A South Elgin girl abducted nearly six years ago was found on Saturday in Asheville, North Carolina, when someone recognized her mother from a media report and called police, according to law enforcement.
Heather Unbehaun was taken into custody and expected to be extradited to northern Illinois, where she is accused of abducting her then 9-year-old daughter, Kayla, in 2017, police previously said. On July 5 of that year, Kayla's father went to pick her up from an address in Wheaton, but learned Heather had packed her vehicle and left with their daughter the day before, according to authorities.
Weeks later, the Kane County State's Attorney's office issued a kidnapping warrant for Heather. The two hadn't been located until Saturday, when a woman at a Plato's Closet in Asheville recognized Heather from "published media" and called police, according to Asheville police spokeswoman Samantha Booth.
Heather was arrested, and Kayla, now 15 years old, was placed into the custody of the North Carolina Division of Social Services. The teen was expected to be reunited with family and brought back to Illinois.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
Kayla's father, Ryan Iskerka, issued a statement through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, saying in part "I am overjoyed that Kayla is home safe."
"I want to thank the South Elgin Police Department, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and all of the law enforcement agencies who assisted with her case," he continued. "I also want to thank all of the followers on the "Bring Kayla Home” Facebook page, who helped keep her story alive and were instrumental in spreading awareness. We ask for privacy as we get to know each other again and navigate this new beginning.”
U.S. & World
Kayla's disappearance was one of several family abduction cases featured on an episode of the Netflix series "Unsolved Mysteries" in November 2022.
