True Crime with Kendall Rae - Vanished Into Thin Air!? What Happened to 21-Year-Old Layla Santanello…

Episode Date: May 16, 2024

Layla Santanello was a 21-year-old woman living with her family in Tennessee when she went missing in June 2023. After her disappearance, Layla’s family members received requests for money on CashApp from Layla’s account. Someone was behind the account posing as Layla and her alleged captor. If you have any information, please call: Kingsport PD: [phone] Tennessee Bureau of Investigation: 1-800-TBI-FIND Poster: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/2/fo...  Links: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?... https://mentalhealthtransformationall... https://www.tiktok.com/@abeautifuldis...  https://www.gofundme.com/f/jointhesea...  https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-the-t...   / jointheofficialsearchforlaylasantanello    Donate to NCMEC through my campaign! https://give.missingkids.org/campaign...  Shop my Merch! https://kendallrae.shop This episode is sponsored by: ZocDoc Earnin - type in Kendall Rae under Podcast! Rocket Money Quince Check out Kendall's other podcasts: The Sesh & Mile Higher Follow Kendall! YouTube Twitter Instagram Facebook Mile Higher Zoo REQUESTS: General case suggestion form: https://bit.ly/32kwPly Form for people directly related/ close to the victim: https://bit.ly/3KqMZLj Discord: https://discord.com/invite/an4stY9BCN CONTACT: For Business Inquiries - [e-mail]

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Tire Discounter Group! TireD Discounter Group.ca slash locations. Tired Discounter Group. Tired Discounter Group.ca. Hello everyone and welcome back to True Crime with Kendall Rae. I am so happy to have you here joining me today. And if you are new, then welcome. Today, I'm going to be talking about a case that is pretty recent. I've been following it since June of 2023 when the story first broke, and quite a bit has unfolded since then. It's a case that desperately needs more coverage. There has been very minimal coverage and awareness about this case, and that is truly what this family needs is coverage. There has been very minimal coverage and awareness about this case and that

is truly what this family needs is awareness. We're going to be talking about the disappearance of Layla Santinello and with the lack of coverage on Layla's case, her family is very worried that people will forget about her and that's why I wanted to bring it to all of you because I know my audience is just incredible and will do whatever it takes to help spread the message beyond this audience as well on your own social media, you know, with friends and family and just bring more awareness to Layla's story. And today I wanted to include

some of Layla's family members in the episode. I know it just makes such a difference to hear about everything through them. I've seen so many times how incredible my audience is. I feel truly lucky and very proud of the platform that I've built and all of you. And so today I really hope many of you can be active true crime consumers and take those extra steps to help this family. And I'm fully confident that we can really make a difference for them.

And I'll be sharing a much more detailed call to action at the end of this episode. But right off the bat, I just wanna ask you guys that if you're able to, please share this video or the flyer that we've created regarding Leila's disappearance. Getting her name and her face out there has been the number one priority for this family.

It is absolutely vital because they really do believe and I believe as well that there is a possibility that she is still out there. If the right person sees this or sees that flyer, a picture of her, it could crack this case wide open. And that would mean giving this family the answers that they have been desperately needing for almost a year now. And I'm gonna go ahead and jump into the case, but I really wanted to thank you all in advance for doing that. I know that you guys will and I just am continually so blown away and proud of this audience and everything that you guys are willing to do to help these families who so desperately need it. Like always though, I want wanna start off here by talking about Layla and who she is. Layla Marie Santinello was born on August 5th, 2002

in Neptune Township, New Jersey to her mother Jennifer and her father George. She was absolutely adorable. A lot of the pictures that her family shared with me, just, they're so cute. She looked like such a happy child and her smile just really says it all. After being born, almost two weeks late I might add, she was brought home to live with her parents

and maternal grandparents. But three months later, Jennifer and George ended up parting ways, leaving her primarily in the care of her mom and her maternal grandparents. And because of this, Jennifer ended up working nights as a waitress and so Layla spent a lot of time with her grandparents and was extremely close with them. They were always in charge of dinner time and bedtime from a very young age and because of that they had a very very close bond. Then in March of 2005 Jennifer made the decision to move from New Jersey to Florida for a fresh start with her new boyfriend who ended up playing a very important role in helping raise Layla. But they didn't stay in Florida for very long because about a year after moving there and after Jennifer gave birth to Layla's little brother

Robbie, they decided to move to Tennessee to be closer to her boyfriend's extended family. Which of course was really important to them to have family around. I mean it truly takes a village. Now growing up, to have family around, I mean, it truly takes a village. Now, growing up, Layla began spending six weeks every summer back in New Jersey, not only going to Girl Scout Camp and spending time with her grandparents, but also spending time with her dad. George also has another child, another daughter actually,

and it sounds to me like they have built a good relationship and made it work being a blended family. When she was eight years old, Layla gained another baby brother, Elijah, and around that time her grandparents moved to Tennessee to be closer to everyone. It sounds like this is when she truly began to thrive. Jennifer was able to go back to work now that she had her parents to support her with the kids and Layla really started tapping into her creative side at this point. And that's one thing to note about Layla is she was a very creative person, a talented artist, and really had an eye for organizing things,

decorating things, and that's something that I know her family really misses about her. She joined a lot of art camps and drama clubs, which was great for her because it allowed her to really lean into her passion for theater and singing. Being creative was really just a part of Leila's identity. And because her love language is gifts, I learned that growing up, she was always drawing

and painting things for her loved ones. And if you're watching this episode, I think you'll really be able to see in the photos of her, just how much of a light she is and what incredible energy she carries. Anyone who knows her would tell you that her energy and presence is really larger than life. Not only is she described as being creative and a little bit sassy, she's also known as being very strong-willed, very determined and fearless. If Layla wanted to do something, Layla figured out a way to do it.

