A woman who utilized TikTok as a platform to exert public pressure on authorities to bring charges against her father for her sister’s mysterious disappearance and presumed death is finally getting her day in court. Michael Turney has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the case of his 17-year-old stepdaughter, Alissa Turney, who went missing on May 17, 2001, in Phoenix. His trial began last week, and on Monday, his daughter, Sarah Turney, took the witness stand. Sarah had turned to TikTok in April 2020 after becoming frustrated with the lack of investigation by the police. Despite previously sharing her sister’s case on various social media platforms and launching a podcast, it was her viral TikToks that gained the attention of major media outlets. In August 2020, the Maricopa County attorney announced that Michael had been indicted for Alissa’s death. Unfortunately, Alissa’s body has not been discovered.
During her testimony, Sarah shared her close relationship with her sister and how Alissa took on a maternal role after their mother passed away from cancer. Sarah recounted how Alissa would dress her in the mornings, help with makeup and nails, cook dinner, and clean her room. The last time Alissa was seen was on the final day of her junior year in high school, when Michael claimed to have picked her up, taken her to lunch, dropped her off at home, and then gone to pick up Sarah from a school field trip. When they returned home, Alissa was gone. They found a handwritten note from her saying she had gone to California, but she left behind her cellphone, makeup, and house keys. Additionally, $1,800 in her bank account remained untouched after her disappearance.
Initially, the police believed that Alissa had run away. Michael reported her missing on the day she disappeared and appeared to actively search for her. Sarah testified that she accompanied her father to California at least once to distribute fliers. In one of her notorious TikToks, Sarah revealed that in 2008, the police informed her they were investigating her father for her sister’s murder and that he had been sexually abusing Alissa throughout her life. Based on these allegations, the police obtained a search warrant for Michael’s residence, leading to a shocking discovery. They found 26 pipe bombs, 19 assault rifles, 2 homemade silencers, and cans of gasoline in his van. Furthermore, they uncovered a 98-page manifesto titled “Diary of a Madman Martyr,” allegedly authored by Michael, accusing a labor union of retaliation against him and linking them to the kidnapping and death of Alissa. He also claimed to have killed two individuals involved in the Brotherhood, who were responsible for Alissa’s fate and buried her remains in California. Michael pleaded guilty to possessing the pipe bombs and served a 10-year prison sentence, being released in 2017.
Sarah revealed that her father treated her and Alissa differently, being lenient with her but strict and controlling with Alissa. He had recorded phone calls and installed surveillance cameras inside the house. At one point, Sarah mentioned that her father showed her a hidden camera in a vent. After Alissa disappeared, Sarah initially told investigators that her sister had behavioral issues. During cross-examination, she admitted to being “brainwashed” into believing her father’s claims about her sister. Sarah shared some home surveillance footage from 1997 on TikTok, which gained significant attention. However, there was no video footage available from the day Alissa went missing. In a jailhouse interview in 2009, Michael vehemently denied any involvement in his daughter’s disappearance.
In a TikTok recording from June 2020, Sarah revealed that her father had suggested he possessed more knowledge about her sister’s disappearance than he had previously admitted. She played an audio recording of a 2017 meeting with her father, where a man’s voice can be heard saying, “Be there at the deathbed, Sarah, and I will give you all the honest answers you want to her,” which Sarah interpreted as a confession. During her testimony, she also claimed that her father had said he would confess “in 10 days” if the state were to give him a lethal injection.
Allister Adel, the Maricopa County prosecutor, acknowledged Sarah’s efforts in bringing attention to her sister’s case and thanked her for her dedication to finding justice. The trial is expected to last two weeks.
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