Three years missing: KPD provides new details in Layla Santanello case

KINGSPORT — With Saturday marking the three-year anniversary of Layla Santanello's disappearance, the Kingsport Police Department is saying current evidence points to Layla being dead. Detective Cpl. William Clare, who has been assigned to Layla's case since the start, gave the information during an interview Friday afternoon. He said around December 2023, law enforcement had a "huge break" in Layla's case. "There was a huge tip that came in that led us to [the idea] that Layla did go from the Americourt Hotel to another location, that I'm not going to disclose, same day," he said. "And that evening, she died." According to Clare, the last known location of Layla has changed through the course of the investigation through the introduction of new tips and leads. After hearing around 100 direct witness testimony interviews and more than 300 tips, as well as issuing several subpoenas and search warrants, Clare said the gathered information informs his conclusion that Layla is dead. He said authorities have an understanding of who is involved in Layla's death and the family is aware of the case's status. "This is all based on the evidence that has been collected, the interviews have been conducted, search warrants, subpoenas," Clare said. "We've issued, I don't know how many subpoenas, it is a lot. I honestly don't keep a tally anymore. That has brought us to this point." Clare explained how Layla was initially reported missing by her father. Investigations at the beginning led Clare to the Americourt Hotel (1900 American Way) in Kingsport. Her last reported sighting was in a field adjacent to the hotel, around 6:15 a.m. on June 27, 2023. She is said to have spoken to some employees near the field and walked onto the Greenbelt. 'One bite of the apple at a time' Clare urged anyone with information to come forward and help provide answers to both the community and family. "Right now, it's coming down to a small group of people — who, in my opinion, are selfish and self-centered — that can come forward," he said. "Whether it's physically with a phone call, a voicemail, an email, that can tell me where she's at, and I can go get her. That's where we're at." He spoke to the ongoing involvement of local, state, regional and federal law enforcement agencies seeking to bring closure to the case. "There's a lot of investment in this case, we're all trying to get to the same goal, and we run these tips down," Clare said. "... Some [tips] are good, obviously, based on what I just told you. There were some that were extremely good, and we were able to take action on it." In the past year, Clare said KPD has done two or three ground searches related to the case, driven by the information learned in December 2023. He said he and other investigators are always working on the case even when the public's focus has shifted away from it. "It's one bite of the apple at a time," he said. "So those people that know that can come forward, we can get right to the core of it, instead of the pace that we have to go at based on what we know." Clare called Layla's case non-traditional due to the lack of forensic evidence available. He pointed out that shopping centers near that portion of the Greenbelt do not have security cameras. There is no footage from these shops of Layla to analyze from when she left the Americourt Hotel and headed toward the Greenbelt. "Normally, you have a crime scene, you've got various types of forensic evidence," he said. "Whether it's DNA or fingerprints, you've got blood stain patterns, or whatever the case is. We don't have a car that she drove, we don't have a cell phone that we can exploit or cell towers to use." Kingsport Police Chief Jason Bellamy told the Times News in an interview earlier this month that the police department follows up on every lead they receive on Layla's case, and the detectives assigned to the case work diligently. "I know her family would love answers, and we would love to provide those," he said. "I can't imagine that sense of loss or not knowing, and anytime that we can do anything to push that case forward and get another step down the road, and hopefully resolve it — we're absolutely after that." Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Public Affairs Officer Leslie Earhart said in an emailed statement that TBI is only assisting in the investigation, so other specifics would need to be asked to KPD. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Layla Santanello is encouraged to call Clare directly at 423-343-9780 or the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's tip line at 1-800-TBI-FIND. To report tips anonymously, use KPD's online 'Citizen Feedback' form at kingsporttn.gov/city-services/police-department/contact-police/. 'I pray someone comes forward' Jennifer Santanello, Layla's mother, said that if law enforcement's theory proves true, she hopes someone comes forward for the sake of Layla's 5-year-old daughter. "I pray someone comes forward and helps us bring justice to our girl," Santanello said in a message to the Times News Friday afternoon. "I tend to relive the days leading up to that day (the anniversary of Layla's disappearance)," Santanello said. "I know them so well, because I've combed over them in my mind so many times, trying to figure out if there was something I could have done to prevent all of this." At the time of her disappearance, Layla was a young mother on the cusp of turning 21 years old. Layla's daughter Nova Grace was a little over 2 years old when her mother vanished. Santanello said Layla's daughter has motivated her to keep seeking answers, even when she is too young to understand all aspects of the situation. "[Nova Grace] has these moments where she'll see a picture of her mom on the fridge, or I have a mug with Layla's face on it," Santanello said. "Not always, not every time I pull that mug out, but occasionally I'll pull the mug out, and she'll just burst out in tears. 'I miss my mom. I just want my mom.' All I can say is, 'Yeah, I know, me too, baby.'" 'Larger than life' Santanello said Layla was a spunky kid, full of sass, attitude and energy. Before she was a face on a missing poster, Layla was creative. Her mother said she could draw, paint, sing and dance — there was nothing she couldn't do. "She was on a travel swim team, she was in choir," she said. "She did theater camps in the summertime. She did so many things. She did an art school, she did a science camp. Especially because she was such an active child that we always had to have something for her to do when school was out because if we didn't, she was gonna just climb the walls." Santanello described Layla's teenage years as rebellious, with her main goal in life always wanting to be an adult and have the freedom that comes with adulthood. As Layla got older, Santanello said her daughter was always full of life. "She had no filter at all whatsoever, so anything she thought came right out of her mouth," Santanello said. "She would just say it like it was. It wasn't always all rainbows and gumdrops. She had her flaws, She could be not so nice at times. That sass would come out, that attitude would come out, but for the most part, you know, she was just larger than life." Santanello said Layla lived in Kingsport most of her life but was born in New Jersey. They moved to Florida for a year when Layla was almost 3 years old before moving to Tennessee. Aug. 5 will mark Layla's 24th birthday. 'Hear something, say something' Social media has been a prominent factor in Layla's case over the past three years. Jennifer Santanello's Facebook page where she provides updates has amassed more than 240,000 followers. Her TikTok account has over 293,600 followers. "What I wanted to do, I wanted to curl into a little ball and just shrivel up and die, but there was this little voice inside of my head that said 'You have to fight for her,'" Santanello said. "You have to make her famous, so that no one forgets. Because I know that I have seen people — you see a missing poster from this area and then you never get a follow-up, you never hear anything ever again. I did not want that to be my daughter." She expressed her gratitude for both the online and local community's support in the search of Layla, especially early on in the investigation. "Layla made a pretty big impact on this little town, almost everybody knew her somehow, some way," she said. "It's been really amazing and inspiring and incredibly helpful, especially when you feel like you can't keep going." Santanello is planning a vigil for Saturday. It will start at 8:30 p.m. at Borden Park (901 Lamont St.) in Kingsport. Community members are invited to come together for time of prayer and to light candles. She said there is still an $8,000 reward out there for anyone who comes forward with direct information to Layla's whereabouts. "Just keep talking about her," she said. "Just keep your eyes open, and if you hear something, say something. There's no tip too small."