The mother of a South Elgin girl abducted nearly six years ago who was located this weekend was released on bail in North Carolina earlier this week, according to court documents.
Heather Unbehaun, who is accused of abducting her then 9-year-old daughter, was released from custody in Buncombe County, North Carolina on Tuesday after posting $250,000 bail.
During the time of the abduction, Unbehaun did not have legal custody of her daughter, Kayla.
Unbehaun is expected to appear in court again on July 11.
Kayla initially went missing in July 2017 when her father went to pick her up from an address in Wheaton before learning that Heather had packed her vehicle and left with Kayla, then 9 years old, the day before, authorities said.
The Kane County State's Attorney's office issued a kidnapping warrant for Unbehaun weeks after Kayla went missing.
The two had not been located until Saturday, when a woman at a Plato's Closet in Asheville recognized Heather from "published media" and called police, according to Asheville police spokeswoman Samantha Booth.
U.S. & World
Heather was arrested, and Kayla, now 15 years old, was placed into the custody of the North Carolina Division of Social Services. The teen was expected to be reunited with family and brought back to Illinois.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
Kayla's father, Ryan Iskerka, issued a statement through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, saying in part "I am 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," he continued. "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.”
Kayla's disappearance was one of several family abduction cases featured on an episode of the Netflix series "Unsolved Mysteries" in November 2022.
