Cold and Missing: Marlon Santos

1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:13,780 The views and opinions expressed in Cold and Missing are exclusively those of the hosts. 2 00:00:13,780 --> 00:00:18,400 All parties mentioned are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 3 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:22,160 Cold and Missing also contains adult themes and languages. 4 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:24,560 Listener discretion is advised. 5 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:27,280 I'm your host, Ali McLaughlin-Sulkowski. 6 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:29,680 And I'm your co-host, Eli Sulkowski. 7 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:34,600 And this is Cold and Missing, where we cover cold cases and missing person cases. 8 00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:37,200 Hello everyone and welcome back to Cold and Missing. 9 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:39,800 I'm your host, Ali McLaughlin-Sulkowski. 10 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:42,480 And I'll just be coming to you solo today. 11 00:00:42,480 --> 00:00:44,120 I do want to apologize kind of at the top. 12 00:00:44,120 --> 00:00:48,080 I know this episode is coming out later in the day than we normally do. 13 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:53,800 I had a horrible migraine for the past couple days, so I tried to record and it just wasn't 14 00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:54,800 sounding right. 15 00:00:54,800 --> 00:00:59,000 Again, part of respecting these stories is I want to make sure I'm always giving my best. 16 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:02,840 So we are feeling better now, so I'm able to record and just get this episode out a 17 00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:05,480 little bit later in the day than I normally would. 18 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:08,680 So today we are covering a missing person case. 19 00:01:08,680 --> 00:01:12,600 And I just wanted to give a bit of a content warning at the top that this case does involve 20 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:13,600 a child. 21 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:18,340 There are mentions of sexual abuse and child abuse. 22 00:01:18,340 --> 00:01:21,960 So today we are covering the missing person case of Marlon Santos. 23 00:01:21,960 --> 00:01:27,440 And this takes place in November of 1998 in Worcester, Massachusetts. 24 00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:29,200 But first a little bit about Marlon. 25 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:34,280 Marlon Devine Santos is only five months old in November of 1998. 26 00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:38,600 He was born June 5th of that year and he would be 25 years old today. 27 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:41,960 Marlon's parents had a whirlwind romance while they were both seeking treatment for 28 00:01:41,960 --> 00:01:43,080 their addiction. 29 00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:48,600 The romance didn't last and by the time Marlon's mother, Dina Santos, gave birth, the couple 30 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:49,600 had separated. 31 00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:53,680 Shortly after Marlon's birth, Dina began seeking help for her addiction and seeking 32 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:55,440 out space in a shelter. 33 00:01:55,440 --> 00:02:01,100 It's unclear when DSS, or the Department of Social Services, stepped in, but by August 34 00:02:01,100 --> 00:02:06,640 Marlon was placed in the home of Yolanda and Jose Castillo as a foster child. 35 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:11,260 Yolanda and Jose had hosted around 50 foster children and when Marlon joined them they 36 00:02:11,260 --> 00:02:15,800 had two other foster kids, a three-year-old and a 24-month-year-old. 37 00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:20,960 And then they had three of their own children who were 11, 12, and 17. 38 00:02:20,960 --> 00:02:23,640 So now a timeline of events. 39 00:02:23,640 --> 00:02:26,760 On Thursday, November 5th, 1998. 40 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:31,540 Early in the afternoon, Yolanda needs to leave the house to go pick up her two middle schoolers. 