THE MISSING FILES: Dad says Kayla Unbehaun, 15, who was abducted by mom in 2017 is 'a victim of abuse'
THE MISSING FILES is a weekly special feature that looks into cases of missing people across America that have shattered communities and families. It delves into the known facts and the latest updates on these mysterious disappearances.
UPDATE: A South Elgin girl who was abducted by her non-custodial mother nearly six years ago has been found in Asheville, North Carolina. Kayla Unbehaun was located after someone recognized her mother from a media report and called the cops. Her mother, Heather Unbehaun, was taken into custody. She is expected to be extradited to northern Illinois, where she allegedly abducted Kayla when she was nine-years-old in 2017.
ELGIN, ILLINOIS: Kayla Unbehaun, the daughter of Heather Unbehaun and Ryan Iskerka, is rememberd as a sweet and caring girl who loves animals and nature. Kayla, 9, disappeared on July 5, 2017. She would now be 15 years old.
Ryan and Heather, Kayla's parents, decided to call it quits and break off their relationship about a couple of weeks after she was born. The separation led to a lengthy custody battle, at the end of which both were awarded shared custody of Kayla.
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The little girl was visiting Heather in 2017 in Wheaton, Illinois. The two had planned to go on a camping trip, and Kayla was supposed to return to Ryan on July 5. When Ryan drove to Heather's grandfather's house, he found the place locked. No one was inside. Asking around, he learned that Heather had left the area with Kayla, and he immediately approached the police and reported the incident. On July 29, 2017, authorities issued a felony arrest warrant for Heather. She was charged with a single count of kidnapping. No one has heard from Heather and Kayla since.
"Heather decided she wanted to move to Athens, Georgia with Kayla when she was just four," Ryan told MEAWW in a conversaion nearly six years after Kayla's disappearance. "I was fine with the move as long as we could agree and establish a visitation schedule and child support, and Heather agreed. But they suddenly moved a few weeks later without telling me. I found out about it when Kayla opened up to me on the phone. The day after I found out I filed to establish visitation rights and child support."
'Heather saw this as a declaration of war'
"I think Heather saw this as a declaration of war because when we went to court I was asking to see Kayla in Illinois over dates that would be school holidays, like we had discussed, but she was trying to make a case that I either should not see Kayla at all or should have to come down to Georgia to see her. Child support was established, agreed upon and signed on the first day of court. The problems establishing a final visitation schedule in court went on for years with my relationship with Kayla being through Skype for a few hours twice a week and seeing her for a few hours around holidays if Heather was back in town," he added.
Ryan, 43, said that when they went to court, there was always some reason Heather came up with to stop him from seeing Kayla. "Sometimes it was that my family or I was dangerous or incompetent, and sometimes it was for health reasons. The courts always had caution on the side of safety and it would delay us getting a solid visitation schedule finalized. Over the time I was slowly getting more and more chances to see Kayla. There were times when our relationship seemed to be improving and some times where suddenly Kayla seemed more distant without an explanation. Heather and I had some difficulty communicating and agreed to use a special app to organize our interactions concerning Kayla. In doing so we were seeing proof that Heather was negatively influencing my relationship with Kayla and there were concerning issues around how she was handling Kayla's healthcare," Ryan said.
"Eventually because of that and other things that came up that proved Heather was actively attempting to alienate Kayla from me and my family, the courts decided to force Heather to move back to Illinois with Kayla and then later to give me primary custody after further issues. It was never my goal to cause any of that to happen but what was happening had negative effects on Kayla, and my relationship with her. Kayla had been living with my wife, my two stepdaughters and me and things were going great for a few months until she was abducted," he added.
Kayls's age-progressed pictures were distributed to several law agencies and the public. Heather's felony arrest remains active, and she is considered a fugitive of the law. A Facebook page, 'Bring Kayla Home,' set up by her family now raises awareness about her disappearance.
'Heather had a plan to abduct Kayla'
"My closeness with Kayla varied over the years because I would go long periods of time without seeing her due to the visitation situation. We always had a playful relationship and we bonded over acting out plays with stuffed animals, reading books and making artwork," Ryan recalled.
Recalling his last conversation with Kayla, Ryan said he told her he loved and hoped she has fun with her mom. "I think Heather had a plan to abduct Kayla and got help from her family and some other people. I think she believes she is the only one who understands how to properly take care of Kayla. She did not care if my family or I was a part of Kayla’s life," he said.
"The things I cherish the most are the small moments such as brushing Kayla's hair, reading a book, and sitting on the couch watching TV together. If I had to pick one moment it would be when Kayla first started talking and she stunned me when she told me that her baby doll's hair was crazy and she needed to go to the barber shop," Ryan said.
On being asked what he would say if he could send a message to his daughter, Ryan said, "Kayla, I love you and I hope I can be a part of your life. I hope you have been safe and taken good care of this whole time and I want you to know you will always be safe and taken good care of with me."
'Kayla is a victim of abuse'
Kayla's strange case was first released on November 1, 2022, as a part of volume 3 of the Netflix reboot of 'Unsolved Mysteries.' It is featured at the end of 'Abducted by a Parent'.
Ryan has set up a GoFundMe "to raise funds to help me find my daughter Kayla Unbehaun and her mother Heather Unbehaun and ensure their safe return." "I've learned that studies show that child abduction and parental alienation are forms of child abuse. So Kayla may be healthy and safe to a degree but she is a victim of abuse no matter how much we would all like to believe she is in the best care being with her mom. It's possible Kayla will have issues in life because of what happened. I believe the best thing for her is to be a part of the lives of all of the family that loves her and that I can be a positive part of her life, and love her and care for her," Ryan concluded.