Hi Everyone,
Does anyone remember the story of Marlene Santana? I think this case came on UM sometime in the late 1980's. I have seen it a few times on Lifetime, and I think Spike aired it as well (though I have not seen the Spike version). Marlene was a 3 day old infant who was kidnapped from an NYC hospital in 1985 at gunpoint by a woman, and has never been seen again. In fact, if she is alive, I think her birthday is in fact this week...so she would be 24 years old.
I also thought to post this question. Or rather re-post it, as I came across it elsewhere on the board. I came across this theory in another thread, and it really does make me think if Marlene Santana and this child are one in the same. Someone had asked if it might be possible if Marlene Santana and "baby Hope" are one and the same. Baby Hope was the name given to a still unidentified Hispanic child whose body was found off the Henry Hudson parkway in the summer of 1991. She was believed to have been strangled and sexually assaulted. She was about 5 or 6 years old, the same age Marlene would have been. She was never identified, but I think a sympathetic police officer gave her a name and a burial.
If Baby Hope was Marlene Santana, perhaps it might explain why no one has come forward? I mean, Marlene was kidnapped. If Baby Hope was a kidnap victim, perhaps her parents don't know where she is, and that is why she is unidentified? What do you think? I think that, if anything, DNA testing could be done with Baby Hope and Marlene's parents, to see if there was a connection?
Two very sad cases. I hope that one day justice is found for Baby Hope, and that Marlene is found.
These are the links to Marlene, and to baby hope:
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/s/santana_marlene.html

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/400dfny.html

http://doenetwork.org/cases/50ufny.html

That's a very good possibility. While I would hope this match has already been pursued and ruled out, you never know.

It's possible; DNA would say one way or the other.

I think it's likely baby Marlena was raised by her abductor as her own, and barring a death-bed confession by her "mother," will never know she was ever abducted in the first place.

I just realized that today is October 21. Marlene Santana was kidnapped 24 years ago today. She turned 24 on October 18th. I hope that one day she may be found.
I am also curious to hear what anyone thinks about this. ON Unsolved Mysteries, and also on the Doe Network, 2 theories are presented. The first one is that Marlene was sold into an illegal adoption ring. The second is that Marlene's kidnapper may not have been able to have a child of her own, and stole Marlene so that she would have a baby to raise. Which do you think happened? I tend to lean toward the second theory.
I remember that the Lifetime version of Marlene's story also briefly featured stories about 2 other infant kidnap vicitms, a black baby girl named Carlina White, and a young white boy. I have seen Carlina White's story on Doe Network and Charley project (links below). She has still not been found. Her story was also profiled on the TLC special "I'd Kill for a Baby," whcih describes stories of women who have faked pregnancies and kidnapped infants.
Does anyone remember the name of the little boy? Has he been found? Thanks for the info.

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/w/white_carlina.html

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/333dfny.html

Here is a thread I started some time ago about the two cases profiled in brief after the Marlene Santana story. Neither of the children have been found:

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=224480

As for Marlene, I always figured that she was either sold, or perhaps raised by the woman who abducted her. That being the case, I think there is a good chance that Marlene may be alive today with no knowledge of the true circumstances behind her birth and abduction.

There is a Facebook page for Marlene Santana please help spread the word. The family still hopes to find her one day.

I think Marlene is still alive. She most likely has no idea she was kidnapped but what I'm wondering is if she went through the same thing Carlina White did and needed her birth certificate and other information? Wouldn't she have thought something was up if she didn't have one? Christopher Abeyta, not sure if he is alive sadly.

Christopher Abeyta, not sure if he is alive sadly.

Yes there are some who believe Christopher was killed on the night of his abduction. Some even suspect family involvement but who knows? :confused:

Maybe it’s just me, but I always found this case kinda suspicious. I find it strange that a random woman just came up and kidnapped her. The mother said the abductor said she had been “waiting for her all day”. Of course this might have been a figure of speech, but if this is true, there should have been more witnesses. She then said they walked 6 blocks at gunpoint, surely someone would have had to seen something. I mean they were in Brooklyn, NY and no one saw anything? It is a sad case but part of me thinks there is more to the story.

huh. I just looked at the charley project page again, and I was always baffled why they said it was just Marlene, her mother and the adbuctor walking the six blocks. The UM re-enactment showed 2 of Marlene's adult relatives with her.

