An abducted girl who was missing for more than six years has been found after a viewer of Netflix’s Unsolved Mysteries recognised her.
Kayla Unbehaun was found in North Carolina after she was allegedly abducted by her mother when she was nine. The missing girl was featured on an episode of the Netflix series last year; it focused on alleged family abductions. Kayla has now been re-united with her father.
Missing girl reunited with her father after Unsolved Mysteries viewer recognised her
In a statement released by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children on Tuesday (May 16), Kayla’s father, Ryan Iskerka, said he is “overjoyed Kayla is home safe”. He added: “I want to thank the South Elgin Police Department, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and all of the law enforcement agencies who assisted with her case. We ask for privacy as we get to know each other again and navigate this new beginning.”
We ask for privacy as we get to know each other again and navigate this new beginning.
Kayla’s mother, Heather Unbehaun, 40, was arrested in Asheville, North Carolina, on Saturday, May 13. A woman in a clothing shop recognised Kayla from “published media” and contacted authorities. Lieutenant Diana Loveland told ABC7 Chicago: “It is unusual, but it’s good when someone does suspect when they recognise someone, no matter how old the story might be, that they are not afraid to give us a call so we can come to investigate.”
Netflix also tweeted a statement: “An Unsolved Mysteries viewer has closed a case! A store owner in North Carolina recognized Kayla Unbehaun — who was abducted in 2017 by her non-custodial mother — from the roll call in Volume 3, Episode 9. Kayla, now 15, is expected to return to her family in Illinois.”
What happened to Kayla Unbehaun?
In 2017, Ryan had full custody of Kayla, and her mother only had visitation rights. Kayla was last seen with her mother in Wheaton, Illinois, for a Fourth of July parade. Ryan expected to pick up his daughter the next day in a court-arranged exchange, but the pair never arrived. Relatives claimed Heather went camping in Wisconsin. Her phone and social media pages were found uncontactable.
Appearing on the news in the US at the time, Ryan proclaimed to his daughter: “I love you so much. I want nothing more than to have you back in my life.” Many viewers said it showed the importance of the programme. One person said: “If you wanna solve a mystery – put the internet on the case. The detective skills of people online are unbelievable.” Another person added: “Kudos to that woman.” A third person said: “That’s exactly why I love Unsolved Mysteries. It can help so many people.”
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