Layla Santanello, a young mother from Tennessee, was last seen on June 27, 2023, in a field next to the Americourt Hotel.
Reports from employees and guests indicated that she displayed erratic and paranoid behavior. Surveillance footage showed Layla moving around the hotel, allegedly knocking on doors and searching for a specific individual.
The sequence of events leading to her disappearance commenced on June 24, just three days prior. After receiving a message from Layla’s Facebook account, Jennifer Santanello, Layla’s mother, became concerned. The message, sent by Layla’s boyfriend, questioned Layla’s whereabouts, speculating whether she was incarcerated or hospitalized as he had not seen her for over a day.
Later that evening, Layla contacted her mother through the same account, reassuring her by stating, “I’m okay mom,” and elaborating, “I’ve been with a friend and do not have access to my phone for calls or messages. I am using someone else’s device.”
About two weeks later, a series of strange Cash App requests were sent from Layla’s account to both her stepmother, Brittany Zeitler, and her mother. One request for $100 included the subject line “twlmg.” Several more requests followed in quick succession with the same subject line. Jennifer sent $1 to the account and asked if Layla was okay. As the transactions continued, she came to believe that “twlmg” meant “they won’t let me go.”
Another message allegedly read, “We have Layla. She owes a drug debt, and if she doesn’t pay, you’ll find her chopped up into pieces.”
Joining Nancy Grace today:
Additional Guests
Brittany Zeitler – Stepmom to Layla Santanello
George Emmett – Dad to Layla Santanello
Ben Powers - Criminal Defense Attorney; Facebook: Legal Powers PLLC
“Crime Stories with Nancy Grace” is also a national radio show on SiriusXM channel 111, airing for two hours daily starting at 12 p.m. EST. You can also subscribe and download the daily podcasts at iHeart Podcasts.
[Feature Photo:Layla Santanello/Handout]
