Alissa Turney: Missing Arizona teen's sister shares home video where she calls prime suspect dad a 'pervert'
Sarah Turney has left no stone unturned when it comes to solving the disappearance of her step-sister, Alissa. She has set up a Facebook page, an Instagram account, a blog called 'Justice for Alissa,' an investigative podcast called 'Voices For Justice,' and even attended 'CrimeCon,' a weekend-long event for fans of true crime, in the hopes she can uncover more evidence. Sarah will tell you she already knows who is responsible: her father, Michael Turney. She has written a blog titled '5 Reasons I Know My Father Killed My Sister, Alissa Turney,' spoken at length about why she believes he's guilty in interviews with local and national media outlets, and regularly uses Twitter to speak out against him. But it hasn't been enough. Close to two decades after she was last seen as a 17-year-old junior at the Paradise Valley High School in Phoenix, Arizona, in May 2001, Turney remains a free man despite remaining investigators' prime, and only, suspect in the case.
Sarah has now turned to TikTok in the hope she can reach a younger audience which is not aware of Alissa's case and promised to include "as little of my own speculation as possible and just present the facts." "When your Dad killed your sister and your family hates you for fighting for his prosecution. It's not easy being the disappointment in the family, but someone had to do it. So here the f**k I am," she captioned her first video, which has been viewed more than 1.4 million times,
Since setting her account up this past April, her following has grown to more than 614,000, and Sarah has used the platform to share never-before-seen footage from their childhood that indicates Alissa had been terrified of Turney and knew of his dark side. In one of the clips, which she said was filmed in 1997, the family can be seen outside with Turney when Alissa yells, "Sarah, Dad's a pervert." Turney then takes the camera from Sarah, and before turning it off, calls Alissa a "stupid moron." That clip has since been liked close to four million times. Sarah also posted another clip filmed by Turney in March 2000 and shows Alissa frolicking in the swimming pool in the hope she could crowdsource information. "I need help!" she wrote. "Someone said Alissa could be using sign language in this video? If you know, please send a message or comment."
She also shared the video on her Twitter, where most users concurred that the teen had been using sign language to signal for help. Turney had been arrested in 2006 after investigators who raided his home uncovered 26 homemade pipe bombs, as well as a 90-page manifesto where he suggested his stepdaughter had been abducted and killed by two men from an electrical union he worked for as revenge. They also found a mountain of documents, which included letters Alissa had written where she claimed to have been molested by Turney, as well as contracts that she signed where she said she had never been sexually assaulted.
However, he ultimately pleaded guilty to charges only related to the bombs. He served seven years behind bars in federal prison before he was released and has continued to deny any involvement in his step-daughter's disappearance. Phoenix Police had announced last month that they were submitting Alissa's case to the prosecutor's office for charges against Turney but nothing has come of it. They are now asking anyone who "might have known Alissa Turney in the time prior to her disappearance, or whom have had contact with her since May 17, 2001... even if you only knew Alissa and have no knowledge of her disappearance," to contact the Phoenix Police Department Missing Persons Unit at 602-534-2121 or email phoenix.tips.ppd@phoenix.gov.