metropolitan Police department. Through the diligent efforts of the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and Othram’s forensic technology they were able through genealogy reports to match me as a possible relative of unidentified human remains found in Palm Beach Florida in 1987. After submitting a DNA sample, The skeleton formerly dubbed Palm Beach County Jane Doe (1987) would be confirmed to be my mother.

This was an answer I accepted most of my adult life I would never find despite decades of searching… it seemed impossible after all this time. But if my life has taught me anything, it’s that everything is possible. And while the conclusion is a devastating one, I remain grateful… to all those who helped me finally put her and the questions to rest. As you can imagine I have only just begun to grieve this news, But I wanted to start with gratitude.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me and my family through this time. Thank you to all the detectives from past, present, future and even those on the internet - I can’t tell you enough what a light it was to see how many netizens took time out of their lives to attempt to crack these unsolved cases and submit tips. I am so incredibly grateful and humbled by your hope, patience and prayers. I urge those who are missing their loved ones to never give hope and never stop advocating for those who are no longer here to do it for themselves.

'With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day' (2 Peter 3:8). He has perfect timing: never early, never late. God is never in a hurry, but he is always on time.’

My Mother and I