RELATED: Police chief says Miami spring break partying 'couldn't go on any longer'. March 3, 2023 / 2:29 PM An undated photo of Christine Englehardt, 24, who authorities say. Read full article. ", Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. SEE ALSO: 2 men accused of drugging, raping Bucks County woman found dead in Miami hotel room. The victim was identified by authorities as 24-year-old. I thought maybe she had died.. 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. 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. To think she went through what she went through, it's sickening; it's sick," DiFrancesco said. In recent weeks, South Beach has seen brawls, crowd stampedes and police confrontations involving the use of pepper balls.. "She could have come home at any time. She says she's been unable to speak to the elder sibling on the phone because she cannot hold a conversation, given her dementia. "Miami Beach, we have blood on our hands. A 24-year-old Pennsylvania woman who was found dead inside a South Beach Miami hotel room is being remembered as a "shining light." . 2 men found drugged after leaving NYC gay bars were killed, medical examiner says, Patricia Kopta, Pittsburgh street preacher missing since 1992, found alive in Puerto Rico, Pittsburgh woman missing for 31 years found alive in Puerto Rico, Man finds giant clam estimated to be 214 years old. Ad Choices. These Valuable Pennies Are Worth Thousands, Eagles' WR Zach Pascal Robbed and Assaulted at Gunpoint in Maryland, Pa. Woman Went Missing in 1992 and Declared Dead. The men are accused of stealing the dead woman's credit cards to help fund their South Beach vacation, the report says. Is it Patricia?. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. But before she began preaching, Kopta was a straight-A student who became a model and dance instructor. Patricia Kopta, a well-known Pittsburgh street preacher known as "The Sparrow," was found alive in Puerto Rico more than three decades after she went missing. She then got a job as an elevator operator at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. 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! 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. Christine . 2 men accused of drugging, raping Pa. woman found dead in Miami hotel room. Collier claimed Taylor gave the woman a green pill as they walked on Ocean Drive, but it was unclear from the arrest report if she took the pill willingly, or if it was slipped. Collier told police he believed it was the pain reliever Percocet. He gave her and her friends a ride and fell in love. Evoire Collier, 21, and Dorian Taylor, 24, both of North Carolina, were arrested over the weekend and charged with sexual battery and burglary. It was total shock," her surviving sister Gloria Smith said. But she began to divulge details as she suffered progressively from dementia, Ross Township Deputy Police Chief Brian Kohlhepp said. Evoire Collier, 21, and Dorian Taylor, 24, both of North Carolina, were arrested over the weekend and charged with sexual battery and burglary. I didn't believe it. accused of drugging and raping a 24-year-old woman later found dead in her hotel room. Christine Englehardt of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, died Thursday morning after being found at the AlbionHotel on Miami Beach, police in Florida said. "I went through a lot," said Bob Kopta, a retired truck driver. Copyright 2023 Local10.com is published by WPLG INC., a Berkshire Hathaway company. She Was Just Found in Puerto Rico, Check Your Change! 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. They are currently being held without bond. Two North Carolina men face charges in the case. filled in details of Koptas life at the news conference and in telephone interviews Friday with The Associated Press. When there was a baseball game going on, when a concert was going on, she would be talking to people," Bob Kopta said about his wife. Taylor and Collier appeared in court Monday and are being held with no bond. Years went by with no sign of her. Detectives say they obtained surveillance video of one of the suspects using the womans credit cards at local shops. "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. By Antonio Planas and The Associated Press. Evoire Collier, 21, and Dorian Taylor, 24, also stand accused of stealing Englehardt's credit cards and cash and using them during their trip to South Beach. Patricia Kopta had been nicknamed The Sparrow because of her slight build, and often frequented parking lots and busy roads in the largely residential community of about 31,000 north of Pittsburgh, where she would caution passersby and motorists about the end of the world. 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. The missing person case of Patricia Kopta has been solved. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? She then got a job as an elevator operator at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Its a sad thing, but its a relief off my mind, her husband said. Miami Beach police arrested Dorian Taylor, 24, and Evoire Collier, 21, both from North Carolina and visiting for spring break, according to investigators. One of the Miami Beach detectives on the case testified at a bond hearing Monday and said that based on the surveillance footage, Englehardt was staggering and appeared to be in no condition to give any kind of consent prior to entering the hotel. Investigators believe the suspects gave the victim a green pill to drug her. The men are also accused of stealing her cell phone, cash and credit cards once Englehardt was unconscious, according to a judge. The Medical Examiner has not made a ruling on the cause of death as they are still awaiting toxicology results, officials said. Samantha DiFrancesco, a close friend of Englehardt's, said she was a "genuinely good person.". The medical examiner has not made a ruling on the cause of death as toxicology results are pending, officials said. According to police, the body of Christine Englehardt, of Richboro, Bucks County, was found on March 18. "She was the person you brought in that lit up the whole room. 