May 29, 1971. High school students Cheryl Miller and Pamela Jackson were on their way to an end-of-year party when the friends they were following made a wrong turn. They doubled back, but when the friends checked the rearview, the headlights from Cheryl and Pamela's car had disappeared. Immediately, local authorities began investigating the case. However, despite years of searching, they found no trace of the missing girls. Speculation swirled around Cheryl and Pamela's fate, but it wasn't until decades later that authorities finally found answers.
Earlier That Day
At the start of the investigation, things didn't add up.
According to the friends they were following, neither Cheryl nor Pamela had been drinking before getting in the car; they'd actually been with Cheryl's grandmother in the hospital before meeting up with the group.
No Trace
Additionally, there'd been no sign of a crash in the area where they'd disappeared, and there were no tracks indicating they'd gone off road — it was as if they'd simply vanished into thin air.
Young and Restless
But in rural South Dakota in the early 1970s, missing child cases weren't cause for the 100-person manhunts you see today.
With the free-spirited attitudes of the '60s having carried over to the youth of this new decade, many disappeared teens were simply thought to have packed up and headed for California.
Nothing To Worry About
"Back then, if a kid turned up missing, it actually was far more likely that they were a runaway," recalled former Clay County deputy sheriff Jim Rowenhorst. "It was just not very darned often that you heard about kids being kidnapped.
It just wasn't something you were concerned about in rural South Dakota."
Out of Character
This theory was accepted by some in the community, but to those that knew them, Cheryl and Pamela just weren't the runaway type.
Classmates called them "down-to-earth," and according to Cheryl's older sister Kay, she left the house with only a purse that night.
Won't Give Up Hope
That's why even after the local sheriff's office scaled back its search, family and friends of the missing girls only pushed onward.
They checked every ditch and ravine in the county, and Cheryl's father drove back roads for hours each day, desperately calling out for his beloved daughter and her dear friend.
Technology Falls Short
As time passed and forensic technology improved, authorities returned to the area sporadically, hoping to uncover any trace of the girls.
They employed ground-penetrating radar and metal detectors in search of their vehicle, and they even excavated the gravel pit the two were headed to for the party — still, nothing was found.
An Interesting Lead
It wasn't until 2004, with the creation of the South Dakota DCI Cold Case Unit, that there finally came a break in the case.
According to reports, the site of the party had not been too far from the farm where a certain classmate of Cheryl and Pamela's had grown up.
Fits the Profile
That classmate was David Lykken, a serial rapist who was 14 years into a 225-year prison sentence when authorities began looking into him.
Given his history of violence and his proximity to the location where the girls disappeared, Lykken became a primary suspect.
A New Search Begins
This led authorities to search the Lykken farm, where David's younger sister claimed to have seen family members burning a large amount "evidence" on the property years prior.
After a quick search, it appeared she was right.
Damning Evidence
Two hubcaps were unearthed, and dozens of bones were found buried beneath the property's septic tank. Women's clothing, personal effects and letters, and a pair of rubber gloves were seized.
A single red purse was found tucked away in the farmhouse rafters.
Case Closed?
Prosecutors moved immediately to add the murders of Cheryl Miller and Pamela Jackson to Lykken's charges, and soon after, a prison informant captured Lykken confessing to the murders on tape.
The case appeared open-and-shut — then, it all fell apart.
Too Good to Be True
The "confession" had actually been faked by one of Lykken's fellow prisoners, and the items taken from the farm couldn't be directly connected to the two girls — even the bones beneath the septic tank turned out to be those of butchered animals.
With no concrete evidence to go on, the charges against Lykken were dropped.
Back to Square One
It was now 2008, and authorities were no closer to uncovering the fate of Cheryl and Pamela than they were 37 years prior.
Fortunately, they wouldn't have to go another four decades before the real truth came out.
That's No Fish
In 2013, a local fisherman walking along Brule Creek stumbled upon a large shape sticking out of the water.
He moved closer, expecting to find a few rocks or some discarded trash — instead, he discovered the underside of a rusted car jutting from the mud.
