An Illinois girl who was allegedly abducted by her mother nearly six years ago was found safe in North Carolina after someone recognized her from a Netflix special detailing her disappearance, police said.
Kayla Unbehaun was just 9 when she seemingly vanished from Wheaton, Ill., not far from her home in South Elgin. Police said she was taken by her non-custodial mother, Heather Unbehaun, who was only allowed to see her daughter every other weekend.
“She had her that weekend before Fourth of July and Fourth of July, I think, fell on a Tuesday,” Kayla’s father, Ryan Iskerka, previously told CBS 2. “And that was also her holiday, so I just told her, ‘Why don’t we take an extended, you know, keep her Monday through Tuesday, and I’ll just pick her up Wednesday?’”
But when Iskerka arrived to pick up his daughter, she was nowhere to be found. Members of Unbehaun’s family later told him the pair went on a camping trip but that they had not yet returned.
On Saturday, a woman at Plato’s Closet in Asheville recognized Kayla and her mother from “published media” and called police, Asheville police spokeswoman Samantha Booth told WYFF. Heather Unbehaun was arrested and charged with one count of child abduction, according to the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office. She is being held on $250,000 bond and officials said additional charges are also possible.
Kayla’s story was most recently featured in the Netflix series “Unsolved Mysteries.” It initially aired on the streamer in November 2022.
Now 15 years old, Kayla was placed into the custody of the North Carolina Division of Social Services. The teen was expected to be reunited with family and brought back to Illinois.
“I’m overjoyed that Kayla is home safe. 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,” Iskera said in a statement.
“I also want to thank all of the followers on the ‘Bring Kayla Home’ Facebook page, who helped keep her story alive and were instrumental in spreading awareness. We ask for privacy as we get to know each other again and navigate this new beginning.”