Briana Winston: Georgia Mother Found Stuffed In Suitcase, Set Afire In Tennessee
Briana Winston of Riverdale, Georgia, went missing around March 17, 2024, according to law enforcement in Clayton County, just outside Atlanta.
The 23-year-old mother was “the victim of a crime that left her incapacitated in some way,” Clayton County police told local media, although officers are still trying to figure out what happened.
The missing persons case has become a homicide investigation, according to media reports.
“I’ve had many sleepless nights, crying every night,” Jasmine Walker told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Just knowing what happened and that no one was there to help her.”
What happened to Winston, if true, is both gruesome and senseless: What police have divulged is that she was killed and stuffed into a suitcase and driven to Tennessee, where her body was set on fire.
A suspect, 23-year-old Michale Edwards, the father of Winston’s child, has been charged with murder.
The first indication that something was wrong came when Winston’s cousin, Jasmine Walker, who told the AJC that she spoke to her nearly every other day, could no longer reach her. On April 1, Winston’s family called police and reported her missing.
Next, the family asked that a leasing office agent do a wellness check on Winston’s apartment on Garden Walk Boulevard. That’s when they discovered that its belongings had been emptied by Edwards, according to police.
“When they walked in the apartment, it was cleaned out and smelled like bleach,” Walker said. “That was a red flag for me.”
They also learned that Wiinston never showed up to work on March 17. More revelations would come: Police learned that Edwards, who lived with Winston, was a married man.
“We didn’t know he was married until the detectives called me three weeks ago,” Walker said. “I’m sure she didn’t know.”
Winston’s daughter is in protective custody, the family told the AJC. Edwards is facing charges of malice murder and more in the Clayton County Jail.
“I’m gonna be there every step of the way until we have justice,” she said.