Imagine someone taking an oath to protect you, someone you should be able to trust. But what if that person becomes the source of unimaginable harm? That’s the heartbreaking reality in today’s true crime case of Susana Morales case.
This is the story of a young life cut short and a community’s fight for justice. Join us as we examine the details of this tragedy. We’ll explore the systemic failures that allowed it to happen.
Who Was Susana Morales?
Susana Morales was born on June 24, 2006, in Atlanta, Georgia. She was the youngest of three daughters and had a vibrant personality. Those who knew her described her as funny, kind, sweet, and even a little sarcastic.
She had a deep passion for music. Susana was a talented singer and piano player. She also taught herself how to play the guitar and ukulele. A freshman at Meadow Creek High School, she was an active cheerleader.
Growing up in Norcross, a suburb of Atlanta, Susana was a responsible teenager. She always made sure to let her mother know where she was going, who she’d be with, and when she’d be home.
The Day Everything Changed
July 26, 2022, started as a normal day for Susana. She helped her mom at work to earn some extra money. That evening, around 6:00 PM, she told her mom she was walking to a friend’s house. This friend lived in the Sterling Glenn apartment complex, less than a mile from Susana’s home. She’d been there many times before, so her mom didn’t worry.
At 9:40 PM, Susana texted her mom, saying she was on her way home. But tragically, Susana never made it. Her mom tried calling and texting, but there was no response.
A Frustrating Search Begins
The next morning, Susana’s family went to the police station to file a missing person’s report. Their experience was disheartening. The police told them they had to wait 48 hours to report her missing. They even suggested that there was no crime and Susana Morales had likely run away.
This highlights a troubling issue. Often, when women or girls of color go missing, their cases don’t receive the same attention or urgency as when white women go missing. It’s a disparity that needs to be addressed.
Left with little help from law enforcement, Susana’s family took matters into their own hands. They began their own investigation, trying to raise awareness in the community. They passed out flyers, spoke to neighbors, and asked local businesses if they had seen Susana.
Thankfully, the community stepped up. Local businesses provided surveillance footage. This footage showed Susana walking near Singleton Road and Indian Trail Lilburn Road around 10:00 PM.
Phone records showed that between 10:07 and 10:21 PM, she was walking in the direction of her house. But by 10:26 PM, her phone pinged a mile east of her home, in the opposite direction. After that, her phone stopped pinging altogether.
Media Coverage
While local Spanish news station Telemundo Atlanta provided crucial early support, other news stations were initially unresponsive. Susana’s mother, Maria, felt discriminated against by the police and even the news stations due to language barriers and their ethnicity.
It wasn’t until August 29th, over a month after Susana disappeared, that the Gwinnett County Police Department finally issued a press release. Even then, they claimed to have exhausted all leads and stated that there was “no indication that Susana Morales was in any specific danger” or that a crime had been committed.
Susana’s sister expressed her frustration: “It’s frustration of not knowing where she is, not knowing anything… all I ask sometimes is just I just want to know where she’s at so I can get her.”
A Horrific Discovery
On February 6, 2023, a driver pulled over on Highway 316, between Drowning Creek and Barrow County. Walking in the area, the driver discovered skeletal remains.
These remains were later identified as those of Susana Morales through dental records and DNA. Unfortunately, the cause of death couldn’t be determined due to the condition of the remains. The discovery sent shock waves through the community, turning hope into grief and anger.
Then, on February 7th, investigators found a handgun near where Susana’s body was found. The handgun belonged to Miles Bryant, a 22-year-old police officer. He had reported his gun stolen on July 27, 2022, the same day Susana’s family reported her missing. He also lived at the Sterling Glenn apartment complex, where Susana was last seen.
Miles Bryant’s Inconsistent Story
Here’s an excerpt from Bryant’s call to report his gun stolen:
Bryant: “Hey can I get an officer just to do a report please… I left my—I think I left my door unlocked… yesterday um I don’t know what time man, I went running around here, I did a bunch of stuff yesterday… I came back, I went to the store and everything, I had it at the store and I came back, I went running everything and then me and my girls was going to leave I was like I got my wallet I don’t know where my wallet at… this morning I looked on my floorboard and the um my Glock 19 holster is on the floorboard and my Glock 19’s always together you know right… I think I lost my [expletive] gun.”
