Mom of Missing N.C. Teen Found in Georgia 1 Year Later Says She's 'Not the Same Person That Left'
The reunion of Hailey Burns with her family has brought a deluge of emotions.
The the 17-year-old girl found living in a Georgia home Sunday after being missing for more than a year is now safe at her North Carolina home with her family, but her mother told local TV-station WOSC her daughter is not the same.
“There are changes in my daughter,” Shaunna Burns said. “She is not the same person that left, and that is the hardest part of this.”
Hailey was reported missing on May 23, 2016, after she walked out of her Ballantyne home without telling anyone where she was going, WOSC reports. She was 16-years-old.
After Hailey went missing, her family alleged she had run away with a man she met online.
“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,” her father told WBTV.
On June 24, Hailey’s parents were informed that their daughter was in Duluth, Georgia. Hours later, she was rescued by federal agents and taken to a local hospital before being returned to her family, according to FBI officials.
Michael Ren Wysolovski, 31, was arrested at the scene. He allegedly shared the home with Hailey, who appeared to be physically unharmed except for weight loss, according to the FBI. Wysolovski has been charged with false imprisonment, aggravated sodomy, cruelty to children and deprivation and interference with custody.
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On Monday, Hailey’s father shared the family’s relief on social media.
“I woke up this morning at about 4 am. I walked into my daughter’s room like I have for over a year but this time she was there in her bed safe and sound,”Anthony Burns wrote in a Facebook post.
“She will need all of your support as she fights back from this ordeal. But she feels the love around her,” Burns continued.
According to WOSC, Shaunna Burns says Hailey lost 10 to 20 pounds and appeared to be exhausted.
“I woke up today crying and grateful again for the miracle that has happened in our lives,” Anthony Burns wrote on Facebook. “We never gave up. She is happy and grateful to be home. We can now breath again.”
At the time of her disappearance, Hailey’s family said she was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, according to local media reports.
Wysolovski made his first court appearance on Monday and was denied bond. He is behind bars in Gwinnett County. It is unclear at this time whether he has an attorney or has entered a plea.
