Cold and Missing: Marlon Santos

100:00:00,000 --> 00:00:13,780The views and opinions expressed in Cold and Missing are exclusively those of the hosts.200:00:13,780 --> 00:00:18,400All parties mentioned are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.300:00:18,400 --> 00:00:22,160Cold and Missing also contains adult themes and languages.400:00:22,160 --> 00:00:24,560Listener discretion is advised.500:00:24,560 --> 00:00:27,280I'm your host, Ali McLaughlin-Sulkowski.600:00:27,280 --> 00:00:29,680And I'm your co-host, Eli Sulkowski.700:00:29,680 --> 00:00:34,600And this is Cold and Missing, where we cover cold cases and missing person cases.800:00:34,600 --> 00:00:37,200Hello everyone and welcome back to Cold and Missing.900:00:37,200 --> 00:00:39,800I'm your host, Ali McLaughlin-Sulkowski.1000:00:39,800 --> 00:00:42,480And I'll just be coming to you solo today.1100:00:42,480 --> 00:00:44,120I do want to apologize kind of at the top.1200:00:44,120 --> 00:00:48,080I know this episode is coming out later in the day than we normally do.1300:00:48,080 --> 00:00:53,800I had a horrible migraine for the past couple days, so I tried to record and it just wasn't1400:00:53,800 --> 00:00:54,800sounding right.1500:00:54,800 --> 00:00:59,000Again, part of respecting these stories is I want to make sure I'm always giving my best.1600:00:59,000 --> 00:01:02,840So we are feeling better now, so I'm able to record and just get this episode out a1700:01:02,840 --> 00:01:05,480little bit later in the day than I normally would.1800:01:05,480 --> 00:01:08,680So today we are covering a missing person case.1900:01:08,680 --> 00:01:12,600And I just wanted to give a bit of a content warning at the top that this case does involve2000:01:12,600 --> 00:01:13,600a child.2100:01:13,600 --> 00:01:18,340There are mentions of sexual abuse and child abuse.2200:01:18,340 --> 00:01:21,960So today we are covering the missing person case of Marlon Santos.2300:01:21,960 --> 00:01:27,440And this takes place in November of 1998 in Worcester, Massachusetts.2400:01:27,440 --> 00:01:29,200But first a little bit about Marlon.2500:01:29,200 --> 00:01:34,280Marlon Devine Santos is only five months old in November of 1998.2600:01:34,280 --> 00:01:38,600He was born June 5th of that year and he would be 25 years old today.2700:01:38,600 --> 00:01:41,960Marlon's parents had a whirlwind romance while they were both seeking treatment for2800:01:41,960 --> 00:01:43,080their addiction.2900:01:43,080 --> 00:01:48,600The romance didn't last and by the time Marlon's mother, Dina Santos, gave birth, the couple3000:01:48,600 --> 00:01:49,600had separated.3100:01:49,600 --> 00:01:53,680Shortly after Marlon's birth, Dina began seeking help for her addiction and seeking3200:01:53,680 --> 00:01:55,440out space in a shelter.3300:01:55,440 --> 00:02:01,100It's unclear when DSS, or the Department of Social Services, stepped in, but by August3400:02:01,100 --> 00:02:06,640Marlon was placed in the home of Yolanda and Jose Castillo as a foster child.3500:02:06,640 --> 00:02:11,260Yolanda and Jose had hosted around 50 foster children and when Marlon joined them they3600:02:11,260 --> 00:02:15,800had two other foster kids, a three-year-old and a 24-month-year-old.3700:02:15,800 --> 00:02:20,960And then they had three of their own children who were 11, 12, and 17.3800:02:20,960 --> 00:02:23,640So now a timeline of events.3900:02:23,640 --> 00:02:26,760On Thursday, November 5th, 1998.4000:02:26,760 --> 00:02:31,540Early in the afternoon, Yolanda needs to leave the house to go pick up her two middle schoolers.4100:02:31,540 --> 00:02:36,400The babies were asleep, according to Yolanda, so she decides to leave them in the home alone4200:02:36,400 --> 00:02:38,620while she makes the trip to get her kids.4300:02:38,620 --> 00:02:40,840The trip took about 45 minutes.4400:02:40,840 --> 00:02:44,200Jose was out of town, having gone to New York for a few days.4500:02:44,200 --> 00:02:49,560Yolanda left the house unlocked while she was out and when she returned, between 1.304600:02:49,560 --> 00:02:52,520and 2 p.m., she finds that Marlon is gone.4700:02:52,520 --> 00:02:56,520Neighbors said that normally