and fearless. If Layla wanted to do something, Layla figured out a way to do it. You know when you get cornered by that family member at the family gathering and you feel like you have to bend the truth to impress them because they're judgmental, they stress you out, you know who I'm talking about. The one who asks when you're getting married

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Go to ZocDoc.com slash Kendall Rae and download the ZocDoc app for free, then find and book a top rated doctor today. That's Z-O-C-D-O-C.com slash Kendall Rae. Once again, Zocdoc.com slash Kendall Rae. For all the good that was going on in these years, things started to change when she was 10 years old and life began to be much more difficult for her. Around this time, Jennifer and her boyfriend broke up. And so Layla, as I mentioned, was very close with him and she lost a strong male figure in her life. And that was very tough on her.

There also ended up being some other hardships in her life, which we don't need to get into the details of that, but that came with a few years of rebellion. But around the time she turned 17, she really started to turn things around. She managed to graduate high school early, get herself a job, and began to really show up for herself in incredible ways. Her stepmom, Brittany, came into her life in 2019 after having met her father in December of 2018. And despite having hesitations about her in the beginning due to past let downs, you know, how many people that she had in her life and then they

weren't in her life anymore. But as time went on, they really began to bond and Brittany showed that she was always going to be there for her. Brittany made a promise to Layla that she would never let her down, walk away from her or turn her back on her in ways that she'd experienced before. Overall, everyone in her family was working really hard to maintain a blended family unit where Layla received a lot of love and support. And before I move into talking about her disappearance, I have to tell you one more very important detail

about Layla and that is that she is a mother. She had a beautiful daughter in April of 2021 named Nova Grace. Layla was 18 years old when she found out that she was pregnant and it can't be stressed enough just how much this baby was wanted by her. From a very young age, she had expressed the desire to become a mother so when she found out

that she was pregnant, she was truly happy and excited. That being said, it became very clear early on in her pregnancy that Leila was gonna be raising her child on her own. Well, not completely on her own. She definitely had the help of her family, which is amazing, but in the sense that the child's father was not going to be in the picture.

But flash forward to right now. Nova is three years old and it breaks my heart knowing that her mother is missing and obviously she's too young to understand that but her family is very concerned about how to navigate that. How do they explain it to her one day because obviously one day she's gonna have questions and actually they've informed me that she is already asking questions and clearly over time as she gets older she's gonna have questions. And actually they've informed me that she is already asking questions. And clearly over time as she gets older,

she's gonna have more and more questions. And I just really feel bad for her family because the pressure about how to navigate that, how to answer those questions is something that no family should ever have to deal with. And I'll be honest though, of course, I don't know for sure, but I have a feeling that Layla is out there and I hope that she can be located before the time comes

where they're gonna have to have those really difficult discussions. And I know her family feels the same way. Layla's disappearance has definitely put this family through unimaginable trauma. And sadly, there are things about Leila's life before she went missing that have led to her case not getting the attention and awareness that it deserves.

As I was starting to explain, the year before Leila disappeared was a very difficult one. She was struggling with postpartum depression, which is no joke. Also, her grandfather passed away and those two things on top of some other trauma in her life led to about a year-long battle with addiction. And there's been a very understandable and genuine fear from her family that if people know this information, they are not going to care about her case. And I know that the majority of you guys

understand this and that I'm not saying that the majority of you guys understand this and that I'm not saying anything that most of you don't already believe, but no matter what was going on in someone's life, no matter what their circumstances were, nobody deserves to go missing. Layla's battle with addiction is a very small chapter in her story.

It does not define her entire life. And I think that's a really important thing to stress. In fact, Layla was actually very against drugs most of her life. She would actually walk away from boyfriends, friends, and situations where it was happening. And this is Layla we're talking about. So she was very vocal about it. She even tried to help her boyfriend Michael to detox and get clean and it's something that she felt really bonded the two of them. But life happens, trauma happens, and she did end up falling into addiction herself. And because this was a factor in her life when she disappeared, her family has concerns, like I said, that people will judge her rather than help find her and honestly, that's a big reason Why I wanted to bring her case to my channel

I know whenever I cover cases where we're talking about people suffering from addiction There are a lot of judgmental comments and it's the internet I know people are gonna do what they're gonna do and say what they're gonna say, but I would ask that you be respectful as it's really Not helpful to make those types of comments. But for the most part, I'm so confident. I am so proud of my audience. And I know that the majority view are going to show support and understanding for her situation. I'm Jennifer Santonello, Leila Santonello's mother. My daughter is a force of nature.

She came into this world like a lightning bolt, eyes wide open, head held high, with a radiant grin on her tiny little face. From the moment I laid eyes on her, I knew she would grow to be a powerful woman. If I had to use one word to describe her, it would absolutely be resourceful. Layla has an innate ability to turn any situation into an opportunity. I've never met another person with her ability to find a way to make a way to reach her goal. Her energy captivates everyone she encounters. Leila, it's like either you love her or you hate her.

