Naman Shrestha
When 16-year-old Susana Morales went missing on the streets of Norcross, Georgia, in the summer of 2022, it took the authorities several months to locate her remains. However, after the discovery of her remains in February 2023, the detectives quickly connected a local police officer named Miles Bryant to the crime. Although he maintained his innocence, they were able to find incriminating evidence against him. ABC’s ’20/20: Tracking Susana’ chronicles the entire case and the investigation that followed, with the help of exclusive interviews with Susana’s loved ones and the officials who helped solve the case.
Miles Bryant’s Cell Phone Records and Firearm Linked Him to Susana Morales’ Murder
Born in 2000, Miles Bryant went on to become a police officer at the Doraville Police Department in DeKalb County, Georgia. The resident and courtesy officer of the Sterling Glen Apartments in Norcross was also a member of the Army National Guard. Sometime before July 2022, he ran into Susana Morales and her friend Alyssa Marvin at the apartment complex, where he allegedly offered to give them drugs and a ride in his car. As per Susana’s best friend, Esmeralda “Rose” Castillo, Miles approached her and Susana, offering a ride again, but the two declined. A few weeks later, on the fateful night of July 26, 2022, the police officer crossed paths with Susana as she was walking back home from her friend’s place at the apartment complex.
As per the investigators’ theory, he kidnapped her from the area of Oak Loch Trace and Steve Reynolds Boulevard around 10:30 pm and killed her before disposing of her remains in the wooded area on the side of Highway 316 between Drowning Creek and the Barrow County Line. He also threw his black Glock 19 near the remains. The following day, Miles reported his gun missing from his residence, claiming that his gun and wallet were stolen from his unlocked car. He managed to evade justice for several months until February 6, 2023, when Susana’s remains were discovered by a passerby, who reported the same to the authorities. When they found Miles’ firearm near the remains, the detectives linked him to the crime.
Considered a person of interest, he was then surveilled by the detectives, who learned that he resided close to the area where Susana was last seen on Windscape Village Lane. His cell phone records placed him at the scene where her remains were found. In addition, he had reportedly searched about the wooded area on the internet and inquired, “How long does it take a body to decompose?” Miles was then brought in for questioning, but he denied having anything to do with the murder. On February 13, 2023, despite his claims of innocence, he was arrested and eventually charged with felony murder and kidnapping. Soon after his arrest, another woman, Elesha Bates, accused Miles of stalking and breaking into her home. After she reported his behavior to the police, the Doraville PD claimed that they talked to him and the stalking stopped.
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Miles Bryant is Currently Incarcerated at a Georgia Prison, Planning to Appeal to the Supreme Court
Miles Bryant stood trial for the killing of 16-year-old Susana Morales on June 3, 2024. During the trial, the prosecution highlighted the fact that the defendant had encountered Susana before and alleged that he lured her into his truck before killing her. The defense, on the other hand, argued that Miles had nothing to do with the homicide, emphasizing that the cause of her death could not be determined. “Is there any evidence of malice and murder? There is not,” the defense attorney stated. Miles’ girlfriend also took the stand and testified against him, claiming that she noticed scratches and a cracked mirror on his truck after he reported his gun stolen. After nearly 10 days of testimonies, the jury deliberated for about six hours and convicted him of malice murder, felony murder, kidnapping, and misdemeanor false report of a crime.
Ultimately, Miles Bryant was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 12 months. Not long after, he and his defense counsel filed a motion to overturn his conviction and grant him a new trial, claiming that Miles was dissatisfied with the final verdict because he didn’t receive a fair trial due to alleged trial errors. However, in late March 2026, the Court of Appeals denied his motion for a new trial. The defense now plans to take his appeal to the Georgia Supreme Court. As of today, the killer is serving his sentence at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison in Jackson, Georgia.
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