Where is Kaya Centeno? Abuse of adopted kids leads California cops in search of daughter who went missing in 2010
ROHNERT PARK, CALIFORNIA: Rohnert Park Police are investigating the disappearance of a girl who was last seen nearly ten years ago. The investigation into the missing case of Kaya Centeno was launched after her parents were accused of abusing her siblings.
The parents, identified as Jose and Gina Centeno, were arrested on August 19 after it was alleged that they abused their adoptive kids for years. According to the 14-count complaint filed on August 20 in Sonoma County Superior Court, the couple has been held at the Sonoma County Jail on $18 million bail. Both of them have been charged with felony torture and other crimes. Besides, Jose has also been charged with an additional nine felony crimes for his suspected sexual abuse of the 17-year-old girl, identified as Jane Doe #1 in the complaint. If found guilty, the couple would likely receive life sentences.
During the investigation, Jane and her 15-year-old brother told investigators that they have another sibling, Kaya, who would have turned 18 on May 23. The pair said their sister vanished from their Rohnert Park home between 2010 and 2012. She was between eight to twelve years old when she was last seen. It was also reported that Kaya was a student at John Reed Elementary School, but her admission was canceled when she was in second grade allegedly to be homeschooled, police said as reported by The Press Democrat.
Now, local police are urging the public to come forward if they have any information regarding the missing girl. Rohnert Park police Sergeant Keith Astley said: “We want to find Kaya. We want to hear from anybody who knows Kaya. Have they seen Kaya? When was the last time they saw Kaya? Kaya was in the household and then she was not. We don’t know where Kaya is, and we want to find her.” If anyone has any information, they have been requested to call the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety at 707-584-2612, or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST). In addition, Rohnert Park Police have also worked with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to make a picture of what present Kaya might look like.
Police in Rohnert Park got to know about the alleged abuse on July 24 when authorities in Mexico informed Sonoma County child protective services of abuse against the kids, who had been put in protective custody with extended family in the country about one and a half years ago. Jose and Gina Centeno had adopted five children: three siblings and later on, twins. However, after the couple separated, the wife has been taking care of the twins. The suspects have also been charged with felony kidnapping since they allegedly hide the three older siblings to get adoption assistance funding, the complaint stated.
The reports also stated that Jose and Gina Centeno gave the reason behind Kaya’s disappearance to her siblings, but that detail has not been made public since the investigation was still in an early stage. Meanwhile, police said in a statement that investigators have, however, discovered evidence at the Centenos’ C Section home "to corroborate the victims’ statements about the abuse”.