Fired Georgia Police Officer Arrested and Charged with Felony Murder and Kidnapping of 16-Year-Old

A former police officer is being charged with the kidnapping and killing of a 16-year-old girl.

According to NBC News, former Georgia police officer, Miles Bryant, has been charged with felony murder and kidnapping in the death of 16-year-old Susana Morales. Police officials stated on Wednesday that a firearm that he had previously reported missing was discovered near her skeletal remains.

The 22-year-old former police officer was initially charged with concealing a death and falsely reporting a crime in connection with the disappearance of the 16-year-old victim. The skeletal remains of Morales were found on Feb. 6.

The Gwinnett Police Department stated via a press release that Morales met Bryant while she was walking home from a friend’s house on July 26, 2022. According to Gwinnett County Police Chief J.D. McClure, she encountered the former police officer sometime between 10:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Police detectives theorize that Morales was killed between 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m.

The investigation continues as it appears that Bryant and Morales did not know one other or engage in any previous relationship. The exact cause of death has not been determined and is still under investigation.

Earlier today, Chief McClure provided an update on the Susana Morales case. Miles Bryant has been charged with kidnapping and murder in connection with her death. #GwinnettPD #Police pic.twitter.com/8oEUONGf17

— Gwinnett County Police (@GwinnettPd) February 22, 2023

Police officials stated they suspected Bryant after they found “a critical piece of evidence,” the handgun, “in close proximity” to where the body of Morales was discovered. Her body was seen close to the woods near Highway 316 between Drowning Creek and the Barrow County line.

Bryant had reported his personal gun missing on the morning of July 27, which immediately made him a person of interest.

Morales was last seen on July 26 before being reported missing the next morning by her family.

McClure stated that she could have possibly been raped.

“We don’t definitively know” how she was killed. “We’re still investigating. What we do know is she died at the hands of Miles Bryant.”