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Hailey Williams, a 13-year-old from Grand Island, New York, was reported missing by her parents on Thursday, May 25, 2023. The Erie County Sheriff's Office said that investigators believed the teen, who was last seen at her residence on Bedell Road around 11 pm on Wednesday, was lured away from her home after an online conversation with a person identified as "Dale" from Pennsylvania.
Shortly after Hailey Williams was reported missing, the Erie County Sheriff's Office enlisted the help of the FBI to assist with the search for the missing girl. The Superintendent of the Grand Island Central School District, Brian S. Graham, also sent a message Thursday morning on social media looking for the missing student.
In a statement via Twitter, Graham said that as soon as he was notified of Williams' disappearance, he grew immensely concerned for the well-being of the missing student. Graham added that he suspected the situation was dire since the girl was lured away from her home. He said:
"When I got the details I knew this was serious and a little bit different from experiences I've had in the past. As soon as I heard the story, I felt very uncomfortable and worried for Haley."
Graham asked for the public's assistance in locating the missing teen Hailey Williams, who has dyed reddish-orange hair and was believed to be wearing ripped jeans, a black sweater, and a gray hat embroidered with the word "California," at the time of her disappearance.
Graham noted that he also reached out to law enforcement officials to lend support in search of the missing teen. He said:
"They've been doing a tremendous job all day, interviewing and gathering information that they could share with law enforcement. This is a terrible situation."
Hailey Williams found alive in Pennsylvania
A day after Hailey Williams disappeared from her home, the FBI said on Friday morning that the missing Grand Island teenager was found safe in Pennsylvania. Authorities have yet to disclose if any charges have been filed in the case.
Investigators have not revealed the circumstances that led to locating the missing girl. In a statement via Twitter, the Superintendent of the Grand Island Central School District, Brian S. Graham, confirmed that Hailey Williams was found safe. He said:
“We have great news to share with you. Hailey Williams has been found safe and will be reunited with her family today.”
According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) database, there are 600,000 people declared missing every year. As per the statistics cited in the report, a large portion of the missing are found immediately after the disappearance.
In a similar incident, Cameron Robbins, an 18-year-old recent high school graduate went missing after going overboard while on a graduation trip to the Bahamas with friends.
School officials said that Cameron Robbins, who graduated on Sunday, May 21, from University Laboratory School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was on a trip with a group of students when he went overboard on Wednesday, May 24. As of Friday morning, he is yet to be found.