I also just noticed they have a second sketch of the abductor, which I've never seen before. This one looks quite different from the first one.

I have also wondered if there is more to the story. But I don't think the mother made up the story. The pain in her eyes seems very legitimate to me. But of course there are so many questions. Why was the woman at the hospital? Scoping out targets? And were they really right in front of the hospital when the woman pulled out a gun and no one was there to see it? Or was the reenactment inaccurate?

I always thought Marlene's mom leaving the hospital at 9 p.m. with her was a little weird, especially if the part about it being just the 2 of them is to be believed.

I always thought Marlene's mom leaving the hospital at 9 p.m. with her was a little weird, especially if the part about it being just the 2 of them is to be believed.
THIS. Don't you have to check out earlier than that and they would usually insist on a new mother being wheeled out to the car, etc. Even if the hospital didn't have those procedures, what was up with the time?

Marlene had to stay an extra day in the hospital due to jaundice. I wonder if that's why she was discharged so late in the evening. It could have been a different kind of discharge policy for a patient undergoing treatment compared to the standard new baby and mom leaving the hospital scenario.

Unsolved.com says this: A few hours [after she first saw the woman at the nursery window], at 9:00 PM, Francesca checked out of the hospital. According to Francesca, her two sisters-in-law came to take her home:

"When we were going downstairs, a woman came to me, the same woman that I saw in the nursery. She told me she was waiting for me all day."

According to Francesca, the woman then pulled out a gun and pointed it at the baby:

"She told us to walk or she was going to blow up the head. And, we walked."

They walked over six blocks at gunpoint. Finally, they stopped near a deserted junkyard. At first, Francesca thought that they were being robbed. The woman demanded that Francesca give her the baby, then got in a car driven by an accomplice and drove off. Francesca was in a state of shock:

"When she took the baby... I didn't know what to do. I was crying, I tried to stop the car and... nobody helped us."

It also says she went to the police and described the car (a white 1976 Chevy Malibu, with red lettering on the door). If her sisters in law were with her, I wonder if they also gave a statement to the police describing the car and the abductors.

Marlene was born in 1985. I don't know what this hospital's policy was for taking out new moms and newborns at the time of discharge but I had two kids in the 80s. In 1987, my son and I were discharged at about 11:00am three days after he was born. We were both healthy and it was just that hospital's policy to keep newborns for three days. We were taken in a wheelchair to the door of the hospital, I can't remember if we were wheeled outside the door or not.

In 1989, I had my daughter at a different hospital. She was born at 5:00pm and we were discharged 24 hours later, which was kind of an odd time to be sent home. A staffer took us in a wheelchair just outside the door then immediately turned around and went back inside the building. I imagine something very similar could have happened with Marlene and her mom: just dropped off outside the door and left to make her own way to the car in the parking lot or whatever, especially if her sisters in law were with her.

FWIW, Marlene was abducted at night on October 21, 1985, which was a Monday. Weather on that day was a high of 70 and a low of 58 and there was no precipitation. It would have already been dark for a couple hours by the time Marlene and her mom left the hospital which would have probably made it easy for the abductor to not be noticed loitering around outside.

Yes there are some who believe Christopher was killed on the night of his abduction. Some even suspect family involvement but who knows? :confused:


Christopher's case indeed has a suspect always has. Her name is Emma Bradshaw and from the evidence it's pretty clear she took Christopher. She was the woman that Mr Abeyta had had an affair with. Christopher disappeared the very night that Mr Abeyta came back home for the first time,having reconciled with his wife. He dumped Emma and she said she's get him,and it looks as though she has. I'm updated frequently on his case,they just came out with a new age-progressed photo (the original one always looked a bit creepy to me in the eye area). I follow his case closely on their FB page and the family is still very committed to finding him,and believe his is still alive.
I'm somewhat torn. Knowing who did this,her documented background,there's always the chance she killed him that night,she was a nut-bag. However,I find it equally as plausible that she sold him,turned him over to someone to raise and he's alive and well,simply not knowing who he really is,and his "adoptive" parents having no idea they adopted a stolen child. Or perhaps his "adoptive" parents obtained him illegally and knows very well,but has kept silent.
It's all very open for interpretation,and there was definitely bungling on the part of the PD who investigated his disappearance. I wish UM had done a full segment on this case,rather just adding it at the end of Marlene's story.

