Photo: Getty Images
A missing Illinois girl whose abduction was featured on Netflix's true crime series Unsolved Mysteries was found alive and safe in North Carolina after a stranger recognized her. Kayla Unbehaun was 9 years old when her noncustodial mother, Heather Unbehaun, abducted her from South Elgin on July 5, 2017.
On May 13, an employee at Plato’s Closet in Asheville, North Carolina, recognized the pair from “well-publicized media” and alerted the police, WLOS reported.
Kayla’s kidnapping was featured in an episode of Netflix’s Unsolved Mysteries dedicated to parental abductions last year. The outlet said that her mom, Heather, 40, was arrested by local authorities and is being held on a $225,000 bond. She made bail Tuesday morning and has been released.
"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," her father, Ryan, said in a statement.
"We ask for privacy as we get to know each other again and navigate this new beginning." [Read More]