Jose watched the children as he had a more flexible work4800:02:56,520 --> 00:03:02,560schedule, and they also say that on that day they see Yolanda outside searching the bushes.4900:03:02,560 --> 00:03:06,920Instead of calling the police right away, Yolanda waits until Saturday night, November5000:03:06,920 --> 00:03:11,6007th, over 48 hours after Marlon went missing.5100:03:11,600 --> 00:03:15,760She drove to the Bronx, New York that day to pick up Jose and then they go to the police5200:03:15,760 --> 00:03:17,360station that night.5300:03:17,360 --> 00:03:21,320Yolanda told police that she waited so long because she didn't want to go to the police5400:03:21,320 --> 00:03:25,320without her husband and was worried about her own children getting taken away.5500:03:25,320 --> 00:03:30,400Dina, Marlon's mother, is heartbroken and pleading on local news.5600:03:30,400 --> 00:03:36,440She says, quote, how DSS can have these people as foster parents, telling me I can't take5700:03:36,440 --> 00:03:40,600care of my son, but they give them to these people that can't do nothing either.5800:03:40,600 --> 00:03:44,360They're telling me that I can't take care of my son, but they don't know where he is,5900:03:44,360 --> 00:03:45,780end quote.6000:03:45,780 --> 00:03:52,080On Sunday, November 9th, 1998, the Castillos, who are Pentecostal preachers, still hold6100:03:52,080 --> 00:03:56,300service Sunday morning and neighbors say that parishioners are dropped off at the Castillo6200:03:56,300 --> 00:03:58,400home that day as well.6300:03:58,400 --> 00:04:03,240On Monday, November 10th, Worcester police captain Paul Campbell has three theories on6400:04:03,240 --> 00:04:05,280what happened to Marlon.6500:04:05,280 --> 00:04:10,920Either he was kidnapped, he was sold, or there was a tragic accident and Marlon is dead.6600:04:10,920 --> 00:04:16,760He says, quote, those are your only three options that I can see, end quote.6700:04:16,760 --> 00:04:20,880Police execute search warrants on the Castillo home and their two vehicles they have in their6800:04:20,880 --> 00:04:27,260possession, a brown Dodge caravan and a large passenger van that belonged to the church.6900:04:27,260 --> 00:04:31,380Captain Paul Campbell says, quote, we've had sniffing dogs at the house.7000:04:31,380 --> 00:04:35,580We have not had any indication that there is a deceased individual in the residence7100:04:35,580 --> 00:04:38,620or on the property, end quote.7200:04:38,620 --> 00:04:43,320Police lieutenant John McLaren says that Yolanda and Jose have stopped cooperating with the7300:04:43,320 --> 00:04:45,000police and have lawyered up.7400:04:45,000 --> 00:04:48,680DSS says they are assisting the police in their search for Marlon.7500:04:48,680 --> 00:04:54,080DSS spokesperson Lorraine Carley says, quote, we have no idea what happened here.7600:04:54,080 --> 00:04:58,240I think at this point there are definitely more questions than there are answers, end7700:04:58,240 --> 00:04:59,360quote.7800:04:59,360 --> 00:05:03,440The other two foster children that were staying with the Castillos are removed from the home7900:05:03,440 --> 00:05:05,500and placed elsewhere.8000:05:05,500 --> 00:05:09,580Police say that the Castillos never knocked on their door when looking for Marlon.8100:05:09,580 --> 00:05:15,640As word got out of Marlon's disappearance, Marlon's father rushed to help the police.8200:05:15,640 --> 00:05:20,800William Kehanek tells the media that DSS never tried to find him when they took custody away8300:05:20,800 --> 00:05:21,800from Dina.8400:05:21,800 --> 00:05:25,960He says that, quote, of course I would have taken the baby, end quote.8500:05:25,960 --> 00:05:31,480On Wednesday, November 11th, Marlon has been missing for six days at this point.8600:05:31,480 --> 00:05:34,420Police say that they are focusing on the Castillos.8700:05:34,420 --> 00:05:39,320There have been reports of abuse and neglect filed against them, but all have been unfounded,8800:05:39,320 --> 00:05:41,200according to DSS.8900:05:41,200 --> 00:05:45,760The DSS spokesperson Lorraine Carley says, quote, if you look back at the history of9000:05:45,760 --> 00:05:49,240this foster home, we