41 00:02:31,540 --> 00:02:36,400 The babies were asleep, according to Yolanda, so she decides to leave them in the home alone 42 00:02:36,400 --> 00:02:38,620 while she makes the trip to get her kids. 43 00:02:38,620 --> 00:02:40,840 The trip took about 45 minutes. 44 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:44,200 Jose was out of town, having gone to New York for a few days. 45 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:49,560 Yolanda left the house unlocked while she was out and when she returned, between 1.30 46 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:52,520 and 2 p.m., she finds that Marlon is gone. 47 00:02:52,520 --> 00:02:56,520 Neighbors said that normally Jose watched the children as he had a more flexible work 48 00:02:56,520 --> 00:03:02,560 schedule, and they also say that on that day they see Yolanda outside searching the bushes. 49 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:06,920 Instead of calling the police right away, Yolanda waits until Saturday night, November 50 00:03:06,920 --> 00:03:11,600 7th, over 48 hours after Marlon went missing. 51 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:15,760 She drove to the Bronx, New York that day to pick up Jose and then they go to the police 52 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:17,360 station that night. 53 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:21,320 Yolanda told police that she waited so long because she didn't want to go to the police 54 00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:25,320 without her husband and was worried about her own children getting taken away. 55 00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:30,400 Dina, Marlon's mother, is heartbroken and pleading on local news. 56 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:36,440 She says, quote, how DSS can have these people as foster parents, telling me I can't take 57 00:03:36,440 --> 00:03:40,600 care of my son, but they give them to these people that can't do nothing either. 58 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:44,360 They're telling me that I can't take care of my son, but they don't know where he is, 59 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:45,780 end quote. 60 00:03:45,780 --> 00:03:52,080 On Sunday, November 9th, 1998, the Castillos, who are Pentecostal preachers, still hold 61 00:03:52,080 --> 00:03:56,300 service Sunday morning and neighbors say that parishioners are dropped off at the Castillo 62 00:03:56,300 --> 00:03:58,400 home that day as well. 63 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:03,240 On Monday, November 10th, Worcester police captain Paul Campbell has three theories on 64 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:05,280 what happened to Marlon. 65 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:10,920 Either he was kidnapped, he was sold, or there was a tragic accident and Marlon is dead. 66 00:04:10,920 --> 00:04:16,760 He says, quote, those are your only three options that I can see, end quote. 67 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:20,880 Police execute search warrants on the Castillo home and their two vehicles they have in their 68 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:27,260 possession, a brown Dodge caravan and a large passenger van that belonged to the church. 69 00:04:27,260 --> 00:04:31,380 Captain Paul Campbell says, quote, we've had sniffing dogs at the house. 70 00:04:31,380 --> 00:04:35,580 We have not had any indication that there is a deceased individual in the residence 71 00:04:35,580 --> 00:04:38,620 or on the property, end quote. 72 00:04:38,620 --> 00:04:43,320 Police lieutenant John McLaren says that Yolanda and Jose have stopped cooperating with the 73 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:45,000 police and have lawyered up. 74 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:48,680 DSS says they are assisting the police in their search for Marlon. 75 00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:54,080 DSS spokesperson Lorraine Carley says, quote, we have no idea what happened here. 76 00:04:54,080 --> 00:04:58,240 I think at this point there are definitely more questions than there are answers, end 77 00:04:58,240 --> 00:04:59,360 quote. 78 00:04:59,360 --> 00:05:03,440 The other two foster children that were staying with the Castillos are removed from the home 79 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:05,500 and placed elsewhere. 80 00:05:05,500 --> 00:05:09,580 Police say that the Castillos never knocked on their door when looking for Marlon. 81 00:05:09,580 --> 00:05:15,640 As word got out of Marlon's disappearance, Marlon's father rushed to help the police. 