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. The Miami Herald reports the 24-year-old Pennsylvania woman was found "semi nude" and dead Thursday in her hotel room in Miami Beach. Her husband, Bob Kopta, and her surviving sister, 78-year-old Gloria Smith. A 24-year-old Pennsylvania woman was found dead at the Albion Hotel on James Avenue in Miami Beach on Thursday, March 18. When your wife goes missing, youre a suspect.. The Miami-Dade Medical Examiners Office did not release a cause of death. A Pittsburgh woman who went missing more than 30 years ago in a case that stumped authorities who . Police arrested Dorian Taylor, 24, and Evoire Collier, 21, both from North Carolina. 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. 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. Copyright 2023 WPVI-TV. Is it Patricia?. Smith, on the other hand, wants to go to the island to see her older sister. A twin sister of Patricia Kopta died without knowing her fellow twin was still alive. . Investigators say she was drugged and raped by two men. Bob Kopta reported his wife, Patricia, missing in 1992. SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) A Pennsylvania woman who went missing more than 30 years ago in a case that stumped authorities who later declared her legally . They are charged with sexual battery as well. Theyre also accused of stealing her credit cards and using them at several locations across Miami Beach. The men are also accused of stealing her cell phone, cash and credit cards once Englehardt was unconscious, according to a judge. The Miami Herald reports Collier confessed to police that he and Taylor met the woman at a local restaurant. Dorian Taylor and Evoire Collier, both from North Carolina, have been charged with sexual battery as well as burglary with battery, theft and credit card fraud. If you need help with the Public File, call (954) 364-2526. Kopta, once known as a street preacher in her home town, initially kept her past secret while in Puerto Rico. Smith said her sister quit her job at the glass company after 10 years because of migraines that doctors blamed on stress. "I come home one night, and she's just gone," Bob Kopta told the AP. Evoire Collier, 21, and Dorian Taylor, 24, were both charged with burglary with assault or battery; sexual battery; credit card fraud; and theft. 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.. A DNA test has confirmed her identity, Kohlhepp said. A pair of tourists in South Beach for spring break have been charged with drugging and raping a woman who was later found dead in a hotel. Collier and Taylor will reportedly be arraigned in about three weeks. Police chief says Miami spring break partying 'couldn't go on any longer'. (Ross Township Police . Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. The disappearance stumped authorities and family alike. Copyright 2021 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Shortly afterward, Kopta began preaching and was briefly institutionalized after doctors diagnosed her with delusions of grandeur and said she had signs of schizophrenia. Its a sad thing, but its a relief off my mind, her husband said. All Rights Reserved. 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. Miami Beach police say the woman was found partly nude and lifeless inside her room at the Albion on James Avenue on Thursday. 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. The victim was identified by authorities as 24-year-old Christine Englehardt from Pennsylvania. 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. 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. If investigators find the pill that led to her death, the suspects could face manslaughter or murder charges. A possible drug overdose was suspected. In 1972, they married. She was 24 years old. They are currently being held without bond. Shortly afterward, Kopta began preaching and was briefly institutionalized after doctors diagnosed her with delusions of grandeur and said she had signs of schizophrenia. Surveillance cameras from the Albion Hotel on James Avenue show Englehardt with the two men around 1 a.m. that morning. Christine Englehardt of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, died Thursday morning after being found at the Albion Hotel on Miami Beach during spring break, police said By NBC10 Staff Published March . Englehardt came from Pennsylvania to Miami Beach for spring break. -- A 24-year-old Pennsylvania woman was found dead inside a Miami Beach hotel room after two men drugged and raped her last week, police said. "To lose your child just to go down for a little vacation," Doreen said . 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. A twin sister of Patricia Kopta died without knowing her fellow twin was still alive. She Was Just Found in Puerto Rico, Actor Tom Sizemore, of Saving Private Ryan,' Dies at 61. 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. Investigators believe Englehardt made contact with the suspects in a restaurant. Warner Bros. Entertainment | Terms of Use | We didn't expect it and it was a very big shock to find out she was alive, and we are so happy and I hope I can get down to see her.". 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. Five-time Emmy Award-winning newscaster Calvin Hughes anchors WPLG-Local 10's 4, 5, 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts. Smith said her sister quit her job at the glass company after 10 years because of migraines that doctors blamed on stress. According to police, the body of Christine Englehardt, of Richboro, Bucks County, was found on March 18. Christine Englehardt, of Richboro, Bucks County, was found dead on March 18. Christine Englehardt, 24, of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, was found dead at the Albion Hotel in Miami Beach on March 18, 2021. The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner's Office did not release a cause of death.