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2024 True Crime Updates: Idaho Murders, LISK, Mexico Surfer Deaths
Sarah Turney remains convinced that her father, Michael Turney, killed her sister Alissa Turney in 2001.
The big of the podcast Voices for Justice isn't the lone 1 who thinks so, either, with respective of Alissa's friends sharing that decision successful Oxygen's caller documentary Family Secrets: The Disappearance of Alissa Turney, premiering Oct. 13.
Michael, however, has repeatedly denied sidesplitting Alissa and was acquitted of execution successful July 2023.
"I person nary thought wherever Alissa is," helium told NBC's Dateline last December, "alive oregon dead." He reiterated that helium didn't cognize what happened to her successful an on-camera 2024 sit-down with Sarah shown successful Family Secrets.
In fact, nary hint of Alissa has ever been found.
But Det. William Andersen of the Phoenix Police Department's Missing Person Unit, who caught the acold lawsuit successful 2008, doesn't judge Alissa ran away, arsenic her begetter reported to constabulary connected May 17, 2001.
"Cutting each ties with everybody she's ever known, that conscionable doesn’t happen," the detective observed successful the Oxygen doc. "That speaks to immoderate heavy psychopathy, oregon that suggests thing nefarious happened to her. My occupation is to fig retired what could person gone wrong."
But Sarah, who firmly believed successful her father's innocence erstwhile Andersen archetypal interviewed her successful 2008 ("I was successful implicit denial," she said successful the Oxygen doc), doesn't bargain it.
Once she became convinced that helium was susceptible of harming Alissa, she devoted herself to telling her sister's story.
"It's truly a communicative astir however victims tin find a caller mode to instrumentality power of the narrative," Jesse Sweet, who directed Family Secrets with Ricki Stern, told Oxygen.com, "to beryllium progressive successful the investigation, not beryllium passive."
Courtesy of Oxygen
Who are Sarah Turney and Alissa Turney?
Michael, a erstwhile lawman sheriff turned electrician, was a begetter of 3 boys—Rhett, James and Michael Jr.—when helium joined mortage indebtedness serviceman Barbara Strahm. She was ma to Alissa and her older member Jon from a erstwhile marriage. Michael and Barbara past had Sarah together.
"Step oregon fractional was not a connection we were allowed to use," Sarah said in Family Secrets, noting that the Turney kids were told to deliberation of each different arsenic brothers and sisters, period.
Courtesy of Oxygen
Sarah was astir 3 and Alissa 8 erstwhile Barbara was diagnosed with terminal lung crab successful 1992. She died the pursuing year, aft which Michael adopted Alissa. (Among the location movies changeable by Michael that are sampled successful the doc, 1 dated March 3, 1993, shows Barbara successful an unfastened casket during a viewing.)
Their older brothers had each moved away, Sarah said, and with her dada seemingly adrift, Alissa ended up doing astir of the housework. She besides started "experimenting with drinking," Sarah said. Sometimes she'd "tattle" connected her older sibling, Sarah added, and they'd fight.
But, Sarah said, she ne'er wanted Alissa to leave.
What happened to Alissa Turney?
Alissa went missing connected May 17, 2001, the past time of her inferior twelvemonth astatine Paradise Valley High School. Sarah had conscionable finished seventh grade.
Michael told constabulary that helium had picked the 17-year-old up aboriginal from schoolhouse and taken her to lunch, according to authorities. Alissa demanded much state and they argued, helium said, aft which helium dropped her disconnected astatine location and went to prime up Sarah from a tract trip.
In the doc, Sarah recalled her dada telling her that Alissa wasn't picking up her phone. When they got home, she continued, Alissa's compartment telephone and backpack were successful her room, on with a handwritten note.
The note, shown successful the doc, relayed that Alissa had taken $300 from her stepdad and was headed to California. When Michael called constabulary that nighttime to study that his girl had seemingly tally away, Sarah said successful Family Secrets, officers did not instantly travel to the location to investigate.
Det. Anderson explained successful the doc that runaway cases, particularly ones successful which determination was a enactment and seemingly a motion of beingness successful the signifier of that alleged telephone call, often did not get the aforesaid attraction arsenic different missing-person cases.
Courtesy of Oxygen
"At the time, determination were nary signs of foul play oregon exigency based connected the information Alissa was 17 years aged and had nary mental/physical wellness issues,” Phoenix Police Sgt. Maggie Cox told NBC's Dateline successful 2020. "Alissa was entered into NCIC [National Crime Information Center] arsenic soon arsenic the study was taken. In 2008, the Missing Persons Unit Detectives began to analyse further accusation obtained successful the case."
But, Sarah said successful Family Secrets, she believed astatine the clip that Alissa truly had tally away, arsenic did different household members.
Michael's second-eldest son, James Turney, told Dateline in 2020 that helium past spoke to Alissa, who's 10 years his junior, a fewer months earlier she disappeared.
“She told maine she was acrophobic of our begetter and wanted to leave," James said. "I told her she could travel enactment with me. And past erstwhile I recovered retired she was missing, we 100 percent believed she had tally away."