82 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:20,800 William Kehanek tells the media that DSS never tried to find him when they took custody away 83 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:21,800 from Dina. 84 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:25,960 He says that, quote, of course I would have taken the baby, end quote. 85 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:31,480 On Wednesday, November 11th, Marlon has been missing for six days at this point. 86 00:05:31,480 --> 00:05:34,420 Police say that they are focusing on the Castillos. 87 00:05:34,420 --> 00:05:39,320 There have been reports of abuse and neglect filed against them, but all have been unfounded, 88 00:05:39,320 --> 00:05:41,200 according to DSS. 89 00:05:41,200 --> 00:05:45,760 The DSS spokesperson Lorraine Carley says, quote, if you look back at the history of 90 00:05:45,760 --> 00:05:49,240 this foster home, we don't see any smoking gun. 91 00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:52,480 We don't know what happened here, end quote. 92 00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:56,840 Police are treating the case as an abduction or homicide at this point. 93 00:05:56,840 --> 00:06:01,040 The detective on the case says, quote, we're investigating a possible homicide because 94 00:06:01,040 --> 00:06:06,080 of the inconsistencies in the details provided by the foster parents, end quote. 95 00:06:06,080 --> 00:06:11,000 While Dina was initially ruled out as a suspect, police become suspicious of her as she stops 96 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:15,040 cooperating with police and retains a lawyer. 97 00:06:15,040 --> 00:06:18,000 The public is in outrage over the missing baby. 98 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:22,160 Representative Mari J. Parenti says, quote, how did we do this? 99 00:06:22,160 --> 00:06:23,800 How did we lose a baby? 100 00:06:23,800 --> 00:06:26,840 We need to recruit foster homes under less stress. 101 00:06:26,840 --> 00:06:31,320 If the parents had no way to pick up her own children after school, they had a problem, 102 00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:32,500 end quote. 103 00:06:32,500 --> 00:06:36,800 On Thursday, November 12th, Marlon has been missing for a week and police are hopeful 104 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:39,320 that he is still alive. 105 00:06:39,320 --> 00:06:44,200 Detective John McLernan says, quote, at this point in the investigation, we believe that 106 00:06:44,200 --> 00:06:47,440 the baby has been abducted as opposed to being murdered. 107 00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:50,040 We're encouraged by that, end quote. 108 00:06:50,040 --> 00:06:53,640 The New York City police are also assisting in the case since Jose had been there the 109 00:06:53,640 --> 00:06:56,040 day that Marlon went missing. 110 00:06:56,040 --> 00:07:00,440 Jose's lawyer says that as soon as he got to New York City, he left for Wisconsin and 111 00:07:00,440 --> 00:07:03,520 was not actually in the city that long. 112 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:07,160 The Castellos still hold church services three times a week. 113 00:07:07,160 --> 00:07:10,400 Jose says, quote, I'm not going to stop preaching for anything. 114 00:07:10,400 --> 00:07:12,400 I'm a pastor, end quote. 115 00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:16,840 However, at the Thursday night service, Jose leaves shortly before the service starts and 116 00:07:16,840 --> 00:07:19,880 his brother, Manuel, steps in. 117 00:07:19,880 --> 00:07:23,940 He tells the congregation that Jose had important business to attend to. 118 00:07:23,940 --> 00:07:27,920 As attention on the case grows, the public outrage is loud. 119 00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:32,280 The public want to know why a seemingly devoted foster mother would leave three very young 120 00:07:32,280 --> 00:07:35,100 children home in an unlocked house. 121 00:07:35,100 --> 00:07:39,280 And why did she wait over 48 hours to report him missing to the police? 122 00:07:39,280 --> 00:07:43,720 The public also want to know why Dina, who had been so public in begging for her son's 123 00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:48,560 safety and return, would suddenly stop cooperating and retain a lawyer. 124 00:07:48,560 --> 00:07:53,900 On Friday, November 13th, just over one week Marlon has been missing, Jose breaks his 125 00:07:53,900 --> 00:07:56,540 silence and declares himself innocent. 