The power of Netflix has been demonstrated once again as a girl who was abducted six years ago has been found alive and well thanks to the streaming platform. Kayla Unbehaun was just nine years old when she was kidnapped by her non-custodial mother, Heather Unbehaun, in South Elgin, Illinois, and taken on the run.
Despite an extensive search, Kayla remained missing for six long years until a shopkeeper in Asheville, North Carolina recognized her from a Netflix documentary over the weekend. The shop owner immediately called the police, and Kayla’s mother was charged with child abduction and is being held on a $250,000 bond. Kayla is now aged 15 (with the photo above being an age-progression picture by forensic artists) and is currently in protective custody, while her dad Ryan Iskerka has been reunited with his daughter at last.
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The case of Kayla Unbehaun was featured in the “Unsolved Mysteries” series on Netflix, which has gained a reputation for shedding light on unsolved crimes, missing persons, and shocking abductions. While the show has been criticized for potentially exploiting people’s tragedies for entertainment value, in this case, it has brought about a miraculous reunion between a father and daughter who were cruelly separated for years. It had also shown the power of media coverage in bringing cases to the public’s attention and potentially leading to breakthroughs.
Kayla’s abduction was a heart-wrenching ordeal for her family and friends who feared they may never see her again. Her father Ryan Iskerka had never given up hope of finding his daughter and had been tirelessly searching for her since she disappeared in 2017. The news that she had been found alive and well would have been an incredible relief and joy for them all.
In the Netflix episode, Kayla was one of the children who appeared in a reel of missing kids who had been abducted and the people that were suspected of kidnapping them.
In a statement by her dad, he shared, “I’m overjoyed that Kayla is home safe. I want to thank [the City of Elgin, Illinois Police and Fire Departments], the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and all of the law enforcement agencies who assisted with her case.
“We ask for privacy as we get to know each other again and navigate this new beginning.”