Kidnapped Kayla found six years after store worker recognized her in Netflix series | Abroad

Kayla was nine years old when she visited her mother in Chicago, Illinois on July 4, 2017. Her father Ryan had full custody of the girl since earlier this year. She was allowed to visit her mother from time to time. But when Ryan picked her up in Chicago on July 5, both mother and daughter were missing.

Police say the mother was last seen packing items onto the roof of her car, reports BNC News. Relatives reportedly reported that she was going camping at an undisclosed location in Wisconsin. The mother was coming back with Kayla to hand her over to the father, but that turned out not to be the case.

A warrant for his arrest for kidnapping was issued shortly after his disappearance. The father and the police launched a major search for the girl, but without success. This is why the Netflix series Unsolved mysteries activated, which deals with parental abductions. Last November, an episode about this missing person aired on Netflix.

Last Saturday, Kayla was spotted by a store employee in Asheville, North Carolina. He recognized her in the episode. She alerted the police, after which Heather could be arrested. The mother is still in custody. According NBC Chicago Kayla was arrested by authorities in North Carolina. She should soon be reunited with her family and return to Illinois.

The father is “thrilled” that his daughter has been found after six years, he said in a statement through the nonprofit National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. He thanks everyone for spreading the news of his disappearance. “We now ask that our privacy be respected so that we can get to know each other again and have a fresh start.”