126 00:07:56,540 --> 00:08:01,200 He says, quote, once everything clears up in this case, people will know the things 127 00:08:01,200 --> 00:08:03,920 they have said about me are not true. 128 00:08:03,920 --> 00:08:08,300 In due time, God will put everything into place, end quote. 129 00:08:08,300 --> 00:08:12,960 The public critique of the DSS system is also very loud at this time. 130 00:08:12,960 --> 00:08:17,180 It has come to light that Jose had federal trafficking drug charges that the DSS was 131 00:08:17,180 --> 00:08:18,620 not aware of. 132 00:08:18,620 --> 00:08:23,140 The DSS counters that the current law only allows for them to run a criminal background 133 00:08:23,140 --> 00:08:25,260 check in the state of Massachusetts. 134 00:08:25,260 --> 00:08:28,960 And since the drug trafficking charges were in Florida, they would have had no way of 135 00:08:28,960 --> 00:08:30,200 knowing about it. 136 00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:34,780 On Sunday, November 15th, Marlon has been missing for 10 days. 137 00:08:34,780 --> 00:08:38,640 And after saying he would never stop preaching, Jose doesn't show up to church and his brother 138 00:08:38,640 --> 00:08:41,000 has no idea where he is. 139 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:46,160 As the investigation continues, and it's been almost two weeks since Marlon has disappeared, 140 00:08:46,160 --> 00:08:50,820 the police start acting with more caution in regards to letting information out about 141 00:08:50,820 --> 00:08:51,980 this case. 142 00:08:51,980 --> 00:08:56,520 The local media obtained search warrants that the police had conducted the week before and 143 00:08:56,520 --> 00:09:02,740 find that the police had collected, as evidence, a sample from a youth-sized mattress, a pillow, 144 00:09:02,740 --> 00:09:07,860 a pillowcase, a white cotton blanket, and they take swabs from the front porch to determine 145 00:09:07,860 --> 00:09:08,980 if it's blood. 146 00:09:08,980 --> 00:09:12,240 The results for this analysis are never made public. 147 00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:17,700 On December 2nd, 1998, it's been almost a month that Marlon has been missing, but police 148 00:09:17,700 --> 00:09:20,180 still feel confident that he is alive. 149 00:09:20,180 --> 00:09:24,060 Police are handling it as a disappearance case at this point, but are hesitant to call 150 00:09:24,060 --> 00:09:26,040 it an abduction. 151 00:09:26,040 --> 00:09:30,680 Police captain Paul Campbell cryptically says, quote, depends on how you would use the word 152 00:09:30,680 --> 00:09:32,900 abducted, end quote. 153 00:09:32,900 --> 00:09:36,980 Police do believe that the baby was either sold or given away in New York City and are 154 00:09:36,980 --> 00:09:40,100 still working with the NYPD for help in the case. 155 00:09:40,100 --> 00:09:44,420 Jose maintains that he was not truly in New York City, but left for Wisconsin as soon 156 00:09:44,420 --> 00:09:45,740 as he got there. 157 00:09:45,740 --> 00:09:50,940 On Wednesday, December 16th, it's been almost six weeks that Marlon has been missing, and 158 00:09:50,940 --> 00:09:55,740 the Castellos' biological children are removed from their home following an abuse and neglect 159 00:09:55,740 --> 00:09:56,740 report. 160 00:09:56,740 --> 00:10:01,260 However, they are returned to the home two days later, and only the 17-year-old remains 161 00:10:01,260 --> 00:10:02,760 in foster care. 162 00:10:02,760 --> 00:10:07,620 On Monday, December 28th, Marlon has been missing for almost two months. 163 00:10:07,620 --> 00:10:11,900 Jose Castillo is charged with child rape and molestation. 164 00:10:11,900 --> 00:10:16,140 While looking for Marlon, police speak to former foster children of the Castellos and 165 00:10:16,140 --> 00:10:18,540 uncover these allegations. 166 00:10:18,540 --> 00:10:22,960 After these allegations surface, DSS try to find all of the other children that had stayed 167 00:10:22,960 --> 00:10:26,720 in their home to see if there are any more charges that should be filed. 168 00:10:26,720 --> 00:10:28,980 And then the case goes quiet for a little bit. 169 00:10:28,980 --> 00:10:35,140 It's not until Tuesday, October 26th, 1999, almost a year since his disappearance, that 170 00:10:35,140 --> 00:10:38,420 his case surfaces in the media again. 171 00:10:38,420 --> 00:10:45,460 The next update in Marlon's case comes nearly a year later, on Tuesday, October 26th, 1999. 