“Unsolved Mysteries” was an almost cult program in the USA – the production was broadcast since 1987 and had 14 seasons. When television dropped the format, the title was taken over by , and one of the episodes produced by the platform featured the story of a 9-year-old girl’s disappearance from Illinois. Viewers can watch it from November 2022. As it turned out, it took a few months for an attentive viewer to spot a teenager very similar to Kayla.
The missing girl was found thanks to the Netflix series
Kayla disappeared while she was in the care of Heather’s mother, and her father has been trying to find her ever since. Formally, Heather did not have parental rights in 2017, because the guardianship court granted them only to the father of the child, Ryan Iskerka. The mother could only visit her daughter. The US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported that after a long six years, the child was found safe and sound in a part of the country 600 km away.
Heather and Kayla were off the police radar for a long time until they went to Plato’s Closet in Ashrville, North Carolina on May 13, 2023. One employee thought they reminded him of the faces he saw in the episode of “Unsolved Mysteries” describing the girl’s disappearance. The seller contacted the police, and officers began a discreet investigation. As Lieutenant Jonathan Brown of Ashville told the station’s “13 News”:
That was the whole sequence of events. The person who called us was sure she recognized Kayla. The police responded to the report and launched a thorough investigation.
After a short time, investigators were sure that they had just found the missing child. The kidnapper, Heather Unbehaun, was arrested but posted bail of $250,000 on May 16. dollars and was released from closure. On June 11, she should appear at the first hearing. Brown points out: “It’s definitely a very unusual case, it’s a rare case.” The police officer was also surprised that the kidnapper had not been caught for so long.
After her kidnapper was arrested, Kayla was taken to the state’s Human Services office. Officials contacted Illinois authorities, and a day later Kayla’s father came to pick her up. Through the American National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Iskerka told the media:
I’m so happy that Kayla is safe at home. I would like to thank the South Elgin police officers and the American Center for Missing and Exploited Children and other members of the justice system who assisted in our case. I also want to thank everyone associated with the Facebook fan page ‘Bring Kayla Home’, who through these alts made her story not forgotten and helped publicize our case. We are asking for privacy at this time so we can reconnect.” Kayla is now 15.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
