A father never stopped searching for his daughter after she was kidnapped. Even after six long years of looking, he held onto the hope that he would find her one day. Every single day, he prayed for her safety and wished for her to come back home.
The thought of losing a child is something that scares every parent. Most moms and dads feel a wave of panic when they realize their child is missing. This fear became a reality for one father, who spent six years praying for his daughter to return safely.
When Kayla Unbehaun disappeared in 2017, her father kept believing that he would see her again. He often shared on social media how much he missed her, even though he had no way to contact her or know if she was okay.
On January 5, 2023, Ryan Iskerka sent a heartfelt birthday message to his missing daughter, wishing her a happy 15th birthday. In his message, he wrote, “I think of you every day hoping and praying that you are safe, happy, and that you will come back into my life soon,” showing just how much he longs for Kayla.
Ryan was awarded sole custody of their daughter after Heather tried to challenge him in court.
Six years after Kayla disappeared, Ryan often wondered if she would ever remember how much he cared for her and all the great times they had as a family. Even though his hope was fading with each passing day, he kept praying for Kayla to come back, saying, “And I’ve loved you through all of this.”
When Kayla was taken, the family lived in South Elgin, Illinois. Ryan held onto hope, even though he doubted he would ever see his daughter again. He shared that Kayla was taken from him without his permission or any warning by her mother, who didn’t have custody.
The Story of Kayla’s Disappearance
Ryan recounted how his ex-wife took their daughter without his agreement. Although he and Heather Unbehaun, Kayla’s mom, had their problems, they were happy together at first. After Kayla was born, they decided to separate, which led to a long custody battle. Eventually, they were both granted shared custody of Kayla.
Ryan finally got some wonderful news after searching for his daughter for six years.
Ryan disclosed that while he would not obstruct Heather’s plans to relocate to Athens, Georgia, with Kayla, he wanted to ensure that he would continue to see his daughter. Heather packed all their belongings and moved without alerting Ryan while they were arranging a visitation arrangement.
Heather was upset when Ryan filed for child support and visitation rights after learning about the relocation over the phone from Kayla. The father remarked that he felt his actions were “a declaration of war” by Heather. Heather tried everything to push back the visitation schedule when they went to court.
Ryan didn’t get to spend much time with his daughter during the court battle. He only saw Kayla in person when Heather visited for Christmas, and they could only talk on Skype for a few hours at a time. Because of this separation, Ryan felt like his relationship with Kayla was suffering, and he noticed she often seemed distant.
After Heather tried to take Kayla away from him in court, Ryan was granted full custody. When Kayla moved in with him, Heather took her on a camping trip in July. By the time Ryan went to pick Kayla up on July 5, he hadn’t heard from Heather at all.
When Ryan arrived at Heather’s dad’s house to get Kayla, he found it locked and empty. On July 29, 2017, a felony arrest warrant was issued for Heather. After the kidnapping incident, Ryan wrote a letter to his daughter, assuring her that he would never stop looking for her.
Regaining Kayla
Ryan finally got some wonderful news after searching for his daughter for six years. In May 2023, a store worker in Asheville, North Carolina, noticed Kayla and recognized her. Soon after she saw her at the store, she called the police, and they came.
The employee requested that her name and the name of the store where she works not be included in the documents in order to maintain her anonymity. When asked why she chose to contact the police, she replied simply, “It was the right thing to do.”
After the hunt for Kayla proved to be successful, Lt. Diana Loveland of Asheville urged others to report any such sightings in the future:
“Although it’s uncommon, it’s good that people don’t hesitate to call us so we can come investigate when they think they recognize someone, regardless of how old the story may be.”
Heather was shortly taken into custody by the Asheville Police and placed under arrest at the Buncombe County Detention Facility in North Carolina, with a $250,000 bond.
Luckily, Kayla’s story started to get a lot of attention as time went on. Ryan and his family set up a Facebook group called “Bring Kayla Home” to share information and raise awareness about her kidnapping. A store clerk recognized Kayla from the Netflix show “Unsolved Mysteries,” which also covered her disappearance.
Ryan was really thankful to everyone who helped keep Kayla’s case in the spotlight. “I’m so happy that Kayla is back home safe,” he said. He also wanted to thank all the law enforcement agencies that worked on her case, like the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and the South Elgin Police Department.
After being apart for six years, Ryan’s relationship with Kayla had changed a lot. He asked to keep his identity private while he worked on rebuilding their bond. But this caring dad was determined not to lose his daughter again. “I want nothing more than to have you back in my life,” he wrote in a letter back in 2012. And now, she is back.