Missing Clayton mom believed to be dead was ‘incapacitated in some way’, police say

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CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — The disappearance of a Riverdale mother is now considered a homicide case, according to police.

Family has been searching for Briana Winston, 23, for weeks.

They spoke with Channel 2 Action News reporter Courtney Francisco Saturday after finding out that detectives no longer think she is alive.

“We want to know who did what to her and why did they do it her,” said Winston’s cousin, Jasmine Walker.

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Family reported her missing April 1, 2024.

They said her 4-year-old daughter had been staying with the dad’s family, and no one had heard from Winston in weeks.

Her grandmother, Ann Thomas, said, “She always called me every couple days to see how grandma was doing.”

Family checked her Riverdale apartment where she lived with the father of her child and said it was cleaned out.

“We don’t know where her clothes are, her furniture, anything,” said Walker.

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Police say she stopped showing up for work March 17. Now, police say that is the day detectives think she vanished.

In an updated statement, Clayton County Police Department wrote, “They believe she was the victim of a crime that left her incapacitated in some way.”

The statement included photos of two people detectives are interested in talking to about the missing person case: the father of Winston’s child, Michale Edwards and his wife, Brienna Phillips-Edwards.

“We just found out that he was married. We did not know,” said Walker.

Jail records say police arrested Edwards April 8. His charge is listed as aggravated stalking. His wife is not listed in Clayton County Jail.

Channel 2 Action News is waiting to confirm whether police located her to talk by Saturday evening.

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Family’s plea now is for someone to speak up.

“If anybody can just think, ‘Oh! I seen her this place, that day,’ that can help. If they seen him, Michale, or the wife, what did they see? What kind of car was they in? Where were they? Anything can help us,” said Walker.

Anyone with information regarding the disappearance of Briana Winston is asked to contact the Clayton County Police Department at 770-477-3747.

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