The majority love her, but those who don't really don't. She has no filter. What she thinks generally spills right out of her mouth. She also has a quirky sense of humor. She's incredibly creative and it shows from her soulful voice to her artistic abilities. She was always drawing or painting or doodling or she was so full of just creativity and creative spirit. She also has a flair for drama. She did drama summer camps.

I remember being so proud of one particular performance. They did a play at the end of camp. She shined so brightly on that stage. I just was so proud. She did such an amazing job. And when it was over, I became even more proud. She did such an amazing job. And when it was over, I became even more proud when she told me she blacked out and completely forgot her lines. So she ad-libbed them through the entire thing. And it wasn't a super popular play. So most of the audience had no idea because she played it off that well. It was truly amazing.

Resourcefulness, resilience, she embodies that. It's understandable that she might forget those lines. When Leila was in first grade, she was diagnosed with ADHD and later on she was diagnosed with dyslexia. Words on paper don't work well with her. She has a hard time memorizing those things and She has a hard time focusing to memorize. She faced a lot of challenges growing up But overall she's always been a bright and shining light in this world. She's never met a stranger

She's incredibly outgoing and personable and if you ever met her you would know it. Her energy is huge It fills up all the space around her. I can't tell you how much I miss feeling it. Hello, my name is Brittany and I am Leila Santanella's stepmom. I came into Leila's life in 2019. Leila was just about to be 16 years old on August 5th. Layla was unsure of me at first because she had a lot of trust issues. She didn't want to get close because of fearing I would leave after building a close relationship

with her. But I made a promise to Leila from that day forward that I would never leave her side, no matter what. And I would be consistent with her. It took a lot to show her that I meant what I said. It's not always easy to love and care for a child that's not biologically yours. But I did for her,

just as if I did for my other four children. Our relationship just grew like a wildflower from that point on. When I first spoke with Leila and learned throughout the days more about her, what she likes, what she likes to eat, her favorite hobbies, what she likes to do, she loved to draw, and she was just an all-around vibrant, beautiful, very smart, talented person. But behind that person, she dealt with a lot of pain, a lot of guilt. She felt just inadequate. She didn't see the things that we would see in her because she would just

surround herself around individuals that really didn't have it in her best interest because they were suffering too, whether it be mentally, in active addiction, and Leila cared for the wrong ones. Although Leila did not trust easily, she was easily manipulated by the ones that did not have it in her best interest. And due to the loved ones in her life breaking her trust at one point and letting her down, Leila never really handled the feelings that were undelped. And it's almost like it became a tug of war with one side, the individuals that love her, her family, her friends. With the other side you have the ones that are suffering mentally and active addiction and didn't really have goals or dreams like Layla did. And she just became battling life and was battling it herself with herself. And 75%

of the time or more the ones that truly have it in her best interest are the ones that are let down and hurt and being left to disappoint. But we did not give up. Life doesn't happen bi-weekly, so why should payday? The money that you earn can be in your hands today with Earnin. Earnin is an app that gives you access to your pay as you work, up to $100 per day or up to $750 per pay period. Just download the EarnIn app and verify your paycheck, then access up to $100 a day as you work and leave an optional tip. Any money you access plus your tips are automatically repaid from your next paycheck.

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and location. See earnin.com slash TOS for details. Bank products are issued by Evolve Bank and Trust member FDIC. So now let's get into the details of her disappearance, which wasn't that long ago. Layla was first reported missing on Tuesday, June 27th, 2023, but the story really starts on June 24th, a couple of days earlier that night actually. That was the day that her mom Jennifer received a very strange Facebook messenger message from Layla's account. However, it was not Layla sending the message. It was her boyfriend Michael and he was asking if Jennifer knew if Layla was in jail. He said, you know if Layla is in jail and as you can imagine this was both shocking and incredibly confusing.

So Jennifer followed up by asking him why her daughter would be in jail because why wouldn't you ask that in this situation? But he didn't reply. She said, why is she not with you? What the fuck is going on? I called Kingsport and Sullivan County. Both said she's not there, which to me is a very reasonable response, all things considered. But Jennifer knows her daughter well and after thinking about it she got the sense that maybe Layla

purposely didn't want to be found. At least not that night. Based on her recollection there had been a conversation between Layla and Michael that didn't go well. Things were said, you know things that upset both of them and being the stubborn strong-willed person she is, her loved ones believe it's definitely possible that she left their house and intentionally didn't tell Michael where she was going. For context, I do just want to note that the two of them were living in a house with Michael's mom and at the time of her disappearance, Layla's daughter Nova was temporarily in the custody of Jennifer. So just to make it abundantly clear, Nova was never left alone or in any type of danger. Anyway though, everyone feels very confident that

Leila left on her own accord that night and Jennifer actually went to bed that night feeling like her daughter was somewhere safe, most likely. And to make it clear, she was somewhere safe that night. In fact, when Jennifer woke up on the 25th, she got a Facebook message from her daughter's account and this time it was actually her and it said, I'm okay. To which Jennifer replied, thank God. Layla then responded with, I'm fine, mom. And Jennifer responded back with,

why the hell did he think you were in jail for? Layla explained that she didn't know and that she'd been staying with a friend. She also said that she didn't have a phone to call or text so she was using someone else's. Jennifer said, okay, I love you. And Layla's last words to her mother were, I love you so much more.