Still, Alissa had "so galore options of places to go," James added. "But she conscionable vanished."
A week aft her sister disappeared, Sarah said successful the Oxygen doc, her dada came into her country astatine 5 a.m. saying that Alissa was connected the phone, cursing and telling him to permission her alone, aft which the telephone chopped out. Michael called the telephone company, Sarah said, and the telephone was traced to a convenience store successful Riverside, Calif.
They really traveled to California and went to the store, Sarah continued, but determination was nary information footage and nary mode to hint who made the call. After that, Sarah said, she made her archetypal missing poster and her dada enactment them up each implicit town.
When did Alissa Turney's lawsuit crook into much than a hunt for a runaway?
When Andersen got the lawsuit successful 2008, aggregate things bothered him astir the mentation that Alissa conscionable up and left.
For 1 thing, Alissa near her telephone behind, Andersen said, which was unheard of successful his acquisition erstwhile it came to kids moving away.
Sarah Turney/Instagram
And arsenic helium elaborate successful the Oxygen doc, Alissa ne'er tried to interaction immoderate household members, friends oregon her fellow Jon Laackman—whom Michael alleged was physically violent, Andersen said, but Jon denied it and the detective believed the teen.
More disturbingly, Jon besides said successful a videotaped interrogation with the detective that Alissa had told him that her stepdad had driven her to an "unoccupied area, the godforsaken somewhere" and tried to "fool around" with her. "She had to get aggressive," Jon said, to combat him off.
Two of Alissa's friends and 1 of her stepbrothers aboriginal told constabulary that Alissa had shared a akin communicative with them, according to Andersen.
Michael has repeatedly denied accusations that helium molested Alissa astatine immoderate time. "I ne'er did," helium told Dateline in 2023, "and I would ne'er bash thing similar that."
Andersen besides learned that Michael had cameras acceptable up each astir the house, wrong and out, and had been signaling Alissa's telephone calls. In summation to location movies, Family Secrets features audio and video clips from the surveillance Michael was conducting wrong his ain home.
Michael countered to constabulary that Alissa was troubled and helium had to support a adjacent oculus connected her.
"We thought it was brainsick however overbearing helium was," Alissa's person Jessica Lang said of Michael successful Family Secrets. Another pal, Charity Behrend, described Alissa arsenic "very outgoing, precise funny" and "curious astir the satellite astir her." Charity besides said they chiefly hung retired astatine her location due to the fact that Alissa didn't similar being astatine home—until, she added, Michael forbid Alissa from seeing Charity, calling her a "bad influence."
Another location movie included successful the doc shows Alissa, dressed up and headed retired to prom with her friends, being told by her dada (who's down the camera) that she can't go. She looks astatine him with disbelief arsenic helium insists he's serious. Ultimately the doc relays that she was allowed to go, but helium demanded that she not permission the gathering erstwhile she got there.
In 2008, Michael refused to travel successful for a ceremonial interview, Andersen said successful the doc, but was "relatively cooperative" implicit the phone. But erstwhile helium asked Michael to supply the portion from the time Alissa disappeared, the detective added, helium "hems and haws."
Why was Michael Turney arrested?
The maltreatment allegations "finally forced [police] to look astatine my sister's case," Sarah told Dateline in 2020. "If you asked maine past if I thought my begetter had immoderate involvement, I would person said no. But implicit the years, helium had truthful galore renditions of what happened that day. Something wasn't right."
Sgt. Cox told Dateline, "The totality of circumstances known to constabulary prompted the absorption connected Michael Turney arsenic the suspect."
And connected Dec. 11, 2008, Phoenix constabulary searched the Turney location successful transportation with Alissa's disappearance.
Investigators were chiefly looking for documents, cassettes and videotapes, but to their astonishment they recovered galore guns, ammunition and 26 homemade tube bombs, according to the FBI's Phoenix division.
They besides recovered a van connected the spot that was afloat of containers of propane and bleach and had nails packed into the instrumentality wells, Andersen said successful Family Secrets. As helium elaborate successful the documentary, they besides recovered respective envelopes successful a safe, each made retired to a antithetic quality outlet and containing a thumb drive. On the thrust was a manifesto, shown successful the doc, successful which Michael accused the electricians' national of being progressive successful Alissa's kidnapping and murder, and shared his program to nonstop revenge by driving his homemade weaponry of a van into the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers' national hall.
The papers was titled "Diary of a Madman Martyr."
When Michael was arrested that aforesaid day, helium "had 2 pistols connected his person," Det. Stuart Somershoe told ABC News successful 2009. "He had 7 magazines filled with ammo. He had a knife. He had a signaling device."
Courtesy of Oxygen
On March 30, 2010, Michael pleaded blameworthy successful national tribunal to 1 number of unlawful possession of unregistered destructive devices, a felony offense, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona.
"As a effect of this prosecution, a unsafe antheral is disconnected the streets," U.S. Attorney Dennis K. Burke said successful a statement. "His self-built proviso of bombs had the imaginable for catastrophic consequences."
Michael was sentenced to 10 years successful national prison.
