Kayla Unbehaun Update: Illinois Girl Abducted At Age 9 Found In North Carolina 6 Years Later

A young girl who went missing in Illinois at the age of 9 was found nearly six years later with her biological mother in Asheville, North Carolina.

Kayla Unbehaun, now 15 years old, was allegedly abducted in 2017 by her non-custodial mother Heather Unbehaun, 40. Heather was found with Kayla over the weekend and was arrested in connection with abducting her child.

Before her disappearance, Kayla was last seen on July 4, 2017 — a day before her father Ryan Iskerka was supposed to pick her up from her mother's house. Ryan had full custody of Kayla at the time while Heather had only visitation rights, according to ABC 7 Chicago.

When Ryan went to pick up Kayla on July 5, 2017, he found out that Heather had taken off with their daughter the day before.

A widespread search for Heather soon began, and the case remained unsolved for years.

As part of the investigation, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children had shared pictures of Kayla online at the age of 9 as well as an age-progression photo that depicted what she may presently look like.

Kayla's disappearance was also the subject of an episode of the Netflix series called "Unsolved Mysteries."

Some reports say that Kayla and Heather were found Saturday after a store owner recognized Kayla from the Netflix episode and informed the police. According to other reports, Asheville police spokeswoman Samantha Booth said Heather was recognized from "published media" by a woman at a Plato's Closet store in Asheville.

Heather was taken into custody and is expected to be extradited. Kayla was placed in protective custody and is expected to be reunited with her family.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children shared an update that included a statement from Kayla's father.

"I'm overjoyed that Kayla is home safe. I want to thank the South Elgin Police Department, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and all of the law enforcement agencies who assisted with her case," the father said. "I also want to thank all of the followers on the 'Bring Kayla Home' Facebook page, who helped keep her story alive and were instrumental in spreading awareness. We ask for privacy as we get to know each other again and navigate this new beginning."