'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The investigations into the disappearance of 17-year-old Alissa Turney yielded her stepfather, Michael Turney, as the primary suspect. Alissa, the teenager from Phoenix, Arizona, has been missing for 22 years after she left a note claiming she had run away to her maternal aunt's place in California on the last day of junior year before summer break.
Michael was arrested in August 2020, and he went on trial for second-degree murder charges but was released owing to a lack of hard evidence. It is to be noted that Alissa's remains have not been found to date.
The upcoming Dateline NBC episode chronicles Alissa Turney's disappearance and the involvement of her stepfather in the case. The official synopsis reads,
"When 17-year-old Alissa Turney is reported missing in Phoenix, it takes years before detectives treat her case as a homicide; a new investigation unearths dark family secrets."
The Dateline NBC episode titled The Day Alissa Disappeared airs on Friday, December 1, 2023, at 9 p.m. EST.
Who is Michael Turney, and where is he now?
Alissa Turney was a 17-year-old teenager from Phoenix, Arizona, who dreamt of moving to California someday. She studied at Paradise Valley High School and left early on the last day before her summer break to spend time with her family. Following an argument with her stepfather, Michael Turney, she reportedly skipped the graduation party she was supposed to attend and instead stayed home. Michael returned home to find a note from Alissa mentioning she had left for her aunt's place in California.
Michael was known to be strict with Alissa's upbringing, which was in contrast with the behavior his 12-year-old daughter Sarah Turney received in the same household. He spoke to ABC News in 2009 to explain himself, saying, it wass "more of a task for a parent to protect Alissa and keeping her in school."
The Dateline episode The Day Alissa Disappeared showcases the mystery surrounding Alissa Turney's disappearance, as it has been 22 years, 6 months, and 15 days since she left her Phoenix home. While the Phoenix Police Department Missing Persons Unit considered the case to be a rebellious runaway, the intensity grew as a self-proclaimed serial killer named Thomas Albert Hymer confessed to Alissa's murder to a prison guard in 2006.
Why was Michael Turney a suspect in Alissa Turney's disappearance?
As the investigations into Alissa's disappearance proved Hymer's confession to be a mix-up, the case went cold for two years before the police approached Sarah Turney to reveal Michael being considered the primary suspect. Around this time, Michael allegedly refused to provide Sarah's note or access to his 17218 North 34th Street home to the police, forcing them to acquire a search warrant.
The search yielded, per ABC News, thirty homemade explosives, 19 firearms, two silencers, a ballistic vest, and a 98-page document titled Diary of a Madman Martyr. This manifesto revealed a detailed plan to launch an attack on the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers building in Phoenix. Michael Turney believed that the workers had hired assassins to kill Alissa and had dumped her body in Desert Center, California. The then-62-year-old served ten years in prison after pleading guilty to the charges in March 2010 and was simultaneously diagnosed with paranoid personality disorder. The police wrote in 2008,
"Michael Turney has exhibited an apparent obsession with his step-daughter, Alissa. He admitted to conducting surveillance on her at work, using binoculars to spy on her."
Turney's house had multiple surveillance cameras installed, which coincidentally failed to take recordings on the day of Alissa Turney's disappearance. He had transferred the funds amounting to $1,860 from Alissa's bank account, which remained unused for six months after her disappearance, to his account.
The investigation brought forth reports of s*xual assault from Alissa's friends, even though Michael maintains his integrity and innocence to this day. Michael allegedly had Alissa sign contracts laying down detailed instructions for things she was not allowed to indulge in until she was 18 years of age.
The forensic psychologist who worked on the case, Dr. Erin Nelson, mentioned how the contracts included specifics about s*xual conduct and substance abuse. One document allegedly appeared to be an agreement to Michael Turney's innocence in terms of s*xual assault.
Where is Michael Turney now?
Michael Turney was released in August 2017 but was arrested again on August 20, 2020, under charges of second-degree murder. He was tried for six days in Maricopa County, Arizona, where the judge ruled in favor of the defense owing to a lack of hard evidence.
In an interview with 12News, defense attorney Kurt Altman said,
"The State of Arizona cannot bring homicide charges of any type against the defendant again, Mr. Turney. They can't do that. So a family that's still seeking justice is going to have to turn primarily to the civil courts where there's a totally different standard of proof. Basically file a lawsuit against the defendant, Mr. Turney, for a wrongful death action."
Although his current whereabouts are unknown, Michael Turney remains a free man and has expressed his desire to keep searching for his step daughter, Alissa Turney, till death.
