A Pennsylvania mother of two, who disappeared 11 years ago, has re-surfaced, according to Huffington Post. Brenda Heist dropped her children off at school, left her husband, and disappeared in 2002.
Heist told authorities she hitchhiked to Florida with strangers. The Examiner reports Heist was unhappy, due to her pending divorce from her husband. Heist was also turned down for housing assistance in 2002.
Three homeless people befriended Heist at a local park where the party agreed to hitchhike from Pennsylvania to Florida. The hitchhikers slept under bridges and scavenged around public areas for food.
After growing tired of sleeping in tents and working odd jobs, Heist decided to turn herself in, according to The Examiner.
Lititz Borough Police Detective John Schofield met with Heist who apologized for hurting her family and expressed shame for abandoning her children.
"She has a birth certificate and a death certificate, so she's got a long ways to make this right again," Schofield said. "She's got to take it slow with her family, I'm sure, and it's going to be a long process."
Heist's children were eight and 12 when she disappeared from Pennsylvania. Her daughter is 19 and is a sophomore college student at West Chester University. Heist's 23-year old son is a West Chester University graduate, pursuing a career in law enforcement. Heist's husband, Lee Heist, has re-married after his ex-wife was declared legally dead years ago.
Lee Heist became a suspect in his wife's disappearance, but was cleared after taking a polygraph test. After his wife disappeared, Heist quit his job and lost his home. The family struggled financially during the 11-year time span.
Heist turned herself in as a missing person to Monroe County sheriffs' in Key Largo, Florida. She told police that she was on probation and had been arrested under a different name, reported Huffington Post.
