17-year-old Alissa Turney was last seen in Phoenix, Arizona on May 17, 2001. She disappeared from home on the last day of her junior year in high school.
Background
Alissa Marie Turney was born on April 3, 1984 to parents Barbara Farner and Stephen Strahm. Her parents divorced when she was 3-years-old.
In 1986, her mother Barbara Farner married former Maricopa County sheriff’s deputy, Michael Turney, who had three children from a previous relationship. She was legally adopted by her stepfather and grew up in a blended family.
Barbara Farner died of cancer when Alissa was 8-years-old, leaving Michael Turney to raise the children as a single parent. Alissa lived with her younger half-sister and stepfather at a residence on North 34th Street in Phoenix, Arizona.
In 2001, Alissa Turney was in her junior year at Paradise Valley High School in Phoenix, Arizona. She was in a relationship with Jon Laakman and worked at a Jack in the Box restaurant.
Disappearance
On May 17, 2001, Alissa Turney was last seen at her school in the area of North 34th Street and East Bell Road in Phoenix, Arizona.
It was the last day of classes at Paradise Valley High School. Alissa was excited for summer and had plans to attend a graduation party later that evening. She told her boyfriend that she was going to lunch with her step dad, Michael Turney.
Around 11:00 am, Alissa left school early and was picked up by her step-father. During lunch, the two reportedly got into an argument because Alissa wanted to stay out late that night.
Around 1:00 p.m, Alissa was dropped off alone at home and was last seen by her stepfather going to her room, still angry about their argument and her desire for more freedom.
Michael then ran some errands before picking up his younger daughter from her field trip at a water park. When they returned home around 5:00 pm, Alissa was nowhere to be found.
Alissa hasn’t been seen or heard from since. Her stepfather filed a missing person’s report with the Phoenix Police Department when she failed to return home.
Investigation
Alissa left behind most of her personal belongings, including her cellphone and money. Her usually tidy bedroom was found in a mess. She left a note on a dresser, that appeared to be in her normal loopy style handwriting, saying that was running away to California.
A week later, her stepfather received a call at home from a payphone in Riverside, California, where a woman he believed to be Alissa told him to “leave her alone” before hanging up. Authorities stated the call was never traced or verified.
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Alissa Turney’s disappearance was initially classified as a runaway teenager. She had an aunt who lived in California, but she never went to her house. Approximately $1,800 was left in her savings account that remains untouched.
Stepfather Charged With Murder in Alissa Turney’s Disappearance
In 2008, the Phoenix Police Department Missing Persons reopened Alissa Turney’s case and declared that foul play was suspected in her disappearance.
Authorities received allegations of sexual abuse by at least three different people, including her boyfriend at the time, and that Michael Turney was touching her inappropriately, a claim which he denied.
On December 11, 2008, authorities executed a search warrant at the family home and recovered multiple videotapes dating back to the 1980s, including surveillance footage from around the house, but found no tapes from the day Alissa disappeared.
According to her friends and family, Michael became stricter with Alissa when she entered her teenage years. Alissa once told one of her brothers that she was “afraid” of their father and wanted to leave, just months before her disappearance.
Michael Turney had set up hidden security cameras at the family home and recorded phone conversations. He would also routinely show up an hour or two early at her job to “ensure that Alissa did not leave the premises with anybody else.”
During the search, authorities discovered 19 high-caliber assault rifles, two handmade silencers, a van filled with gasoline cans, 26 handmade explosive devices, and a 98-page manifesto titled “Diary of a Madman Martyr.”
Michael Turney had worked as an electrician in the 1980s. He accused the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers of being involved in Alissa’s disappearance. He planned to blow up the union hall in revenge and kill himself in the process.
On March 30, 2010, Michael Turney pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of unregistered destructive devices, a felony offense for which he was sentenced to the maximum term of 10 years in federal prison. He was released in 2017.
On August 20, 2020, Michael Turney was arrested in Mesa, Arizona and charged with second-degree murder in connection with Alissa Turney’s death, in a case of “no-body homicide.”
On July 18, 2020, Michael Turney was cleared of the murder charges and released from custody. The judge cited Rule 20 in Arizona statutory laws, which dictates that an acquittal must be delivered if there is “no substantial evidence to support a conviction.”
Whereabouts
Foul play is suspected in Alissa Turney’s disappearance. The circumstances of Alissa’s disappearance remain unclear and her case is currently classified as missing. Her case remains unsolved.
Appearance
Physical Description:
White female born on April 3, 1984. Alissa has brown hair, brown eyes, stands 5’4 – 5’5 tall, and weighs 140 – 150 pounds.
Distinctive Physical Features:
Alissa had blond highlights in her hair at the time of her disappearance. Her ears are pierced. She has a scar on her chin.
Clothing and accessories:
Alissa was last seen wearing a white tank top, gray shorts, and gray sneakers. She was carrying a black backpack.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Alissa Marie Turney please contact the Phoenix Police Department Missing Persons Unit at (602) 262-6141. Agency Case Number: 2001-10922334