And I know that you guys are gonna have the exact same question that I did when we first started looking into this case and that is how do we know that this second set of messages actually came from Layla since we know that her boyfriend Michael was messaging from her account right before this. But law enforcement has confirmed that these messages did actually come from her because they traced them back to her friend's house, the friend that she was staying with that

night who also confirmed that Layla was there with her and was safe that night. As for the whole not having her own phone thing, it's not something that I think is necessary to get into and explain any further, but Layla currently didn't have her own phone and her and Michael were sharing his phone most of the time. And the only reason I even mentioned that at all is it's really not an important detail

is because I know you guys will be asking, why haven't they traced her phone, all of that. And so it's because she didn't have one. But going back to that day, her mother, Jennifer, believed after getting these messages that Layla really was okay. And the reason she didn't ask her daughter where she was or really any other questions is because she knew

that Michael had access to her Facebook account. And if Layla clearly left the house not wanting him to know where she was, Jennifer sure as hell wasn't going to make her daughter give up her location. If anything, she figured that Layla would have some time to cool down from whatever argument the two of them had and would return in a day or two, but that sadly didn't end up happening. By the next morning, Jennifer was getting messages from her daughter's Facebook Messenger account, but from Michael once again.

And this time he was saying things that were really starting to freak her out. Saying nobody had heard from her since the day before, and then he went to a friend's house where Laila was staying because he figured out where she was. And that friend said Laila went out for a walk and a smoke and never came back. So by this point, June 26th, Jennifer really started

to worry. So she actually reached out to a family member who had recently gotten clean but ran in the same circles as Layla and asked if maybe she could help find her. She's thinking, you know, if Layla had been with someone that they both mutually knew that maybe she could help locate her, but unfortunately that did not happen. And it was then that she called Layla's dad and stepmom to try to figure out what they should do. And Jennifer knew that Layla was most communicative in the morning, so she figured if they didn't hear from her by the following morning, then they would go ahead and get police involved at that point. But she was also under the common impression that you have to wait 48 hours to report someone missing. And that's because in some areas, as we talked about very recently, and I think my

last episode, that does happen. You know, there are police departments that still try to convince people this is a law or a rule or some type of policy and it's just absolutely not. So it's a common misconception. But as for her father, George, and her stepmother, Brittany, they wanted to report her missing right away. So sometime after midnight on June 27th, they went ahead and called and filed a report. And luckily the police did not hesitate and jumped right into action. Within just a few hours, the police showed up at the house that Michael and Layla had been staying at to ask some preliminary questions and to open an investigation. Saturday, June 24th of 2023, I got a strange message from Layla's boyfriend, Michael, but the message came from Layla's Facebook account.

One simple question, do you know if Layla's in jail? This elicited a lot of confusion. Why would she be in jail? Why is she not with you? Michael and Layla were basically glued at the hip. You never saw one without the other. I became concerned. I had a million thoughts in my head.

We called the jails and the hospitals. She wasn't at any. And Michael never responded to any of my questions. The next morning, I woke up to messages from Leila. She was insisting that she was okay and she was staying with friends, but she was being very vague. And this vagueness gave me pause.

I didn't wanna ask a lot of questions. I started to get the feeling that Leila didn't wanna be around Michael, that she wanted to be elsewhere. I imagined she would call me when she was ready to talk about it. I knew that if I asked a lot of questions, she wouldn't be able to answer them because Michael had access to this account. And if she was trying to keep away from him, if something had happened, at this point, I've heard from her. She's saying she's okay. My daughter is strong, resilient, and resourceful.

I'm not terribly worried. Monday, June 26th, early in the morning, Michael began texting me again. He was laying it on thick. He was trying to make me worry. I got the feeling that he wanted me to find her for him. They had a rather toxic, codependent, and controlling situation going, and at this point I felt strongly that she had come to her senses

finally and was ready to walk away from that situation, and I fully supported that. But by Monday night, we still hadn't heard from her. Michael hadn't just been messaging me. He had also been messaging George, Layla's biological father in New Jersey. George and I had a conversation that night about whether or not we should call it in. I had the incorrect notion that you had to wait 48 hours

before you could report an adult missing. I had just heard from her the morning before. So I said, George, if she doesn't call me tomorrow morning, we'll call it in together. The call didn't come and when I got to work that morning, I got a call from George. He had called it in. He couldn't sleep. It was bothering him and he had already called it in. Late in the afternoon on June 27th, I had a conversation with the lead detective on the case and initially he didn't believe there was any foul play involved. He believed, like I did, that she was trying to keep away from her boyfriend. That first week, I wanted so much

to believe that she was just in hiding and that she would reach out to me. But as the days went by But as the days went by with still no sign of Layla and no credible tips or leads, the shock and denial started to wear off into fear and anxiety and it began to dawn on me that I may never see my baby again. During those first couple of weeks from day to day and hour to hour, my thoughts and emotions would cycle and race. I would get myself into a pit of despair and worry and then I would talk myself out of that. It's an experience like no other that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. And the investigation into Layla's disappearance kicked off right away and very quickly they found

