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in: Illinois, 2017, Disappearances,
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Kayla Unbehaun

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Kayla Unbehaun

Kayla Unbehaun

Full Name: Kayla Unbehaun
Nicknames: No known nicknames
Location: Wheaton, Illinois
Date: July 5, 2017

Bio[]

Occupation Student
Date of Birth: January 5, 2008
Height: 4'4"
Weight: 60 lbs.
Characteristics: White female with long sandy blond hair and blue eyes. She likes to wear "hippie-style" clothing and lots of jewelry. She has food allergies.

Case[]

Details: Kayla Unbehaun is the daughter of Heather Unbehaun and Ryan Iserka. He describes her as soft-spoken, shy, kind, and caring. He and Heather met in 2003 while attending the Art Institute of Atlanta in Georgia. They dated for several years, and Kayla was born in 2008. Ryan said they had always planned to marry, but just two weeks after Kayla's birth, Heather suddenly ended the relationship. In 2014, Ryan married Lisa, who had two daughters from a previous relationship. They lived in South Elgin, Illinois.
Initially, Ryan and Heather worked out visitation informally. However, things became "complicated" when she and Kayla moved to Athens, Georgia, without telling him. During this time, he could only see Kayla on video calls and when she and Heather came back to town for the holidays.
Ryan asked the court to establish visitation rights and child support. After several months, a judge put a formal agreement on the record for custody and visitation. Ryan said Heather repeatedly did not follow the agreement. At one point, she told the court that Ryan could not see Kayla because she had "rare" health problems. A court investigator determined that Heather's claims were false. It was also alleged that she was against vaccinations for Kayla and did not allow her to use normal toothpaste.
In March 2017, Ryan received primary custody of Kayla, while Heather received visitation rights. She was allowed to visit with Kayla every other weekend. The judge also granted Ryan "sole discretion to make all decisions regarding medical treatment and care for [Kayla]". For months, everything seemed fine. Then, during the Fourth of July weekend in 2017, Ryan dropped nine-year-old Kayla off at Heather's house in Wheaton, Illinois. She planned to keep her until July 5.
On July 4, Kayla and Heather attended a parade in Wheaton. They then packed up their car and left, telling relatives (but not Ryan) they were going on an overnight camping trip in Wisconsin. On July 5, Ryan sent Heather a message, saying he would be fifteen to twenty minutes late picking up Kayla. It was never read.
At 7pm, Ryan left work and went to Heather's house to pick up Kayla. However, they were not home. Heather's father and uncle were there and told Ryan about the camping trip. He called Kayla and Heather's cell phones but could not get in touch with them. He then contacted the police and reported them missing.
Heather never showed up for a court date on July 7. The police also tried calling her and Kayla's cell phones but could not get in touch with them. Investigators discovered that Heather sold her car, deleted her social media accounts, and turned off her cell phone. On July 28, a felony warrant for kidnapping was issued for her.
Heather has ties to metropolitan Atlanta. She may have taken Kayla to Athens, where they had lived for several years before their disappearance. She has also been known to express interest in living "off the grid".
Ryan wants Kayla to know that he and his family love her and want to see her again. He does not want to take Heather away from her; he just wants her to be happy and be around everyone who loves her.
Suspects: Heather Unbehaun
Extra Notes:

Results: Solved. On the evening of May 13, 2023, a Plato's Closet employee at Westgate Regional Shopping Center in Asheville, North Carolina, contacted the police after she spotted Kayla and recognized her from the broadcast. When the police arrived, they confirmed her identity, placed her with the North Carolina Department of Social Services, and arrested Heather.
Shortly afterward, Ryan drove to North Carolina and was reunited with Kayla. They have since returned to Illinois.
After Heather was released on bail in North Carolina, she turned herself in to Illinois police. A few days later, she was released on bond with an electronic monitoring device. Ryan has obtained an order of protection, barring her from being within 1,000 feet of his residence. She is also not allowed to leave Illinois without court permission.
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