More Than a Coincidence
Authorities moved to pull the car from the creek, which they soon determined was a 1960 Studebaker Lark — the same make and model of Cheryl's car.
The remains within were completely unidentifiable, though one piece of evidence managed to survive after all these years.
Could It Be?
A purse. Inside, investigators found everything from loose change and house keys to photos and letters from friends.
But one look at the faded driver's license told authorities everything they needed to know about this wreck.
Mystery Solved
It belonged to Cheryl, meaning that the remains inside were those of the two missing girls.
The 42-year-old cold case had finally been solved, but authorities still had to answer one glaring question: what'd happened?
A Tragic Accident
An examination of the vehicle revealed that the car was in third gear when it crashed, and damage to one of the wheels indicated that a tire may have blown.
To investigators, it appeared that the car had popped a tire, careened off the road, and landed, submerged, in Brule Creek.
Finally At Peace
Yet, regardless of the exact cause, the Miller and Jackson families now have the closure they'd been seeking as they finally lay Cheryl and Pamela to rest. "It's been so many years," said Cheryl's sister Kay.
"[It] will be nice to have her home."
Finding their own answers
But in the 43 years since Cheryl and Pamela went missing, most of their loved ones passed away without ever knowing if the girls were victims of a crime or had vanished as a result of an accident.
That devastating lack of answers is exactly what pushed the sister of another supposed "runaway" to track down the truth about her sister's disappearance on her own.
"Runaway"
The last day Sarah Turney saw her half-sister Alissa alive was May 17, 2001. For years, the circumstances surrounding Alissa's disappearance haunted Sarah day and night, leading her down a desperate path searching for answers.
But as Sarah dug deeper into the 17-year-old's mysterious fate, she discovered details the authorities had long overlooked.
She'll Be Back
Strangely enough, Alissa's disappearance didn't faze Sarah much at first. Alissa had talked openly about her desire to run away.
So, when she vanished on that May morning, 12-year-old Sarah wasn't surprised. She even spotted a note in Alissa’s bedroom that seemingly confirmed she was headed for the Golden State. It still hurt to be without her, but at least she could rest assured that Alissa was safe and would eventually return.
No Worries
"I wasn't worried," Sarah told People. "I was under the impression [Alissa] was going to be back.
I don't think her being gone forever was anything that ever crossed my mind." After all, Sarah had already seen enough tragedy for one lifetime.
Tragic Loss
When Sarah had been just four years old, her mother, Barbara Strahm, had died from lung cancer. And, naturally, the Turney family vowed to stick together in the wake of their tragic loss.
Following Alissa's disappearance, however, this pact suddenly seemed to lose its meaning.
Accusations Begin
That's because, before long, strangers and friends alike began accusing Sarah's father and Alissa's stepfather Michael. Yes, the man was accused of having a hand in his stepdaughter's disappearance.
But Sarah was quick to defend him. After all, what kind of person would dare harm their own child?
Something's Off
Sarah's confidence and Michael's standing as a former sheriff's deputy helped shift some of the suspicion. Mind you, even his fellow officers couldn't help but feel something wasn't right.
For a man who insisted he had no idea what had happened to his stepdaughter, there sure were a number of clues to the contrary.
Never Showed
For starters, Michael told police that he'd got lunch with Alissa on the day she vanished. Apparently, though, he had eventually dropped her back home after the two got into a fight.
And Michael claimed that, fuming from their fight, Alissa had then run off to stay with an aunt who lived in California. But when police contacted the aunt, she said that her niece had never shown.
Strange Behavior
A week later, Michael reached out to police again, telling them that Alissa had contacted him from a payphone in Riverside, California. But before an officer could ask him any follow-up questions, he quickly ended the call.
Was this the erratic behavior of a grieving father, or was there something more?
Taking Over
With no formal evidence against Michael, the police began pursuing other leads — though these too failed to turn up anything on Alissa's whereabouts. Frustrated, Sarah decided there was no point in waiting around any longer.
It was time to take matters into her own hands.
