Abducted girl featured on Netflix’s ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ reboot found safe in North Carolina

Kayla Unbehaun, 15, was just 9 years old when she went missing in 2017 while in the care of her non-custodial mother, Heather Unbehaun.

Kayla’s father, Ryan Iserka, told CNN affiliate WBBM that he was granted full custody of his daughter in early 2017, with Unbehaun allowed supervised visits. However, when he went to pick up his daughter on July 5, he realized that she and her mother had not returned from a camping trip, WBBM reported the following year.

Kayla Unbehaun/ National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

A non-profit center, which aids families in finding American children abducted by relatives or strangers or who run away, noted that a felony warrant for kidnapping was issued for Unbehaun on July 28, 2017. As per the organization, the number of reports of missing children filed with the FBI in 2022, with possible duplicates, was nearly 360,000.

Since Kayla went missing, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children shared an image online of her from the time she was nine as well as an age-progression photo. Every now and then, the media published articles about Kayla in hopes of finding her.

After watching a recent episode of the series, a store owner recognized Kayla and contacted the police. She and her mother were arrested, and Kayla, now 15, was taken into protective custody.

Iserka connected with his daughter in North Carolina on Sunday, and they drove back to Illinois together, said John Vojta, an attorney for Kayla’s custodial father.

“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. 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,” Kayla’s father said in a statement.

Unbehaun faces a charge of child abduction, which is a Class 4 felony. She is currently being held on a $250,000 bond and is awaiting extradition to Illinois.

Please SHARE this article with your family and friends on Facebook.

Bored Daddy

Love and Peace

Monica Pop
Monica Pop
Monica Pop is a senior writer for Bored Daddy magazine covering the latest trending and popular articles across the United States and around the world.

More from author

Related posts

Latest posts

The anatomy of a strategic disaster

California Governor Gavin Newsom is making a strong effort to fight back against Donald Trump's push for redistricting in Texas by attempting his own...

Angelina Jolie and Zahara Jolie-Pitt turn the 2025 Golden Globes into a mother-daughter style masterclass

Angelina Jolie and daughter Zahara Jolie-Pitt shared a mother-daughter moment at the Golden Globes 2025, and it's safe to say that all eyes were...

Woman spends over a decade saving for a nose job—better sit down before seeing her after

It's not a secret that most people would gladly alter certain aspects of their faces or bodies in order to feel more confident about...

Strange noises came from the nursery each night —everything seemed fine until I got a baby monitor

My evenings at home with my baby daughter Ivy were small miracles. Her soft laughter, the warm cocoa, and the quiet joy of a...

Why do dogs sniff crotch?

When it comes to personal space, many people tend to draw clear boundaries, but the truth is that those "rules" of respecting someone's privacy...

What happens to the soul after cremation?

Cremation is the process of incineration of the body of a deceased person at very high temperatures, with only a relatively small amount of...