Family demands change after Georgia officer's arrest in 16-year-old girl's death, disappearance

Family members of a 16-year-old Georgia girl who was found dead after she disappeared demanded changes in how local police handle investigations into missing juveniles in a new petition. 

Susana Morales' sister Jasmine also wants a review of Doraville police hiring practices after a now-former police officer was arrested in connection with the teen's death. Miles Bryant, who was preliminarily charged with falsely reporting a crime and concealing the death of another, was later charged with felony murder and kidnapping.

Morales vanished in Norcross, Georgia, on July 26, 2022, her family said. She'd been at a friend's house that night and texted her mom around 9:40 p.m. when she was on her way home. The teen should have arrived home quickly — it was a nine-minute walk through local streets — but she never made it back.

"We knew something went wrong," Jasmine Morales wrote in a petition. "We BEGGED Gwinnett County police to look for her, but they told us that people aren't considered missing until after 48 hours. We knew we couldn't wait that long."

The teen's remains were found in a wooded area off a highway about 20 miles from where she'd lived on Feb. 6, 2023. Bryant was arrested on Feb. 13.

Police dismissed the concerns of Morales' family during the investigation, the teen's sister said. Local authorities have defended the police search in the months since the teen's disappearance. 

"Our detectives have continuously worked on Susana Morales's case since we received it," police in Gwinnett County said. "We have kept in constant contact with Susana's family and told them what was happening in the case. On the day Susana was reported missing, our officers conducted a canvass at several locations where people said she might be but did not find any leads."

The teen's family wants the police search process for missing minors to be updated.

"We demand that the process for missing minors be evaluated and changed so that families can have access to full transparency during investigation," they wrote in a petition.

They also allege Bryant, who was fired after officials were made aware of the charges against him, has a history of stalking and harassing women. The 22-year-old worked for the Doraville Police Department in DeKalb County, about 5 miles from Morales' home in neighboring Gwinnett County. He was reprimanded multiple times when he was employed by the Doraville Police Department, the Atlanta-Journal Constitution reported.

"We want the Doraville County Police Department to be held accountable for knowingly hiring a man with a history of violence, and for not taking accountability for the harm their officer has committed against any sister, my family, and the other women he has victimized," Morales' sister said. 

Thousands have signed the family's petition calling for a transparent investigation by Doraville police. 

"Everyone involved needs to be held accountable for this horrible injustice," Morales' family wrote.