Family members are seeking answers in the case of a missing 75-year-old woman, and the person who was with her in the final days before her disappearance has now been tracked to Italy.
Constantina Santoro was last seen in September, traveling from her home in Harwood Heights to Chicago with her son. She has since gone missing, and her son is now in Italy, leaving her family desperate to find her.
According to the family, Santoro has dementia, and had been taken by her son Anthony to live with him in the city of Chicago.
Loved ones say that after Santoro was taken to the city, Anthony allegedly cut them off, refusing to let them see her or speak to her for more than a year.
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“He would tell them she is with family or this person or that person – and no, she wasn’t,” her nephew Joe Battaglia said.
Authorities had previously declined to get involved with the case, but that changed on Oct. 8, when they were called to do a well-being check on Santoro at Anthony’s new apartment.
When they arrived, both Santoro and her son were gone.
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Harwood Heights police have since issued a missing person alert for her, and recently learned that Anthony had taken a one-way flight to Italy.
“She is nowhere to be found. She could be a Jane Doe somewhere. He has the answers,” Battaglia said.
Her nephew says that they’ve contacted hospitals and nursing homes, but haven’t been able to locate the missing matriarch.
“My message to him: you know what you did or what happened. Let it be known, and given everyone closure,” Battaglia said.
