17-year-old Hailey Burns went missing from her home in Ballantyne, North Carolina in May last year and was never seen again – until now. After receiving information relating to the North Carolina teenager, FBI agents found Burns in Duluth, Georgia, leading to the arrest of Michael Ren Wysolovski, 31, in connection with her disappearance. He is now facing a variety of state charges.
A diary entry spoke of plans to run away with a man
Back in May 2016, Burns walked out of her North Carolina home and was despite attempts to find her, was never seen again.
Fox News reports that when the then 16-year-old disappeared, her family discovered a diary left behind by the teen. One entry in that diary spoke of the teenager’s plans to run away with a man she had met online.
WBTV spoke with Burns’ father last year, who told them the man had coerced his daughter into listening to him and ignoring her parents’ wishes. He soon found Hailey was no longer communicating with him. The teenager’s family also told WBTV that their daughter was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome.
#BreakingNews Parents just told me that their teen daughter, Hailey Burns, who has been missing for over a year has been found SAFE! @wsoctv pic.twitter.com/tDNlMEWK2s
— Erica Bryant (@EricaWSOC9) June 25, 2017
Teenager tracked down to Duluth, Georgia
After the FBI in Charlotte received information that Hailey was living somewhere in the Atlanta area, officials tracked the teenager down to Duluth, Georgia over the weekend.
As reported by Fox News, the FBI worked with detectives from the Gwinnett County Police Department in tracking Burns and Wysolovski down. Fox News reports that it was discovered on the Gwinnett County Property Assessor’s website that Wysolovski had purchased the Duluth home, where Burns was found, back in April 2017.
As reported by WRAL, on recovering the North Carolina teenager, the FBI arrested Michael Ren Wysolovski, 31, in connection with her disappearance and he is now facing multiple charges.
The state charges include false imprisonment, cruelty to children, aggravated sodomy, interference with custody and deprivation. At this stage, it is unclear whether Wysolovski is represented by an attorney, or whether he has entered a plea in the case.
Duluth neighbors shocked to discover the truth about the couple
Wysolovski’s Duluth neighbors were shocked to discover that the quiet couple living in their midst were part of something criminal.
Jennifer Elmore, who lives next door to the Wysolovski home, said it made her sick to her stomach that someone could do something like this. Jennifer Cabrera, another neighbor said you normally don’t hear of anything bad happening in Duluth and that the whole situation was surreal. Cabrera did add that she is happy Burns is now safe.
Our sister station in Charlotte, NC spoke w/ Hailey Burns' parents, as they drove home from GA. https://t.co/XT3HjjfxXH Their relief, at 11. pic.twitter.com/4ILaOHc0Us
— Rikki Klaus (@RikkiKlausWSB) June 26, 2017
Meanwhile, the teenager has been reunited with her family, who said they are grateful for the outpouring of support received while their daughter has been missing. However, the family did request privacy to give them a chance to focus on their daughter after her ordeal.
