A baby was abducted in Florida almost 20 years ago, and police think he could now be living as an adult in Tacoma.
According to a May 20 news release from the Fort Myers Police Department, new information has come to light in the abduction of Bryan dos Santos Gomes, who was 28 days old when he was abducted on Dec. 1, 2006 in Fort Myers.
The abduction happened when a woman approached Gomes’ mother, asking for directions, the release said. His mother got into the woman’s car, and the woman later forced his mother out of her car at knifepoint and drove off with Gomes.
“Investigators say they have received new information from Tacoma, Washington, bringing fresh momentum to the case,” the release said. “Authorities say recent investigative leads suggest Bryan could be living in Washington State, possibly unaware of what happened to him as a baby.”
The News Tribune asked Megan Fuentes, spokesperson for the Fort Myers Police Department, what new information leads them to believe Gomes could be in Tacoma.
“It’s an active investigation, so I can not provide that at this time as investigators work to vet the tip that was received,” Fuentes wrote in an email to The News Tribune.
The News Tribune also reached out to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), which also declined to comment.
Gomes would be 19 years old today, the news release said, and authorities are pushing an age progression photo of what he may look like now in hopes that someone recognizes him.
“While detectives are focused on Washington State, they want to remind the public that Bryan — or the woman believed to have abducted him — could be living or traveling anywhere in the country,” the release said.
What happened to Gomes?
In a blog post from NCMEC on April 8, 2025, Gomes’ mother, Maria Ramos Dos Santos, detailed the story of the abduction.
It started when she and a friend were leaving a doctor’s office in Fort Myers with their children in tow, Dos Santos told NCMEC.
“A woman in a dark SUV approached them,” NCMEC wrote. “She told them she was from Tampa and needed directions to a nearby neighborhood called Pine Manor, where she said her mother lived.”
Dos Santos and her friend told the woman they couldn’t help and boarded a bus — but when they left the bus, the woman “suddenly reappeared,” having followed them. She asked for help again, so Dos Santos and her friend got in the woman’s vehicle and gave her directions to Pine Manor, which is a place in unincorporated Lee County.
The woman allegedly claimed she had given birth to a boy named Jose Guadalupe “days before” and had a car seat and diaper bag in the vehicle, the post said.
Once the group reached Pine Manor, the woman “claimed she saw her mother’s car and started to drive the group back.”
The woman stopped to let Dos Santos’ friend and her daughter out, the post said, before pulling out a knife and forcing Dos Santos and Gomes to stay in the car.
“I was so nervous,” Dos Santos told NCMEC. “I screamed to [my friend], ‘She has a knife. She is crazy.’”
The woman drove Dos Santos and Gomes to a church parking lot in Estero, Florida, the post said, then forced Dos Santos out of the car at knifepoint. She then drove off with Gomes.
The Investigation
In the post, NMEC said police have submitted Dos Santos’ clothes and her friend’s cell phone from that day for DNA testing. A forensic artist created a picture in 2025 of what Gomes might look like at 18 years old.
They also released a recording of the woman’s voice.
“During the ride, the abductor used [the friend’s] phone to make a call – supposedly to her mother. But investigators say the number she dialed reached an answering machine at a business, Griffin Industries, also known as Shaw Irrigation, located at 8181 Kantanga Court in Fort Myers,” the post said. “Police recovered that message and are hoping someone in the public might recognize her voice.”
To listen to the recording, visit vimeo.com/1073358620/4f49755bba.
NMEC described the woman as a “heavyset” Hispanic woman who was in her late 20s in 2006.
“One theory is that the kidnapper may have been seeking to replace a baby she lost – or one she never had,” the post said. “This is a common motive for infant abductions.”
Investigators urged anyone with information to come forward.
“The Fort Myers Police Department is certain that someone knows where Baby Bryan is,” detective Rich Harasym said in the news release. “We ask anyone who may have information that they please contact NCMEC or the Fort Myers Police Department. If you know something, say something. Let’s bring closure to the family of Baby Bryan.”
Residents can call NCMEC at 1-800-843-5678 or the Fort Myers Police Department at 239-321-7700.
Isabela Lund is the Lead Breaking News Reporter at The News Tribune. She previously covered the greater Puyallup area as the East Pierce County reporter. Before joining The News Tribune in February 2025, she served as the digital content manager at KDRV NewsWatch 12 in Medford, Oregon, and as a reporter for the Stanwood Camano News. She grew up in Kitsap County and graduated from Western Washington University in 2022 with a degree in journalism.
