Cops should’ve kept Susana Morales safe. Instead, one is charged with her murder.

The Gwinnett County Police Department and The Doraville County Police Department

When Susana Morales, a 16-year-old from Atlanta, GA, never came home from her friend's house the night of July 26, 2022, her family knew something wasn’t right. When the Morales family went to police for help, they were told Susana was probably a runaway and that they needed to wait 48 hours before police would consider Susana as a missing person. However, the circumstances of her disappearance painted a different picture.

Susana was visiting a friend that lived in her neighborhood, only a 9 minute walk away. Around 9:40 p.m. Susana sent her mom a text alerting her that she was on her way home. A neighbor’s doorbell camera captured Susana walking down the street, only a few blocks away from reaching her family home. Despite this evidence, it allegedly took police 6 months to find any leads into Susana’s disappearance.

On February 6, 2023, police discovered Susana’s body in the woods of an Atlanta suburb. The primary suspect: Georgia Officer Miles Bryant, who was employed by the Doraville County Police Department despite having a history of stalking, harassing, and behaving inappropriately toward women and girls.

Join us in supporting the Morales family as they demand justice for Susana.

To: The Gwinnett County Police Department and The Doraville County Police Department
From: [Your Name]

The treatment of the Morales family and the way they were dismissed throughout the investigation of Susana Morales’ disappearance and murder is unacceptable.

The Morales family was forced to wait 48 hours, which is not required under Georgia code, before reporting Susana missing, wasting vital time in locating her. Those 48 hours could have made a significant difference in the investigation. The Morales family desperately waited for answers, and instead of hearing any news from investigators, Susana’s family had to find key evidence themselves by interviewing their neighbors. It took law enforcement 6 months to find any leads into Susana’s disappearance.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of missing Black and Latina women and girls has spiked. Despite this, the lack of media coverage in cases of missing women and girls of color, a phenomenon known as “Missing White Girl Syndrome”, often translates to less pressure on police to solve their disappearances and limited resources used in investigations.

Our community refuses to let Susana’s case and her family be silenced. We will not allow more cases of missing women and girls of color to be stalled, or ignored, by law enforcement. We condemn the lack of urgency displayed by the Gwinnett County Police Department throughout the investigation into Susana’s murder. We demand that the Doraville County Police Department take accountability for overlooking Miles Bryant’s violent past when allowing him into the police force.

We support the Morales family as they demand:

A fair and transparent investigation from the Doraville County Police Department.

A reevaluation of the process for reporting missing minors so that families have full transparency during investigations.

Acknowledgment that Title 35 of the Georgia Code was violated when the officers told the Morales family to wait 48 hours before reporting Susana missing.