The disappearance of Alissa Turney
The disappearance of Alissa Turney is a frustrating and complex case that offers more questions than answers. Alissa was an everyday 17-year-old when she disappeared from her home in Arizona more than 20 years ago.
At the time, Alissa’s case went cold, as she was thought to be one of many runaways from the Phoenix area. It wasn’t until years later, when Alissa’s sister Sarah took to social media for support, that the case was brought back into the public eye.
Here at Crime+Investigation, we’re going to dive deeper into the case of Alissa Turney to examine her life and ultimate disappearance.
Who was Alissa Turney?
Alissa Marie Turney was born on 3rd April 1984 in Phoenix, Arizona, to parents Stephen Strahm and Barbara Farner. When she was three, Alissa’s parents divorced. Her mother remarried Michael Turney, who had three children from another relationship.
Michael adopted Alissa and her brother John. Michael and Barbara also had another child called Sarah, who was born after the two were married.
When Alissa was nine, her mother passed away from cancer. Her stepfather Michael was then given the task of raising the six children by himself.
By the time she was 17, Alissa had a steady boyfriend and a job at the local Jack in the Box fast food place. She was living with her half-sister Sarah Turney and her stepfather.
Alissa’s disappearance
It was Alissa’s final day of her junior year at Paradise Valley High School on 17th May 2001. Michael Turney claims that he picked Alissa up from school early and they went out for lunch.
He states that they argued as Alissa wanted more independence, and was upset when they got home. He says the last time he saw her was when she went to her room.
At 1pm, Michael claims to have left the home to run errands and pick Sarah up from school. When he returned at 5pm, he could not find Alissa. He then says he discovered a note from Alissa saying she was running away.
The investigation into Alissa’s disappearance
Michael reported Alissa’s disappearance to the police. However, no further investigation took place immediately, as Phoenix had several runaway cases and the police did not suspect any foul play.
A new take on the case came about in 2006. Serial killer Thomas Hymer made a confession to Alissa’s murder that proved to be false. After this, detectives Stuart Somershoe and William Andersen looked further into her case.
They found it strange that Alissa had not taken any personal belongings with her, such as her car or her cell phone. They were also concerned that the $1,800 she had saved had not been touched.
The detectives decided to interview friends and family of Alissa. They shared new details about her stepfather Michael, including his controlling behaviour towards Alissa and fears of abuse. Michael admitted to being strict with Alissa but denied any kind of abuse. The details discovered in these interviews led to the case reopening in 2008.
Michael Turney’s arrest
Michael became the prime suspect in Alissa’s disappearance, so police obtained a warrant to search his home. They discovered a plethora of weapons and improvised explosives.
A manifesto was also found. The document suggested that Michael planned to attack the Phoenix International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers building. For this, he was arrested and prosecuted. He was sentenced to a decade in prison, and was released in 2017.
Sarah Turney’s social media campaign
Alissa’s sister Sarah made the case go viral by posting about it on the social media platform TikTok. She also made various other social media pages, launched an online petition, and created a successful podcast, all of which renewed interest in Alissa’s case.
Michael Turney was rearrested in August 2020 and charged with second-degree murder in connection to Alissa’s disappearance. However, due to lack of evidence, all charges against him were dismissed in July 2023.
Sarah continues to spread awareness of her sister’s case. She has succeeded in keeping her sister's memory alive, while also advocating for more to be done in cases like Alissa’s.
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