Teen reported missing from Eustis arrested in Panhandle kidnapping, 2 adults also facing charges
FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla.—A Eustis teenager has been arrested for kidnapping and lying to cops in the Panhandle, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) said Wednesday.
Kaylynn Corsi, 17, was arrested Monday, along with Lennys Cotto, 30, and Joe Trejo, 27, both of Ocala, for their roles in the kidnapping of a man who was beaten multiple times before escaping his captors early Monday morning.
According OCSO, a group of masked, armed individuals entered a home on Mooney Road near Fort Walton Beach around 2:45 a.m. The intruders beat and pepper sprayed one of the occupants and then forced him into a car. They took the victim to a trailer on Carlos Drive and beat him again before he escaped and ran to a convenience store on Racetrack Road.
Deputies arrived at the store and found the victim bleeding and bruised, and he was transported to a local hospital for treatment. He told deputies the suspects said they were looking for someone, but he did not have answers to their questions, OCSO said.
While deputies were investigating the incident at the Mooney Road home, Corsi, Cotto and Trejo returned to the home and were taken into custody. Cotto and Trejo were arrested for armed burglary and kidnapping, and Corsi was arrested for kidnapping and giving a false name to law enforcement.
Corsi was reported as missing/runaway late last year. Corsi and Melianis Cardona-Cruz, age unavailable, were last seen walking eastbound on Orange Avenue in Eustis Nov. 30, 2024. If you have information on Cardona-Cruz’ whereabouts, call Eustis Police Department at 352-483-5400.