172 00:10:45,460 --> 00:10:49,500 Police received a credible tip that Marlon was buried near the Huachacet Reservoir, and 173 00:10:49,500 --> 00:10:53,740 police take the next week to search the reservoir and the surrounding area. 174 00:10:53,740 --> 00:10:57,820 According to the police, they were acting on a tip that Marlon had been suffocated and 175 00:10:57,820 --> 00:11:00,340 buried in plastic in this area. 176 00:11:00,340 --> 00:11:05,540 While police are searching, they find pieces of clothing, plastic, a diaper, and a baby 177 00:11:05,540 --> 00:11:06,540 blanket. 178 00:11:06,540 --> 00:11:10,780 These items are sent for analysis to try to link back to baby Marlon. 179 00:11:10,780 --> 00:11:15,620 Police spend days searching this area and even bring in ground-penetrating radar to 180 00:11:15,620 --> 00:11:21,200 search a specific plot of land, but all that's found are those items that I just mentioned. 181 00:11:21,200 --> 00:11:26,020 On December 2nd, 1999, so it's been over a month since the police conducted their very 182 00:11:26,020 --> 00:11:31,060 large search, and over a year that Marlon has been missing, the analysis of the items 183 00:11:31,060 --> 00:11:37,140 found during the search failed to find any organic matter that could be tested for DNA. 184 00:11:37,140 --> 00:11:42,580 So ultimately, they can't link any of the items found during their search to Marlon. 185 00:11:42,580 --> 00:11:48,220 We do know that sometime in the year 2000, a grand jury is held in Marlon's case, but 186 00:11:48,220 --> 00:11:50,220 no one is indicted. 187 00:11:50,220 --> 00:11:56,020 The next update in Marlon's case comes nearly seven years later, so this is April 15th, 188 00:11:56,020 --> 00:12:00,300 2005, and Marlon has been missing for around seven years. 189 00:12:00,300 --> 00:12:05,380 Jose had reached a plea deal and pleads guilty to assaulting a foster child and he is sentenced 190 00:12:05,380 --> 00:12:07,660 to six months in jail. 191 00:12:07,660 --> 00:12:11,660 But other than that, there have been no updates in this case. 192 00:12:11,660 --> 00:12:17,580 So if you know anything about the disappearance of Marlon Santos or his whereabouts today, 193 00:12:17,580 --> 00:12:23,940 please call the Worcester Police at 508-799-8466. 194 00:12:23,940 --> 00:12:28,500 And the sources for the timeline today come from The Telegram and Gazette, The Daily Item, 195 00:12:28,500 --> 00:12:33,060 The Boston Globe, Portland Press Herald, The Day, Aethol Daily News, The Recorder, News 196 00:12:33,060 --> 00:12:34,940 Press, and The Sun Journal. 197 00:12:34,940 --> 00:12:38,100 So that is the case of Marlon Santos. 198 00:12:38,100 --> 00:12:43,460 And my first reaction as I started researching this case was really anger, for lack of a 199 00:12:43,460 --> 00:12:44,980 better word. 200 00:12:44,980 --> 00:12:51,260 I just couldn't wrap my head around leaving a three-year-old, a child that's only 24 months 201 00:12:51,260 --> 00:12:55,780 and then five months old, alone in an unlocked house. 202 00:12:55,780 --> 00:13:00,800 I mean, just leaving them alone is crazy, but you know, that three-year-old was also 203 00:13:00,800 --> 00:13:05,300 old enough to probably open a door and get outside if they wanted to. 204 00:13:05,300 --> 00:13:11,380 So this could have been a very tragic case no matter what. 205 00:13:11,380 --> 00:13:20,020 But the fact that the youngest, Marlon, went missing is just wildly irresponsible to me, 206 00:13:20,020 --> 00:13:24,540 wildly irresponsible that they were left alone for 45 minutes. 207 00:13:24,540 --> 00:13:28,860 And you know, I was trying to find some compassion. 208 00:13:28,860 --> 00:13:33,580 Maybe they didn't have a car that could accommodate all of the children. 209 00:13:33,580 --> 00:13:40,540 So maybe that's why Yolanda had to make this decision to leave the babies alone. 210 00:13:40,540 --> 00:13:46,400 But in my research, it says that they had, you know, a Dodge Care van, which is a minivan. 211 00:13:46,400 --> 00:13:52,740 So there would have been enough seats for, you know, three car seats and then two other 212 00:13:52,740 --> 00:13:53,820 children to sit. 213 00:13:53,820 --> 00:13:56,140 Like there would have been that space. 214 00:13:56,140 --> 00:14:01,540 And they also had a passenger van at their disposal that the church that they ran technically 215 00:14:01,540 --> 00:14:02,540 owned. 216 00:14:02,540 --> 00:14:05,140 So that would have had more than enough seats. 217 00:14:05,140 --> 00:14:11,420 So I just, I don't understand how you reached that conclusion of leaving these babies alone 218 00:14:11,420 --> 00:14:13,700 by themselves in an unlocked house. 