A former Georgia police officer has been arrested and charged with concealing the death of a 16-year-old girl who went missing more than six months ago, according to authorities.
Miles Bryant, 22, who had worked for the Doraville Police Department, was charged with concealing another person’s death and falsely reporting a crime, Gwinnett County police said. The remains of the girl, Susana Morales, were discovered last week after she was reported missing in July.
The Gwinnett Police Department is conducting a criminal investigation, but the department has informed the Doraville Police of the situation. Bryant is being held at the Gwinnett Detention Center without bond. He is expected to make his first court appearance Tuesday morning.
The city of Doraville released a statement Monday revealing that it had learned of Bryant’s charges.
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Miles Bryant, 22, was charged with concealing the death of another person and reporting a false crime. (Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office)
“The City of Doraville was notified the afternoon of Monday, February 13 that the Gwinnett Police Department was serving felony warrants for the arrest of a now former police officer in connection with the disappearance and murder of Susana Morales,” it said. read in the statement. “The City of Doraville and its Police Department are fully cooperating with the Gwinnett Police Department in their investigation of Mr. Bryant. Our prayers are with the family and friends of Susana Morales and all others affected by this tragedy.”
The Gwinnett County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the human remains as Morales last week. Her family first reported her missing at the end of July.
The remains of Susana Morales were discovered last week after she was reported missing in July. (Gwinnett Police)
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Morales’s relatives alerted the police that they had not seen her since July 26. According to detectives, Morales sent a text message to her mother at 9:40 pm that night to tell her that she was on her way to her home on Windscape Village Lane in Norcross.
Authorities said an app on Morales’ cell phone confirmed he was walking in that direction between 10:07 p.m. and 10:21 p.m., but detectives said they suspect he may have entered a vehicle instead.
The Gwinnett Police Department is conducting a criminal investigation. (Gwinnett County Police)
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His phone pinged the area of Oak Loch Trace and Steve Reynolds Boulevard between 10:21 p.m. and 10:26 p.m. that night before shutting down or shutting down, detectives said. Morales never came home.
Police responded on February 6 to the area between Drowning Creek and Barrow County after someone reported seeing what they suspected were human remains in the woods.
The Gwinnett Medical Examiner’s Office analyzed the remains and concluded that the DNA matched Morales’ dental records.
