Missing girl finally found after nearly 6 years
Ali Condon
Featured Image Credit: NCMEC
Kayla Unbehaun, a young girl who was abducted by her mother and missing for almost six years, has finally been found.
Kayla was nine-years-old when she was last seen on July 4, 2017, according to South Elgin police.
Her father Ryan had come to pick her up from her mother Heather Unbehaun's house on July 5, but called police when she wasn't there.
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At the time, Ryan had full custody of Kayla, while Heather only had visitation rights.
The case of Kayla's disappearance was even featured in an episode of Netflix's Unsolved Mysteries - a docu-series about parental abductions and other disappearances.
The National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) had posted public alerts online showing pictures of the missing nine-year-old in the years following her disappearance, as well as age-progression edits to suggest what she might look like now and details on the date she disappeared.
But for years, no progress was made in locating the missing girl.
That was until this past weekend, when a shopkeeper who had learned about Kayla's story through the Netflix docu-series, spotted the young girl at a shopping centre in Asheville, North Carolina and phoned police.
Shortly after, Heather was arrested and Kayla, who is now a teenager, was put in protective custody.
Heather is being held on a $250,000 bond while she awaits extradition.
The Kate County State's Attorney has already approved one charge of child abduction for Heather Unbehaun, though it is not yet clear whether or not additional charges will be filed.
Commenting on Kayla's discovery, Lt. Diana Loveland of Asheville, North Carolina Police Department, said: "It is unusual but it's good that when someone does suspect that they recognise someone, no matter how old the story might be, that they are not afraid to give us a call so we can come and investigate."
Announcing the news of Kayla's discovery online, the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children said they were 'excited to share that Kayla Unbehaun has been FOUND SAFE in North Carolina!'
Kayla’s dad Ryan also asked NCMEC to share this statement on his behalf, which read: "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."