A 15-year-old girl in the custody of the Tennessee Department of Children's Services has been missing for more than two weeks after she disappeared from the Dickson County Fair, and investigators say she may have left with a man captured in a photograph. Odilia Gomez Santizo was last seen at the Dickson County Fairgrounds on September 6, and her cell phone has been off ever since.
Santizo had been placed with a foster family and has no family in the area, according to Main Street Media of Tennessee. She had reportedly said she had to move around after her father was deported several years ago. Her disappearance came during the closing weekend of the 102nd Dickson County Fair, a five-day event that featured agricultural exhibits, competitions, and carnival rides, according to Main Street Media of Tennessee.
Law enforcement suspects Santizo may be in danger, and the Dickson County Sheriff's Office suspects she may be trafficked. But the outlet's report notes an important distinction: spokesperson Jennifer Caruthers said there is no proof that Santizo is being trafficked, even as deputies pursue that possibility. Investigators believe she may be traveling in a black Infiniti sedan, and she was reportedly seen leaving with a man shown in a photograph, though his identity has not been disclosed in reporting so far.
How Missing Minor Cases Move Through Tennessee's System
Tennessee law sets a tight clock on cases like this one. Under Tennessee Code § 37-10-203 and § 38-6-125, law enforcement agencies must enter a reported missing child into the FBI's National Crime Information Center database within two hours of receiving the initial report, per Justia Law. Separately, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation reserves its Endangered Child Alerts for cases where officers suspect a minor is in danger, even when the case does not meet the stricter criteria for a statewide AMBER Alert, such as verified physical abduction or an imminent threat of death, according to TN.gov.
Santizo's disappearance has involved a black sedan and a man shown in a photograph.
A Foster Care System Stretched Thin
Santizo was in state custody, and Tennessee's foster-care system is under strain: roughly 9,000 children are currently in Tennessee foster care, while the state maintains only about 4,000 licensed foster homes, according to WBIR Channel 10.
Multi-agency operations have shown what coordinated searches can accomplish. Operation Volunteer Strong, a joint effort by the U.S. Marshals Service, the TBI, and DCS, previously recovered more than 150 missing and endangered children across Tennessee, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. Under Tennessee Code § 39-13-309, human trafficking of a minor is classified as a Class A or Class B felony, and the state eliminated the statute of limitations for child trafficking offenses committed on or after July 1, 2021, per Justia Law's coverage of the statute.
Fits a Troubling Pattern Across the State
Twelve-year-old Aubrey Burris is missing from Knoxville.
Capt. Jennifer Caruthers is the Dickson County Sheriff's Office's public information officer. Anyone with information on Odilia Gomez Santizo's whereabouts is asked to contact the sheriff's office at [email protected] or by calling 615-446-8041.
