photo courtesy of WYFF
According to NBC News, a former Georgia police officer has been arrested for the death of a 16-year-old girl. Miles Bryant was confirmed to have a connection to the crimes on February 22 and was charged with felony murder and kidnapping. The 22-year-old’s gun was found near the skeletal remains of Susana Morales.
A press release by the Gwinnett Georgia Police Department reported that Morales came across Bryant while she was coming home from a friend’s house on the night of July 26 back in 2022. The former police officer is suspected of killing the young girl between 10 PM and 2 AM.
“We know that between 10 and 10:30 p.m. Susana had an interaction with an individual,” Investigator J.D McClure said, “She was ultimately was not seen or heard from again.”
Although the cause of death hasn’t been determined yet, the investigation has proceeded under the pretense of foul play. J.D McClure said, “We don’t definitively know [how she died]. We’re still investigating. What we do know is she died at the hands of Miles Bryant.”
The body of Susana Morales was discovered in the woods near Highway 316 between the Barrow County line and Drowning Creek, and a handgun that Bryant had previously reported missing was found near the body. After the discovery of the gun, Bryant’s charges were upgraded from initially “concealing a death and falsely reporting a crime” to felony murder and kidnapping concerning Morales’ disappearance.
McClure continued, “This type of crime at the hands of a law enforcement officer evokes anger, even within the ranks of this agency. Police officers should always be pillars of trust.”