Rupinder Kaur Goraya

• Missing Since 10/02/2007
• Missing From Fort Myers, Florida
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Female
• Race Asian
• Date of Birth 07/05/1973 (51)
• Age 34 years old
• Height and Weight 5'2, 135 pounds
• Medical Conditions Goraya is a diabetic and requires daily medication to control her condition. She last refilled her prescriptions on September 12, 2007, getting a 30-day supply. She previously suffered from stomach cancer and had a hysterectomy as a result. She was still under follow-up care for the surgery when she disappeared.
• Distinguishing Characteristics Asian female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Rupinder was born in Amritsar, a city in the state of Punjab in northern India. She has a surgical scar on her abdomen, and her ears are pierced.

Details of Disappearance

Rupinder was last seen in Fort Myers, Florida on October 2, 2007. She has never been heard from again. A coworker reported her missing on October 19. Rupinder left behind some personal belongings, she missed a doctor appointment after her disappearance, and there has been no activity on her credit cards or cellular phone since she went missing.

It's uncharacteristic of her to leave without warning, and Rupinder's relatives stated she liked her job and would not have wanted to leave it. Her loved ones also described her as a devoted mother to her two-year-old son, who had special needs.

Rupinder married Kultar Singh Goraya in her native province of Punjab in India in 2006, and the couple emigrated to the United States later that year. It was an arranged marriage. Kultar had been previously divorced, something Rupinder's family didn't find out about until after she disappeared. Divorce is very uncommon in India.

Rupinder's relatives described the couple's relationship as unhappy. Kultar was arrested for domestic battery on May 17, 2007; Rupinder had abrasions on her neck and accused her husband of choking her and threatening to stab her after she took away his car keys to stop him from driving drunk.

Kultar spent the night in jail and received anger management counseling. Rupinder obtained a restraining order against him, but the couple reconciled a few months later and began living together in the Montego Bay Apartments on Colonial Boulevard. They were still living together when Rupinder disappeared.

Kultar left the country with their son shortly after Rupinder was reported missing and traveled back to Punjab. When he arrived, he had some of Rupinder's belongings, including her clothes, wedding ring and makeup. He returned to the United States months later and ultimately gave their son over to the custody of the state. (The child has since been adopted by a Florida family.)

Kultar stated his wife had extramarital affairs with two men and had possibly ran away with a lover. Over the years he suggested New York, California, Texas, Ireland and Orlando, Florida as possible locations for her. Rupinder's loved ones stated she was not unfaithful and investigators have found no evidence that she had a boyfriend.

A photo of Kultar is posted with this case summary. In early 2015, he was charged with second-degree murder in his wife's disappearance. At the time of his arrest, he was already in jail for aggravated assault.

He allegedly admitted the crime to several people, although he gave different accounts as to how Rupinder had died. He threatened people, saying he would make them "disappear like my wife." He told one person he had strangled her, and others that he'd paid someone to kill her.

In September 2015, he was convicted of second-degree murder and was subsequently sentenced to life in prison.

Rupinder is a registered nurse. She had been employed at the Southwest Florida Regional Medical Center, but was on medical leave from her job at the time of her disappearance. Her case was featured on the television show Cold Justice in March 2015. Foul play is suspected in her disappearance due to the circumstances involved.