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But what's strange though is what people had to say about Layla's behavior. Witnesses said that on the 26th, she was knocking on doors and looking confused, almost like she didn't know what room she was looking for. And they also said that she appeared to be somewhat paranoid and that she was, quote, lurking in the shadows. I guess this was captured on a security camera at the hotel, but unfortunately, as happens so often in these cases, that footage was wiped after 48 hours

before anyone can make a copy of it. So we aren't able to really see any of this for sure. And because of that, we sort of have to take people's word for how Layla was acting and what she was doing. And one of these people was someone who actually worked at the hotel and they claimed that Layla was causing a ruckus. I guess they even told Layla that they were gonna put her

on some type of list for trespassing, even though she wasn't. Layla herself didn't have a room there, but a friend of hers did. And it sounds to me like she was just trying to find this friend. And it makes sense why she was knocking on hotel room doors because she didn't have a cell phone,

but obviously that is disruptive and bothersome to hotel guests. So I see where the hotel employee was coming from there. But here's the thing. Her loved ones believe that Leila ended up getting spooked because a police officer pulled up at the hotel. And from what I understand, they were not there for her. There was some other type of disturbance going on, but this scared Layla and she fled. And we think we know where she went.

Behind this hotel, there is some sort of grassy area where homeless people are known to sleep during the summertime. So it's believed that that is where she ran to and spent the night. And for context, the night that she spent in this grassy area was the same night that Jennifer had gotten in touch with George and they were discussing whether or not to report her missing

or how to move forward with the situation and that was the 26th. And if you remember, George and Brittany ended up making that report sometime after midnight, which technically made it the 27th when she was reported missing. Well, on the morning of the 27th, after the investigation had already begun, there was a sighting of Layla. It turns out there's a warehouse in the area of this grassy field in the hotel and that there were some guys there getting ready for work and someone matching Layla's description approached them

and asked them for a cigarette, which they didn't have. So at that point she walked away. But this is where things get tricky because for the next several months there was a major piece of evidence regarding Layla's disappearance that was believed to be accurate but turned out not to be. Up until very recently it was believed that there was a second sighting of Layla on that day the 27th. It was reported that a young woman, matching Layla's general description, appeared to look disheveled

outside of the Marble Slab Creamery, which is an ice cream shop in East Stone Commons in Kingsport. And for reference, this ice cream shop is about a 15 to 20 minute walk from the grassy field area where Layla is believed to have slept that night. Well, it turns out that someone who worked there

had approached this woman and offered her ice cream. And at that point, this person asked her to borrow her phone, which kind of made sense if this really was Layla and she didn't have a phone. After this, the woman who was believed to be Layla at the time said that she was going to walk over to Five Below to buy some shoes. And just for context, this woman was wearing a white tank top, black leggings and no shoes. So the comment about buying shoes didn't seem that strange. But just like I

said a minute ago, unfortunately, this was not Layla. People just thought it was her. And so therefore it was reported that it was her for a while until police cleared up that it actually was not. But for months, her loved ones were so confused by this because if she had asked to use someone's phone, why wouldn't she have called any of them? Brittany says she knows Layla would have called her, her father or her mother. And so the fact that none of them got a call was incredibly bizarre. And honestly, I don't understand why it took investigators

so long to rule this lead out. All they would have had to do is call the number that was called on this employee's phone, ask them who called them, and then they could determine if it was Layla or not. But eventually they did track this person down. They talked to them. They confirmed that it wasn't Layla who called them.

And then they were able to get in contact with the actual person who made the call. They confirmed that they were the ones at the ice cream shop. So it was never Layla to begin with. Now there is some speculation about this woman and whether or not she may have been involved in some type of sinister plan

related to Layla's disappearance. But honestly, speculation is all that it is. She did look related to Layla's disappearance, but honestly, speculation is all that it is. She did look similar to Layla and is said to have known some of the same people as Layla, but that's about as much as we can confirm. But just to be clear, police have said that this woman had nothing to do with Layla's disappearance, but I see how with such little information to go off of how people kind of came up with those types of theories. But yes, police say that is a no.

As of today, Layla's last known location is confirmed to be that field behind the AmeriCourt hotel in Kingsport, Tennessee. So I do just want to make that detail super clear. So if you are familiar with this case, this next detail may ring a bell and let me warn you in advance, this is really going to anger a lot of you. I would hope all of you.

And it has to do with the fact that only a few weeks after Layla disappeared, someone somehow gained access to her Cash App account and was using it to exploit her loved ones. It all started when Jennifer got a text from Brittany saying that she had gotten a request from Layla for $100. And more of these requests started coming in and whoever was sending them was making it seem like they were holding Layla hostage and that her loved ones had to send money in order to get her back. One message even had the letters