Private Eye
And so Sarah became her own private eye, creating a website dedicated to finding justice for Alissa and searching for answers in any way she could. Yet time and time again, her findings only seemed to add more weight to the whispers she'd been denying for years.
Maybe her father had done something to her sister after all...
Grim Realization
In her late 20s, following years of investigation, Sarah finally realized that her father was, in fact, capable of this crime. "For me, it was kind of like a switch," she told People.
But if she was going to prove Michael's guilt, she knew she couldn't do it alone.
Internet Help
So, Sarah started a podcast called "Voices for Justice." She also began making TikToks to help bring her investigation to a wider audience.
And to her surprise, the videos soon went viral — including one that actually got local officials to reopen Alissa's case.
Disturbing Rumors
In a disturbing home video snippet from 1997, Alissa can clearly be heard telling Sarah that "dad is a pervert."
Authorities were quick to follow up on these claims with some of Alissa's friends, who revealed a sickening truth.
Shocking Allegations
Alissa's friends alleged that Michael had been verbally and sexually abusing her for years. Finally, officers decided it was time to seek a search warrant.
But what they found inside Michael's home was far more sinister than they had ever expected.
Murderous Intent
Along with dozens of homemade bombs, officers discovered a 97-page manifesto featuring a plot to commit mass murder at the headquarters of a local electrical workers union.
Michael was convicted of possession of unregistered destructive devices and spent seven years behind bars — though, for Sarah, this wasn't enough.
More Evidence
So, following her father's release, Sarah only continued to press onward with her mission. And she eventually led the police to even more incriminating evidence.
Officers discovered that Michael had actually put up surveillance cameras in the house during the time Alissa was living there. He had also monitored all calls going in and out of the home.
Chilling Contracts
But perhaps the worst discovery of all was a number of homemade "contracts" between Michael and Alissa, including one from 1999 that claimed Michael had never molested her.
After years of uncertainty, law enforcement — and Sarah — finally had all they needed.
Second-Degree Murder
On August 19, 2020, 72-year-old Michael Turney was charged with one count of second-degree murder. His trial is still yet to take place as of February 2023.
But just like always, though, Michael maintains he's innocent.
Obsessed
The authorities believe, however, that Michael was "obsessed" with his stepdaughter, and close relatives claimed that he had treated her far different than other children — even Sarah.
He'd also confessed to spying on Alissa at work.
Justice For Alissa
As for Sarah? She believes that Alissa will soon have justice, and she's found a calling in helping to solve cold cases.
Sarah discovered that like her sister, Rosalyn McGinnis was trapped in an unthinkable situation when she was only 10 years old. And again, it was Rosalynn's own family that inflicted the grim circumstances on her.
"Normal" Life
Rosalynn McGinnis was supposed to live a normal life: she grew up in Springfield, Missouri, where she spent her days with her brothers at the park, playing the violin, and excelling in school.
Still, there was something about Rosalynn that was extra special.
Full Of Ambition
She was one of the most ambitious 10-year-olds at her school. She had dreams of becoming a veterinarian and of teaching violin.
But these dreams — and any hope of a normal life — were crushed the day her mother met a man named Henri Piette.
Predator Stepdad
At ten years old, the sexual abuse began. “He was never a stepfather,” Rosalynn said of Henri Piette.
“He was a child predator.” Rosalynn would always be haunted by these events — and by the events that would soon take place.
Isolating Her
Henri exerted his control over the family by moving them to Wagoner, Oklahoma, far away from the McGinnis’ family and friends.
Now they were isolated with Henri, and things were about to take a bizarre turn.
Forced Marriage
See, Henri attempted to marry Rosalynn when she was 11. The “wedding” took place in a van and was officiated by Henri’s son.
Henri then moved them into a small, shabby tent outside of Gore, Oklahoma. He was desperate to be alone with Rosalynn, and to cut the family off from society.
Abducting Her From School
On January 31, 1997, Rosalynn’s hopes for a successful future were officially destroyed when Henri took her from school.
“The next thing I know, my mother’s not there, my brothers are not there...and I am by myself with this man,” Rosalynn said.
