Kriti Mehrotra
When Alissa Marie Turney suddenly disappeared following the last day of her junior year at Paradise Valley High School on May 17, 2001, it left the entire community baffled to the core. After all, as carefully chronicled in ABC’s ’20/20: Since You’ve Been Gone,’ the 17-year-old was a typical teenager with a great social life as well as a boyfriend, so it was unlike her not to even communicate with them. Yes, she had more than her fair share of personal issues at home with stepfather Michael Turney, yet her biological parents were not involved in any of it, making us wonder more about them.
Barbara Farner and Stephen Strahm Had a Whirlwind Romance
It was around the early 1980s when California native Stephen Strahm first came across Barbara Farner through work, just for them to gradually realize they had a rather innate, special spark. According to the former’s own accounts, he was working in the real estate industry at the time and needed to acquire a loan for a client, unaware that the loan officer he’d get would be his future wife. They actually got to know one another during their meetings to such an extent that he knew he wanted a life with her despite her already having a 2-year-old son whose father was in and out of the picture.
This aspect didn’t make things complicated for Barbara and Stephen, as he didn’t mind being intentional or stepping up to be there for her son John, just as he wanted to be there for her. In fact, he decided their first date needed to be all 3 of them together to really see if they could make things work, and thus took them to Disney World. He still vividly remembers how he carried John for most of the day, considering he was just a toddler at the time, which reportedly resulted in the young boy beginning to think of him as his father.
Things took a turn for the couple merely a few months later as Barbara’s baby daddy took back the car he had given her, leaving her with no way to go to work or find someone to care for her son. That’s when Stephen not only gave his Corvette to his new girlfriend but also offered to take John under his wings, which she felt comfortable with since she knew he had the support of his own father. As time passed, she moved in with her son, her boyfriend, and his father, with one aspect leading to another. The couple tied the knot in Vegas in 1982, 6 months after they first met.
Barbara Farner and Stephen Strahm Went Their Separate Ways
While Barbara and Stephen seemed to be building a good life in California, they couldn’t pass up the chance to relocate to Phoenix, Arizona, when a business opportunity for the latter came knocking. Therefore, they seriously discussed their future plans, and once they were sure most of their visions aligned in a way that needed little to no compromise from both sides, they moved in 1982 itself. The fact that they had the support of the latter’s sister was rather significant for them, especially as it enabled them to quickly settle down in this new city before welcoming their own daughter into this world.
Alissa Marie Strahm was born on April 3, 1984. Her father admitted how elevated they were upon her birth and how she brought a lot of joy into their home, to him, Barbara, and John. Little did he know things would completely change when his little girl was just 2½ years old, as Barbara moved on with a local father of three and then-Deputy Sheriff Michael Roy Turney. What ensued was a rather amicable divorce, the terms of which comprised him having to pay $400 per month in child care and visiting rights for Alissa alone, since he had never formally adopted John.
Stephen was mostly okay with this settlement, even if he was hurt over not being able to spend any more one-on-one time with John, yet he soon felt as if he was being pushed away from both kids entirely. According to his account, after he refused to take John along with him for a weekend without a written statement confirming he had permission for legal as well as safety reasons, and told the new couple Alissa didn’t wet the bed at his place like he did at theirs, he was fended off. He believed at the time his staying away was for the best because the blended family seemed to be getting along, unaware that his little girl would disappear at age 17.
Barbara Farner Sadly Passed Away in 1993
It was on February 28, 1993, when Barbara Lee Farner Turney unfortunately passed away at the age of 34 after losing a short battle with cancer, leaving behind her husband and their six children. Alissa was just nine at the time, but she also had a 4-year-old younger sister named Sarah from her mother and stepfather, right alongside John, as well as Michael’s three kids from a previous union. All of them had gotten so close by this point that they never used the term half-sibling or step-sibling; they were just one big, happy group, who genuinely cared for one another while legally being raised by Michael.
In fact, by the time August 2020 rolled around and Michael was arrested for second-degree murder in connection with Alissa’s 2001 disappearance, all her siblings actually stood against him. Stephen was also unwaveringly on their side, and when the former stood trial for the charge against him, he was in court every single day to support his daughter and her siblings.
Stephen Strahm is a Quiet Family Man Today
During this period, Stephen did concede that this entire process has “not been easy, and I’m just trying to survive it,” and later, in 2024, he also expressed his real feelings towards Michael and his acquittal on Sarah Turney’s podcast ‘Voice for Justice.’ Since then, it appears as if Stephen has chosen to keep away from the limelight, so all we know for certain is that he currently resides in the Washington area, enjoying his retirement in the company of loved ones. In his early 70s as of writing, he is happily married to a woman named Karen, who has bravely been battling breast cancer for the past few years. Together, they have three loving adult kids with growing families of their own. So, Stephen is a proud husband, father, and grandfather who appears to be doing his best to move on while still keeping the past as well as the memories of those he lost alive in his heart.
Read More: James and John Turney: Where Are Alissa Turney’s Brothers Now?
