Netflix's 'Unsolved Mysteries' Solves Missing Person Case 6 Years Later

When Netflix’s Unsolved Mysteries reboot premiered in 2020 it quickly became a talking point for true crime enthusiasts. Ten years after the original series went off the air, Unsolved Mysteries got viewers sharing memes, tips, and theories about the different cases.

Now, three volumes in, fans are curious if those theories and tips have led to anything.

Most of the stories are cold cases that weren't covered in the original and never gained enough attention to really see fitting endings. However, it seems the show's exposure on Netflix has actually solved a missing person case — and we can only imagine more closed cases in the future.

Kayla Unbehaun was 9 years old when she went missing from a summer camping trip. Her father, Ryan, Iserka, who had full custody, went to pick up his daughter from her mom's house in South Elgin, Ill., and discovered that they were both gone.

“Heather and Kayla did not show up for the court-ordered exchange and the police were immediately contacted and an investigation was launched," Ryan said per Law and Order. "It was discovered that all of Heather’s social media had been canceled and her phone turned off."

An investigation was launched shortly after, but it wasn't until May 2023 when a North Carolina store owner who watched Unsolved Mysteries — Kayla's case was Volume 3, Episode 9 — recognized Kayla and called the police.

Kayla was placed in protective custody and her mom, Heather, was charged with child abduction.

"I’m overjoyed that Kayla is home safe. I want to thank @ElginPDFD, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and all of the law enforcement agencies who assisted with her case," Ryan said after his daughter was found. "We ask for privacy as we get to know each other again and navigate this new beginning."

According to the Unsolved Mysteries website, half of the 1,300 episodes that included wanted fugitives were solved, thanks in part to the show. And because the original Unsolved Mysteries led to credible tips which then led to cases being solved, the Netflix reboot could do the same thing.

Terry Dunn Meurer, who created the original Unsolved Mysteries, told TMZ that the reboot led to more than 1,500 tips in the first few days of its premiere, with at least 50 of them being credible.

She told USA Today that she hopes, as the series remains on Netflix, it could lead to more tips related to the unsolved cases.

"We're hoping there's a lot of people who still haven't watched and maybe this weekend they'll sit down and binge the episodes and we'll get more leads," she said, shortly after the Unsolved Mysteries premiere.

The Unsolved Mysteries cases are new stories to plenty of viewers. And, as such, those viewers might realize they know more about any given case. The next step is to submit that credible tip, which could lead to more information for authorities to potentially solve one of the cases.

In order to do that, all you need to do is go to the Unsolved Mysteries website and click 'submit tips.' You will then be required to fill out a form with your contact information and details about the case you have information on. Not all tips that go in lead to something useful within a case, but it doesn’t hurt to submit any new information in the hopes that it could help in the long run.

Unsolved Mysteries is now streaming on Netflix.