A father and his daughter, then 9 years old, were reunited when the youngster was discovered in North Carolina thanks to a Netflix show. Heather Unbehaun, the mother of missing 15-year-old Kayla Unbehaun, last saw her daughter in July 2017.
When Ryan Iserka, Kayla’s father, went to pick her up from her mom, he found that she was missing. At the time, it seems that Iserka had primary custody of Kayla while Unbehaun had just visitation rights.
‘Unsolved Mysteries’ On Netflix Reunites A Missing Girl With Her Father
The girl’s father has spoken out about his relief at finding his daughter after six years of searching. In 2017, Heather Unbehaun was accused of kidnapping her daughter Kayla, then nine years old.
Shortly before Kayla’s dad Ryan Iskerka was scheduled to pick her up, they vanished from their house in Wheaton, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. The parents’ divorce was contentious to say the least. Kayla was living with Iskerka, and Heather had been granted just visitation privileges at the time.
Iskerka added, “I’m overjoyed that Kayla is home safe,” in a Facebook post to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
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Kayla, now 15 years old, was recognized by a store owner in North Carolina who had seen her in the Netflix real crime series Unsolved Mysteries, leading to Heather’s arrest over the weekend.
“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,” Iskerka stated. You can see the official tweet by Daily Loud below in which Missing girl Kayla Unbehaun featured on Netflix “Unsolved Mysteries” found safe 6 years later after stranger recognizes her.
Missing girl Kayla Unbehaun featured on Netflix “Unsolved Mysteries” found safe 6 years later after stranger recognizes her. pic.twitter.com/I7RSJuiC36
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) May 17, 2023
“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.”
Members of the group shared their joy at the discovery of Kayla in the comments section beneath the post announcing her safe return.
One commenter said, “Beyond happy for your family!!” Another said, “I hope everything goes well with transitioning her back in to everything.”
“Sweet Kayla will have healing to do in this and will still love her mom,” one commenter said. “I pray somehow, forgiveness allows her to still connect with her mother.”
“She deserves every chance to know her father, but still connect with her mother if she so chooses, even if the mother is behind bars.”
After Kayla was located, she was taken into protective care. While Iskerka and her partner are “getting to know each other again and navigating this new beginning,” they have asked for privacy.