don't see any smoking gun.9100:05:49,240 --> 00:05:52,480We don't know what happened here, end quote.9200:05:52,480 --> 00:05:56,840Police are treating the case as an abduction or homicide at this point.9300:05:56,840 --> 00:06:01,040The detective on the case says, quote, we're investigating a possible homicide because9400:06:01,040 --> 00:06:06,080of the inconsistencies in the details provided by the foster parents, end quote.9500:06:06,080 --> 00:06:11,000While Dina was initially ruled out as a suspect, police become suspicious of her as she stops9600:06:11,000 --> 00:06:15,040cooperating with police and retains a lawyer.9700:06:15,040 --> 00:06:18,000The public is in outrage over the missing baby.9800:06:18,000 --> 00:06:22,160Representative Mari J. Parenti says, quote, how did we do this?9900:06:22,160 --> 00:06:23,800How did we lose a baby?10000:06:23,800 --> 00:06:26,840We need to recruit foster homes under less stress.10100:06:26,840 --> 00:06:31,320If the parents had no way to pick up her own children after school, they had a problem,10200:06:31,320 --> 00:06:32,500end quote.10300:06:32,500 --> 00:06:36,800On Thursday, November 12th, Marlon has been missing for a week and police are hopeful10400:06:36,800 --> 00:06:39,320that he is still alive.10500:06:39,320 --> 00:06:44,200Detective John McLernan says, quote, at this point in the investigation, we believe that10600:06:44,200 --> 00:06:47,440the baby has been abducted as opposed to being murdered.10700:06:47,440 --> 00:06:50,040We're encouraged by that, end quote.10800:06:50,040 --> 00:06:53,640The New York City police are also assisting in the case since Jose had been there the10900:06:53,640 --> 00:06:56,040day that Marlon went missing.11000:06:56,040 --> 00:07:00,440Jose's lawyer says that as soon as he got to New York City, he left for Wisconsin and11100:07:00,440 --> 00:07:03,520was not actually in the city that long.11200:07:03,520 --> 00:07:07,160The Castellos still hold church services three times a week.11300:07:07,160 --> 00:07:10,400Jose says, quote, I'm not going to stop preaching for anything.11400:07:10,400 --> 00:07:12,400I'm a pastor, end quote.11500:07:12,400 --> 00:07:16,840However, at the Thursday night service, Jose leaves shortly before the service starts and11600:07:16,840 --> 00:07:19,880his brother, Manuel, steps in.11700:07:19,880 --> 00:07:23,940He tells the congregation that Jose had important business to attend to.11800:07:23,940 --> 00:07:27,920As attention on the case grows, the public outrage is loud.11900:07:27,920 --> 00:07:32,280The public want to know why a seemingly devoted foster mother would leave three very young12000:07:32,280 --> 00:07:35,100children home in an unlocked house.12100:07:35,100 --> 00:07:39,280And why did she wait over 48 hours to report him missing to the police?12200:07:39,280 --> 00:07:43,720The public also want to know why Dina, who had been so public in begging for her son's12300:07:43,720 --> 00:07:48,560safety and return, would suddenly stop cooperating and retain a lawyer.12400:07:48,560 --> 00:07:53,900On Friday, November 13th, just over one week Marlon has been missing, Jose breaks his12500:07:53,900 --> 00:07:56,540silence and declares himself innocent.12600:07:56,540 --> 00:08:01,200He says, quote, once everything clears up in this case, people will know the things12700:08:01,200 --> 00:08:03,920they have said about me are not true.12800:08:03,920 --> 00:08:08,300In due time, God will put everything into place, end quote.12900:08:08,300 --> 00:08:12,960The public critique of the DSS system is also very loud at this time.13000:08:12,960 --> 00:08:17,180It has come to light that Jose had federal trafficking drug charges that the DSS was13100:08:17,180 --> 00:08:18,620not aware of.13200:08:18,620 --> 00:08:23,140The DSS counters that the current law only allows for them to run a criminal background13300:08:23,140 --> 00:08:25,260check in the state of Massachusetts.13400:08:25,260 --> 00:08:28,960And since the drug trafficking charges were in Florida, they would have had no way of13500:08:28,960 --> 00:08:30,200knowing about it.13600:08:30,200 --> 00:08:34,780On Sunday, November 15th, Marlon has been missing