Kayla Unbehaun, Who Vanished at 9, Was Found after Dad Prayed Every Day for 6 Years to Find Her Alive

Kayla Unbehaun, Who Vanished at 9, Was Found after Dad Prayed Every Day for 6 Years to Find Her Alive

Heather Unbehaun, accused of abducting her daughter from an Illinois suburb six years ago, has turned herself in, ending a high-profile case. Unbehaun is now in custody at the Kane County Adult Justice Center in Illinois, facing abduction charges without bail.

Days before her surrender, Kayla Unbehaun was found safe in North Carolina and reunited with her custodial father. Heather Unbehaun was arrested in North Carolina on a fugitive warrant from Illinois for kidnapping and child abduction. Initially held on a $250,000 bond, she was released after posting bail on Tuesday, according to Asheville Police Department spokesperson Samantha Booth.

Kayla was abducted on July 4, 2017, after a parade in South Elgin, Illinois. Heather told Kayla’s father, Ryan Iserka, they were going camping but never returned. A felony warrant was issued for Heather’s arrest.

The breakthrough came when someone in Asheville recognized Kayla from Netflix’s “Unsolved Mysteries” and alerted authorities.

Ryan Iserka thanked law enforcement and supporters for reuniting him with Kayla. Heather Unbehaun’s next court appearance is scheduled for Wednesday morning at the Kane County Judicial Center.

Kayla Unbehaun, who was abducted by her non-custodial mother Heather Unbehaun, had last been seen on July 4, 2017
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children posted alerts online in the years since her abduction showing the missing girl aged 9 as well as age-progression photos of how she likely looks like now (pictured: an age-progression picture of Kayla aged 14)
Heather Unbehaun, 40, was arrested last weekend in Asheville, North Carolina, after a store owner recognised Kayla at a shopping center in Asheville after watching an episode on her disappearance on a Netflix show and called the police
Her father Ryan Iskerka (right), who had full custody at the time, went to pick her up from her mother’s house in Wheaton, South Elgin, on July 5 – but Kayla was nowhere to be found

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