I'm somewhat torn. Knowing who did this,her documented background,there's always the chance she killed him that night,she was a nut-bag. However,I find it equally as plausible that she sold him,turned him over to someone to raise and he's alive and well,simply not knowing who he really is,and his "adoptive" parents having no idea they adopted a stolen child. Or perhaps his "adoptive" parents obtained him illegally and knows very well,but has kept silent.
It's all very open for interpretation,and there was definitely bungling on the part of the PD who investigated his disappearance. I wish UM had done a full segment on this case,rather just adding it at the end of Marlene's story.

Respectfully snipped.
I think there's a third possibility if he was adopted. The parents may know that they got him illegally, but not know he was stolen.

Respectfully snipped.
I think there's a third possibility if he was adopted. The parents may know that they got him illegally, but not know he was stolen.

Sounds logical to me! Makes sense.....

This is one of those cases that has always stuck with me.

I find it especially cruel that the abductor threatened to harm MARLENE. Since kidnapping and raising Marlene was her apparent goal I don't know why she would have threatened to kill her, unless she figured that was the only way she could get Francesca to give her up.

I'm curious to know how the hosptial staff let the abductor wander around aimlessly all day for several days. I certainly wouldn't allow that at my place of business.

And as i said earlier, the two very different composite sketches on charley project is weird, as is Francesca being discharged in the 9:00 hour at night.

something is just off about this one...can't quite put my finger on it.

I think it's kind of odd that the Charley Project page for Marlene brings up the possibility that she was sold for adoption. Because I think that's a strong possibility. The mother being discharged late without anyone to accompany her (I know the UM segment showed her leaving with 2 other family members/friends, but according to the Charley Project page it just says she left with the abductor and Marlene), her sketchy description of the abductor and the vehicle, and the oddity about the abductor threatening to shoot Marlene point to a possible cover story for an illegal adoption.

I think it's kind of odd that the Charley Project page for Marlene brings up the possibility that she was sold for adoption. Because I think that's a strong possibility. The mother being discharged late without anyone to accompany her (I know the UM segment showed her leaving with 2 other family members/friends, but according to the Charley Project page it just says she left with the abductor and Marlene), her sketchy description of the abductor and the vehicle, and the oddity about the abductor threatening to shoot Marlene point to a possible cover story for an illegal adoption.

That's logical, but why do you think Francesca even went on the show then? I don't think it's at all out of the question, but just wanted to know your thoughts on it.

I always suspected that the abductor might have been a member of an illegal adoption ring. The authorities theorized that she may have wanted to abduct a child to raise as her own, but she was a white woman, so it's strange that she'd choose to abduct a Hispanic baby since that would raise all sorts of suspicions about the child not being hers.

That's logical, but why do you think Francesca even went on the show then? I don't think it's at all out of the question, but just wanted to know your thoughts on it.

I'm not saying I'm convinced she wasn't abducted, I just think both are equal possibilities. If Francesca did arrange the illegal adoption, I could see how she has regrets about doing it which is why she went on UM to try and find her daughter.

Maybe it's just me, but I find it extremely odd that no one in the hospital thought to question this strange lady seen lingering around, especially if she was in the hallways for an extended period of time. And it's been awhile since I've seen the segment, but IIRC, wasn't the abductor waiting around for an extended period of time before Francesca was even checked out? I just find it odd that her intended purpose was to abduct Marlene only to threaten to kill her if Francesca did not comply. Unless of course this was done so Francesca would follow her without question.

I'm not saying I'm convinced she wasn't abducted, I just think both are equal possibilities. If Francesca did arrange the illegal adoption, I could see how she has regrets about doing it which is why she went on UM to try and find her daughter.

Maybe it's just me, but I find it extremely odd that no one in the hospital thought to question this strange lady seen lingering around, especially if she was in the hallways for an extended period of time. And it's been awhile since I've seen the segment, but IIRC, wasn't the abductor waiting around for an extended period of time before Francesca was even checked out? I just find it odd that her intended purpose was to abduct Marlene only to threaten to kill her if Francesca did not comply. Unless of course this was done so Francesca would follow her without question.

I can see how that would make for a cooked-up story. Like you though, I can also see how it could've actually gone down just like that.

