Miles Bryant: Ex-Georgia cop charged with kidnapping and murder of missing Susana Morales, 16
ATLANTA, GEORGIA: A suburban Atlanta police officer has been charged with kidnapping and murdering a girl who disappeared in July 2022. The naked body of Susana Morales, 16, was later found in a forest. 22-year-old ex-cop Miles Bryant, who worked with the Doraville Police Department, is also facing charges of conspiring to conceal his alleged crimes. The cops said Morales had no connection with Bryant but she lived a few miles away from him.
Morales' remains were found by cops last month in a forest near Dacula, an exurb of Atlanta, less than 20 miles from her last known location. A motive for the murder has not been revealed, but detectives have said Bryant "is known or suspected of" rape, murder, and other felonies. He was charged over the weekend with another unrelated charge of burglary after an ex-classmate, Elesha Bates, alleged he stalked her and broke into her home in a recorded encounter in 2019. However, Bates' case was closed due to a "lack of leads".
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After losing his police credentials, Bryant is facing charges of concealing Morales' death, filing a false report of a crime, murder, and kidnapping. No charges associated with rape have been filed yet. The concealment charge is a felony punishable by up to 10 years behind bars.
How was Susana Morales's body found?
Morales' body was discovered nearly six months after her family reported her missing. "On Monday, Feb 06, 2023, shortly after 6:30 p.m., Gwinnett Police responded to Hwy 316 between Drowning Creek and the Barrow County Line after receiving a call from a passerby stating they saw what they believed to be human remains in the woods," cops in Gwinnett County wrote at the time, according to the Daily Mail.
"Detectives and CSI responded to the scene, and the Gwinnett Medical Examiners' office took possession of the remains," the department added, adding that the force was "investigating the manner and cause of death of Morales". Morales' was identified from her dental records.
Morales' body was found after a passerby called the cops and said they had spotted what they thought were human remains. According to her family, cell phone and video footage showed her walking towards her home. However, police believe she may have stepped into a vehicle. Bryant lived in Norcross, "in close proximity to [the] victim and dumped her naked body in the woods," Gwinnett Detective Angela Carter said as his arrest was announced.
Other charges against Miles Bryant
Bryant has worked in the Army National Guard, as deputy at the Forsyth County Jail, and in other security jobs. He was reportedly charged with one count of concealing the death of another and one count of false report of a crime.
Police confirmed that the false report of a crime charge, a misdemeanor, and the concealment charge stemmed from his attempt to conceal the victim's during a time period between July 26, 2022, at 10.20 pm to 1.40 am on July 27, 2022. Cops said that within this period of time, Bryant was accused of unlawfully "hindering the discovery of whether or not such person was unlawfully killed." Police said Bryant may have had a history of stalking women.
Bryant allegedly also falsely filed a police report alleging that his gun was stolen after his car was broken into. It is unclear how these charges are connected with Morales' death. Bryant is in jail after he was denied bail, with investigators saying they believe he is a danger to the community.