for 10 days.13700:08:34,780 --> 00:08:38,640And after saying he would never stop preaching, Jose doesn't show up to church and his brother13800:08:38,640 --> 00:08:41,000has no idea where he is.13900:08:41,000 --> 00:08:46,160As the investigation continues, and it's been almost two weeks since Marlon has disappeared,14000:08:46,160 --> 00:08:50,820the police start acting with more caution in regards to letting information out about14100:08:50,820 --> 00:08:51,980this case.14200:08:51,980 --> 00:08:56,520The local media obtained search warrants that the police had conducted the week before and14300:08:56,520 --> 00:09:02,740find that the police had collected, as evidence, a sample from a youth-sized mattress, a pillow,14400:09:02,740 --> 00:09:07,860a pillowcase, a white cotton blanket, and they take swabs from the front porch to determine14500:09:07,860 --> 00:09:08,980if it's blood.14600:09:08,980 --> 00:09:12,240The results for this analysis are never made public.14700:09:12,240 --> 00:09:17,700On December 2nd, 1998, it's been almost a month that Marlon has been missing, but police14800:09:17,700 --> 00:09:20,180still feel confident that he is alive.14900:09:20,180 --> 00:09:24,060Police are handling it as a disappearance case at this point, but are hesitant to call15000:09:24,060 --> 00:09:26,040it an abduction.15100:09:26,040 --> 00:09:30,680Police captain Paul Campbell cryptically says, quote, depends on how you would use the word15200:09:30,680 --> 00:09:32,900abducted, end quote.15300:09:32,900 --> 00:09:36,980Police do believe that the baby was either sold or given away in New York City and are15400:09:36,980 --> 00:09:40,100still working with the NYPD for help in the case.15500:09:40,100 --> 00:09:44,420Jose maintains that he was not truly in New York City, but left for Wisconsin as soon15600:09:44,420 --> 00:09:45,740as he got there.15700:09:45,740 --> 00:09:50,940On Wednesday, December 16th, it's been almost six weeks that Marlon has been missing, and15800:09:50,940 --> 00:09:55,740the Castellos' biological children are removed from their home following an abuse and neglect15900:09:55,740 --> 00:09:56,740report.16000:09:56,740 --> 00:10:01,260However, they are returned to the home two days later, and only the 17-year-old remains16100:10:01,260 --> 00:10:02,760in foster care.16200:10:02,760 --> 00:10:07,620On Monday, December 28th, Marlon has been missing for almost two months.16300:10:07,620 --> 00:10:11,900Jose Castillo is charged with child rape and molestation.16400:10:11,900 --> 00:10:16,140While looking for Marlon, police speak to former foster children of the Castellos and16500:10:16,140 --> 00:10:18,540uncover these allegations.16600:10:18,540 --> 00:10:22,960After these allegations surface, DSS try to find all of the other children that had stayed16700:10:22,960 --> 00:10:26,720in their home to see if there are any more charges that should be filed.16800:10:26,720 --> 00:10:28,980And then the case goes quiet for a little bit.16900:10:28,980 --> 00:10:35,140It's not until Tuesday, October 26th, 1999, almost a year since his disappearance, that17000:10:35,140 --> 00:10:38,420his case surfaces in the media again.17100:10:38,420 --> 00:10:45,460The next update in Marlon's case comes nearly a year later, on Tuesday, October 26th, 1999.17200:10:45,460 --> 00:10:49,500Police received a credible tip that Marlon was buried near the Huachacet Reservoir, and17300:10:49,500 --> 00:10:53,740police take the next week to search the reservoir and the surrounding area.17400:10:53,740 --> 00:10:57,820According to the police, they were acting on a tip that Marlon had been suffocated and17500:10:57,820 --> 00:11:00,340buried in plastic in this area.17600:11:00,340 --> 00:11:05,540While police are searching, they find pieces of clothing, plastic, a diaper, and a baby17700:11:05,540 --> 00:11:06,540blanket.17800:11:06,540 --> 00:11:10,780These items are sent for analysis to try to link back to baby Marlon.17900:11:10,780 --> 00:11:15,620Police spend days searching this area and even bring in ground-penetrating radar to18000:11:15,620 --> 00:11:21,200search a specific plot of land, but all that's found are those items that I just