Searching For Rosalynn
Gayla made flyers printed with Rosalynn’s description and the plea to "please help find this child." They stopped searching right before Rosalynn's 13th birthday.
Her family thought she would be missing forever.
Taking Her Identity
And for a while, this didn’t change. After kidnapping her, Henri stripped Rosalynn of her identity by forcing her to wear glasses and to dye her red hair black.
He had them both assume aliases, with Rosalynn as “Stephanie” and himself as “Billy Ira Sloop, Jr.”
Miscarriage And Mexico
When she was 13, Rosalynn ended up miscarrying her first baby. “I don’t even know how any human can do that to a child — what he did to me,” Rosalynn said.
Henri then smuggled Rosalynn into Mexico, and it was there, when she was just 15, that Rosalynn gave birth to her first child.
Surviving On Nothing
They lived in poverty without the basic necessities new mothers require, like gas, heat, and other utilities. Still, one by one, Rosalynn continued to have babies.
Henri spent what little money they had on drugs and alcohol, so she had to figure out how to survive on nothing.
Bleak Life
She begged on the street for money, and even sold ice cream just to scrape by. Henri was also getting more violent: allegedly, the violence escalated from beatings to shootings, and Henri once sliced Rosalynn’s arm so badly that it cut down to the bone.
Life was beyond bleak for Rosalynn...until she met Ian and Lisa.
Unlikely Friends
The British-American couple often saw Rosalynn and her kids at the grocery store, and they soon struck up a friendship. “They just wanted anybody to talk to because it was not something that they were allowed to do,” Lisa said of Rosalynn and her kids.
Unfortunately, this brief hope for Rosalynn wouldn’t last.
Trapped Again
Always on the move, Henri moved the family to a more remote location in the Oaxaca mountains, once again cutting Rosalynn off from any familiar faces. Here, she couldn’t even beg for money — they were all just trapped.
All seemed lost.
Seeing The Reality
Except, unbeknownst to Henri, Rosalynn maintained communication with Ian and Lisa.
Though they did not immediately realize that something was amiss, when the couple visited Rosalynn at her new home in 2016, they saw the truth of her situation.
Living Hell
When Lisa and Ian went inside the ramshackle home, what they saw was horrific: three “stalls” instead of bedrooms, holes in the walls, and “very, very thin...foam exercise mats” for beds, Lisa described. Rosalynn and the kids were no longer just living in poverty.
They were living in hell.
Doing The Math
Lisa eventually learned Henri’s real age, (62), which was when she did the math: If Rosalynn’s oldest child was 17, that meant she must have been only 14 or 15 when she gave birth to him. Lisa told Ian, “This is wrong.
There’s something seriously wrong.”
Rosalynn's Epiphany
Later, while Rosalynn was recovering from gallbladder surgery at home, Henri became belligerent and ordered her to do housework. That’s when Rosalynn had an epiphany.
“I knew that if I didn’t get out of there, I’d either go insane or I would end up dying and leaving my kids with that man,” she said.
Making An Escape
When Henri was passed out, Rosalynn grabbed her kids and escaped to Ian and Lisa’s house. Thanks to them, as well as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Rosalynn ended up legally crossing the border into the U.S.
Still, Rosalynn kept looking over her shoulder in fear of seeing Henri on her heels.
Sharing Her Story
Every night, according to Rosalynn, she had nightmares of a menacing Henri standing over her bed. She knew the only way she would be free of him was if she shared her story with the world and stood with other victims of abuse.
She also hoped her story would bring Henri to justice.
Finally Charged
On June 13, 2019, Henri was found guilty of kidnapping, engaging in a sexual act with a minor, and a myriad of other charges. During the trial, Rosalynn told the world her devastating story — and once again proved her resilient nature.
While the rest of the world applauds Rosalynn’s bravery, she can only think of one thing.
It's A Miracle
Her freedom. “It’s a miracle I’m sitting here today,” Rosalynn said.
She has hope for a better future, propelled by a promising GoFundMe page that has already raised $50,000. Rosalynn knew she would never get her childhood back, but she could try to salvage what was left of a childhood for her kids.