According to law enforcement, a South Elgin child kidnἀpped nearly six years ago was discovered on Saturday (13 May) in Asheville, North Carolina, when someone recognized her mother from a news broadcast and alerted authorities.
Heather Unbehaun was apprehended and is anticipated to be extradited to northern Illinois, where she is charged with kidnἀpping Kayla, her daughter, who was 9 years old at the time, in 2017.
When Kayla’s father attempted to pick her up from a Wheaton location on July 5 of that year, Heather had already packed her car and left with their child the day before.
An abduction waɼɼant for Heather was issued by the Kane County State’s Attorney’s office a few weeks later. According to Samantha Booth, an Asheville police spokeswoman, the two weren’t discovered until Saturday when a customer at Plato’s Closet recognized Heather from “published media” and alerted the authorities.
Kayla, now 15 years old, was taken into the custody of the North Carolina Division of Social Services when Heather was aɼɼested. The teen was anticipated to return to Illinois and be reunited with his or her family. See the official post below:
Kayla’s father, Ryan Iskerka, issued a statement through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, saying in part:
“I am 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,” he continued. “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.”
Below are some links that will take you to other articles on other missing people if you’re interested in reading them:
- Girl Missing for Almost 4 Months Found Alive in Carson
- Mark Gordon and Constance Marten: Remains of Missing Baby Found
