joseph “skylar” burnley
Missing since: June 3, 2016
White male
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Hazel
Height: 5’9’’
Weight: 160 lbs.
Age (at time of disappearance): 27
Last seen wearing: short-sleeved yellow button down shirt, blue shorts, baseball cap, slip on shoes
Tattoo(s): several tattoos on chest, stomach, and both arms
case details:
Burnley was last seen on June 3, 2016, in Rankin County, Mississippi. He was assisting two friends, Travis Brewer and Amanda Morris (Brewer’s girlfriend at the time), locate Brewer’s stolen truck. Brewer’s truck, a 1988 Chevy pickup, was taken from his driveway and it was alleged that his cellphone was inside.
According to Morris and Brewer, they tracked Brewer’s phone to the woods just outside of Brandon, Mississippi. Burnley, Morris, and Brewer stopped at a gas station and were seen on surveillance tape getting drinks and snacks before going to the area where Brewer alleged his phone had been pinging. When they arrived at the location, Brewer and Burnley got out of the vehicle and went in separate directions to try and locate the stolen truck. Brewer eventually returned back to his girlfriend’s vehicle; however, Burnley never came back out of the woods. Brewer eventually located the vehicle but stated his phone was not inside the truck.
Brewer and Morris stated that they looked for Burnley for hours in the wooded area on their own, eventually calling authorities to report him missing at about 1:00 a.m. on June 4th.
After calling authorities, Brewer went to Burnley’s uncle’s house and left a note on the door saying: “Travis, Sky’s friend. He is missing. I’m worried something bad has happened.”
Matthew McCoy was later charged with stealing Brewer’s truck. Days after Burnley’s disappearance, authorities found Brewer’s cellphone just feet from his front door where McCoy said he threw it from the truck’s window as he drove off with the stolen truck. The location of where Brewer’s phone would have pinged would have been nowhere near where Brewer claimed the phone was pinging when he sent Burnley into the wooded area that day.
During a search of Brewer’s home, authorities found methamphetamine and evidence of use of methamphetamines. He was arrested on drug possession charges.
Authorities have found several discrepancies in Brewer and Morris’s statements and subsequently gave both of them polygraph tests. Morris has passed hers; however, deception was indicated in Brewer’s polygraph. Brewer is considered the main suspect in Burnley’s disappearance. Foul play is suspected. Authorities believe that Burnley may have been lured into the woods and killed and believe that the Simon City Royals are involved.
Investigating Agency Information:
Rankin County Sheriff’s Department
(601)825-1480
Agency Case#: 16-060243
NamUs ID#: MP35023
Additional Resources: