Hailey Burns, 16, Opens Up to PEOPLE in Her First Daytime Interview

Hailey Burns, 16, who went missing after being seduced online by someone she met via social media in May 2016 when she vanished, recounts being raped, tortured and starved during her 13 month captivity at multiple locations throughout Georgia.

Burns finally made her daring escape after gaining access to the internet in June 2017. According to PEOPLE, she used her captor’s computer to communicate with a Romanian chatroom where a woman she found help her escape from captivity.

Utilizing clues provided by the woman, Burns was able to locate a home in Duluth, Georgia where her captor had kept her captive. Burns alerted authorities and was eventually freed after 399 days had been passed without rescue from their hold-up.

Hailey said she felt completely at peace once reunited with her family, according to Shaunna who believes Hailey needed help in order to overcome what she experienced. They agreed to go on national TV so Hailey could receive this therapy and heal from her trauma experience.

Hailey is currently receiving therapy at a facility in Nashville, Tennessee and her experience has led her to “a lot of awakenings and realizations”. She appreciates all of Charlotte’s support in this journey, and plans on returning soon. Click here for crime news updates including ongoing trial coverage as well as intriguing unsolved cases with our True Crime Newsletter!