A young Tennessee mother who went missing in June had lost custody of her daughter just weeks before she was last seen – and relatives say her disappearance could “absolutely” be drug-related.
Layla Santenello, 21, had been struggling with addiction and family issues when she was last seen in Kingsport around June 26, her stepmother, Brittany Zeitler, told The Post Wednesday.
“Layla was going downhill,” Zeitler said of the weeks before her mother disappeared.
Santanello had been addicted to fentanyl and heroin for the past several years, Zeitler added — noting that drugs were “absolutely” related to the young mother’s disappearance.
“All this revolves around drugs,” he insisted.
Two weeks before her last sighting, Santanello lost temporary custody of her two-year-old daughter to her mother, Jennifer Santanello, Zeitler told The Post.
The family’s next court appearance is set for June 28 – two days after Zeitler and Santanello’s father reported the young woman missing to police.
Layla Santonello struggled with drug abuse for years before she disappeared, her stepmother said. Sincerely Jennifer Santanello
Santenello was last seen barefoot and looking disoriented at Marble Slab Creamery in the East Stone Commons Shopping Center in Kingsport, initial reports said.
Now, however, the family believes these initial allegations may not be credible, Zeitler told The Post.
Thanks to private investigators, he said, Santonello’s father and stepmother believe his final location may have been near the Americourt motel, where Santonello is believed to have stayed after couch surfing with friends before he disappeared.
In the days before her disappearance, Santonello was in the process of breaking up with her boyfriend, Zeitler said.
Layla Santonello (left) lost custody of her daughter weeks before she was last seen. Brittany Zeitler
“She broke up with her boyfriend. He probably at some point realized that he could have and do better,” said the stepmother.
As part of that process, Santonello’s loved ones believe she may have become close to another man.
“He doesn’t have a ‘secret lover,’ I wouldn’t say that,” Zeitler said, referring to earlier reports.
“He’s looking for loving, gentle care because he’s running,” Zeitler said.
The new man – who has not been named by the Santonello family – even allowed Santonello to stay with him for a few nights before he disappeared.
The young mother had been missing for over five months. Brittany Zeitler
As the family tries to piece together what may have happened to Santonello, they are now going through months-old footage from a business near Americourt in hopes the young woman will appear on screen.
“I knew something was wrong, with his father, he really believed something was wrong,” lamented Zeitler.
“[Layla] will call, he will call. He is very dependent on his family. Haven’t heard from him at all, in five months [is not normal],” he added.
Layla Santonello was last seen in Kingsport in late June. Brittany Zeitler
Zeitler and Santonello’s father are now at loggerheads with Santonello’s mother, who says she believes her daughter may be the victim of a serial killer or trafficking.
“Even if someone had it, or if it was a matter of trafficking, I truly believe that he would still be tracked down,” Zeitler told The Post.
“We will go with what is [Tennessee Bureau of Investigation] have, and that [she was seen] June 26 near Americourt,” he claimed.
Five months after Santonello was last seen, his loved ones are exhausted – but promise they won’t stop until they get answers.
Layla Santonello’s daughter is now in her mother’s custody. Brittany Zeitler
“Did we think we would be in this position now, five months later? Absolutely not,” Zeitler said.
“We need to get the closure we need not only for ourselves but for his daughter,” she added.
“Saying ‘I don’t know what happened to your mother’ is not feasible.”
Local authorities still “don’t know the circumstances” of Santonello’s disappearance and are “open to all possibilities,” the Kingsport Police Department told The Post in a statement.
Zeitler and other members of the Santonello family have launched a GoFundMe, “Layla’s Find & Rescue Mission” to raise money for the personal search.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