219 00:14:13,700 --> 00:14:20,500 And then furthermore, I don't understand why it took over 48 hours for the police to become 220 00:14:20,500 --> 00:14:23,160 aware that Marlon was missing. 221 00:14:23,160 --> 00:14:28,420 You know, we've all heard that the first 48 hours are the most important in solving a 222 00:14:28,420 --> 00:14:29,420 homicide. 223 00:14:29,420 --> 00:14:33,860 And I think the same can also be said for a missing person, that the sooner you can 224 00:14:33,860 --> 00:14:40,220 get on the trail and the sooner you can start tracking the child, the less time they have 225 00:14:40,220 --> 00:14:44,100 to get away from, you know, kind of the epicenter of where it happened. 226 00:14:44,100 --> 00:14:51,280 So the fact that Yolanda waited over 48 hours, but then she also left Massachusetts to drive 227 00:14:51,280 --> 00:14:55,580 to the Bronx, New York to pick up Jose and then come back, according to police that was 228 00:14:55,580 --> 00:14:57,340 around a 10 hour trip. 229 00:14:57,340 --> 00:15:02,780 So she makes this 10 hour trip while a baby is missing that's in her care that, you know, 230 00:15:02,780 --> 00:15:05,860 that's her charge, and then goes to police. 231 00:15:05,860 --> 00:15:09,580 I just find it all wildly irresponsible. 232 00:15:09,580 --> 00:15:14,500 And it really makes me angry that they made those decisions. 233 00:15:14,500 --> 00:15:18,140 Because ultimately, it seems like they were just really selfish decisions. 234 00:15:18,140 --> 00:15:22,720 Like she didn't want to be hassled with waking the babies, getting them in a car seat. 235 00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:26,520 And then, you know, she didn't want to go to the police without her husband and for 236 00:15:26,520 --> 00:15:28,380 her children to be taken away. 237 00:15:28,380 --> 00:15:33,620 I don't understand why she was never, you know, charged with, you know, neglect or child 238 00:15:33,620 --> 00:15:38,180 abuse because I would say that leaving three babies alone is neglect in my book. 239 00:15:38,180 --> 00:15:42,340 I don't know exactly what the laws in Massachusetts said at that time. 240 00:15:42,340 --> 00:15:51,260 But it's just crazy to me that no legal repercussions were really brought against Yolanda and Jose. 241 00:15:51,260 --> 00:15:57,400 We know eventually Jose is arrested for child rape and molestation allegations and he does 242 00:15:57,400 --> 00:16:01,100 plead guilty to assault of a foster child. 243 00:16:01,100 --> 00:16:06,240 But nothing really happens to Yolanda except that they take away the foster kids that were 244 00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:07,560 in her care. 245 00:16:07,560 --> 00:16:13,280 And we do know that they briefly take away her biological children and only the 17-year-old 246 00:16:13,280 --> 00:16:14,580 remains in foster care. 247 00:16:14,580 --> 00:16:19,340 So there's just, I have a lot of questions there and obviously we don't get to the details 248 00:16:19,340 --> 00:16:24,180 and I want to be like conscious of protecting the children in this case. 249 00:16:24,180 --> 00:16:28,020 So I just don't, I don't know how somebody does this. 250 00:16:28,020 --> 00:16:29,140 I really don't. 251 00:16:29,140 --> 00:16:30,200 It's just wild. 252 00:16:30,200 --> 00:16:31,200 It's wild to me. 253 00:16:31,200 --> 00:16:32,200 It's wild. 254 00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:37,940 It's very interesting to me that in the beginning, you know, those first few months after Marlon 255 00:16:37,940 --> 00:16:44,480 is missing, the police really do seem sure that he's alive still, which is really encouraging. 256 00:16:44,480 --> 00:16:47,760 They believe that he was either given away or sold. 257 00:16:47,760 --> 00:16:51,400 That's kind of what I picked up through all the reporting and through the quotes from 258 00:16:51,400 --> 00:16:52,740 the police. 259 00:16:52,740 --> 00:16:58,260 So if that were the case, by all accounts, Marlon would still be alive today. 260 00:16:58,260 --> 00:17:03,560 He would be 25 years old and he would have possibly grown up in the New York City area. 261 00:17:03,560 --> 00:17:09,100 We do know that the Worcester police work with the NYPD because they do believe that 262 00:17:09,100 --> 00:17:12,300 something happened while Jose was in New York. 263 00:17:12,300 --> 00:17:17,820 And if that's the case, then Marlon was missing long before November 5th because we know that 264 00:17:17,820 --> 00:17:22,340 Jose goes to the Bronx on October 31st. 265 00:17:22,340 --> 00:17:27,880 So that would have meant that Marlon was missing for nearly a week by the time that he was 266 00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:30,300 reported to police as being missing. 