Mystery solved: Illinois girl whose disappearance story was shown on Netflix found alive after six years

An Illinois girl who was abducted by her mother six years ago was found on Saturday, a year after her story of disappearance was featured on Netflix’s ‘Unsolved Mysteries.’ The 15-year-old girl was found alive in North Carolina, she was kidnapped when she was only nine years old.

“I’m overjoyed that Kayla is home safe,” the girl’s father, Ryan Iskerka said in a statement issued by the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children. “We ask for privacy as we get to know each other again and navigate this new beginning.”

Kayla Unbehaun was nine when she disappeared in 2017, while under the supervision of her mother, Heather Unbehaun, who did not have custody of the child. Iskerka said he was supposed to retrieve Kayla from her mother on July 5 that year but they never showed up again.

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Kayla’s mother, HeatherUnbehaun, 40, was arrested Saturday in Asheville, North Carolina on fugitive charges. She was released on Tuesday, a court clerk told NBC. Her next court date is scheduled for July 11.

How Illinois girl, Kayla, was found after six years?

As per police interviews, Unbehaun was last seen packing her belongings on the root of her car. Family members indicated that she went on a camping trip to an unknown place in Wisconsin and was expected to return for the meetup with Iskerka.

When the mother and daughter failed to show up, the family grew suspicious and contacted the police. A missing report was filed for Kayla as soon as the family members reached the police.

On the other hand, Unbehaun’s attorney declined to comment on the case. She and her family could not be reached at the phone numbers listed for them.

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The disappearance was one of several cases involving alleged family abduction featured on an episode of the Netflix series ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ in November 2022.

The Kane County State’s Attorney's office issued a kidnapping warrant for Unbehaun, NBC Chicago reported.
Kayla was placed into the custody of the North Carolina Division of Social Services. She is expected to be reunited with her family and brought back to Illinois.

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