mentioned.18100:11:21,200 --> 00:11:26,020On December 2nd, 1999, so it's been over a month since the police conducted their very18200:11:26,020 --> 00:11:31,060large search, and over a year that Marlon has been missing, the analysis of the items18300:11:31,060 --> 00:11:37,140found during the search failed to find any organic matter that could be tested for DNA.18400:11:37,140 --> 00:11:42,580So ultimately, they can't link any of the items found during their search to Marlon.18500:11:42,580 --> 00:11:48,220We do know that sometime in the year 2000, a grand jury is held in Marlon's case, but18600:11:48,220 --> 00:11:50,220no one is indicted.18700:11:50,220 --> 00:11:56,020The next update in Marlon's case comes nearly seven years later, so this is April 15th,18800:11:56,020 --> 00:12:00,3002005, and Marlon has been missing for around seven years.18900:12:00,300 --> 00:12:05,380Jose had reached a plea deal and pleads guilty to assaulting a foster child and he is sentenced19000:12:05,380 --> 00:12:07,660to six months in jail.19100:12:07,660 --> 00:12:11,660But other than that, there have been no updates in this case.19200:12:11,660 --> 00:12:17,580So if you know anything about the disappearance of Marlon Santos or his whereabouts today,19300:12:17,580 --> 00:12:23,940please call the Worcester Police at 508-799-8466.19400:12:23,940 --> 00:12:28,500And the sources for the timeline today come from The Telegram and Gazette, The Daily Item,19500:12:28,500 --> 00:12:33,060The Boston Globe, Portland Press Herald, The Day, Aethol Daily News, The Recorder, News19600:12:33,060 --> 00:12:34,940Press, and The Sun Journal.19700:12:34,940 --> 00:12:38,100So that is the case of Marlon Santos.19800:12:38,100 --> 00:12:43,460And my first reaction as I started researching this case was really anger, for lack of a19900:12:43,460 --> 00:12:44,980better word.20000:12:44,980 --> 00:12:51,260I just couldn't wrap my head around leaving a three-year-old, a child that's only 24 months20100:12:51,260 --> 00:12:55,780and then five months old, alone in an unlocked house.20200:12:55,780 --> 00:13:00,800I mean, just leaving them alone is crazy, but you know, that three-year-old was also20300:13:00,800 --> 00:13:05,300old enough to probably open a door and get outside if they wanted to.20400:13:05,300 --> 00:13:11,380So this could have been a very tragic case no matter what.20500:13:11,380 --> 00:13:20,020But the fact that the youngest, Marlon, went missing is just wildly irresponsible to me,20600:13:20,020 --> 00:13:24,540wildly irresponsible that they were left alone for 45 minutes.20700:13:24,540 --> 00:13:28,860And you know, I was trying to find some compassion.20800:13:28,860 --> 00:13:33,580Maybe they didn't have a car that could accommodate all of the children.20900:13:33,580 --> 00:13:40,540So maybe that's why Yolanda had to make this decision to leave the babies alone.21000:13:40,540 --> 00:13:46,400But in my research, it says that they had, you know, a Dodge Care van, which is a minivan.21100:13:46,400 --> 00:13:52,740So there would have been enough seats for, you know, three car seats and then two other21200:13:52,740 --> 00:13:53,820children to sit.21300:13:53,820 --> 00:13:56,140Like there would have been that space.21400:13:56,140 --> 00:14:01,540And they also had a passenger van at their disposal that the church that they ran technically21500:14:01,540 --> 00:14:02,540owned.21600:14:02,540 --> 00:14:05,140So that would have had more than enough seats.21700:14:05,140 --> 00:14:11,420So I just, I don't understand how you reached that conclusion of leaving these babies alone21800:14:11,420 --> 00:14:13,700by themselves in an unlocked house.21900:14:13,700 --> 00:14:20,500And then furthermore, I don't understand why it took over 48 hours for the police to become22000:14:20,500 --> 00:14:23,160aware that Marlon was missing.22100:14:23,160 --> 00:14:28,420You know, we've all heard that the first 48 hours are the most important in solving a22200:14:28,420 --> 00:14:29,420homicide.22300:14:29,420 --> 00:14:33,860And I think the same can also be said for a missing person, that the sooner you can22400:14:33,860 --> 00:14:40,220get on the trail and the sooner you