Kayla Unbehaun’s disappearance has finally been solved.
The Illinois native, now 15, was discovered hundreds of miles away from her hometown, nearly six years after her mother, Heather Unbehaun, reportedly took her. According to the South Elgin Police Department in Illinois, who had been handling the case, on May 13, a shop owner in Asheville, N.C., phoned authorities after recognizing the missing girl and Heather.
After investigators established the duo’s identities, Kayla was placed in protective care and Heather, 40, was detained, according to police.
“We are overjoyed to report that the girl is in good condition and good spirits since being reunited with her family,” said South Elgin Police in a statement on May 16. In addition to thanking other law enforcement organizations, the department acknowledged “all citizens across the United States who provided tips to us” on the case, featured in an episode of the Netflix series Unsolved Mysteries in November 2022.
Kayla was reported missing on July 5, 2017, when she and her mother failed to appear for a court-ordered custody exchange in Wheaton, Illinois, according to her father, Ryan Iskerka.
Kayla was reported missing on July 5, 2017.
According to authorities, Heather was given a nationwide extraditable arrest warrant on a child abduction charge on July 28, 2017, after Kayla was filed into the national missing person database.
The woman who reported Kayla’s sighting on May 13 at a Plato’s Closet informed authorities that she recognized Heather from “published media,” according to Asheville Police spokesman Samantha Booth.
Ryan claimed he was “overjoyed” by his daughter’s homecoming in a statement posted by the National Centre for Missing & Exploited Children.
“I want to thank the South Elgin Police Department, the National Centre for Missing & Exploited Children, and all of the law enforcement agencies who assisted with her case,” he added. “I’d also like to thank all of the ‘Bring Kayla Home’ Facebook page followers who helped keep her story alive and were instrumental in spreading awareness.” We request privacy as we re-acquaint ourselves and manage this new chapter.”
According to police, Heather was freed from the Buncombe County Detention Facility in North Carolina after posting a bond. According to CNN, she is scheduled to appear in Buncombe County court on July 11.
SOURCE – (Enews)
