Politics & Government

Who Is Ryan Brunn?

He moved from Dahlonega to Canton one month ago this week, according to his Facebook page.

The head of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation referred to him as "the killer."

But who is the 20-year-old maintenance worker sitting at the in connection with the murder of first-grader Jorelys Rivera?

His personal Facebook page, which came down shortly after , offered a small glimpse into his life.

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"Hello! I'm Ryan I live in Canton GA I have a wonderful Life/Family/Friends.Im very outgoing not shy at all so if ya wanna get to no me hit me up. :-)"

He's a son and a sibling to at least three brothers and one sister.

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He speaks two languages: English and Spanish.

He's only been in Canton for a little more than a month.

He moved from Dahlonega.

"Today is moving day," he wrote at 4:23 p.m. Nov. 5. "Not ready to go but i got to.. Im gonna miss yall/Dahlonega.. I Love yall hit me up n we'll do something sometime.. Got my own place now. :-)"

It's not clear why he moved to Canton. WSB-TV reported he was a roommate of the apartment manager's son.

It appeared that Brunn loved sports, basketball and football among them. At 8:57 p.m. Nov. 5, he logged on to Facebook again. This time, he talked about watching the LSU-Alabama game.

"Lovin this new apt but miss my ppl already.. Jus chillin watchin ALA-LSU game ALA got this game.."

A Brooklyn native, he was a diehard New York Giants fan. On Nov. 6, Brunn was excited to catch some NFL action for a change.

"Watchin football bout time im alwayz workin weekends never c ne thin well i get to now :).. Bout to get on da loud pak!!!"

His last Facebook post came on Nov. 28. That was four days before Jorelys was abducted, taken to a vacant apartment, beaten, sexually assaulted, stabbed and tossed in a Dumpster.

The local paper in Dahlonega said GBI agents began working with the Lumpkin County Sheriff's Office soon after Jorelys' abduction. That agency interviewed local family members of Brunn and monitored different areas throughout the county.

He has no known criminal history, GBI director Vernon Keenan said during a press conference announcing Brunn's arrest. Agents have been sent to "another state and other counties" to piece together "what he's been doing for the last several years," Keenan said.

But since , neighbors at the apartment complex have repeated the same three words to reporters across metro Atlanta: The maintenance man.

Indeed, Keenan acknowledged that Brunn, of 12309 River Ridge Dr., came to the attention of authorities based on information from the public.

Neighbor James McCollum told WSB-TV that he saw Brunn near the Dumpster with a black trash bag and a flashlight Sunday night.

Thursday, Brunn will make his first appearance at 1:30 p.m. at the in downtown Canton. The hearing will be held in Superior Court Judge Frank Mills’ courtroom.

But in the court of public opinion, people have already made up their minds.

As of 7:28 p.m., 1,362 people liked the "i hate Ryan Brunn" Facebook page.


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