A young girl who was taken by her mother in July 2017 has been found because of a Netflix show called “Unsolved Mysteries.”
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said that Kayla Unbehaun, who was nine years old when she went missing, was found in Asheville, North Carolina.
Her mother, Heather Unbehaun, who was accused of taking her from South Elgin, Illinois in 2017, was arrested.
Kayla was only nine when her mom, who didn’t have custody, took her.
Local news reported that Kayla’s dad went to pick her up from her mom’s house on July 5, but she wasn’t there. Heather had allegedly packed up her car and left with Kayla on July 4.
Since Kayla disappeared, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children shared her picture and a photo showing what she might look like as she got older. A Facebook page was made to spread the word, and sometimes local news would cover her story.
Kayla’s appearance on the Netflix show “Unsolved Mysteries” helped people recognize her, which led to her being found.
A store owner who recently watched an episode of the show “Unsolved Mysteries” recognized Kayla and called the police, according to WSOC-TV.
The police arrested Heather, Kayla’s mother, and Kayla, who is now 15, was taken into protective custody.
Kayla’s father said, “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 the law enforcement agencies who helped with her case. I also want to thank everyone on the ‘Bring Kayla Home’ Facebook page, who helped keep her story alive. We ask for privacy as we get to know each other again and start this new chapter.”
Heather is currently being held on a $250,000 bond and is waiting to be sent back to Illinois.
Even though it will take time to make up for the lost years, I’m very happy that Kayla is home. Now the healing can begin.