Sarah Turney had suspected her father Michael Turney of the murder of her half-sister Alissa for years, but it wasn’t until she started using TikTok that the police started paying attention to it.
In August 2020, four months after Sarah started her TikTok account, a grand jury charged Michael with second degree murder over Alissa’s disappearance.
In 2000, 17-year-old Alissa Turney vanished from her family home in Phoenix, Arizona, where she lived with her stepfather Michael and her five other siblings.
Alissa and Sarah shared the same mother, but had different biological fathers. However, Alissa called Michael ‘Dad’.
On the day of her disappearance, Michael pulled Alissa out of school early. In a TikTok, Sarah recalls that on that day Alissa’s usually meticulous room was in total disarray. Her Nokia cell phone was also left on the dresser, along with a note to say she’s gone to California to make it on her own.
Michael had been the prime suspect in the murder for ten years but the police still chose not to investigate the case further.
@saraheturney I couldn’t make this up if I tried. #justiceforalissa #fyp #voicesforjusticepodcast #foryou #foryoupage #foryourpage #truecrime
Sarah also uploaded footage from their childhood that paints a shocking picture of what Alissa’s relationship was like with her step-father.
https://www.tiktok.com/@saraheturney/video/6847223032159816966?referer_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.news.com.au%2F&referer_video_id=6858288219553844486
https://www.tiktok.com/@saraheturney/video/6858297600399985926?referer_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.news.com.au%2F&referer_video_id=6858288219553844486
In 2009 police raided Michael’s home and found a stash of homemade pipe bombs, three incendiary devices, and two silencers. He was then charged and imprisoned for seven years in 2010.
After the police raid in 2009, Michael was interviewed by ABC News about Alissa’s disappearance but maintained that he was not involved.
@saraheturney #duet with @.goodmfnvibes Listen to his entire letter to police on The Voices for Justice Podcast #justiceforalissa #fyp #voicesforjusticepodcast
Sarah had tried everything to bring attention to her sisters disappearance, including: starting a Facebook group, an Instagram account and a blog called ‘Justice for Alissa’.
However, after creating a TikTok account in April this year, that’s when police decided to reopen the cold case.
https://www.tiktok.com/@saraheturney/video/6863188001040731397?referer_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.news.com.au%2F&referer_video_id=6858288219553844486
Sarah now has 1M followers on the app and is using her platform to draw attention to other missing persons cases across the United States.