can start tracking the child, the less time they have22500:14:40,220 --> 00:14:44,100to get away from, you know, kind of the epicenter of where it happened.22600:14:44,100 --> 00:14:51,280So the fact that Yolanda waited over 48 hours, but then she also left Massachusetts to drive22700:14:51,280 --> 00:14:55,580to the Bronx, New York to pick up Jose and then come back, according to police that was22800:14:55,580 --> 00:14:57,340around a 10 hour trip.22900:14:57,340 --> 00:15:02,780So she makes this 10 hour trip while a baby is missing that's in her care that, you know,23000:15:02,780 --> 00:15:05,860that's her charge, and then goes to police.23100:15:05,860 --> 00:15:09,580I just find it all wildly irresponsible.23200:15:09,580 --> 00:15:14,500And it really makes me angry that they made those decisions.23300:15:14,500 --> 00:15:18,140Because ultimately, it seems like they were just really selfish decisions.23400:15:18,140 --> 00:15:22,720Like she didn't want to be hassled with waking the babies, getting them in a car seat.23500:15:22,720 --> 00:15:26,520And then, you know, she didn't want to go to the police without her husband and for23600:15:26,520 --> 00:15:28,380her children to be taken away.23700:15:28,380 --> 00:15:33,620I don't understand why she was never, you know, charged with, you know, neglect or child23800:15:33,620 --> 00:15:38,180abuse because I would say that leaving three babies alone is neglect in my book.23900:15:38,180 --> 00:15:42,340I don't know exactly what the laws in Massachusetts said at that time.24000:15:42,340 --> 00:15:51,260But it's just crazy to me that no legal repercussions were really brought against Yolanda and Jose.24100:15:51,260 --> 00:15:57,400We know eventually Jose is arrested for child rape and molestation allegations and he does24200:15:57,400 --> 00:16:01,100plead guilty to assault of a foster child.24300:16:01,100 --> 00:16:06,240But nothing really happens to Yolanda except that they take away the foster kids that were24400:16:06,240 --> 00:16:07,560in her care.24500:16:07,560 --> 00:16:13,280And we do know that they briefly take away her biological children and only the 17-year-old24600:16:13,280 --> 00:16:14,580remains in foster care.24700:16:14,580 --> 00:16:19,340So there's just, I have a lot of questions there and obviously we don't get to the details24800:16:19,340 --> 00:16:24,180and I want to be like conscious of protecting the children in this case.24900:16:24,180 --> 00:16:28,020So I just don't, I don't know how somebody does this.25000:16:28,020 --> 00:16:29,140I really don't.25100:16:29,140 --> 00:16:30,200It's just wild.25200:16:30,200 --> 00:16:31,200It's wild to me.25300:16:31,200 --> 00:16:32,200It's wild.25400:16:32,200 --> 00:16:37,940It's very interesting to me that in the beginning, you know, those first few months after Marlon25500:16:37,940 --> 00:16:44,480is missing, the police really do seem sure that he's alive still, which is really encouraging.25600:16:44,480 --> 00:16:47,760They believe that he was either given away or sold.25700:16:47,760 --> 00:16:51,400That's kind of what I picked up through all the reporting and through the quotes from25800:16:51,400 --> 00:16:52,740the police.25900:16:52,740 --> 00:16:58,260So if that were the case, by all accounts, Marlon would still be alive today.26000:16:58,260 --> 00:17:03,560He would be 25 years old and he would have possibly grown up in the New York City area.26100:17:03,560 --> 00:17:09,100We do know that the Worcester police work with the NYPD because they do believe that26200:17:09,100 --> 00:17:12,300something happened while Jose was in New York.26300:17:12,300 --> 00:17:17,820And if that's the case, then Marlon was missing long before November 5th because we know that26400:17:17,820 --> 00:17:22,340Jose goes to the Bronx on October 31st.26500:17:22,340 --> 00:17:27,880So that would have meant that Marlon was missing for nearly a week by the time that he was26600:17:27,880 --> 00:17:30,300reported to police as being missing.26700:17:30,300 --> 00:17:35,840Now it does seem like it shifts a little bit, you know, the next year when Worcester police26800:17:35,840 --> 00:17:39,120start conducting these searches