After almost six years, a missing girl has been found!
The police in South Elgin, Illinois, revealed that nine-year-old Kayla Unbehaun was last seen on July 4, 2017.
This case received a lot of attention and worry, and it even caught the eye of Netflix’s show called Unsolved Mysteries. They investigate all kinds of mysterious cases, like crimes and spooky happenings.
But the best part is that Kayla, who is now 15 years old, has finally been located and is safe.
To find out more about Kayla Unbehaun’s story, check out the clip below!
The situation when Kayla went missing was extremely concerning.
Her dad, Ryan, went to her mom Heather Unbehaun’s house on July 5 to pick her up, but Kayla was nowhere to be seen.
Back then, Kayla was living with her dad because he had custody, and her mom had visitation rights.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) had been working hard to find Kayla. They shared her pictures online and even made updated versions to show how she might look as time went on.
Even though everyone tried their best, many years went by without finding any major leads on the missing girl.
But guess what? This past weekend, something amazing happened. A shopkeeper, who had heard about Kayla’s story from the Netflix series, actually spotted her at a shopping center in Asheville, North Carolina!
Without wasting a moment, the shopkeeper quickly called the local police, which led to the long-awaited discovery of Kayla.
Now that she’s a teenager, Kayla is safe and being looked after by authorities. Meanwhile, her mom, Heather, was immediately arrested.
It’s a relief that Kayla has been found and is finally out of harm’s way.
Right now, Heather is waiting to be taken back to where she’s wanted, and she needs to pay $250,000 for bail.
The Kate County State’s Attorney has already approved one charge against Heather for child abduction. We’re not sure yet if there will be more charges added.
The Asheville Police Department’s Lieutenant, Diana Loveland, thanked the shopkeeper for being so attentive and helping out. Lt. Loveland said it’s not common for someone to recognize a person from an old story, but it’s awesome that they weren’t afraid to call the police and let them know.
Everyone is feeling so happy and relieved about the news of Kayla being found. It’s great to know she’s safe now.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children just posted on social media to let everyone know the good news: Kayla Unbehaun has been found safe in North Carolina!
Kayla’s dad, Ryan, is super happy and grateful about it too. He shared his excitement and thanks in a statement released by the NCMEC.
He said:
“I’m overjoyed that Kayla is home safe.”
“I want to thank @ElginPDFD, 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.”