TWLMG which they believe meant they won't let me go. Other messages were a lot more graphic and talked about what they would do to her if they didn't send the money. And the whole thing was just totally upsetting and bizarre. I can only imagine the pain and horror that they were experiencing, getting all of these requests and messages

and not knowing if they were true. And so they even started sending small amounts of money. I'm talking like $1 just to ask this person questions to try to figure out if what they were saying was true. Questions that only Layla would know the answer to. And of course, whoever was sending these requests and messages couldn't answer those questions. And law enforcement initially sort of brushed this off,

told them it was a scam, but this continued for several days. Kingsport PD did say that they would look into it, but in the meantime, Jennifer, Brittany, and everyone else had to just sit and wonder if someone truly had Layla and would act on all of these terrible things they said they were going to do to her. So on July 10th, I received a cash app request

while I was on a family outing. It was from Leila's cash app for $100. I immediately took a screenshot, sent it over to Jen and called her. I asked her if she received anything at that moment. She did not. But later on, she began to receive some cash app requests herself along with other family members. So I decided to send small amounts of money starting with a dollar, two dollars on the request with a memo of a message asking if this is Leila. I get a

reply for 8 o'clock. I continued to send small amounts with messages in the memo back and forth with the person that was in question to be Layla. I called Michael as well, which was Layla's boyfriend, and I asked him if he knew anything about this. And he did not know, but offered to pay the $100. I told him to hold off just because we did not know exactly what we were dealing with.

And while I was on the phone, I received another request with an abbreviation of TWMLG. And I repeated that to Michael and he replied back, my brother said they won't let me go. I never questioned it because my thoughts were just everywhere at that point. Is this really a drug debt that's owed? Is she being held hostage? Is this really Leila? Is this Leila and Michael capitalizing the situation at hand

because being an active addict, unfortunately, lets you be somebody that you're not really and strips you from your good character and gives you poor judgment and bad decision making. Unfortunately, a few weeks into Layla's disappearance, I was out canvassing. One of Layla's childhood friends and I got together and we were taking flyers around and following up on different leads that we had gotten off social media. We were sitting outside a hotel where the manager believed that she had seen Leila. It turned out to not be her. But as we are sitting in the car, Layla's stepmother sent me a text message and a screenshot,

a request for $200 payment from Layla's Cash App account. Initially, we didn't really understand what was happening. It seemed like gibberish. But what this person was trying to convey is they will let me go. If you send $200, they will let me go. If you send $200, they will let me go. The person on the other end of the phone was posing as both my daughter and her kidnapper. I was in shock.

Could it be that she's actually being held for ransom? I immediately began sending dollars and small dollar amounts to Leila's cash app and asking questions, trying to figure out who was on the other end of this. Was it really her? The person on the other end was really good at sounding like her. And then it took several weeks to get to the bottom of it.

And this waiting period, as you can imagine, was extremely difficult and quite frankly, very frustrating. And by this point, weeks were beginning to pass without answers as to where Layla could be, any new leads, and that's when her loved ones began taking steps to get her name out there. A private investigator was hired, flyers were printed, but it didn't feel like the media was picking up the story or doing much to share any information

about Layla and her disappearance. It wasn't even until August 3rd, 2023 that she was officially deemed an endangered young adult and an alert was issued. I know that most of you know, especially if you consume a lot of true crime content, that every minute is precious, especially early on. And so things moving so slowly had to be incredibly painful. And it was, I know from what they've told me, it was. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation had gotten involved.

However, it didn't sound like they found anything that the local police department didn't already know. And I mean, at this point in August, they still believed that the Marble Slab Creamery was the last place that Layla was seen. So their reference point for when and where she was last seen was inaccurate. And so while they were unfortunately following a false lead,

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On August 5th, 2023, the day that Layla turned 21 years old, a candlelight vigil was held in her honor. And the hope was that this event would draw attention to her disappearance and inform their community about what had happened. Jennifer had already started posting TikToks to raise awareness and knew that her daughter was missing, but says the gravity of it all really hit her on this day. Layla is someone who loves her birthday, and for this day to have come and gone without hearing from her really made the reality

of this situation sink in. She went from messaging her mom that she was okay to sleeping in a field to completely missing within the span of a few days and it all felt impossible to explain. Even when nearly a dozen local and state agencies came together to search for her, there was seemingly nothing to explain her sudden disappearance. On August 15th, a large-scale search effort took place in the field where Layla slept and along the Greenbelt Trail. The Greenbelt Trail is a walking, running, and biking path.

And because it's believed that Layla had walked to the ice cream shop from the field area and they are connected by this trail, nearly a dozen search crews looked along this area in hopes of finding something. And again, just to remind you, that is before they knew that this was a false lead. But, and unfortunately unfortunately nothing turned up.

A large scale search taking place in Kingsport today as several crews from agencies joined forces in hopes of finding a missing woman. The greenbelt trail and local shopping plazas now the focus of a search for a missing woman in Kingsport. Approximately 101st responders are searching an area of approximately 320 acres, searching for evidence in connection to the missing person case of way less. Santonello. In addition to manpower, we have we have drones that we're going to utilize. We have underwater sonar capability that can be utilized. Um, we have canine dogs that

are being used. All sorts of all sorts of things like that. Law enforcement says 21 year old Santinello was last seen in the area of 2003 North Eastman Road on June 27th. Santinello is 4 foot 10, weighs 135 pounds and has blonde hair and brown eyes. As for why this area is now a focus of the search. The investigation has been ongoing since she was reported missing at the end of June. And it's one of those things where the area has been searched, but to this extent, we haven't had any additional leads.

