24 Years: Alissa Turney

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1:11When it comes to what your family eats and drinks, you know your choices matter. You're the expert because you know what fits your life. And getting it right starts with good information. That's why America's beverage companies are sharing more information about our ingredients at goodtoknowfacts.org. No spin, no judgments, just the facts straight from the experts for more than 140 beverage ingredients. Visit goodtoknowfacts.org. 24 years ago, Alyssa Turney woke up and got ready for school for the last time. It was her last day of 11th grade. And while she wasn't graduating that night, she was excited to cheer on her friends who were.

1:54And to celebrate with them at a party afterwards. but before she could end the school day she was notified that our father was there to pick her up early as she was leaving campus she stopped by her boyfriend's shop class to let him know that she was leaving for the day and that she'd see him later that night she also ran into her friend jessica and told her the same they hugged exchanged i love you's then alissa got in our father's truck and was never seen again. Our father was late to pick me up from school that day, but when he did, he was panicked and said Alyssa wasn't answering her phone.

2:30He handed me his cell phone to try to call her, but there was no answer. When we got home, I immediately walked down the hallway to the last door on the left, sure I'd be greeted by Alyssa telling me to get out of her room, but she wasn't there. I never knew how much I'd miss her yelling at me to stop annoying her. There was a note on her dresser saying that she'd left for California. A few hours later, our father called the police to tell them that his daughter was on drugs and ran away to her aunt's house. A police officer never came to our door to see the cameras, hidden or apparent, to ask for the footage of her leaving.

3:07They never walked in our kitchen to see the large passive recording system on our home phone to see if any calls had been made that day. They never saw my father to check his hands or arms for defensive wounds. And they never spoke with me to ask what time I was picked up to create an accurate timeline of the day's events. Alyssa wasn't on the news, and there was no search for her, despite her friends offering to help. The only person that looked for her that night was her boyfriend. He drove to where he thought Alyssa may have gone if she really had run away, but she wasn't there. About six years passed before a full investigation was conducted by the police.

3:45By that time, witnesses were gone or their memories had faded, records had been purged, and surveillance video was deleted. It wasn't clear what happened to Alyssa on May 17, 2001, or why she never made it to her friend's graduation or the party after, why she'd never reached out to anyone after she was gone. What they did find were dozens of witnesses outlining the abuse she suffered in our home. Alyssa was eight years old when she first reported that she was being raped by our father. The teacher she told didn't believe her, and it was never reported. It took a few years for her to work up the courage to talk about it again, but she did.

4:24She told friends and family, sometimes in vague ways, that she was being sexually abused, and some saw the physical abuse firsthand, though our father's defense lawyers were sure to keep those statements out of his murder trial. They were also able to keep our father's own statements about the abuse out of trial. Not long before Alyssa was gone, our father called Child Protective Services on himself. He called to say that Alyssa had been threatening to tell them about the abuse. He said she was lying and asked what he could do to protect himself. They gave him advice, but never opened an investigation to ensure that we were safe.

5:01Really, one of the only records of Alyssa's abuse that the jury was allowed to hear was a phone call where our father complained that Alyssa was telling his secrets. He said she was a big mouth and a fucking bitch. I'll never forget the shock on their faces as I sobbed in that courtroom. They never heard from our cousin who found child sex abuse material featuring Alyssa and another child. They never got to see the video of our oldest brother panicked, asking police why our father never told anyone that he picked her up early from school that day or that Alyssa had confided in him about being abused.

5:36They weren't allowed to talk about our father helping cover up an attempted homicide, his plans to kill dozens of innocent people, or the many women he sexually assaulted over the years, one who came forward just days before the trial. Alyssa's friends weren't able to say that she was planning on leaving home when she turned 18 so she could adopt me and take me with her. that she told them she was scared he was going to kill her before that day could come. The only person who got a fair trial was our father, a disgraced deputy sheriff, scam artist, serial rapist, and convicted domestic terrorist.

6:14Just as he had in life, he managed to snuff out Alyssa's light and memory in that courtroom. She was depicted as an out-of-control, promiscuous young adult who was likely a victim of foul play by a stranger due to her own action. Basically, that she had it coming. After only a few days, our father was acquitted due to Alyssa's attorneys failing to present her case. Like her third grade teacher, like CPS, like the Phoenix Police Department, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office failed her too. Our father is only free because he is a skilled criminal, and he and his lawyers knew how to work every system designed to protect children from predators.

6:56not because he didn't kill Alyssa. Even he admits that there was evidence pointing to that fact. What he never factored in, though, was me. After Alyssa and I lost our mother, I clung to him so hard. I truly considered him my best friend and hero. I didn't know about the abuse happening in the next room. I was told that Alyssa screamed because she was out of control, was unruly, and needed discipline. I just knew that my father was sad and often threatened to die by suicide, in part because of the burden Alyssa and I put on him. I barely went to school just so I could be with him, and after Alyssa was gone, I held on even tighter.

7:40As I was graduating at the top of my class from college, he was in prison for creating explosive devices and a plan to use them to kill dozens of people. Even then, as smart as I thought I was, I believed he was innocent. But, as most of you probably know, I eventually saw the truth that so many others already knew that many of them had tried to tell me. My desperation to cling on to my only parent, to any sense of a support system, truly blinded me. Until it didn't. A few weeks ago, I was made aware of a Jane Doe in California that may be a match to Alyssa. I saw the NamUs listing and sent it to police as I had many times in the past.

8:24I was expecting them to tell me that the decedent had already been investigated and ruled out as Alyssa. The characteristics, the time frame, and the area she was found in all match Alyssa's case. But to my surprise, the police were unaware of this dough. I've spent weeks saying out loud to myself that this is Alyssa, that it has to be. Really, if I'm being honest, just trying to manifest it so I can finally bring her home, lay her to rest, and bring some type of conclusion to her life and story. Finally, I was told that the dental comparison was inconclusive, and the email ended with, this is obviously bad news.

9:03We will, as always, hope for more leads to come. A very kind sentiment from her new detective. While I have no doubt that he's a good man who is likely overworked, underpaid, and has many other cases to work, I was and still am stunned. after 24 years after not sending a single officer to our home when Alyssa went missing not conducting a single search for her after not retaining crucial evidence that could have been used to convict her killer in a court of law the Phoenix Police Department planned to leave it at that there were no plans to move on to the next step in forensic testing to identify these remains and as of today I still don't know if they will what i do know is that i was given this extremely heavy burden of being the family contact for alissa's case when i was just about 17 the same age she was when she was killed by our father and as hard as it's been i wouldn't have it any other way because if alissa taught me anything it was to be a loud mouth fucking bitch about what's right and what's wrong and to fight for my sister even if it kills me alissa i love you i'm sorry and i'm gonna bring you home no matter how long it takes josie it's your new nanny polly the hand that rocks the cradle a hulu original what do you know about her now streaming you think if you try hard enough you can stop bad things from happening, but you can't.

10:38Good help. Get out! Is hard to find. No! You need me to do this. A Hulu original. The hand that rocks the cradle. Rated R. Now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+. For bundled subscribers, terms apply.