Yes, the abductor was waiting around for a while. Francesca said the woman even stood at the nursery window and remarked to her that Marlene was the "quiestest and prettiest baby" there.

The hospital Marlene was born in was and still is Brookdale University's teaching hospital. It's large now and probably was in 1985. If the abductor was just hanging out in the maternity unit basically all day, I can't envision a nurse failing to notice and speak to her, at the very least. I'm almost certain one of them would've done that.

Maybe it's just me, but I find it extremely odd that no one in the hospital thought to question this strange lady seen lingering around, especially if she was in the hallways for an extended period of time. And it's been awhile since I've seen the segment, but IIRC, wasn't the abductor waiting around for an extended period of time before Francesca was even checked out? I just find it odd that her intended purpose was to abduct Marlene only to threaten to kill her if Francesca did not comply. Unless of course this was done so Francesca would follow her without question.

no, it's not just you. I said the same thing yesterday in this thread.

I always suspected that the abductor might have been a member of an illegal adoption ring. The authorities theorized that she may have wanted to abduct a child to raise as her own, but she was a white woman, so it's strange that she'd choose to abduct a Hispanic baby since that would raise all sorts of suspicions about the child not being hers.

the Charley project describes her as a white woman with Hispanic features and no accent. The first composite sketch on Charley Project is the same one we saw on UM and it looks like a white woman. The second composite sketch on Charley Project looks more like a Hispanic woman. It's all very weird.

Maybe a rich family bought the baby ? They were so desperate for a baby, they didn't care about the race or the sex ?

Another thing that's weird. Before a mom and her baby can be discharged, there has to be a car-seat properly in the car. The baby can't leave until there's one to bring them home in. I'm almost positive that includes the US.

Was there any cameras ? Especially in the nursery and the entrance ? The abductor was likely there all day checking out what baby would be the easiest to kidnap. The mom was likely by herself, perfect opportunity.

This is a sad case. I hope the family someday finds answers. And maybe bring their child home. Hospitals really have to crackdown on shady people hanging around the newborns.

After a bit of research, I found that yes, infant seats were law in New York after April 1, 1982. So that's an excellent point.

After a bit of research, I found that yes, infant seats were law in New York after April 1, 1982. So that's an excellent point.

OK I was under the impression that she was released to her mother who was on foot and apparently taking public transportation (which I would expect was the norm in NYC) or possibly a taxi. Being the time period (much less enforcement of the law) and public transporation being involved, I would expect she would be just carrying the baby. Wow, I would be too scared to just carry my baby around in NYC.

Or was there a car involved that she was about to ride in? If so I would expect an infant seat, but again in 1985 I would guess a lot of babies still rode in their mother's arms.

I hear that around here you aren't going anywhere with a newborn from the hospital without an infant seat. If you don't have one usually they give them away. If nothing else for the liability.

Or was there a car involved that she was about to ride in? If so I would expect an infant seat, but again in 1985 I would guess a lot of babies still rode in their mother's arms.

I hear that around here you aren't going anywhere with a newborn from the hospital without an infant seat. If you don't have one usually they give them away. If nothing else for the liability.

I was born in 86 and my grandmother held me in the backseat of the car. I imagine the laws were a lot more relaxed back in the 80's. You could still smoke in the hospital when I was born!

When my kids were born in 87 and 89, I remember them telling us in the childbirth classes that we were expected to bring a properly fitted car seat to the hospital to pick up the baby at the time of discharge.

In 87, I vaguely remember being asked if I had a car seat when I took my son home. At a different hospital in 89, I think they just threw me out the door without checking on a car seat.

In the 80s, it was the law in michigan that kid under a certain age had to be in car seats but when I was in a car accident in 87, with my 5 month old son in the car, the police had my car towed and wouldn't let me get anything out of it, including my son's car seat.

A drunk driver had hit 3 cars, mine being the last, and sent a bunch of people to the hospital. I was stopped at a red light and was totally innocent. The cop taking my statement had me sit in the front of his car while my sister in law took care of my son.

I couldn't believe that he refused to let me get my son's car seat and even his pacifier out of my car before he had it towed. I couldn't get anything from it for 3 days, IIRC. I had no way of buying or borrowing a car seat to even get home from the accident scene, so I just held my son while my dad drove my sisters in law and me home. It was very unnerving, after just being in a multi-car accident where a car seat likely saved my son's life, to being driven home on a dark raining night just holding the baby on my lap.