near the reservoir.26900:17:39,120 --> 00:17:44,560And at that time, they believe that Marlon had been suffocated and buried in plastic,27000:17:44,560 --> 00:17:49,440which is a lot different than being sold or given away in New York City.27100:17:49,440 --> 00:17:56,320I am curious if the police still think that the items found at the reservoir during that27200:17:56,320 --> 00:17:59,680search are related to the case at all.27300:17:59,680 --> 00:18:06,480We know that they are unable at that time to find organic matter to test for DNA, so27400:18:06,480 --> 00:18:10,140they couldn't conclusively link it back to Marlon at that time.27500:18:10,140 --> 00:18:13,980But I wonder if today if those items are still in their possession, if that is something27600:18:13,980 --> 00:18:18,520that they maybe could retest with testing being more sensitive.27700:18:18,520 --> 00:18:24,040I wonder if there's any hope in retesting that evidence to see if any of that was connected27800:18:24,040 --> 00:18:25,040to Marlon.27900:18:25,040 --> 00:18:29,600But police seem to think that it was a very credible tip, and it really shifted the way28000:18:29,600 --> 00:18:32,800they talked about Marlon's disappearance.28100:18:32,800 --> 00:18:37,280The police captain Paul Campbell did say that there was a small glimmer of hope that Marlon28200:18:37,280 --> 00:18:43,440was still alive, but it seems that they really thought that he was buried somewhere near28300:18:43,440 --> 00:18:44,440there.28400:18:44,440 --> 00:18:48,900And you know, they bring out all of the big guns, so to speak, in this search.28500:18:48,900 --> 00:18:53,860They have the ground penetrating radar, they have sniffer dogs, they had over 75 officers28600:18:53,860 --> 00:18:59,520out there searching, so it was a very extensive search, but they still didn't recover Marlon28700:18:59,520 --> 00:19:00,520at all.28800:19:00,520 --> 00:19:09,240So I do wonder if that is a reality, if that is really what happened to him, or if he was28900:19:09,240 --> 00:19:11,040sold or given away.29000:19:11,040 --> 00:19:18,040But with that, I would just wonder how Yolanda and Jose, you know, if they did sell Marlon29100:19:18,040 --> 00:19:22,960or give him away, I just wonder how they thought they were going to get away with it.29200:19:22,960 --> 00:19:28,320They obviously had, they had around 50 foster children before Marlon, so they knew that,29300:19:28,320 --> 00:19:34,760you know, there's caseworkers that will come and see them and visit the home, and DSS would29400:19:34,760 --> 00:19:37,680come and check the home from time to time.29500:19:37,680 --> 00:19:42,500And in November, in the first few weeks of November, there was actually going to be a29600:19:42,500 --> 00:19:46,900hearing about if Dina should regain custody of Marlon.29700:19:46,900 --> 00:19:51,880So it was going to come to light one way or the other that Marlon was not there, not that29800:19:51,880 --> 00:19:56,720any baby should just be given away, but Marlon was certainly not theirs to be doing that29900:19:56,720 --> 00:19:58,000with.30000:19:58,000 --> 00:20:04,560So just lots of questions in this case, and it's ultimately just extremely tragic all30100:20:04,560 --> 00:20:05,560the way around.30200:20:05,560 --> 00:20:09,240You know, Jose ended up not being a good foster father.30300:20:09,240 --> 00:20:13,640He was taking advantage of the children placed in his care.30400:20:13,640 --> 00:20:20,040And if it's any indication of the treatment of the children, how they just left these30500:20:20,040 --> 00:20:25,040three babies, I don't think it would be hard to venture that children were probably left30600:20:25,040 --> 00:20:31,120alone a lot then if she felt comfortable enough to leave three babies alone for 45 minutes.30700:20:31,120 --> 00:20:35,200I would, I don't think it's unreasonable to think that that was not her first time doing30800:20:35,200 --> 00:20:36,200that.30900:20:36,200 --> 00:20:43,440My future hopes in this case, you know, I just, I deeply hope that Marlon was given31000:20:43,440 --> 00:20:48,940to a family that really wanted a baby and he was well taken care of and raised as one31100:20:48,940 --> 