So to this extent of a search, we felt like it was time to cover that base as well. And this lack of evidence only added to everyone's confusion. I mean, clearly, Layla didn't just vanish into thin air, but it was starting to feel like she did. We know that she didn't have her cell phone with her and her bank accounts hadn't been touched. So there was really nothing to work with at this point and no way to track her. Authorities did say that they were pulling all surveillance footage from surrounding buildings in the area where she was last seen. But as far as I know, this didn't bring any new leads. All we do know is that she approached those men,

asked for a cigarette, and then walked away. Now, I do wanna mention that this is an open and active investigation, and by law, law enforcement working on this case has not been able to share every single detail, even with their family. So they've been partially, you know, left in the dark, especially since August when Layla was labeled a missing and endangered adult. But just waiting around and doing nothing while law enforcement was working on the case never felt like an option to Layla's loved ones.

There's currently a reward for information, which I will talk about more here in a little, There's currently a reward for information, which I will talk about more here in a little, but the hopes with that is it may incentivize someone who knows something to come forward and share that information. And they have also hired a private investigator. In November of 2023, they even organized their own four-day search efforts

with the help of PI Steve Fisher. The search focused a lot in the same areas as the original search because RAINN had made certain places difficult to access the first time around. And at the end of all of this there was a second vigil held in their community with hopes of raising awareness about Leila and it quickly became clear to them that most people in their community had no idea that there was a missing girl and that there were actually two missing girls

in Kingsport. Which brings me to talking about Holland Snap. On October 15th, a 19 year old girl named Holland Snap went missing in the Kingsport area, and some have said the circumstances of their disappearances are similar. I do want to make note that police have released a statement saying that they do not believe these two cases are similar. I do wanna make note that police have released a statement saying that they do not believe these two cases are connected. However, I understand why people thought they could be. Layla and Holland are both young women

who were known to run in the same social circles. They both have struggled with addiction and they both disappeared from the Kingsport area. But even though it's believed these two cases may not be linked physically, it has definitely tied their loved ones together emotionally. Both families are experiencing what no family should ever have to experience,

and they have actually really come together in support of one another. And another vigil was held on November 11th, and that was held in honor of both women. And then on December 7th, a march was held. Both events were in hopes of raising awareness for Leila and Holland, who are considered missing and endangered young adults. And a community advocate named Trevor Lee helped organize the march. And he said that even months after both these young women went missing,

so many people in their local community still had no idea. And that's because there has been such minimal local coverage on these cases. And I'm not telling you anything new here, but awareness is everything in these types of cases. The more that we can help share her face and the details around her disappearance, as well as Holland,

the better likelihood there is of someone seeing something important. I think the broader we can share Leila's story and show people what she looks like, the better chances we have of reaching the right person. It only takes one person recognizing her to really push this case forward and get this family answered.

That's why I'm trying to use as many pictures as I can of her in this episode. And I really hope that we can support them today by spreading awareness and sharing her photos. I don't wanna get into too much speculation here. And obviously I don't know at the end of the day, but like I said earlier, I believe there's a good chance that she is out there.

And I know her family believes that as well. They absolutely believe that someone has taken her against her will and that she is alive, but needs help being found. And this is a case where it is very easy for you to get involved just by sharing. We have created an updated flyer and I will have that linked in my description so that you can download it and share it on your social media. And if you are in the area or anywhere near Kingsport or really anywhere, it would be awesome if you would actually print these out

and share them around your community as well. But the easiest way to go about doing it is just by sharing this episode or sharing that flyer or a picture of her on your social media. We live in 2024 people. It's so easy to reach a lot of people to spread the word when it comes to these cases. And it's pretty easy to do on your part.

So please, please consider taking a second, a couple seconds, I guess, to help and do that. There is a GoFundMe that is going towards several endeavors, including raising the reward for information, search and rescue efforts, as well as the cost of raising Nova Grace. And this week I have decided to put my donation directly towards the reward for information.

I believe so strongly that someone knows something. I mean, there has to be someone that knows something out there. And I hope that increasing this reward will drive that incentive and allow for that person to maybe come forward. And then there's Layla's Hope, which is a nonprofit that was started to help provide resources, support,

and connection to missing, runaway, and homeless young adults. There's a Facebook and a website associated to their mission, and I definitely encourage you all to check it out. And as always, that will be linked in the description below. As far as other social media, I'm going to link Jennifer's TikTok below where I really encourage you guys to follow along

and get updates on this case. That is one thing that I think is truly underestimated and something that my audience has been wonderful in doing is taking that extra step to follow these families who have created social media profiles and places where they can give updates. Because not only is it important to stay up to date on the case and everything,

but building a community support for those who are fighting this fight is just worth everything. Giving them a follow, maybe even sending a comment, just telling them that you are supportive of their efforts and sending them the best, I think would go such a long way. And there is a Facebook page that you can join where you can also get updates on the case and just be there to help support this family. such a long way. And there is a Facebook page that you can join where you can also get updates on the case and just be there to help support this family. I know for a fact that they will so appreciate

any type of support you can offer them. And I wanna thank you all in advance for doing so. Before I wrap up today though, there are a few other things I wanted to share, things that I'm sure you are all wondering about. And that is mainly about Michael, Leila's boyfriend. I know so often in the cases that I cover and that other true crime outlets cover

that oftentimes the boyfriend, husband, significant other is involved in these cases. Not all the time, but very often. I do wanna make it clear here though, that law enforcement does not believe that Michael was involved with Layla's disappearance and her family believes the same thing. They do however believe that he might know more than he's letting on, keyword being might, but they don't believe he was directly