So just from personal experience, there's a couple of instances where in the 80s, police and a hospital didn't care that a baby didn't have a car seat. I can see where the hospital might not have checked to see if Marlene was going to be driven home safely.

Found this on this case's reddit:

]Leannechrista85 2 points 4 months ago
I think I might be Marlene.. I contacted the NYPD and the FBI- I haven't heard back yet, I even sent my DNA to NYPD. Waiting to hear something! I never met my "real" dad I was told he was Hispanic, but never met him. 🙄 My "mom" is white with blue eyes as are all my sisters. Guess we will see..hopefully soon!

Found this on this case's reddit:

]Leannechrista85 2 points 4 months ago
I think I might be Marlene.. I contacted the NYPD and the FBI- I haven't heard back yet, I even sent my DNA to NYPD. Waiting to hear something! I never met my "real" dad I was told he was Hispanic, but never met him. 🙄 My "mom" is white with blue eyes as are all my sisters. Guess we will see..hopefully soon!

4 months & no follow up, can't you get your own DNA tests done pretty quickly at a decent price? Thinking this is either a hoaxer or somebody just wanting to believe.

Wouldn’t there be an issue w/a lack of a birth certificate? Seems like everyone who was searching for a birth parent had that as a red flag.

Wouldn’t there be an issue w/a lack of a birth certificate? Seems like everyone who was searching for a birth parent had that as a red flag.
Unless they got a fake one. That happens too.

I agree with the two theories of either a mentally disturbed woman who was unable to have a child of her own (or lost a child and wanted a 'replacement'). The only reason I see this theory as less likely than that of Marlene being sold into an illegal adoption ring is that the abductor exhibited some signs of self-control so she may have had the ability to 'turn it off' when seeking a potential victim.

This case does suprise me as to why it hasn't been solved because there's been a few similar UM abduction cases which have been. Plus, the abductors were driving what was described as a 1976 Chevrolet Malibu which was somewhat flashy and definitely stands out a little bit especially in a city like Brooklyn. There should've been an all-points-bulletin put out for the vehicle.

Either way, this case is definitely unsettling because it's difficult to imagine the agony felt by Marlene's family not knowing what happened to her let alone if she's even still alive or has ever even become aware of her true origins.

I'm confused by the Charley project comment "her mother gave the abductor her telephone number and asked her to call" So....Marlene's mother did that??? or grandmother??

I'm kinda surprised this wasn't solved.

Do we have clarification on whether the mother was alone or with 2 others like UM claimed? I presume if they exist they were interviewed and backed up her story.
If she was on her own I don't believe it went down as she said. It's such a weird sequence of events.

Saw this MS UM segment recently. Very tragic, and it's extremely unfortunate that this has never been solved. Very brazen for this disturbed/crazy woman to pull a weapon on the mother & the other women right outside the hospital - too bad she wasn't stopped right there.

My hope is that MS is still alive & was unharmed during the abduction. She may not even be aware that she had been kidnapped years before. It's possible that the disturbed woman who kidnapped her did this for the purpose of either raising the baby herself, or possibly the baby was "adopted" out to parents.

Women on Facebook is claiming she is Marlene Santana and she showed her baby pictures and the sketch of what Marlene would of looked like as a toddler sure does look the same.

Unless they got a fake one. That happens too.

We also saw with the Baskin children that they were able to apply for colleges and jobs with social security numbers that clearly weren't their own. I forget the exact details of who's SSN's they actually belonged to.

With children who were raised by their abductors, applying for college is usually when the big secret is exposed because you need a birth certificate and a social security number.

We also saw with the Baskin children that they were able to apply for colleges and jobs with social security numbers that clearly weren't their own. I forget the exact details of who's SSN's they actually belonged to.

With children who were raised by their abductors, applying for college is usually when the big secret is exposed because you need a birth certificate and a social security number.

Same scenario with Monica Libao

Just saw this segment and have a few thoughts.

First, I don't really understand the notion that Francesca was being deceptive in telling her story. Even if there was no one with her (which seems more like an omission of some sources, and UM clearly portrayed her as being with two relatives) that by itself does not give her a reason to lie. And if she was guilty of anything it would be exceptionally stupid to return to the US and go on national television with a made up story that would draw considerable attention.

