Police warned months before Orlando girl's kidnapping, documents show

John Byrns, girl found inside Georgia hotel

John Byrns

ORLANDO, Fla. – Detectives in Illinois have been aware of a kidnapping suspect's online activity for months, according to police reports obtained by News 6.

The documents also show the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was warned of 24-year-old John Byrns' behavior almost five months before the Orlando girl went missing.

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The 11-year-old Orange County girl was reported missing Sunday morning. Byrns and the girl were found inside a hotel in Georgia later that evening after the girl's mother told detectives that her daughter met a man while playing "Minecraft."

The Hoffman Estates Police Department wrote in a report in September that Byrns was accused of talking inappropriately to a 14-year-old boy. The owner of an online gaming website spoke with Illinois detectives from her home in Ireland. The report states that her company got a complaint from a teen who said Byrns had threatened to harm her if she didn't accept Byrns' sexual advances.

Illinois police said that Byrns used the gaming community app called Discord to speak with the victim in that case. Discord advertises its product as a free text and talk service with more than 87 million users.

The documents also show the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was warned of Byrns' alleged behavior toward the 14-year-old boy in September.

It's unclear when Byrns will be transported to Orange County to face charges related to the kidnapping of the 11-year-old girl.


About the Authors:

Troy graduated from California State University Northridge with a Bachelor's Degree in Communication. He has reported on Mexican drug cartel violence on the El Paso/ Juarez border, nuclear testing facilities at the Idaho National Laboratory and severe Winter weather in Michigan.

Emmy-nominated journalist Kristin Cason joined the News 6 team in June 2016.