THE family of a missing woman last seen running barefoot from a hotel fear the worst – and they think someone out there has the answers about her whereabouts.

Layla Santanello, 20, vanished from Kingsport, Tennessee, in June 2023, and months later her boyfriend, Michael David Thompson, 21, was booked into jail over allegedly disturbing and fraudulent Cash App requests to her family.

Authorities have not linked him to her disappearance.

This week, her stepmother, Brittany Zeitler, 32, and father, George Emmett, 42, spoke out after Tennessee Bureau of Investigation declared the case was still a “priority,” featuring it on a missing person plea.

The couple are hoping for a miracle but fear the worst.

They say police also aren’t ruling out a theory that Layla’s disappearance is related to that of Hollynn Snapp, 19, who went missing in the same area about four to five months later.

Brittany believes Layla may have suffered an accidental overdose and that those around her panicked and disposed of her body.

“Layla was struggling, but she was a fighter,” said Brittany.

“A part of me wants to believe she just stepped away to get her life together.

“But the moment I had to report her missing, I knew something was very wrong.”

“We have no body, so we’re holding onto that 5% hope she’s still out there,” said Brittany.

“But looking at the reality — it doesn’t seem likely.

“There are a couple of theories, but we’ve learned not to share too much. People are actively trying to interfere with our search.

“We just have to keep pushing forward.

“[Hollynn] was 19, ran in the same social circles, had the same lifestyle, and was close with the same people as Layla,” Brittany explained.

“There’s been a lot of activity between the two cases, but no solid answers.

“We don’t have the answers for Layla,  and it’s not fair.

“Layla would never leave her daughter behind.”

Layla was reported missing on June 27, 2023, after her phone went unanswered.

Brittany and George requested a welfare check from the Kingsport Police Department.

The couple claims boyfriend Michael told cops Layla was staying at a friend’s house and asked him for a ride at 4 am.

But when he arrived, she was nowhere to be found.

“They told him she went outside to smoke a cigarette and just vanished. That’s obviously impossible — we don’t just disappear off the planet,” said Brittany.

‘ERRATIC’ BEHAVIOR

As law enforcement dug deeper, they discovered Layla had been at the Americourt Hotel that night.

Witnesses described her as frantic, fearful, and banging on doors.

“She was acting erratic, and there was a large police presence at the hotel,” said Brittany.

“We know she met with someone, but the last confirmed sighting is her running into a field. And then — nothing.”

Two weeks into Layla’s disappearance, Brittany received cryptic Cash App requests from Layla’s account, she said.

One allegedly said, “We have Layla. She owes a drug debt, and if she doesn’t pay, you’ll find her chopped up into pieces,” according to Brittany.

They sent money.

Michael was indicted on charges of financial exploitation, credit card fraud, and identity theft.

He remains in jail on these charges, but authorities have not linked him to Layla’s disappearance.

FRESH PLEA

Brittany hasn’t given up hope, she says, and she’s calling on investigators to find answers.

“We just want the right facts, the right timeline, the right places known — so the people responsible know we are coming,” Brittany said.

“We are not backing down. We need answers. Layla deserves that. We all do.”

The Kingsport Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said the missing person alert remains active.

“The TBI is assisting the Kingsport Police Department with the investigation into Layla’s disappearance,” the agency said in a statement.

“Additionally, in October 2023, we issued an Endangered Young Adult Alert at the request of the Kingsport Police Department.

“That alert remains active. In fact, we just featured Layla and another missing young woman as part of our Missing Monday segment.”