Second, the issue of a lack of a birth certificate/SSN does play into this, but not perhaps as much as some people might think. A priori, the lack of these things would make it harder to conceal the adoption of a child as such documents are needed for various purposes, including schooling.
However, there are several ways around this. Documents can be fabricated, and while in theory an SSN cannot be easily faked, for some purposes using the SSN of a dead person or one not actually issued may not pose a problem if it is not cross referenced with federal records. If the adoptive parents had lost a child and not reported it that would also leave a free SSN and certificate that could be used.
And I am not convinced that any of these documents are strictly required for getting through life in a city like NYC which plays fast and loose with many of the usual rules and procedures. Finding some kind of schooling for the child would likely have been possible, and it is quite possible they never even applied to college.

All of that said, the fact that the case was profiled on UM and investigated by the police with no resolution inclines me to think that this was not a kidnapping for adoption but likely something more sinister. There is an oft quoted statistic about the first 72 hours being key in non-family abductions for the recovery of the child alive, and while I am sure that statistic does not hold entirely for infant abductions I do think it is instructive that the thinking on this case may have been overly biased in the direction of illegal adoption.

I was reading through this thread and saw a few people who were talking about how it's weird that nobody wheeled Marlene's mom to the car, that it's weird that nobody said anything, etc. It's worth noting that Brookdale Hospital was REALLY rough in the 80s. My dad had a bunch of friends who did medical residencies there and getting mugged while walking to the train, etc, was extremely common. Setting aside that it's very likely Marlene's mom didn't have a car in the first place, that part of Brooklyn was rough enough that the odds of a crime like this happening in that neighborhood are higher than they might have been elsewhere, and people might not have talked depending on neighborhood dynamics.

I think that the dominant theory is that she was telling the truth, but for those who are skeptical, I think that the neighborhood makes the story that she tells more plausible. I know that when I mentioned the story to my dad he was obviously horrified but figured that if it happened at any NYC hospital, not shocking it was Brookdale.

I was reading through this thread and saw a few people who were talking about how it's weird that nobody wheeled Marlene's mom to the car, that it's weird that nobody said anything, etc. It's worth noting that Brookdale Hospital was REALLY rough in the 80s. My dad had a bunch of friends who did medical residencies there and getting mugged while walking to the train, etc, was extremely common. Setting aside that it's very likely Marlene's mom didn't have a car in the first place, that part of Brooklyn was rough enough that the odds of a crime like this happening in that neighborhood are higher than they might have been elsewhere, and people might not have talked depending on neighborhood dynamics.

I think that the dominant theory is that she was telling the truth, but for those who are skeptical, I think that the neighborhood makes the story that she tells more plausible. I know that when I mentioned the story to my dad he was obviously horrified but figured that if it happened at any NYC hospital, not shocking it was Brookdale.

Exactly. People who are not familiar with NYC forget how many people there do not have vehicles.
And people also forget how unbelievably violent and lawless the 80's were, 3-4x the number of murders in a given year as now, which is a massive difference.

I found it odd that the abductor was able to walk the halls of the maternity ward all day without someone thinking that something was up

Just saw this segment and have a few thoughts.

First, I don't really understand the notion that Francesca was being deceptive in telling her story. Even if there was no one with her (which seems more like an omission of some sources, and UM clearly portrayed her as being with two relatives) that by itself does not give her a reason to lie. And if she was guilty of anything it would be exceptionally stupid to return to the US and go on national television with a made up story that would draw considerable attention.

Second, the issue of a lack of a birth certificate/SSN does play into this, but not perhaps as much as some people might think. A priori, the lack of these things would make it harder to conceal the adoption of a child as such documents are needed for various purposes, including schooling.
However, there are several ways around this. Documents can be fabricated, and while in theory an SSN cannot be easily faked, for some purposes using the SSN of a dead person or one not actually issued may not pose a problem if it is not cross referenced with federal records. If the adoptive parents had lost a child and not reported it that would also leave a free SSN and certificate that could be used.
And I am not convinced that any of these documents are strictly required for getting through life in a city like NYC which plays fast and loose with many of the usual rules and procedures. Finding some kind of schooling for the child would likely have been possible, and it is quite possible they never even applied to college.

