Ex-Doraville Officer Indicted In Killing Of Norcross Teen

NORCROSS, GA — A former Doraville police officer was indicted after being accused of murder in the killing of Susana Morales, a 16-year-old girl whose remains were found in February, Fox 5 Atlanta reported Thursday, which secured a copy of the indictment.

Morales' remains were found a little longer than six months after she was reported missing in Norcross.

Miles Bryant, 22, was originally arrested Feb. 13 in connection with the case and was charged on suspicion of concealing the death of another and false report of a crime. His charges were upgraded to felony murder and kidnapping nearly a week later.

According to the indictment, Bryant is also charged on suspicion of malice murder. He is accused of kidnapping and causing the death of Morales between July 26, 2022, and July 27, 2022.

He is also accused of falsely reporting a theft by taking crime after police previously said he reported his handgun stolen. The handgun was a personal weapon, police previously said.

It's unknown how Morales died and whether she was familiar with Bryant, Gwinnett County Police Chief James D. McClure said at a late February news conference where the charges against Bryant were announced. There's no indication anyone else was involved in the killing and Morales was not shot to death, McClure said.

"What we do know is that she died at the hands of Miles Bryant," he previously said.

Morales was reported missing from her Santa Anna Drive home at 9 a.m. on July 27, 2022, McClure previously said.

Her last known location was a friend's home at Sterling Glen Apartments, where Bryant lived and worked as a security officer, McClure said.

Morales was walking to her house from the friend's home around 10 p.m. on July 26, 2022 and she never made it home.

Police believe she was killed sometime between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. the next morning, McClure said. She had contact with a person between 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., he said.

"By the time she was reported missing, we have every reason to believe that she was deceased," he said.

Her remains were found by a passerby around 6:30 p.m., Feb. 6, in the woods along Highway 316 near Drowning Creek and the Barrow County line.

During the investigation, a handgun was found on Feb. 7. McClure said Bryant reported the handgun stolen the day Morales was reported missing, adding that the report was false.

The gun was traced back to Bryant, and he became a person of interest in the case, McClure said. The gun is seemingly a personal weapon, McClure said.