In a perplexing narrative that unfolds over 8 to 10 years of silence, the chilling tale of Kaya Marie “Kazzee” Centeno’s disappearance takes center stage. Astonishingly, authorities only learned of her absence when they started diving into allegations of child abuse involving her adoptive parents.
Kaya’s story begins within the walls of the Centeno family’s Rohnert Park home, where, according to her siblings, she vanished between 2010 and 2012. The grim revelation emerged in the midst of a broader investigation into the reported emotional, sexual, and physical abuse inflicted upon the children by their adoptive parents, Gina and Jose Centeno. Adopted in 2008, Kaya, along with her brother and sister, became entangled in a web of secrecy that would shroud her disappearance for nearly a decade.
As authorities scrutinized the claims of abuse, the Centeno parents found themselves under the spotlight. Gina, 50, and Jose, 53, faced the damning accusation of aggravated kidnapping, prompting their arrest 2020. The arrest was underscored by the family’s sudden relocation to Mexico about 18 months earlier, raising suspicions and intensifying the investigation.
Sonoma County jail records unveil a cascade of charges against the couple, with Jose confronting nine felony charges related to the alleged sexual abuse of the 17-year-old sister. Locked away without bond, the Centenos’ legal battle unfolded against the backdrop of a gruesome child abuse saga.
The shocking twist in this already unsettling tale comes with the recent demise of Gina Centeno. The woman charged with torturing her adopted children breathed her last in jail custody, succumbing to natural causes arising from a terminal illness on January 7, 2024. The 53-year-old spent the last three years of her life behind bars, awaiting trial for the heinous crimes she and her husband were accused of committing. The husbands next appearance is set for January 18, 2024.
What makes Kaya’s disappearance even more haunting is the revelation that she was not reported missing for nearly a decade. The intricate web of abuse, abduction, and secrecy surrounding the Centeno family unfurled when Child Protective Services workers, tipped off on July 24, 2020, collaborated with authorities. The 15- and 17-year-old siblings, who had been placed in protective custody in Mexico, detailed the horrors they endured and dropped the bombshell about Kaya’s inexplicable disappearance.
As the investigation gained momentum, the FBI, U.S. Embassy, and Child Protective Services worked in tandem to bring the siblings back to Sonoma County. During forensic interviews, the siblings shed light on Kaya’s vanishing act, recounting that she had disappeared from their Rohnert Park home 8 to 10 years ago.
The missing-person investigation into Kaya’s whereabouts continues, with law enforcement urging anyone with information to come forward. The narrative unfolds as a poignant reminder of the lingering mysteries surrounding Kaya Marie Centeno’s fate, a young girl lost in the shadows for nearly a decade.
She turned 21 in May 2023, if anyone has information, you can call the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety at 707-584-2612.