Teenager missing from North Carolina for more than a year found in Georgia

A teenage girl who left her home in Charlotte more than a year ago has been found alive in Georgia.

FBI agents and detectives with the Gwinnett County Police Department recovered the 17-year-old girl at a home overnight Saturday into Sunday morning.

The FBI says Hailey Burns was recovered at a home in Duluth. A Special Agent in Charlotte received information that the teen may be at a home in the Atlanta area.

Michael Ren Wysolovski, 31, was taken into custody and is facing a number of state charges, according to the FBI. Additional charges could be forthcoming.

According to the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Department records, Wysolovski has been charged with aggravated sodomy, cruelty to children and deprivation, interference with custody, and false imprisonment.

The teen has been reunited with her parents, the FBI said. Authorities say the parents are grateful for the outpouring of support they have received while she’s been missing, but they ask for privacy at this time to focus on their daughter.

On his Facebook page, the father, Anthony Burns, posted this message: “Today we found my starlight and after a brief hospital stay she will return to home. It is a blessing from God. Please pray for our family as we work to help Hailey feel how much she has been missed.”

Just last month, on the one year anniversary, her mother, Shaunna Burns, made a plea for her return. 

FBI Charlotte and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department will continue their investigation into the teen’s disappearance and will be working closely with FBI Atlanta and the Gwinnett County Police Department.