Alissa Turney - The Truth about Her 2001 Disappearance.

What Happened to Alissa Turney? The Creepy Details of Her 2001 Disappearance and Why Its Never Been Solved.

Alissa Turney

In May 2001, 17-year-old Alissa Turney disappeared on the final day of her junior year in high school and has not been seen since. Initially, many believed the Arizona teenager had run away, especially after a note suggested she had gone to California. However, inconsistencies in that story began to surface: Alissa left behind all her personal items, including her phone and car, and the nearly $1,800 she had saved in her bank account remained untouched.

As time passed, her family and friends started to suspect that something more troubling had happened to Alissa, pointing fingers at someone close to her. In 2008, the investigation into her case was reopened, and her stepfather, Michael Turney, became the main suspect. It took another 12 years, along with a dedicated campaign by Alissa’s younger sister, Sarah Turney, to finally bring charges against Michael.

In 2020, he was arrested in connection with Alissa’s disappearance, but in 2023, he was acquitted of all charges due to a lack of evidence. Now, a new documentary aims to explore Alissa’s unresolved case. Family Secrets: The Disappearance of Alissa Turney will premiere on Sunday, Oct. 13 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Oxygen True Crime, with an extended version available for streaming on Peacock starting Tuesday, Oct. 22.

What’s the story behind Alissa Turney’s disappearance? Here’s a comprehensive look at the case and the various developments it has experienced over the last twenty years.

Who is Alissa Turney?

Alissa Turney was born on April 3, 1984, in Phoenix, Arizona, to Barbara Farner Strahm and Stephen Strahm, as reported by 20/20. When Alissa was just 3 years old, her parents divorced, and her mother later married Michael Turney, an electrician and father of three. Together, they had a daughter named Sarah, creating a large blended family, with Michael adopting Alissa and her older brother John.

Tragically, Barbara passed away from lung cancer when Alissa was 9 and Sarah was only 4, leaving Michael to raise the two girls on his own, as the older children were already grown and living independently. As Alissa entered her teenage years, she often expressed to her friends that Michael was very strict and protective, even going so far as to install surveillance cameras in their home. Despite this, Alissa managed to maintain a steady boyfriend, work part-time at Jack in the Box, and dream of moving to California. “She knew he was watching her,” Alissa’s boyfriend, Jon Laakman, later recounted to the police in footage.

What happened to Alissa Turney?

Alissa went missing on May 17, 2001, which was the final day of her junior year at Paradise Valley High School in Phoenix. At that time, she was just 17 years old. The last person known to have seen Alissa before her disappearance was her stepfather, Michael. Police reports indicate that she visited her boyfriend Jon's workshop class around 11 a.m. that day to inform him she was leaving school early and that Michael would be picking her up.

Michael later told the authorities that he had taken Alissa out for lunch that afternoon, during which they had a disagreement before he dropped her off at home around 1 p.m. A few hours later, Michael reached out to the Phoenix Police, claiming that Alissa had run away, although she left behind her clothes, cell phone, makeup, jewelry, and car. It was also reported that she left a note in her bedroom stating she was going to California to stay with her aunt. “I wasn’t worried,” Alissa’s younger sister reportedly said in 2020. “I thought she would be back.

The idea that she was gone forever never crossed my mind.” Even though Michael insisted that Alissa had run away, the police initiated a missing persons investigation.

However, they did not visit his home to question him or search Alissa's room, even after her aunt mentioned that Alissa never arrived in California. Meanwhile, Michael continued to assert that Alissa was on the West Coast, telling authorities on May 24 that she had called him from a payphone in Riverside, California, but hung up immediately. This supposed lead did not produce any results, and the investigation into Alissa’s disappearance remained stagnant for several years. “Nobody looked for her,” Sarah stated in a TikTok video. “Not anyone in my family. The police didn’t take action despite her being reported missing. Nothing significant happened until 2006.”

At that time, Thomas Hymer, a serial killer serving a life sentence in a Florida prison, admitted to killing Alissa, as reported by ABC News. However, when Phoenix police traveled to Florida to interview Hymer, they discovered that his confession was untrue. Although Hymer's statements didn’t help authorities find Alissa, they did reignite interest in her case and pointed to a new main suspect: Michael.

What was Michael Turney accused of?

Following Hymer’s misleading confession, detectives revisited the case of Alissa’s disappearance from 2008, launching over 200 interviews with those who knew the teenager well, as reported by Buzzfeed News. During these discussions, several of Alissa’s close friends claimed that Michael had been verbally and sexually abusive towards his stepdaughter for many years. “He always made me feel uneasy from the first time I met him,” Charity Behrend, a longtime friend of Alissa, said in 2020. Consequently, detectives sought to search Alissa’s room in 2008, but Michael denied them access to his home. Since that time, “Michael Turney has not cooperated with the investigation” and “is the only member of the Turney family who has not cooperated,” according to police records at that time.

