The Sad Case Of Alissa Turney · 1:40pm May 1st, 2017
Alissa Turney is a young woman who went missing on May 17, 2001. Her case has a lot of unexpected twists and turns.
Alissa was 17 when she vanished from her home on May 17, 2001. It was her last day of school and her stepfather (Michael) took her out school early to go to lunch with him. While at lunch, he alleges that they had an argument because she said she wanted more privileges.
When they returned home, she went to her room angrily and he allegedly went off to do errands and pick up her sister. While doing the errands, he called Alissa and she did not pick up.
When be returned home, she had apparently run away leaving a note saying she was leaving for California. Then, according to Michael, he received a call from her a week later from a pay phone: this was the last trace of her.
Initially she was treated as a runaway however now authorities suspect foul play. At home she left all her belongings (hair brush, make up, house keys, cell phone, $1800 in cash), except a black back pack. According to Charley Project, it is uncharacteristic of runaways to leave all their belongings and money and never contact close friends or family again.
All of Alissa's very close friends and boyfriend state she had never mentioned running away before.
Alissa was described as a normal spirited teenager with a bit of a rebellious streak - occasional marijuana smoking and skipping class however she was a good student with a stable home life.
Her step father Michael was very strict who went through her belongings, monitored phone conversations and would sit outside the restaurant she works. He has video surveillance set up in the home and all incoming and outgoing phone calls recorded however he never gave police the video tape of where Alissa went missing and said he reviewed all 8 hours and "found nothing of interest".
He also claims his phone system wasn't operating the day Alissa called him.
Several people came forward and stated that Alissa had said her stepfather sexually abused her, however he denied it and said he was a good parent and used the recordings for security reasons.
In December 2008, police executed a search warrant on the home where Alissa had lived and the home across the street where her family lives now, looking for evidence in Alissa's case. They found nineteen high-caliber assault rifles, two handmade silencers, and 26 handmade explosive devices. It was the largest stockpile of weapons discovered in Phoenix Police Department history. More than 100 neighbors were temporarily evacuated from their homes as a safety precaution, and Michael was arrested on several weapons charges. He was carrying two pistols, a recording device and seven magazines of ammunition when he was arrested. Police found a 98-page document, titled "Diary of a Madman Martyr" in his home. In the document, Michael accused the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers of being behind Alissa's abduction and murder. He wrote that he had already killed two "assassins" who were responsible for his stepdaughter's death and he would blow up the union hall in revenge and kill himself in the process.
In March 2010, Michael pleaded guilty to possessing 26 unregistered pipe bombs. He was sentenced to the maximum term of ten years in federal prison in September 2010. The sentencing judge cited reports that Michael suffers from a paranoid personality disorder that is worsening in spite of the psychiatric treatment he's received; she stated she felt he was dangerous to the public. He will be required to participate in a mental health treatment program in prison. Investigators haven't said whether Michael is a suspect in his stepdaughter's disappearance. They found many videotapes of Alissa at her home during the search, but not the one from the day she disappeared. His family set up a website advocating for him and proclaiming his innocence.
Alissa lived with her stepfather, and younger half-sister at the time of her disappearance; her mother died of cancer when she was eight years old and Michael legally adopted her. Her four older half-brothers had moved out of the family home. She had no known enemies, and it's uncharacteristic of her to leave without warning. Many agencies continue to classify her as a runaway.
Here are some great videos that talk about her case in detail.
You can also read about the case here if you don't want to watch the videos: http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/t/turney_alissa.html
And you can read some more information about the case along with some theories to what might have happened to her here: https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/3ukrkq/disappearance_of_alissa_marie_turney_long_post/
This is my personal theory about what happened: What I see here is a rapid mental deterioration of the father after the mother dies. Trauma can have devastating effects on a human brain, especially if a person doesn't get the medical attention they need. I see this scenario happening; the mother dies, Mike starts seeing Alissa as the mother in his mind. He obsesses over protecting Alissa who he views as his wife and the rest of his children. His brain starts creating scenarios for his 'first wife's' death, like the union coming after her and his family, and his 'new wife' Alissa. So he starts installing cameras, recording devices, and searching for culprits. This obsessive behavior leads him to stalking people from his present and past jobs looking for the culprits. This stalking might have led to him murdering a few people who he viewed as culprits in his mind. Then his mind is confused because his dead wife is still alive (Alissa, who he views now as Barbara). But he just got rid of the bad people for killing Barbara; how is she still alive? So in order for his brain to understand he has to kill Alissa. Now both his wife and Alissa are dead. His brain tells him that the bad people killed both Alissa and Barbara. So he stalks and potentially kills more 'culprits' until he is discovered. The scary thing here is not only that he killed Alissa but potentially other people that he viewed as the enemy. I hope that one day all of these murders will come to light.
Do you guys have any thoughts on this? I am curious to know.
Ouch. That's pretty dark.
4515968 It is. But things like this are important to talk about. Especially if spreading the word can help catch the attention of people who can help the family in some way.
Damn, to think this is happening in our planet, shit
4516131 I research a lot of cases like this. And there are some very messed up people on the planet; that's for sure.