Naman Shrestha
The episode titled ‘Tracking Susana’ of ABC’s ’20/20′ delves deep into the sudden disappearance and murder of a 16-year-old girl named Susana Morales in Norcross, Georgia. For months, she remained missing, but when her remains were found, the police wasted no time getting to the bottom of the homicide. As the detectives began investigating, they came across chilling pieces of evidence against one of their own. The documentary features insightful interviews with Susana’s family and friends and the officials involved in the investigation.
Susana Morales’ Remains Were Found Months After She Went Missing
The beloved daughter of Maria Morales, Susana Morales, was born on June 24, 2006, in Atlanta, Georgia. She grew up in the company of her sister, Jasmine Morales. Raised in a loving and supportive family, Susana was a talented individual who developed a deep passion for all things musical; she enjoyed singing and playing various instruments. She could play the piano really well, and was even honing her skills on the guitar and ukulele. Known for her warm and inviting personality, she had a natural ability to connect with people, which even led her to form meaningful friendships. Family was quite integral to Susana, and she treasured the bond she shared with her family and friends, who equally cherished her presence in their lives.
In June 2022, Susana opened another chapter of her life when she began dating a guy named Axel Zaragoza, whom she had first met the month before, in May. She resided on Santa Anna Drive in Norcross with her family, who loved her deeply. On July 26, 2022, she left for her friend’s place at approximately 6 pm. Since it was just a 9-10 minute walk, she left on foot. Around 9:40 pm, she sent her mother a text, letting her know she was on her way back. When she hadn’t reached home around 10 pm, her loved ones began to worry. As they began piecing together her whereabouts, an app placed the 16-year-old on Singleton Road from Windscape Village Lane between 10:07 pm and 10:21 pm. From then on till 10:26 pm, her phone pinged her location as Oak Loch Trace near Steve Reynolds. It was in the area that her phone was ultimately turned off.
After searching for her all night, the family contacted the authorities the following morning. While the missing report was filed, the initial lack of any indication of foul play led the police to reportedly treat it as a runaway case. However, over half a year later, on February 6, 2023, after 6:30 pm, a passerby noticed human remains on the side of Hwy 316 between Drowning Creek and the Barrow County Line. They immediately contacted the authorities, who rushed to the spot and recovered a set of skeletal remains. A medical examination soon determined that it belonged to Susana Morales. The wooded area where the remains were discovered was just about 20 miles from the Morales residence. Since the remains had decomposed and undergone skeletonization, the cause of death could sadly not be determined.
Susana Morales’ Killer Reported the Murder Weapon Missing the Day After She Vanished
As part of the investigation, the detectives spoke to Susana Morales’ friends and family, including her boyfriend, Axel Zaragoza. He told them that he and Susana had FaceTimed several times on the fateful night, before she went missing. The friend whose home she visited that night also claimed that Susana left the house and began walking towards her home. Their claims were confirmed after the police checked the surveillance footage of the area, which showed her walking down the street on her own. The day after she went missing, a police officer named Miles Bryant, working for the Doraville Police Department in DeKalb County, reported one of his guns stolen from his Sterling Glen Apartment.
Miles claimed that when he went looking for his wallet in his truck, he found his Glock 19 holster without the gun. He then reported the firearm stolen, the same kind that was found near the area where Susana’s remains were found. He told the detective that someone could have stolen it since he had left his truck unlocked. Interestingly, Susana’s friend, whom she visited the night of her disappearance, also lived in the Sterling Glen Apartments. According to her best friend, Esmeralda “Rose” Castillo, a few weeks earlier, she and Susana were offered a ride by Miles, but they declined and laughed it off. Upon delving deeper into Miles’ past, they learned that he had a history of stalking and harassing women, making him a potential suspect in the case.
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Miles Bryant’s cell phone records also placed him at the scene where Susana’s remains were found. Moreover, he had made internet searches of the wooded area and made a query on the internet — “How long does it take a body to decompose?” During his interrogation, Miles admitted to being in the area on the fateful night but claimed that he didn’t get out of his vehicle. Despite claiming innocence, he was arrested on February 13, 2023, and charged with malice murder, felony murder, kidnapping, and false report of a crime. Soon after his arrest, he was fired from his job at the Doraville Police Department.
More than a year later, on June 3, 2024, Miles Bryant’s trial for the murder of Susana Morales got underway. Susana’s family and friends took the stand and testified about using the Life360 app to locate her on the night she vanished. Her best friend, Esmeralda, also told the jury about her earlier encounter with the defendant. On June 12, 2024, the jury deliberated for about six hours before reaching a final verdict. They found Miles guilty of malice murder, felony murder, kidnapping, and false report of a crime, but not guilty of attempted rape. In the end, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, in addition to 12 months.
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