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Missing Florida baby’s family desperate for answers 18 years after alleged knifepoint abduction

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Published  April 8, 2025 5:56pm EDT
Florida
FOX 13 News

The Brief

    • Detectives in Southwest Florida are still searching for Bryan Dos Santos Gomes nearly two decades after he was allegedly abducted at knifepoint.
    • The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children recently released an age-progression photo of Bryan in the hopes of generating new leads.
    • Anyone with information on this case is asked to call 1-800-843-5678 or contact the Fort Myers Police Department.

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Law enforcement officers in Southwest Florida are hoping an age-progression photo will generate new leads into the alleged abduction of a 4-week-old boy in 2006. 

Where is Brian Dos Santos Gomes? 

The backstory:

According to police, on Dec. 1, 2006, Maria De Fatima Ramos Dos Santos and her 4-week-old baby, Bryan, were with her friend Janice and her young daughter. 

The four were heading home from a doctor’s visit when they say a woman in a dark SUV stopped and asked for directions to Pine Manor in Fort Myers. The woman claimed she was from Tampa and didn’t know the area. 

The suspect is described as a heavy-set Hispanic woman who was in her late 20s in 2006. Image is courtesy of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The suspect is described as a heavy-set Hispanic woman who was in her late 20s in 2006. Image is courtesy of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

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Detectives said De Fatima Ramos Dos Santos and Janice got into the woman’s SUV, and they drove to the Pine Manor neighborhood. 

After the woman said she saw her mother’s car, investigators said she drove De Fatima Ramos Dos Santos and Janice up the road. According to the Fort Myers Police Department, Janice got out of the SUV, but the suspect forced De Fatima Ramos Dos Santos and her baby to stay in the SUV. De Fatima Ramos Dos Santos said she saw a knife in the suspect’s hand. 

READ: Accused DUI driver kills unborn baby, seriously injures mother in head-on crash: Police

Investigators said Janice flagged down a passerby who called 911. 

Bryan Dos Santos Gomes has been missing since Dec. 1, 2006. Image is courtesy of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Bryan Dos Santos Gomes has been missing since Dec. 1, 2006. Image is courtesy of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. 

The suspect drove off with De Fatima Ramos Dos Santos and Bryan. 

Detectives said the suspect forced De Fatima Ramos Dos Santos out of the vehicle at knifepoint without her baby at a church about 15 miles away. 

Cold-case kidnapping

Dig deeper:

Nearly 20 years later, detectives are still trying to figure out who the woman is and where Bryan is located.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children recently released an age-progression photo of what Bryan may look like today. 

Pictured: Age-progression photo of Brian Do Santos Gomes. Image is courtesy of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Pictured: Age-progression photo of Brian Do Santos Gomes. Image is courtesy of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. 

"Bryan is 18 years old now," stated cold case investigator Michael Iarossi. "He’s grown up with social media, Instagram, Facebook, an iPhone, the internet. It’s our hope he sees the messages here, the video. Maybe it’s going to help him, if he’s feeling a certain way about his personal history. Maybe it will encourage him to realize, maybe I should examine this myself."

Detectives believe he could be anywhere, including South America, and noted that if he submits his DNA to an ancestry website, they will be alerted.

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They have submitted items for DNA analysis including clothing from Maria and Janice, hoping to get transfer DNA from the vehicle. 

Detectives added that Bryan's parents have been extremely cooperative. 

"I want Bryan back everyday. I have an 18-year-old. I tell God, everyday, please, bring back Bryan," said Maria De Fatima Ramos Dos Santos, Bryan's mother. 

Who took Brian Dos Santos Gomes? 

What we know:

The suspect is described as a heavy-set Hispanic woman in her late 20s. She was driving a late 90s black SUV, possibly a Ford Explorer. 

According to detectives, the suspect told the women that she had an 11-day-old child Jose Guadalupe.

"Could she have given birth, and the baby died and she’s looking for a replacement for that baby?" asked Rich Harasym, a detective with the Fort Myers Police Department. "We have to get these parents their child back."

READ: Florida man captured after cutting off ankle monitor during trial for bar shooting: HCSO

Investigators recovered a recording of a voice message the suspect left while using Janice’s cell phone during the car ride. 

When she borrowed the woman Janice’s cell phone, she called Shore Irrigation twice. She knew the phone number by heart, which is something detectives believe is a significant lead. 

The recording was left on a voicemail at Shore Irrigation. It was a ruse phone call, according to detectives. 

What we don't know:

Detectives do not know who the woman is or where she took Bryan. 

It is also unclear what her motive was for taking the baby or if she was really from the Tampa area.

What you can do:

Anyone with information on this case is asked to call 1-800-843-5678 or contact the Fort Myers Police Department. 

The Source: This story was written with information provided during a Fort Myers Police Department press conference and from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. 

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