All of that said, the fact that the case was profiled on UM and investigated by the police with no resolution inclines me to think that this was not a kidnapping for adoption but likely something more sinister. There is an oft quoted statistic about the first 72 hours being key in non-family abductions for the recovery of the child alive, and while I am sure that statistic does not hold entirely for infant abductions I do think it is instructive that the thinking on this case may have been overly biased in the direction of illegal adoption.

It was far more exceptionally stupid for Alicia Head to claim to be a 9/11 survivor-despite being in Spain at the time & never even having set foot on US soil until 2003, yet she was able to join & became president of the World Trade Center Survivors' Network & appeared all over television & print media stories for years before anybody bothered to do the most rudimentary of checks on her.

How was a guy named Enrico Marco claiming to be a WW2 concentration camp survivor able to publish a book on it & carry on his lies without question for nearly 30 years? Like Head he was able to become the president of an association in memory of the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp & was given a high ranking civil award by the Catalan government.

I found it odd that the abductor was able to walk the halls of the maternity ward all day without someone thinking that something was up

Hospitals are busy places, people come & go all the time-both patients & visitors. Some have even been able to pose as doctors.

However you do raise an interesting point-apparently nobody working at the hospital remembers seeing this woman in the nursery & maternity ward & loitering around the hospital & outside-despite her photo-fit being of an appearance that nobody would forget seeing.

Then there is the bizarre abduction-she approaches them outside the hospital & marches them six blocks, where she allegedly while holding a gun & the baby in one hand/arm & pointing the gun at the babies head is able to use the other hand to wave a vehicle down-cops believed it may have been a cab, but why would a taxi driver go along with this plot & not report it? Why were none of the women able to get the plate? Unable to read the writing on the side of the vehicle?

If it was an accomplice then why on earth was he driving around six blocks away & had to be waved down by a woman he knew? Why at no point did the the women jump on her? Why did nobody see a woman pointing a gun at a babies head for six blocks? Why would she complimenting somebody on a jaundiced baby & then abducting it? Surely there would be better options?

Why & how did she give the woman her phone number? If she wrote it we then have a woman who has a baby & a gun in one arm, now taking a piece of paper that supposedly the mother has calmly written down on paper & now has to turn her back on them, open a car door carrying all this? If verbal then how on earth would she remember it & if she is abducting a child why is she going to be taking the victims phone number?

My theory-the mother/her friends saw the story from the day before about the child being abducted in another NY hospital that would have been all over the media & concocted this nonsensical story.

The photo-fit looks like Billy Idol, who was very popular at the time, although the hair is totally different in the first photo-fit which makes no sense & she told police she thinks she saw her earlier in the day, not that she is definite & sold the kid to somebody in their community for money who picked it up at this junkyard.

I would also like to know where the father was-four days in hospital & he isn't there to pick her up when she left, was he ever there at all? Such a long time since I saw the segment-did he even appear on it?

https://medium.com/@jennbaxter_69070/taken-at-gunpoint-the-abduction-of-marlene-santana-dc12eaf7b922

https://imgur.com/gallery/waiting-on-3-dna-tests-to-see-if-ive-been-kidnapped-35-years-sXsKZnV

https://imgur.com/gallery/waiting-on-3-dna-tests-to-see-if-ive-been-kidnapped-35-years-sXsKZnV

Wow. That is quite a read. My heart goes out to this woman.

We here of all people know that it can be very easy to misidentify someone. But comparing pictures, she resembles the aged pictures of Marlene, especially age 25. I pulled up the segment and she does resemble Francesca. But I emphasize that is a personal opinion. There hasn’t been an update on this since 2022. I hope whoever she is, that this young lady got the answers she needed. I hope we get an update someday.

https://imgur.com/gallery/waiting-on-3-dna-tests-to-see-if-ive-been-kidnapped-35-years-sXsKZnV

My God, do we need an update!

She DOES look like Marlene, but she DOES look like the woman who is her "mom". I'm doubtful but it's intriguing.

Just throwing this out here, a picture of Marlene’s dad from the segment for comparison. I’m just not sure. God my heart breaks for this family to this day.

https://i.postimg.cc/f3rvGnVn/IMG-3340.jpg (https://postimg.cc/f3rvGnVn)
https://i.postimg.cc/FYqZqXfP/IMG-3339.jpg (https://postimg.cc/FYqZqXfP)

I always worried seeing the Marlene Santana case. The idea that someone could just walk out of a hospital with a baby that wasn't hers.