Georgia Ex-Police Officer Charged With Kidnapping And Murdering 16-Year-Old Girl And Dumping Her Naked Body In Woods

A suburban Atlanta police officer has been charged with the kidnapping and murder of a girl who disappeared last July after her naked body was found in a forest.

Miles Bryant, a 22-year-old ex-cop with the Doraville Police Department, is now being held without bail for the death of the 16-year-old girl – and faces additional charges of conspiracy to cover up his alleged crimes after the fact.

The indictment revolves around the disappearance of 16-year-old Susanna Morales, who police say was unrelated to Bryant but was only a few miles from the disgraced officer.

Her skeletal remains were discovered and identified by police last month in woods near Dacula, an Atlanta suburb less than 20 miles from her last known location. Detectives have not revealed a motive, but have said the suspect is “known or suspected of” rape, murder and other crimes.

Over the weekend, Bryant was hit with another unrelated burglary charge, after a former classmate of his accused him of stalking her and breaking into her home during a taped encounter in 2019.

The indictment centers on the disappearance of 16-year-old Susanna Morales (pictured), who police say had no relationship with Bryant but was only a few miles from the disgraced officer.

Since being stripped of his police credentials and taken into custody, Bryant has been charged with covering up her death, filing a false report of a crime, murder and kidnapping.

Police have not filed any rape charges since Sunday. The charge of concealment, meanwhile, is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

The first charges against Bryant came less than three weeks ago, after investigators confirmed that Morales’ remains were found naked in a wooded area off Highway 316.

That discovery was made nearly six months after Morales’ family reported her missing, sparking a search in the Atlanta area that bore little — until last month when police issued an update on the investigation.

“On Monday, February 6, 2023, shortly after 6:30 p.m., Gwinnett Police on Hwy 316 between Drowning Creek and the Barrow County Line responded to a call from a passerby who said they had seen what they believed to be human remains in the woods. officers in Gwinnett County wrote at the time.

“Detectives and CSI arrived at the scene and the Gwinnett Medical Examiners’ office took possession of the remains,” the department – just a few miles from Doraville – added, noting that police were “investigating the manner and cause of death of Morales,” who was identified from her dental records.

Over the weekend, Bryant was hit with another unrelated burglary charge, after a former classmate of his accused him of stalking her and breaking into her home during a taped encounter in 2019 (photo of which can be seen here)

The body was found, police said, after officers received a call from a passerby who said they had seen what they believed were human remains in brush on the side of the highway that connects Atlanta’s communities.

Police added that Morales’ family told the department that when the teen disappeared on the night of July 26, her cell phone and video footage showed her walking to her home, but police have reason to believe she was got into a vehicle.

Bryant, meanwhile, lived in Norcross – ‘near [the] victim and dumped her naked body in the woods,” Gwinnett Detective Angela Carter said when he announced his arrest less than two weeks later as the sole suspect in the case.

An initial warrant application would indict the relatively green Georgia peace officer — a work history in the Army National Guard, deputy at the Forsyth County Jail and several security positions — with one count of concealing the death of another and one count of falsely reporting a crime.

Bryant is being held without bond at the Gwinnett County Adult Detention Center (pictured) on charges of concealing the death of another, filing a false report of a crime, murder and kidnapping

The false report of a misdemeanor charge, misdemeanor and the concealment charge, police said, stemmed from an attempt by Bryant to cover up Morales’ death during a period between July 26, 2022, at 10:20 p.m. and 1:40 a.m. in July. 27, 2022.

During those hours, detectives claimed, the officer — who may have had a history of stalking women that went unchecked — had unlawfully “obstruct the discovery of whether or not such person has been unlawfully killed.”

Police added that Bryant also falsely filed a police report alleging that his gun was stolen after his car was broken into. Police have not elaborated on how the allegations relate to the Morales case.

Bryant was in jail on Sunday after a judge denied him bail earlier this week.

As the police continue to build a case against Bryant, more of his alleged wrongdoings come to light. suspect showed up unannounced at her home in Snellville in May 2019 and on several other occasions.

As police continue to build a case against Bryant, he faces new charges related to the alleged stalking and burglary of another woman, Elesha Bates, who claims the suspect showed up unannounced at her home in Snellville several times in 2019. showed up

Bates sent Ring camera video of the scary encounter to both the Gwinnett County and Doraville Police Department as evidence in December, after telling police that Bryant, who was with the Doraville Police Department at the time, was stalking her.

In response to the neighbor’s story, the Doraville Police Department enjoyed conducting an administrative investigation into the incident, but closed Bates’ case due to a “lack of leads.”

The Doraville Police Department said they told Bates to report any potential criminal charges to the Gwinnett County Police Department because the apartment complex is under their jurisdiction.

That said, late last month, when new information about Bryant’s other cases came to light, an investigation into Bates’ allegations was reopened.

Police said Bryant allegedly tampered with a closed bedroom window during the burglary, which was recorded by a neighbor’s doorbell camera. He is now charged with first-degree burglary in addition to the charges of murder, kidnapping and concealment, and remains incarcerated.

Police said Bryant allegedly tampered with a closed bedroom window during the burglary, which was recorded by a neighbor’s doorbell camera. He is now charged with burglary in addition to the murder, kidnapping and concealment charges, and remains incarcerated