Layla Santanello and Hollynn Snapp: Missing girls' moms alarmed by link as they share serial killer fears

KINGSPORT, TENNESSEE: The recent disappearances of two young women from Kingsport, Tennessee have left their families distraught and authorities mystified. The 21-year-old Layla Santanello disappeared on June 27, and just months later on October 18, 19-year-old Hollynn Snapp seemed to disappear into thin air as well.

Both girls were in vulnerable states when they went missing from the small city just two miles apart. The eerie similarities and connections between Layla and Hollynn have raised alarm bells for some of their family members, who now fear the worst - that a sinister trafficking ring or serial killer could be preying on victims in the area, according to The Sun.

Who are Layla Santanello and Hollynn Snapp?

Layla Santanello, 21, and Hollynn Snapp, 19, both vanished without a trace just months apart in the small city of Kingsport, Tennessee.

Layla was last seen on June 27 wandering barefoot and disheveled near the Americourt motel on American Way. According to her family, she had been struggling with fentanyl addiction and had recently lost custody of her young daughter. She was also grieving a recent family loss that had taken an emotional toll.

Just four months later on October 18, Hollynn disappeared only two miles away on Bell Ridge Drive. Like Layla, Hollynn suffered from addiction issues and mental health struggles. Her parents say she functioned at the level of a 9 or 10 year old and was overly trusting of strangers. Both girls were vulnerable at the time they went missing.

Layla Santanello and Hollynn Snapp's mothers highlight their physical similarities

The families soon discovered Layla and Hollynn ran in the same social circles and likely knew each other. Both mothers, Jennifer Santanello and Heather Snapp, communicated after the disappearances and believe the cases could be connected.

Adding to their suspicion is the physical similarity between Layla and Hollynn. "The first thing I noticed about Hollynn is that she's a small person, like Layla," said Jennifer.

"They're around four-foot-ten-inches tall and 100 pounds, so very small and child-like; adult girls but in kid bodies."

While Layla's stepmother Brittany Zeitler believes the cases are merely tragic coincidences, the mothers hold out hope that uncovering links between Layla and Hollynn could help solve the mysteries.

"There could be a serious problem going on around here," said Jennifer. "It's a scary world we live in these days...anything is possible."

Layla Santanello's mother worries about possiblity of trafficking ring or serial killer

With few leads, the families grapple with terrifying possibilities of what happened to Layla and Hollynn.

"A lot of things pop into my head," admitted Jennifer. "I wonder about trafficking, but also aren't serial killers the type to pick a specific height and weight and that kind of thing?"

Zeitler remains hopeful her stepdaughter will return alive and has worked tirelessly with a private investigator to unravel the timeline of strange events leading up to Layla's disappearance.

The investigation revealed Layla had fled an altercation with her boyfriend days earlier and had been staying with various friends before ending up barefoot and paranoid at the Americourt motel. The last sighting placed her walking past a storage facility heading towards a wooded trail.

Jennifer refuses to give up fighting for answers but struggles to prevent her mind from envisioning the worst.

"My heart won't let me stop," she said. "Layla didn't have any quit in her and I'm not going to stop either...I'm going to keep going until it breaks me or until we find her."