00:20:50,240of their own.31200:20:50,240 --> 00:20:57,280I think that's the best case scenario, short of his mother and father getting custody of31300:20:57,280 --> 00:20:58,280him.31400:20:58,280 --> 00:21:04,100But you know, the alternative is that he was killed in either purposefully or some accident31500:21:04,100 --> 00:21:05,480and then it was all covered up.31600:21:05,480 --> 00:21:11,280So truly, I hope that if he couldn't be with his parents who both really wanted him and31700:21:11,280 --> 00:21:18,680were, you know, working on overcoming their addiction and wanting to get him back, I hope31800:21:18,680 --> 00:21:23,080that he was raised in a very loving home where they adored him.31900:21:23,080 --> 00:21:27,280And you know, with, you know, the DNA tests that you can do at home now, you know, the32000:21:27,280 --> 00:21:30,60023andMe, the Ancestry.com, like all of that stuff.32100:21:30,600 --> 00:21:37,640I wouldn't be surprised if later down the line, if Marlon does do a test with his family32200:21:37,640 --> 00:21:43,400and he realizes that maybe he's not related to the people that he thought.32300:21:43,400 --> 00:21:50,200I mean, that would be very tragic and I imagine like soul crushing to Marlon.32400:21:50,200 --> 00:21:56,280But I think that could be an outcome in this case to find out where he is and what happened32500:21:56,280 --> 00:22:03,360to him is if he does a DNA test at home that leads him to uncover the truth about who he32600:22:03,360 --> 00:22:04,360really is.32700:22:04,360 --> 00:22:10,000And again, I don't want to like put that lightly because that would be devastating to find32800:22:10,000 --> 00:22:15,800out, you know, in your 20s or 30s that the people you called family your whole life weren't32900:22:15,800 --> 00:22:23,060actually your family and that you had been sold or given away when your mother and father33000:22:23,060 --> 00:22:24,580really wanted you.33100:22:24,580 --> 00:22:27,080That would be difficult and I don't want to understate that.33200:22:27,080 --> 00:22:32,760But I think that could be a way that this case closes as well.33300:22:32,760 --> 00:22:37,960But again, if you know anything about the disappearance of Marlon Santos or his whereabouts33400:22:37,960 --> 00:22:44,320today, please call the Worcester police at 508-799-8466.33500:22:44,320 --> 00:22:49,200And again, I just want to remind all our listeners that if you're not following us on Instagram,33600:22:49,200 --> 00:22:53,320I always post updates if an episode is going to be late or come out on a different day.33700:22:53,320 --> 00:22:57,920Today I had it up in our stories that the episode was coming out later on Thursday.33800:22:57,920 --> 00:22:59,240So please follow us there.33900:22:59,240 --> 00:23:04,220We'll also be posting the baby pictures that I was able to find of Marlon.34000:23:04,220 --> 00:23:07,040So we'll have those up as well.34100:23:07,040 --> 00:23:13,240You can also head over to our website www.coldandmissing.com where we have transcripts of all our podcast34200:23:13,240 --> 00:23:14,480episodes.34300:23:14,480 --> 00:23:19,240So if you or someone you love is hard of hearing, you can follow along with the podcast there.34400:23:19,240 --> 00:23:23,520And if you could just give us a minute, rate and review us if you're an Apple podcast,34500:23:23,520 --> 00:23:26,840leaving us a written review helps others find this podcast.34600:23:26,840 --> 00:23:32,320So if you are passionate about cold cases and missing people, an easy way to advocate34700:23:32,320 --> 00:23:37,520is just to leave a review of this podcast that helps others find it and helps beat that34800:23:37,520 --> 00:23:40,000algorithm machine that we all know about.34900:23:40,000 --> 00:23:44,880So if you could take a second to do that before you go to your next podcast, I would so greatly35000:23:44,880 --> 00:23:46,520appreciate it.35100:23:46,520 --> 00:23:50,440But that is truly all I have for you this week.35200:23:50,440 --> 00:23:52,120Thank you for listening to Cold and Missing.35300:23:52,120 --> 00:23:54,200I'm Allie McLaughlin-Sylkowski.35400:23:54,200 --> 00:24:04,040Have a great week and stay safe, y'all!