Yessenia "Sisi" Norman, 18, was reported missing on Jan. 19 after friends say she went to meet a man she connected with on a dating app. Her body was found at an apartment in Tolleson, Arizona, on Jan. 28; authorities reported she had been stabbed 27 times. Police identified 27-year-old Randal Santillan as a suspect, and he was arrested in Biloxi, Mississippi, on Feb. 6 and charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping. Santillan is being held in Harrison County pending extradition while the investigation continues.
Man Arrested in Mississippi After 18-Year-Old Who Met Stranger on Dating App Is Found Dead in Arizona
Yessenia NormanGoFundMe
An 18-year-old woman who was reported missing after meeting a man she connected with on a dating app was found dead in Tolleson, Arizona. A suspect has since been arrested in Mississippi and charged in connection with her death.
Timeline and Discovery
Yessenia "Sisi" Norman was reported missing on Jan. 19 after she failed to return to the transitional facility where she was living, local media and authorities reported. Friends say Norman went to meet someone she had contacted through a dating app on Jan. 15, shortly before she disappeared.
Investigators discovered Norman’s body in an apartment complex in Tolleson on Jan. 28. Tolleson police said she had suffered multiple stab wounds; local reporting indicated she had been stabbed 27 times.
Yessenia NormanGoFundMe
Suspect Identified And Arrested
Police identified 27-year-old Randal Santillan as a tenant at the Tolleson apartment where Norman’s body was found. Local reports say Santillan had been living at the complex with his ex-wife until she moved out in December.
Authorities said the cell phones belonging to both Norman and Santillan were located in the vicinity of the area where Norman lived on the night she disappeared. After her body was discovered, law enforcement allege Santillan fled the state in his vehicle. Tracking placed the vehicle through Illinois, New Mexico, Texas and Missouri before it reached Mississippi.
Shortly before 7 a.m. local time on Friday, Feb. 6, Biloxi, Mississippi, police arrested Santillan. He has been charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping in connection with Norman’s disappearance and death and is being held at the Harrison County Adult Detention Center pending extradition, authorities said.
Yessenia NormanGoFundMe
Family Response and Community Support
On a GoFundMe page organized to cover funeral expenses, Kathryn Gasaway wrote: "It is with profound sadness that we share the heartbreaking loss of Yessenia ‘Sisi’ Norman, a beautiful and bright 18-year-old daughter to Jessica Nuñez. After two weeks of searching, her remains were tragically found. The circumstances surrounding her death are currently under investigation…"
Norman’s mother, Jessica Nuñez, told Fox 10 Phoenix: "I can’t imagine. I just can’t imagine, who would do that to her? I don’t understand."
The transitional facility where Norman had been living was contracted with the Arizona Department of Child Safety, according to local reporting. Officials have not said how long she had been a resident there.
The Tolleson Police Department and Phoenix Police Department did not immediately respond to requests for additional comment. The investigation remains active as authorities work on extradition and further inquiries.
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