What happened to Jessica Rapsys? The missing person case, explained

In mid-Aug 2024, Jessica Rapsys was reported missing when she disappeared en route to visit her aunt in Illinois. She never arrived. Authorities uncovered clues to suggest something tragic happened. But while this story has a happy ending — the 27-year-old was found alive — it’s unclear why or how Rapsys vanished.

Rapsys, who lived in Jacksonville, Florida, reportedly planned to meet her aunt halfway to Naperville, Illinois, her destination, but she never showed up at their prearranged meeting point. Rapsys was last seen in rural Allendale County, South Carolina. Rapsys family and friends then filed a missing person report, as they searched for signs of her, along with local authorities and teams of volunteers.

It’s unclear why Rapsys was so far off course, as there are more direct routes between Florida and Illinois. Even Vid Rapsys, Jessica’s father, said he didn’t know why his daughter would be in that area. It’s possible Rapsys just got lost, one report said.

Jessica Rapsys’ car and cell phone were found

Not long after Jessica Rapsys was last seen in Allendale County, her car was found, still warm, stuck on railroad tracks with a flat tire on Creek Plantation, private property with around 2,500 acres of woodlands and fields used for agriculture, officials said. Rapsys cell phone, shoes, and keys were mysteriously still inside the vehicle, according to ABC7Chicago. Still, an extensive search with dogs, helicopters, and teams of volunteers turned up nothing.

Later the same week Rapsys was reported missing, however, she was found. On Aug. 16, a Rapsys family friend told CBS News that Rapsys emerged from an abandoned building, and was taken to a local hospital to be evaluated. Her family requested privacy, and no other details were given about Rapsys’ condition, why she disappeared, or where she had been.

An unconfirmed Reddit post from someone claiming to be her cousin in Chicago says more details from the family will be forthcoming. Rapsys’ friend said Graysen Gall said nothing seemed amiss when Rapsys left Jacksonville to visit her aunt. “She was completely normal, everything was fine, she mentioned seeing an aunt over the weekend,” so when Gall saw Rapsys’ missing person flyer, she said, “This doesn’t add up.”