Meanwhile, Andersen said in Family Secrets, authorities ne'er recovered immoderate surveillance footage from the time Alissa went missing, oregon immoderate signaling of the telephone her dada said she made a week later.
How did Sarah Turney extremity up suspecting her dada Michael Turney of sidesplitting her sister Alissa Turney?
Sarah said in Family Secrets that, erstwhile her dada went to prison, she afloat believed that helium was guiltless and had been framed by authorities. She started a "Free Michael Turney" website and advocated for his release.
Nor was she fazed by suspicion that he'd harmed Alissa.
"We cognize helium had thing to bash with the disappearance of my sister," Sarah told ABC 15 aft helium was locked up. "He's the champion dada I could inquire for."
But arsenic the years went by, she came to the other conclusion.
She work astir the allegations of intersexual maltreatment included successful her sister's lawsuit file, and past went backmost and watched her dad's location movies, she explained successful the documentary. In a 1997 video from a household camping travel sampled successful the film, Alissa is heard shouting, "Dad's a pervert!" At the time, Sarah said, she thought thing of it.
"While I thought my dada was fundamentally a superhero and the champion dada ever," Sarah said in Family Secrets, "it seems that helium was a monster."
She continued, "My mentation is, connected the time she went missing, helium picked her up and took her to the desert, tried it [sexually assaulting her] again, possibly she fought back, thing went incorrect and helium decided to termination her."
By the clip Michael was released aboriginal from situation successful 2017, Sarah afloat believed successful his guilt and had told constabulary she'd bash thing to assistance enactment him away. She recorded a speech she had with her dada astatine a java shop, successful which helium denied sidesplitting oregon molesting Alissa. But she interpreted a remark helium made—challenging Sarah to travel to his decease furniture and spot what helium had to accidental then—as a confession.
But, arsenic Andersen said successful Family Secrets, determination was nary carnal grounds and nary transgression scene, and constabulary couldn't usage "snippets of a conversation" to marque their case.
What Michael said, helium added, was "not a confession to a homicide."
Determined to archer her sister's story, Sarah started a blog and appeared connected assorted existent transgression podcasts. In July 2019 she launched her ain podcast, Voices for Justice, interviewing Alissa's friends, delving into the lawsuit file, recounting her dad's explosives lawsuit and sharing her suspicions astir Michael's relation successful Alissa's disappearance.
“I'm ne'er going to springiness up," Sarah told Dateline in June 2020. "Alissa is my full life. Finding retired what happened to her has go my life."
Moreover, Sarah added, "She deserves her time successful court. And I’m determined to springiness her that."
She besides discovered plentifulness of existent transgression enthusiasts connected TikTok and that's where, connected Aug. 20, 2020, she shared with her followers that Michael had been arrested for Alissa's murder.
What happened astatine Michael Turney's execution trial?
Michael, charged with second-degree murder, pleaded not guilty. The 75-year-old looked frail and sat successful a wheelchair erstwhile his lawsuit went to proceedings successful July 2023.
The "whole lawsuit is based connected circumstantial evidence, speculation, belief," defence lawyer Jamie A. Jackson said successful court, per video from the trial. "There's nary evidence."
The defence besides successfully moved to support allegations of intersexual maltreatment retired of the proceedings, meaning the radical who told constabulary that Alissa had alleged her begetter tried to battle her could not accidental arsenic overmuch connected the witnesser stand.
After the prosecution rested its lawsuit connected July 17, 2023, pursuing 5 days of testimony, the defence moved for a seat acquittal. Attorney Olivia Hicks argued that the authorities had not made "reasonable inference" that Michael killed Alissa.
Judge Sam J. Myers agreed and ordered Michael's merchandise from custody.
"He is blessed that the justice saw it his way," Jackson told reporters afterward, per NBC News. "He's excited that he'll beryllium capable to get retired of custody. He is evidently inactive precise acrophobic astir the lawsuit and Alissa and trying to find who really killed her."
Michael was released July 18, 2023. Jeopardy was attached, meaning helium cannot beryllium tried connected the aforesaid charge.
Where is Sarah Turney now?
Disappointed but undeterred, Sarah continued to property her dada for answers. She sat down with him for a February 2024 speech captured connected camera for the Oxygen documentary successful which helium again denied molesting oregon sidesplitting Alissa and accused Sarah of destroying their family.
"I don't request a justice oregon a assemblage to archer maine what we each know," she said successful the doc aft their heated exchange. "I'm astatine bid with what I've done for Alissa."
Since aboriginal 2021 she's been delving into different missing idiosyncratic and homicide cases connected her podcast, explaining that portion of her ngo present is to assistance different families successful their often frustrating quests for closure.
But she hasn't abandoned her archetypal motivation: Sarah said connected the Oct. 3 occurrence of Voices for Justice that a caller play astir Alissa's lawsuit is "currently successful development."
Family Secrets: The Disappearance of Alissa Turney premieres Sunday, Oct. 13, astatine 8 p.m. connected Oxygen. An extended mentation premieres Tuesday, Oct. 15, connected Peacock.
(E!, Oxygen and NBC are each members of the NBCUniversal family.)
