KINGSPORT, Tenn. (NewsNation) — The mysterious disappearances of two young women in Tennessee have forged a poignant connection between two families as they collectively seek answers.
Layla Santanello, a 21-year-old creative and devoted mother of a 2-year-old daughter, Nova Grace, vanished on June 27, 2023, leaving her family desperate for any leads.
In a recent march organized by loved ones in Kingsport, the community aimed to bring fresh attention to Santanello’s case, hoping for a breakthrough in the investigation. Layla’s mother, Jennifer Santanello, spoke emotionally about her daughter’s vibrant spirit, describing her as a “beautiful, bright light in the world.”
On June 25, Layla Santanello’s boyfriend alerted her mother that she had left, and he didn’t know where she had gone.
Two days later, in the early morning hours, Layla Santanello was spotted at the Americourt Hotel in Kingsport. Hotel workers reported that she had raised a ruckus, knocking on doors and looking for someone. Jennifer Santanello says Layla left and ended up sleeping at a homeless encampment in the woods behind the hotel.
“She walks off towards the woods and there’s a hiking trail or a walking trail that runs all the way through the town. It’s called the Kingsport Greenbelt and she went in that direction, which is the opposite direction of the Americourt. That is the last time anyone saw her for sure,” Jennifer Santanello said.
As her family worried and searched for Layla Santanello, they began getting Cash App requests from someone claiming to hold her hostage.
“Everything was coming from Michael Thompson, Layla’s boyfriend’s, house. His device, his IP address, his address, all the things,” Jennifer Santanello said. “Once everything was processed, though, there was no evidence at all that anything bad had happened to Layla there.”
Thompson was sentenced this year on charges of identity theft and extortion.
Private investigator Steve Fisher noted that Layla Santanello was later seen disheveled at the Marble Slab Creamery, expressing concern about her well-being. Layla Santanello never reached her destination at a nearby store and has not been seen or heard from since.
Jennifer Santanello said that her daughter had been struggling with addiction, specifically to fentanyl, and had been refusing treatment. Despite her mother’s concern and efforts, Layla Santanello, a “brand new addict,” believed she could control the situation.
Less than four months later, another young woman, Hollynn Snapp, 19, went missing from a residence nearby.
“She functions at a 10-year-old level, she is very trusting of others, and unfortunately, I do believe it has gotten her into some trouble,” Hollynn Snapp’s mother, Heather Snapp, said.
Hollynn Snapp was known to have an addictive personality and was reportedly using meth before her disappearance. Heather Snapp said her daughter was in a fight at a party on Oct. 5, where she met an older man. After the fight, she disappeared.
“We know that some sort of incident occurred where she bit him and he proceeded to beat her from several eyewitnesses and he beat her to the point where she was incoherent,” Hunt said. “That’s also from several witnesses. She couldn’t form sentences. She was unable to recognize them. She didn’t know who they were. And that was in the basement of his house on Bell Ridge, where we believe he still lives.”
The two missing women shared some commonalities, including overlapping social circles and similar lifestyles, according to Leslie Hunt, Hollynn Snapp’s foster mother.
“They ran around in some of the same circles. But other than that, I don’t believe they knew each other. Just the fact that they look a lot alike, kind of have the same lifestyles, some of the same friends and just their presence on social media is kind of the same,” Hunt said.
Police are calling both women missing and endangered. But detectives with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office have found no evidence to support that these cases are related.
Fisher, who is involved in both cases, is exploring possible connections between the disappearances. Heather Snapp expressed hope that finding answers for one would lead to the discovery of the other.
Despite the passage of time, the Santanello and Snapp families remain determined in their search. Searches conducted on foot and with cadaver dogs have taken place, and the families refuse to give up hope, planning more searches for their missing loved ones.
“It’s not enough for Hollynn,” Hunt said. “She deserves everything that we can muster out of the answers that we get. She deserves justice, and she deserves to be remembered.”
Heather Snapp appealed to the public, urging anyone with information to come forward, stating, “At some point, you just get on your knees and pray that maybe something is found.”
Jennifer Santanello echoed the sentiment, emphasizing her commitment to being Layla Santanello’s voice in her daughter’s absence.
“Nobody can be her voice better than me,” she declared, as both families navigate the agonizing uncertainty surrounding the disappearances of their loved ones.
If you have any information that can help in this case, contact the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-TBI-FIND.