involved in her disappearance. Earlier this year Michael was arrested in connection with the cash app scam that I told you about before. He was indicted on February 14th for identity theft, theft under $1,000, illegal possession and fraudulent use of a credit or debit card, as well as extortion. And with the announcement of this arrest, Kingsport PD did make it again clear that they do not believe he was involved in her disappearance. Kingsport police say Santonello was reported the last seen

near the AmeriCourt in Kingsport. Yesterday, Kingsport police arrested a man they say posed as Santonello online. 21-year-old Michael David Thompson of Kingsport allegedly sent cash app requests to friends and family members after her disappearance. Last month, a grand jury indicted Thompson on several charges. However,

they say there is no evidence that Thompson had any involvement in Santinello's disappearance. I just want to say though, Michael is someone that Jennifer had let into her home, had shared meals with, showed affection to. And for him to have done all of that to her is incredibly painful and shocking. Even if he isn't directly involved with Leila's disappearance, he has certainly caused a lot of pain and turmoil and confusion for this family. And that's just putting it lightly.

It was brought back to be Michael Thompson, Leila's boyfriend. Was I surprised? Yes. Disappointed? Yes. Disappointed? Yes. Was I in a shock? Kind of. But I knew that justice needed to be served on this one.

We were notified that the requests were coming from Michael Thompson, Layla's boyfriend's house and cell phone. We were doubly shocked. coming from Michael Thompson, Laila's boyfriend's house and cell phone. We were doubly shocked. This young man was part of our family. We had Sunday dinners and birthday celebrations and holidays and Christmases with him. And here he was, pretending to be not only my daughter for monetary gain, but also her

captor. This young man who claimed to love her dearly. I don't even think I have the words for what that felt like. At the end of the day though, Layla deserves to be found and her family deserves answers as to what happened back in June of 2023. And I really hope you guys see how much Layla matters

and that she deserves the attention and awareness just as much as anyone else who is missing. My little girl is by no means perfect. She's got her struggles, she's had her hardships, she's faced a ton of adversity. I want the world to see Layla for who she really is. The compassionate, outgoing, and loving spirit. She has her flaws just like anyone else.

She struggles just like anyone else. She's faced a lot of adversity in her little life, but she needs us right now. She needs rescue. She needs to be found, regardless of what that might mean. At the end of the day, myself, my family, and especially Leila's daughter, we need answers. There's going to come a time when I have to look into that little baby girl's eyes and tell her about her mama. I need to have something to say.

We all face adversities that shape us. Layla is just 21 years old. She and every other young missing person in this country deserve a chance at their next chapters. And all of the families of missing young people deserve to be able to enjoy those chapters. And if we can't, because some means has stopped that from being possible we deserve answers and we deserve justice there is a void within

me that only expands as time goes on I will not be made whole until she's found so after being told the bad the the good, the struggles, Layla always had high hopes and high dreams. Layla graduated high school. She received her diploma, which was a huge accomplishment for Layla. Layla always got back up and tried harder each time she fell.

I remained by Layla's side each and every time she fell and she needed to get back up and fix her crown since she had not just one badass mom but two badass moms by her side that always were there rooting for her. You can call me her biggest fan, I guess you could say. So I just want everyone to know Layla for what we know Layla as. Layla was an amazing mother to a beautiful little girl, Nova Grace. She's a daughter. She's a bonus daughter. She's a granddaughter. She's a sister. She's a niece. She's a cousin. She's a friend. Better yet, she's a person. A person that deserves to be found. impacted so many lives and each and every different way and she deserves to be found

So many still ask what is it that we can do? Well, if you could please please Continue to share her face Say her name Because if you're not seen, you can't be heard. And we need to keep her name alive and her disappearance known and aware. We will continue to seek the answers to our unknown and remaining to keep the pressure on the ones that are responsible

for Leila's disappearance. It only takes just that one person to completely change this whole nightmare. We can only hope and pray for a positive turnaround to this nightmare and helping spread awareness, joining our social media groups on behalf of Leila, as well as donating to our GoFundMe to help gather more search and rescue resources, as well as maintaining an active private investigator on the case and being able to give our family

the opportunity to be able to look for our missing daughter. It has now been almost a year since Layla went missing and I know it is just caused endless amounts of pain and suffering for this family and I just hope that one day she really can be found. Like I mentioned, Kingsport PD and TBI are both actively investigating this case and there is likely information that they aren't able to share. Let's hope that they have more than we all do. We know that as of March of 2024,

they have entered her into ViCAP and NamUs and conducted a search of Michael's house, issued more than 25 subpoenas and served over 30 search warrants. So they're certainly doing quite a bit. Layla Santinello is 4'10", is between 115 and 135 pounds, has brown eyes and at the time of her disappearance had bleach blonde hair with brown roots. If you have any information on her disappearance, please call the Kingsport Police Department at 423-343-9780 or the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-TBI-FIND. And before I go, I just want to

thank this family for trusting me to share Leila's case and helping me to pull all the information together. And I know that you all will show them lots of love and support in the comments below. That is going to be it for me today, guys. Thank you for joining me for another episode. And make sure you follow the show on Spotify and Apple podcasts. It really does help me out. If you want to watch the video version of this show, you can find it on my YouTube channel, which will be linked, or you can just search Kendall Rae. I will be back with another episode soon, but until then, stay safe out there.