Miles Bryant trial: Officer who looked for Susana Morales gives emotional testimony

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - The trial for the former Doraville police officer accused of killing 16-year-old Susana Morales continued in a Gwinnett County courtroom on Thursday morning. 

One of the key investigators in the Morales disappearance case broke down in tears multiple times while on the stand. At one point, the judge ordered a 15-minute comfort break to allow the investigator to compose himself.

So far today, five witnesses have testified, including three investigators, the victim's best friend, and her boyfriend. 

The friends testified about the night Morales told them she was headed home from a friend's house. They also described how loved ones received Life360 alerts indicating a possible car crash, followed by a sudden change in direction at high speed. After that, no one heard from her again.

During Lieutenant Biggers' testimony, he discussed how he spent many late nights canvassing and searching for Morales. He felt a particular connection to the case, believing the teen was taken against her will. 

"The anguish and sadness that the mother felt touched me deeply," Biggers said. "I have a daughter the same age, and my wife is Hispanic. I felt it was my duty to try to find her, being a parent and very worried about your child."

The defense asked about Morales' suspension history at school, drug use, and media posts leading up to her disappearance. Lieutenant Biggers testified that he doesn't believe any of those details were relevant or contributed to Morales' disappearance.

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Morales' best friend and boyfriend also took the stand and discussed how the teen was headed home from a friend's house the night they last spoke to her in July 2022. They also described how loved ones received Life360 alerts indicating a possible car crash, followed by a sudden change in direction at high speed. After that, no one heard from her again. 

On February 6, 2023, Matthew Gilbert was off-roading when he found remains along Drowning Creek Road which was about 20 miles from where Morales was last seen. "There were skull bones scattered throughout the woods," he said.  

Investigators say they didn’t find any of Morales’s clothes or personal items with her remains but did find Bryant's gun in the nearby area. Bryant had reported his firearm as missing. 

Earlier this week, 23-year-old Miles Bryant rejected a plea deal before the jury selection process began. The jury will now decide whether the former officer is guilty of the charges against him, which include malice murder, felony murder, kidnapping, criminal attempt to commit rape, and false report of a crime.

At the time of Morales' death, Bryant was working as a courtesy officer at the Gwinnett apartment complex Morales visited the night she went missing. Prosecutors allege that she was murdered that same night. However, her body wasn't found until several months later.