Deaths Of 2 Norcross Teens Unrelated: Police

NORCROSS, GA — Gwinnett County Police said Friday the deaths of two Norcross teens are unrelated, contrary to stories about the deaths circulating throughout the community and on social media.

The remains of Susana Morales were found Monday near Drowning Creek, police said Wednesday afternoon. Morales, 16, had been missing since July 26, 2022. Her cause of death is unknown.

The cause of death for Rodrigo Mayen Floriano, 17, was ruled an overdose by the Gwinnett Medical Examiner's Office, police said. Police said Mayen Floriano died Monday.

"Gwinnett Police stands firm in its pursuit of safety for our community and wants to educate our citizens on questions they may have when reporting a missing person, a missing juvenile and a runway juvenile," police said in a news release.

Detectives spent last summer and fall investigating the Morales' missing persons case, police said. Authorities canvassed several known location but failed to find leads in the case.

Photos of Morales were distributed to law-enforcement agencies across the country, police said.

"As a result, we responded to multiple legitimate and hoax sightings, but none were determined to be Susana. Additionally, our detectives debunked multiple false ransom hoaxes from unscrupulous individuals attempting to get money from Susana's family," police said in the release.

A reward was offered in Morales' missing persons case, police said.

"The tragic discovery of Susana's remains this week was not the outcome anyone wanted in this case. Finding out what happened is one of our top priorities. Because this is an active case, we cannot always release the exact details of the work we are doing, but that work is ongoing and will continue until this case is resolved," police said in the release.

Gwinnett County Police shared the following guidelines regarding a missing person report:

• Gwinnett Police uniform officers take a missing person report on the scene when they meet with the person making the report (a family member, friend or guardian) that has called, stating someone is missing. Reports for missing persons are forwarded to the Criminal Investigations Section for follow-up.
• A person, regardless of age, may be reported missing immediately or at any time. A juvenile who has been listed missing and has not returned home in 24 hours will be reported for administrative purposes as a runway through the Georgia Crime Information Center. A runaway is a status offense where a minor can be criminally charged when they leave with intentions to run away. Over 40 juvenile missing reports are received monthly by Gwinnett PD, and most minors return home on their own.
• However, all missing and runaway juveniles are investigated and treated the same. No biases are established when the juvenile is missing or is a runaway, and the only goal is to confirm the safety and well-being of the missing individual. Different measurable facts are gathered throughout the investigation to determine whether there is suspicious activity involved and whether or not there appears to be criminal activity.
• Family members should contact law enforcement the moment they believe their loved one has gone missing and provide as much information as possible to law enforcement. Accurate and timely information is critical to determine whether or not the missing person should be considered critical or otherwise in danger due to age, mental capacity, disability or another compounding factor. Every case is different and has to be evaluated by its individual circumstances.
• A Levi's Call, also called an Amber Alert in some states, is used only in cases where there is a confirmed abduction. Levi's Calls are requested through the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and it is their discretion to approve or deny the request.