267 00:17:30,300 --> 00:17:35,840 Now it does seem like it shifts a little bit, you know, the next year when Worcester police 268 00:17:35,840 --> 00:17:39,120 start conducting these searches near the reservoir. 269 00:17:39,120 --> 00:17:44,560 And at that time, they believe that Marlon had been suffocated and buried in plastic, 270 00:17:44,560 --> 00:17:49,440 which is a lot different than being sold or given away in New York City. 271 00:17:49,440 --> 00:17:56,320 I am curious if the police still think that the items found at the reservoir during that 272 00:17:56,320 --> 00:17:59,680 search are related to the case at all. 273 00:17:59,680 --> 00:18:06,480 We know that they are unable at that time to find organic matter to test for DNA, so 274 00:18:06,480 --> 00:18:10,140 they couldn't conclusively link it back to Marlon at that time. 275 00:18:10,140 --> 00:18:13,980 But I wonder if today if those items are still in their possession, if that is something 276 00:18:13,980 --> 00:18:18,520 that they maybe could retest with testing being more sensitive. 277 00:18:18,520 --> 00:18:24,040 I wonder if there's any hope in retesting that evidence to see if any of that was connected 278 00:18:24,040 --> 00:18:25,040 to Marlon. 279 00:18:25,040 --> 00:18:29,600 But police seem to think that it was a very credible tip, and it really shifted the way 280 00:18:29,600 --> 00:18:32,800 they talked about Marlon's disappearance. 281 00:18:32,800 --> 00:18:37,280 The police captain Paul Campbell did say that there was a small glimmer of hope that Marlon 282 00:18:37,280 --> 00:18:43,440 was still alive, but it seems that they really thought that he was buried somewhere near 283 00:18:43,440 --> 00:18:44,440 there. 284 00:18:44,440 --> 00:18:48,900 And you know, they bring out all of the big guns, so to speak, in this search. 285 00:18:48,900 --> 00:18:53,860 They have the ground penetrating radar, they have sniffer dogs, they had over 75 officers 286 00:18:53,860 --> 00:18:59,520 out there searching, so it was a very extensive search, but they still didn't recover Marlon 287 00:18:59,520 --> 00:19:00,520 at all. 288 00:19:00,520 --> 00:19:09,240 So I do wonder if that is a reality, if that is really what happened to him, or if he was 289 00:19:09,240 --> 00:19:11,040 sold or given away. 290 00:19:11,040 --> 00:19:18,040 But with that, I would just wonder how Yolanda and Jose, you know, if they did sell Marlon 291 00:19:18,040 --> 00:19:22,960 or give him away, I just wonder how they thought they were going to get away with it. 292 00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:28,320 They obviously had, they had around 50 foster children before Marlon, so they knew that, 293 00:19:28,320 --> 00:19:34,760 you know, there's caseworkers that will come and see them and visit the home, and DSS would 294 00:19:34,760 --> 00:19:37,680 come and check the home from time to time. 295 00:19:37,680 --> 00:19:42,500 And in November, in the first few weeks of November, there was actually going to be a 296 00:19:42,500 --> 00:19:46,900 hearing about if Dina should regain custody of Marlon. 297 00:19:46,900 --> 00:19:51,880 So it was going to come to light one way or the other that Marlon was not there, not that 298 00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:56,720 any baby should just be given away, but Marlon was certainly not theirs to be doing that 299 00:19:56,720 --> 00:19:58,000 with. 300 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:04,560 So just lots of questions in this case, and it's ultimately just extremely tragic all 301 00:20:04,560 --> 00:20:05,560 the way around. 302 00:20:05,560 --> 00:20:09,240 You know, Jose ended up not being a good foster father. 303 00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:13,640 He was taking advantage of the children placed in his care. 304 00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:20,040 And if it's any indication of the treatment of the children, how they just left these 305 00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:25,040 three babies, I don't think it would be hard to venture that children were probably left 306 00:20:25,040 --> 00:20:31,120 alone a lot then if she felt comfortable enough to leave three babies alone for 45 minutes. 