Notice the inconsistencies? He says he had the gun at the store the night before. Then he says he realized it was missing the next morning.
During the police interview, the coincidences continued to pile up. Here are some key points:
- Bryant’s truck was parked near where Susana was last seen.
- His phone placed him in the woods where Susana’s body was found.
- His story about the stolen gun didn’t add up.
As one officer put it to Bryant, “We’re trying to figure out why your gun is where we found Susana’s body… you’re making phone calls stationary the night Susana went missing… every little tidbit that we found is pointing towards you and at the end of the day you can’t give us any information on why your gun is there.”
Missed Warning Signs
On February 13, 2023, police arrested Bryant and charged with concealing the death of another and filing a false police report. The Doraville Police Department, where he had worked since September 2021, fired him. Before that, he was a deputy in Forsyth County from March 2020 to May 2021.
But there’s more to this story. Before Susana Morales’s disappearance, Alacia Bates reported that Bryant had committed another crime. He stalked her and attempted to break into her home. She even had Ring doorbell footage showing Bryant lurking around her door. He broke into her home when she wasn’t there.
She reported the stalking to both the Gwinnett County Police Department and the Doraville Police Department. But neither department took significant action.
Could Susana’s murder have been prevented if Alacia’s concerns had been taken seriously? As Alacia Bates herself said, “I don’t think they took the matter serious because he was a cop… I do feel like if they did, Susana could still be alive.”
On February 22, 2023, police charged Bryant with felony murder and kidnapping.
During a press conference, the Gwinnett County Police Department provided a timeline of events. They stated that they didn’t believe there was any prior connection between Susana and Bryant, even though he lived and worked at the apartment complex where she visited friends.
This raises questions. How could they rule out the gun as the cause of death, given the condition of the body? Why did they dismiss a potential connection when Bryant lived and worked so close to where Susana disappeared?
The Pursuit of Justice
Susana Morales’s family continued to demand justice and accountability for the crime. They believed the Gwinnett County Police Department failed to properly investigate Susana’s disappearance. They also felt the Doraville Police Department was negligent in hiring Bryant.
Susana’s sister, Jasmine, expressed the family’s pain: “No amount of money, no amount of justice will be able to bring her back to us. But what we can do is try and make sure this doesn’t happen to anybody else again.”
On the one-year anniversary of Susana’s disappearance, her family gathered at her grave. They brought flowers and cried out for justice.
In January 2024, prosecutors added another charge to Bryant: attempted rape. He now faced five charges: malice murder, felony murder, kidnapping, false report of a crime, and attempted rape.
The Morales family also filed a lawsuit against the apartment complex for negligence. They argued that the complex should have known Bryant was a threat and failed to provide adequate security.
In mid-June 2024, Miles Bryant was found guilty of malice murder, felony murder, kidnapping, and false report of a crime for Susana Morales. The jury found him not guilty of criminal attempt to commit rape.
He was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for malice murder, 12 months consecutive for false report of a crime, and the other sentences were vacated.
Here’s an excerpt from the court:
Judge: “Mr. Bryant on count one malice murder I sentence you to life without the possibility of parole, count two and count three I believe vacate as operational law, count five I sentence you to 12 months which is the maximum I can consecutive to your life without the possibility of parole.”
Systemic Failures
The case of Susana Morales highlights multiple failures in our justice system. From the initial dismissiveness of law enforcement to the missed warnings surrounding Miles Bryant’s behavior, so many things went wrong.
This case also brings to light the issue of “Missing White Woman Syndrome”. There’s often a disparity in media coverage and police response for missing white women compared to women and girls that are not white. We need to ensure equal attention and resources for all missing persons cases.
We must demand change in policies and police hiring practices.
Remembering Susana
Susana’s story is a tragic reminder of the importance of fighting for justice and holding those in power accountable.
What do you think about the systemic failures in this case? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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