Michaela Joy "Kayla" Garecht was an American girl who was abducted from a parking lot in November 1988. Garecht's latest age progression depicts her at 33.
In 2020, David Misch was arrested and charged with her kidnapping and murder.
Case[]
Michaela was abducted by a young adult male from a parking lot in Hayward, California. The man had set her scooter against his vehicle. When Michaela came to retrieve it, the man forced her into his vehicle and drove away.
After Jaycee Dugard was found alive in the captivity of Phillip and Nancy Garrido in 2009, hopes of Michaela being alive resurfaced, as circumstances between both cases were similar. The Garridos have not been charged with Garacht's kidnapping. A vehicle owned by the couple bore a resemblance to the one used in Garecht's abduction.
Another man, Timothy Bidner, remained another suspect. Investigators believe he may have been involved in Amber Swartz-Garcia's kidnapping five months before, as well as that of Ilene Misheloff in January 1989. Bidner is also suspected in the 1994 abduction of Nikki Campbell and Tara Cossey in 1979.
Loren Herzog, who strongly resembled a police sketch of the abductor, was a suspect after he committed suicide in January 2012. His partner in crime, Wesley Shermantine, wrote a letter stating that Herzog looked like the man who kidnapped "that Hayward girl." However, there was no evidence linking Herzog to the case.
The currently incarcerated David Misch was charged in late 2020 with Michaela's kidnapping and murder. Palm print comparisons were used to verify that he had taken hold of the scooter at the scene. He was identified as the abductor by two individuals who observed the abduction. Misch was convicted of murder in 1990. In addition to Michaela's case, he was also charged with two other murders.
Michaela Garecht's body has yet to be located.
Characteristics[]
- Blonde hair.
- Blue eyes.
- Slight discoloration of teeth.
- Pierced ears.
- Familial history of wearing glasses.
Clothing and accessories[]
- White T-shirt with "Metro" printed on the front and images of people imprinted on its midsection.
- Denim pants rolled above the knees.
- Flesh-colored nylon stockings.
- White anklet socks.
- Black cloth shoes with brown plastic soles.
- 3-inch pearl or white-colored earrings that resembled feathers.
Exclusions[]
- Maryland's Unknown Child (1991)
Gallery[]
Media[]
- Garecht's case was shown twice on Unsolved Mysteries in 1989 and 2002.
Sources[]
- Michaela Garecht on Wikipedia
- Michaela Garecht at NamUs
- Michaela Garecht at NCMEC
- Michaela Garecht at the Charley Project
- Michaela Garecht at the Doe Network
- FBI
- The New York Times