307 00:20:31,120 --> 00:20:35,200 I would, I don't think it's unreasonable to think that that was not her first time doing 308 00:20:35,200 --> 00:20:36,200 that. 309 00:20:36,200 --> 00:20:43,440 My future hopes in this case, you know, I just, I deeply hope that Marlon was given 310 00:20:43,440 --> 00:20:48,940 to a family that really wanted a baby and he was well taken care of and raised as one 311 00:20:48,940 --> 00:20:50,240 of their own. 312 00:20:50,240 --> 00:20:57,280 I think that's the best case scenario, short of his mother and father getting custody of 313 00:20:57,280 --> 00:20:58,280 him. 314 00:20:58,280 --> 00:21:04,100 But you know, the alternative is that he was killed in either purposefully or some accident 315 00:21:04,100 --> 00:21:05,480 and then it was all covered up. 316 00:21:05,480 --> 00:21:11,280 So truly, I hope that if he couldn't be with his parents who both really wanted him and 317 00:21:11,280 --> 00:21:18,680 were, you know, working on overcoming their addiction and wanting to get him back, I hope 318 00:21:18,680 --> 00:21:23,080 that he was raised in a very loving home where they adored him. 319 00:21:23,080 --> 00:21:27,280 And you know, with, you know, the DNA tests that you can do at home now, you know, the 320 00:21:27,280 --> 00:21:30,600 23andMe, the Ancestry.com, like all of that stuff. 321 00:21:30,600 --> 00:21:37,640 I wouldn't be surprised if later down the line, if Marlon does do a test with his family 322 00:21:37,640 --> 00:21:43,400 and he realizes that maybe he's not related to the people that he thought. 323 00:21:43,400 --> 00:21:50,200 I mean, that would be very tragic and I imagine like soul crushing to Marlon. 324 00:21:50,200 --> 00:21:56,280 But I think that could be an outcome in this case to find out where he is and what happened 325 00:21:56,280 --> 00:22:03,360 to him is if he does a DNA test at home that leads him to uncover the truth about who he 326 00:22:03,360 --> 00:22:04,360 really is. 327 00:22:04,360 --> 00:22:10,000 And again, I don't want to like put that lightly because that would be devastating to find 328 00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:15,800 out, you know, in your 20s or 30s that the people you called family your whole life weren't 329 00:22:15,800 --> 00:22:23,060 actually your family and that you had been sold or given away when your mother and father 330 00:22:23,060 --> 00:22:24,580 really wanted you. 331 00:22:24,580 --> 00:22:27,080 That would be difficult and I don't want to understate that. 332 00:22:27,080 --> 00:22:32,760 But I think that could be a way that this case closes as well. 333 00:22:32,760 --> 00:22:37,960 But again, if you know anything about the disappearance of Marlon Santos or his whereabouts 334 00:22:37,960 --> 00:22:44,320 today, please call the Worcester police at 508-799-8466. 335 00:22:44,320 --> 00:22:49,200 And again, I just want to remind all our listeners that if you're not following us on Instagram, 336 00:22:49,200 --> 00:22:53,320 I always post updates if an episode is going to be late or come out on a different day. 337 00:22:53,320 --> 00:22:57,920 Today I had it up in our stories that the episode was coming out later on Thursday. 338 00:22:57,920 --> 00:22:59,240 So please follow us there. 339 00:22:59,240 --> 00:23:04,220 We'll also be posting the baby pictures that I was able to find of Marlon. 340 00:23:04,220 --> 00:23:07,040 So we'll have those up as well. 341 00:23:07,040 --> 00:23:13,240 You can also head over to our website www.coldandmissing.com where we have transcripts of all our podcast 342 00:23:13,240 --> 00:23:14,480 episodes. 343 00:23:14,480 --> 00:23:19,240 So if you or someone you love is hard of hearing, you can follow along with the podcast there. 344 00:23:19,240 --> 00:23:23,520 And if you could just give us a minute, rate and review us if you're an Apple podcast, 345 00:23:23,520 --> 00:23:26,840 leaving us a written review helps others find this podcast. 346 00:23:26,840 --> 00:23:32,320 So if you are passionate about cold cases and missing people, an easy way to advocate 347 00:23:32,320 --> 00:23:37,520 is just to leave a review of this podcast that helps others find it and helps beat that 348 00:23:37,520 --> 00:23:40,000 algorithm machine that we all know about. 349 00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:44,880 So if you could take a second to do that before you go to your next podcast, I would so greatly 350 00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:46,520 appreciate it. 351 00:23:46,520 --> 00:23:50,440 But that is truly all I have for you this week. 352 00:23:50,440 --> 00:23:52,120 Thank you for listening to Cold and Missing. 353 00:23:52,120 --> 00:23:54,200 I'm Allie McLaughlin-Sylkowski. 354 00:23:54,200 --> 00:24:04,040 Have a great week and stay safe, y'all!