According to Channel 2 Action News, the wife of a man believed to be connected to the disappearance of a mother in metro Atlanta was employed by a local police department.
Brianna Winston, a 23-year-old woman, was declared missing by her family members on April 1st. They mentioned that her 4-year-old daughter had been staying with her father’s family, and there had been no communication from Winston for several weeks.
According to authorities, she ceased reporting to work on March 17th, which is believed to be the day she went missing.
According to a recent statement by the Clayton County Police Department, they now suspect that the woman was the target of a criminal act that rendered her unable to defend herself or escape the situation.
Detectives have identified two individuals of interest in the case: Michael Edwards, the father of Winston’s child, and his wife, Brienna Phillips-Edwards.
Edwards was arrested on April 8, according to jail records. The charge against him is aggravated stalking.
Channel 2’s Tom Jones visited Union City on Wednesday and discovered that Brienna Phillips-Edwards, a 21-year-old, was taken into custody for a felony false statement offense. As stated in the warrant, she provided misleading information to the police and attempted to fabricate an alibi for her husband during their investigation into Winston’s disappearance.
During his time at Union City Police, Phillips-Edwards had aspirations of becoming an officer himself.
When Jones told Winston’s cousin about Phillips-Edwards’ connections with the police, she was absolutely astonished.
Jasmine Walker expressed her disbelief and shock upon hearing the news. She described it as truly disturbing and left her speechless.
According to authorities, once they discovered Phillips-Edwards’ connection to the Winston disappearance case, they intended to initiate an internal affairs investigation. However, before they could proceed, Phillips-Edwards unexpectedly tendered his resignation.
According to Walker, Phillips-Edwards should be disqualified from wearing the badge based on the allegations against her.
Walker expressed his concern about individuals with questionable backgrounds and direct ties to criminals occupying positions of authority as law enforcement officers.