Michiko Burton

Introduction

Michiko Burton is a former manager at a Wendy’s restaurant in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, who was fired in September 2026 after video emerged showing a neurodivergent employee tied to kitchen equipment with garbage bags during a shift, and who was charged with simple assault and false imprisonment after a warrant was served in September 2026. Burton, 19, admitted to police that she tied the employee to a workstation but told them the act was part of a “TikTok trend” — an explanation that co-workers and the employee’s family dispute. After the employee initially reported no injury and no charges were filed, the case was reopened once video of the incident aired, and detectives obtained and served an arrest warrant.

Background Information

Burton worked as a manager at the Wendy’s at 3341 South Church Street in Murfreesboro, a restaurant owned and operated by the franchisee Wendy’s of Bowling Green. She was 19 years old at the time of her arrest. Little else about her personal history has been made public; WSMV4 Investigates attempted to contact Burton by phone and social media after its first report aired and received no response.

The employee she tied up has not been publicly identified; WSMV4 reported that it is not naming the worker, who is neurodivergent. Neurodivergence is an umbrella term encompassing ADHD, autism, dyslexia and dyspraxia, among other conditions, and about 20 percent of the world’s population is considered neurodivergent, according to the Neurodiversity Directory. Qualified neurodivergent employees are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Charged, not adjudicated. Burton was charged with simple assault and false imprisonment — misdemeanor offenses — in September 2026. The charges are unproven allegations, and she is presumed innocent unless and until convicted in court. According to police, she admitted tying the employee to the workstation but said the incident was part of a TikTok trend meant as a joke; co-workers and the employee’s family dispute that explanation.

The incident occurred on August 30, 2026, at the South Church Street restaurant. It was recorded by Nicholus Murphy, a co-worker who said he filmed it after seeing trash bags being used to tie the employee to equipment in the kitchen; the video showed the employee’s leg tied to a grill. According to Murphy, Burton told workers she did not have time to babysit the employee and needed him to “stay put” so she could do other work in the back of the restaurant. When officers spoke with Burton on September 6, she admitted tying the worker — who police said is neurodivergent — to a workstation, telling them the incident was part of a TikTok trend, according to police. Murphy disputed that account: “If there was a TikTok trend, then where’s the TikTok?” The employee initially told police he was not upset and not injured, and no charges were filed at that stage.

Public Reaction and Consequences

Murphy shared the video with his supervisors, prompting a staff meeting with franchise officials that Murphy recorded; in it, an area manager called the incident unacceptable. “Whether it be a cruel joke or intended, I don’t care,” the area manager said. “Whatever went on a couple of Sundays ago is unacceptable. Flat out.” The same manager confirmed Burton’s dismissal: “That is why Michi is not here anymore. Michi is no longer a manager for us.” The restaurant’s general manager separately confirmed to WSMV4 that a manager was fired over the incident. The franchisee issued a statement saying “the safety and well-being of our employees is our top priority,” that the behavior was “inconsistent with our values,” and that “appropriate action was taken” once the situation was investigated.

After the video aired, the employee’s family asked police to reopen the investigation, which Murfreesboro police did. The case was referred to Adult Protective Services and investigated by detectives with the police department’s Special Victims Unit, and warrants were obtained for Burton’s arrest. “This has been an awful traumatic event,” said Isaac Kimes, an attorney for the employee’s family. “The young man in the video seen now by millions is not doing well.” Murphy, who said he felt a duty to speak up for his co-worker, said: “They deserve justice. He deserves a person here having his back.”

Current Status

Detectives served the arrest warrant on September 19, 2026, charging Burton, 19, with simple assault and false imprisonment — a misdemeanor assault charge carrying up to a year in jail. She was booked into the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center on a $2,000 bond, and a court date was set for October 22, 2026, in General Sessions Court. The charges remain pending, and Kimes said the family is considering whether to take legal action.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The incident ended Burton’s managerial role at the restaurant within days of the video airing — “Michi is no longer a manager for us,” in the area manager’s words — and the arrest and charges foreclosed any return to the role she had held at the franchise location. The case also made the 19-year-old the subject of national coverage, with the New York Post describing her claimed TikTok-stunt explanation as “bizarrely” offered to police. For the franchisee, Wendy’s of Bowling Green, the episode became a public test of workplace standards, resolved — in the company’s telling — by a prompt investigation and “appropriate action.” For the employee’s family, the criminal charges delivered the outcome they had pushed for after initially being told no charges would be filed.

Sources

The New York Post, “Tennessee Wendy’s manager fired after tying neurodivergent employee to kitchen equipment in appalling video,” September 12, 2026 — source
WSMV4, “VIDEO: Neurodivergent worker at Murfreesboro Wendy’s tied to kitchen equipment by manager; family pushing for reopened investigation,” September 10, 2026 — source
WSMV4, “Murfreesboro police reopen investigation into neurodivergent Wendy’s employee being tied to kitchen equipment,” September 12, 2026 — source
WSMV4 via WVLT, “19-year-old Wendy’s manager who allegedly tied neurodivergent employee to grill arrested on multiple charges,” September 18, 2026 — source
FOX 17 / WZTV, “Murfreesboro Wendy’s manager charged after tying up worker for a TikTok trend, police say,” September 2026 — source
The New York Post, “Tennessee Wendy’s manager arrested after admitting to tying neurodivergent employee to kitchen equipment for TikTok stunt: cops,” September 22, 2026 — source
@nypost on X, “Tennessee Wendy’s manager arrested after admitting to tying neurodivergent employee to kitchen equipment for TikTok stunt: cops,” September 22, 2026 — source