North Carolina teen found alive a year after she went missing
A teenager who had been missing for the past year from her North Carolina home has been found alive and well.
Hailey Burns was reuinted with her family over the weekend after a special agent in Charlotte learned of information that led Shaunna Burns to her daughter.
Hailey, now 17, was found at a home in Duluth, Georgia, on the weekend with her alleged kidnapper taken into custody.
Michael Ren Wysolovski, 31, is facing a number of state charges, including cruelty to children and false imprisonment, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said.
Ms Burns said she couldn't believe her daughter had been found.
“It was a dream come true,” Ms Burns told American media.
Her father says Hailey - who suffers from Asperger's syndrome - met Wysolovski online, despite numerous attempts to steer her away from social media.
"He gradually wormed his way into her good graces, he coerced her into listening to him and not following our directions and the next thing I knew my daughter wasn’t communicating with me," the father told WBTV.
“(He) got her in the car, brought her straight to his house and she pretty much had to stay there the whole time,” Ms Burns said.
Ms Burns said Hailey met a woman online from Romania.
The two started to chat when Hailey told the woman she was missing.
After researching the case, that woman contacted Hailey's parents late last week.
“We got the first message at 8.09 (p.m.) and then by 12.32 (a.m.), they had her,” Ms Burns said.
Hailey’s parents said someone contacted the teen to find out where she was but she didn’t know, so she took a photo from the house window and within hours, she was rescued.
“We know that this happy ending is not the norm, it is the exception to the rule,” Ms Burns said.
“We want people to know that there are happy endings to this kind of a story.”
FBI Charlotte and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said they are continuing their investigation into Hailey's disappearance and will be working closely with FBI Atlanta and the Gwinnett County Police Department.
Today's top news stories - June 26
