Kayla Unbehaun, who went missing in 2017, has been reunited with her family after a North Carolina store owner recognised her from the Netflix series, “Unsolved Mysteries”.
According to “People” magazine, the Illinois resident was 9 years old when she was abducted.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) said Kayla was abducted by her mother, Heather Unbehaun, from South Elgin in Illinois on July 5, 2017.
Heather reportedly took her camping and failed to bring her back home. She did not have custody rights over her daughter.
A store owner in Asheville in North Carolina identified the now 15-year-old while watching the Netflix series which aired late last year. The matter was reported to the authorities and Heather was arrested.
Netflix shared the update in a tweet.
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. pic.twitter.com/q8mTegq6xN
— Netflix (@netflix) May 16, 2023
Unbehaun’s father Ryan Iserka asked NCMEC to share this statement on his behalf:
“I’m overjoyed that Kayla is home safe. I want to thank @ElginPDFD, 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.”
BREAKING NEWS ‼️
NCMEC is excited to share that Kayla Unbehaun has been FOUND SAFE in North Carolina!
Kayla was only 9 years old when she was abducted by her non-custodial mother, Heather Unbehaun from South Elgin, Illinois on July 5, 2017. Kayla’s dad, Ryan asked NCMEC to… pic.twitter.com/5O7bpEjIhT
— National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (@MissingKids) May 16, 2023
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