Missing girl found after being recognised in a Netflix series

A missing girl whose story was featured in a Netflix series has been found after she was recognised from the show.

In 2017, Kayla Unbehaun was nine years old when she disappeared from Illinois while in the care of her mother, Heather Unbehaun, who did not have custody.

Unbehaun was in the possession of her mother, who was meant to hand her over to her father, Ryan Iskerka, as per court order, on 5 July 2017.

According to a GoFundMe organised at the time, Iserka explained: “Her closest family members indicated she went on a camping trip to an unknown location in Wisconsin and was expected to return on Wednesday July 5th at 7pm for a parenting time exchange with me.

“Heather and Kayla did not show up for the court ordered exchange and the police were immediately contacted and an investigation was launched.”

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When she did not show up for the handover, it was discovered that her mother had disconnected her phone and all of her social media accounts.

Now, the 15-year-old has since been discovered in North Carolina less than a year after her story appeared on a Netflix documentary in November 2022 about familial abductions.

It was, in part, thanks to the Netflix series Unsolved Mysteries that Unbehaun was located after six years of being a missing person.

According to NBC News, 15-year-old Unbehaun was spotted by a woman at a consignment shop in Asheville, North Carolina, who recognised her from “published media” and alerted the authorities.

Her mother was arrested, while Unbehaun is in the custody of social services until she can be reunited with her family in Illinois.

In a statement shared by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Iskerka said: “I’m overjoyed that Kayla is home safe.”

He continued: “We ask for privacy as we get to know each other again and navigate this new beginning.”

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