Bradenton police seek help finding teen missing since late 2024

The Bradenton Police Department has issued a renewed appeal for public assistance in locating Caitlyn Sandt, an 18-year-old resident who has been missing since late 2024. The case remains unsolved, with investigators continuing to search for the young woman who last made contact with her family in October 2024. Her relatives officially reported her disappearance in November of that year, marking the beginning of an extensive search effort that has continued for nearly two years.

Detectives have pursued multiple leads in their investigation, yet they have not yet located Sandt or recovered any of her personal belongings. The lack of physical evidence or confirmed sightings has kept the case active, with officers working to determine her current whereabouts and status.

Sandt is described as 5-foot-2 and weighing 125 pounds. She has brown hair and blue eyes. Identifying marks include a scar located between her eyes, scars on both thighs, and a strawberry birthmark on the bottom of her neck. At the time she was reported missing, her ears and navel were pierced. These physical details are being used to help identify her in case she is spotted by the public.

Investigators currently do not know where Sandt went or if she is still residing in the state of Florida. The uncertainty regarding her location has led authorities to expand their search scope. It is also not yet confirmed whether foul play was involved in her disappearance, leaving the circumstances of her vanishing under continued review.

To aid in the search, particularly if Sandt has moved out of the state, police recently entered her case into the FBI's ViCAP Missing Person database. This national database allows law enforcement agencies across the country to share information about missing individuals. Prior to this, her case was entered into the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse.

The Bradenton Police Department is encouraging anyone with information to reach out directly to Detective Brian Gates. Tips can be sent via email to brian.gates@bradentonpd.com. For those who prefer not to provide their contact information, anonymous tips can be submitted online through the Manatee Crime Stoppers website at manateecrimestoppers.com.

Tipsters who provide information that leads to the recovery of Sandt may be eligible for a reward. The police department relies on community input to solve cold and active missing person cases, and any detail, no matter how small, could potentially help break the case open.

The investigation details and the process for submitting tips were gathered from the Bradenton Police Department. The department continues to treat the case with urgency, hoping that new information will emerge as the two-year mark approaches.