By December 2008, authorities suspected Michael of being involved in Alissa’s disappearance, as reported by MEL magazine. They executed a search warrant at his residence, leading to a shocking find unrelated to Alissa. Officers discovered numerous homemade bombs, 19 firearms, two silencers, and a 98-page manifesto outlining Michael’s intentions to carry out a mass murder at the local electrical workers union headquarters, according to the publication.

In April 2010, Michael pleaded guilty to possessing unregistered destructive devices and subsequently spent seven years in federal prison. “We stumbled, for lack of a better term, into his bombing scheme,” Detective William Andersen remarked during a 2020 press conference. “His imprisonment for that does not equate to justice for Alissa.”

Charges against Michael Turney?

With Michael incarcerated on bombing charges, detectives urged Sarah to raise awareness about her sister’s case, hoping it would lead to new clues or evidence. Believing that Michael is responsible for Alissa’s presumed murder, Sarah took action. She created several social media accounts focused on Alissa’s disappearance, launched a popular podcast about the case, and initiated an online petition demanding Michael’s arrest, which attracted nearly 300,000 signatures.

Sarah’s podcast, Voices for Justice, along with her viral TikTok videos that reached tens of millions, reignited interest in the cold case. In her podcast, she shared evidence against her father, including a home video from 1997 where Alissa called Michael a “pervert” and a secretly recorded conversation from 2017 in which he promised to provide “all the honest answers you want to hear” on his deathbed. These recordings bolstered the case for Michael’s arrest.

On August 20, 2020, he was taken into custody and charged with second-degree felony murder in Mesa, Arizona, for Alissa’s death. “I’m shaking and I’m crying,” Sarah posted on X (formerly Twitter) in response to the news.

“We did it, you guys. He’s been arrested. Omg 😭 thank you. #justiceforalissa Never give up hope that you can get justice. It took almost 20 years, but we did it.”

During a press conference announcing Michael’s indictment, Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel praised Sarah’s dedication to her sister. “Sarah Turney, your determination and commitment to seeking justice for Alissa is a true reflection of a sister’s love," she stated.

"Thanks to that love, Alissa’s spirit has never faded, and she continues to live on through the stories and photos you’ve shared with the community." Adel added, “The passion you’ve shown throughout this journey will ensure that Alissa’s memory remains alive.”

Michael Turney

What happened to Michael Turney?

Michael's trial concerning the alleged murder of Alissa commenced in July 2023, almost three years after his initial arrest. Following six days of witness testimonies, which included Phoenix police detectives Stuart Somershoe and William Andersen, as well as Alissa’s boyfriend Jon and her sister Sarah, the defense filed a motion for acquittal based on an Arizona statute. The motion stated, “the court must enter a judgment of acquittal if there is no substantial evidence to support a conviction,” as reported by NBC News.

The defense contended that the prosecution failed to provide any physical evidence proving Alissa was deceased or that Michael was responsible for her presumed death. “There has not been a shred of physical evidence in this case. No body, no crime scene, no evidence to suggest that a murder took place,” defense attorney Olivia Hicks argued in court. The judge sided with the defense and dismissed all charges against Michael, leading to his release from custody on July 18, 2023.

“While this is not the outcome any of us desired, we appreciate the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office for bringing Alissa’s case to trial,” Sarah stated in a message shared on her podcast, Voices for Justice. She continues to use social media and her podcast to present what she believes are indications of her father’s wrongdoing. Meanwhile, Michael, who has consistently claimed his innocence regarding Alissa’s presumed death, has also taken to the internet following his acquittal.

He started his own YouTube channel and has plans to launch a podcast and write a book, as mentioned on Voices for Justice. Additionally, in January 2024, Michael filed a lawsuit against the Phoenix police and county prosecutors, alleging wrongful imprisonment and violations of his rights, according to the Phoenix New Times.

“I really want to clear my name before I die,” Michael expressed in a YouTube video from September 2024, where he also claimed that the Phoenix Police framed him out of revenge for exposing corruption. “The truth will always come out; it just takes time.”

Was Alissa Turney ever found?

As of October 2024, Alissa's remains have yet to be found. Her stepfather, Michael, continues to claim that he has no knowledge of her fate. “I truly don’t know where Alissa is, whether she’s alive or not,” he shared with NBC’s Dateline. On the other hand, Sarah is convinced that her older sister has passed away and is actively seeking justice.

“In my heart, I am certain that Alissa is no longer with us,” she expressed to The New York Times in 2020. “It took me a long time to reach that conclusion, and I felt a lot of guilt when I finally did.”