Missing Alissa

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In their own words

Missing Alissa is a Podcast documentary exploring the cold case of a missing girl named Alissa Turney. Alissa was 17 and was last seen in Phoenix, AZ 16 years ago.

Why you'd press play

A stepfather answers Octavia Zapala's questions on tape; you get to weigh his answers for yourself.

Press play if you want

  • to hear Sarah confront her father, then hear how he explains himself
  • to sit with family accounts that don't neatly agree
Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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Best episodes of Missing Alissa

Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.

Update 8: ErasedJan 23, 2019

A measured look at how circumstantial evidence can carry a no-body murder case.

A murder conviction without a recovered body gives this episode a clear path into the way no-body cases are built and argued. Jamie Laiadee's case, in which Rick Valentini received a 22-year sentence despite no body, DNA evidence, fingerprints, or witnesses at trial, supplies…

Update 7: Secrets of a familyDec 11, 2018

Donna Russell's account gives the violence around the case a sharp, personal immediacy.

Donna Russell's account gives the episode its hardest charge, centering the day she says James shot her while leaving Mike Turney's role in the moment uneasy.

Update 6: Cycle of AbuseOct 8, 2018

Sarah's testimony and a troubling home video sharpen the questions around Alyssa's disappearance.

Octavia Zapala's interview with Michael Turney sets up a tense look at control, blame, and the family dynamics around Alyssa's disappearance. Sarah challenges his account of her behavior as a 12-year-old and his claim about shoplifting, while a home video adds a harsher texture…

Update 5: The ConfrontationApr 25, 2018

A delayed interview becomes a tense clash over competing accounts surrounding Alyssa's disappearance.

Update 5 turns on Otavia Zappala's long-delayed call with Michael Tourney, a conversation already shadowed by her doubts about speaking with him.

Update 4: Surprise callMar 5, 2018

Alyssa's biological father enters the story with a tense, emotional account of waiting, fear, and a devastating discovery.

Missing Alyssa gains a delayed and painful angle when Stephen Strom, Alyssa's biological father, reaches Otavia Zapala after discovering the podcast.

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Episodes

  1. 1

    Update 8: Erased

    Hidden gem

    Missing Alyssa episode 14, Update 8: Erased, centers on no-body murder prosecutions and Alyssa Turney's disappearance.

    Jan 23, 2019·32m·2 clips
  2. 2

    Update 7: Secrets of a family

    Hidden gem

    Donna Russell says James Turney shot her three times in Phoenix on February 10, 1974, and that neighbors dragged her to the hospital after the gunfire.

    Dec 11, 2018·36m·2 clips
  3. 3

    Update 6: Cycle of Abuse

    Hidden gem

    Octavia Zapala reopens episode 12 of Missing Alyssa with Michael Turney's line, "Be there at my deathbed, Sarah," and his later claim that he was "being dramatic." Sarah says his phrase "if there is a murder involved" was a "thousand percent" slip, while Zapala notes that Michael also abandoned his old 2009 ABC News claim that he shot two people.

    Oct 8, 2018·38m·2 clips
  4. 4

    Update 5: The Confrontation

    Hidden gem

    Missing Alissa update 5 centers on Otavia Zapala's phone interview with Michael Turney about Alyssa Turney, who has been missing since 2001.

    Apr 25, 2018·1h 4m·4 clips
  5. 5

    Update 4: Surprise call

    ["Missing Alyssa's Update 4 follows Stephen Strom's surprise call after he found the podcast and reopens the question of what happened to Alyssa Turney.", "Otavia Zapala presses Steve on Barbara, Michael Turney, custody, a U-Haul move, and the moment a Google search surfaced Alyssa's missing-person listing.", "Steve says he was blocked from seeing Alyssa, learned later about Michael's adoption, and then faced a warrant and a dismissed court case over a driveway confrontation.", "The episode ends with conflicting family memories about John's abuse claims, Steve's denials, and Karen's fear of Michael."]

    Mar 5, 2018·35m·2 clips
  6. 6

    Update 3: The party

    Feb 27, 2018·22m
  7. 7

    Update 1: The aftermath

    Dec 13, 2017·57m
  8. 8

    Update 2: The lost friend

    Dec 13, 2017·48m
  9. 9

    The Last Day

    Aug 9, 2017·32m
  10. 10

    Love or Control?

    Aug 9, 2017·37m
  11. 11

    A Fear Come True

    This episode investigates the discovery of fraudulent IDs in Michael Turney's home and his claims of killing two men, as part of the ongoing search for missing teenager Alyssa Turney.

    Aug 9, 2017·28m
  12. 12

    Puzzle pieces

    This episode analyzes conflicting information and puzzling aspects of the unsolved disappearance of Alissa Turney.

    Aug 9, 2017·44m
  13. 13

    The Madman Martyr

    A documentary series investigating the unsolved disappearance of teenager Alissa Turney from Phoenix, Arizona in 2001.

    Aug 9, 2017·33m
  14. 14

    What's Next?

    The host introduces the cold case of Alissa Turney, a missing teenager, and discusses the lack of physical evidence in the case.

    Aug 9, 2017·50m