Surprising Turn in Kayla Unbehaun Case
In a surprise turn this week, a mother changed her plea to guilty in the abduction of her 9-year-old daughter Kayla Unbehaun, finally bringing justice eight years after she was stolen from her father.
Heather Unbehaun’s unexpected admission in an Illinois courtroom on Monday came as a jury was about to be selected in her child abduction trial. Kayla had been missing six years when she was recognized in a thrift store in North Carolina. Unbehaun, 40, who didn’t have custody of her daughter, will be sentenced Oct. 8 and faces up to three years in prison.

Heather Unbehaun police photo. (Credit: Asheville Police Department)
After news of the guilty plea broke, Ryan Iskerka, who was granted full custody of Kayla in 2017, and his wife, Lisa, told the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) that Kayla, now 17, is doing extremely well.
“She’s thriving, making lots of friends and soaking up every moment of her senior year of high school. She’s living the life of a normal, happy teenager.”
They also expressed their gratitude to NCMEC, law enforcement and everyone who supported them in their years-long quest to find Kayla. Throughout that time, NCMEC worked closely with Kayla’s family to ensure her story reached a national audience because she could be anywhere. Over the years, NCMEC continually searched for new ways to keep her case in the spotlight. All too often, family abduction cases are dismissed as custody disputes rather than recognized as urgent threats to a child’s safety.

Ryan Iskerka (in blue) shares his story in 2018 with NCMEC’s Angeline Hartmann. (Credit: NCMEC)
Kayla’s mother was allowed visitation with her daughter and was with her for the Fourth of July in 2017. But Kayla wasn’t returned to her father, and she was reported missing. The pair had vanished. Over the years, investigators followed up on numerous leads that led nowhere.
Then, in 2023, the 15-year-old was spotted in a Plato’s Closet store in Asheville, North Carolina. Shortly after, Kayla was reunited with her father in Illinois, and her mother was arrested. Investigators say that mother and daughter had been in Oregon most of the time and believe they only moved to North Carolina before she was found.
Today, Ryan and Lisa, ever grateful, want to send a message to other families of missing children, who are still searching.
“No matter how much time has passed, your loved one can still be found. And if they were taken from you, know that justice can still be served against the person who took them. Never give up hope.”
To read more about family abductions, the second largest type of missing children cases, go to https://ncmec.org/theissues/familyabduction.