Selena Garcia had made some poor decisions, but her close-knit family hoped she was moving her life in the right direction.
It was October 2022, and Selena had recently just gotten out of jail. She had been charged with trespassing and with lying to a police officer. Needless to say, Selena was thrilled to be out after spending more than 30 days there.
She was released on the evening of October 6, 2022, and her sister texted her right away. They were close, and her sister wanted to check in on her.
On the night of October 7, her sister texted her again, asking what she was up to. Selena answered saying she was going out with friends.
The next day, once again, her sister texted her. She saw that Selena read the message, but never texted back.
Every subsequent text message her sister sent in the next couple of days was read, but no response was given.
What was going on? Her sister had an eerie feeling because this sort of thing never happened before, the two always texted back and forth and kept in touch, no matter what.
Fears were heightened because just a few months earlier, a young Hispanic girl had gone missing in their area- Susana Morales. At the time, she had yet to be found.
Her family tried to find Selena on their own but were unsuccessful.
By October 23, Selena was officially a missing person.
Where is Selena Garcia?
Selena Garcia is the baby of the family. The youngest of seven siblings, Selena came from a very close-knit family. She was especially close with her sisters, keeping in touch daily.
The family resides in Gwinnett County, Georgia, and in the summer of 2022, Selena found herself in some legal trouble. She would be arrested on charges of trespassing and lying to a police officer.
The details of the criminal case are irrelevant, I’m not diving into that, but it’s worth mentioning because some do think this could have played into Selena’s disappearance.
THE DISAPPEARANCE.
Selena Garcia was so excited to be released from Jail. She had spent more than 30 days there, and for any young woman, it is a terrifying and traumatizing event.
Whether Selena made some bad choices on her own or had been hanging out with a troubled crowd, everyone hoped that Selena would be on the right track now. After all, no one wants to go back to jail, right?
Selena was released on the evening of October 6, 2022, from Gwinett County, Georgia. One of her older sisters immediately reached out to her to check on her. They texted back and forth a few times, both happy and in good spirits. Things were getting better for Selena.
The following day, October 7, Selena and her sister texted some more. Her sister asked her what she was doing and she responded that she was hanging with some friends. Her sister went on to see what Selena would be doing that evening, and Selena said she was going out with her friends. She didn’t say where, or specifically with whom, but just that she was ‘going out’.
The next few days were a bit of a blur for Selena’s family. Everyone kept texting her, but no one was getting any responses.
Her sister even texted her that she was getting worried and the message showed that it had been read. But there was still no answer. And this was very unusual. Selena always texted back. Usually, rapid-fire text, not even waiting any length of time to respond. Immediately her sister was worried.
But not everyone shared her concern.
Beginning on October 12th, Selena’s family reached out to law enforcement.
Selena was 25 years old, however. She didn’t need to be checking in with her family every day. That’s what law enforcement told them anyways.
While her family continued to search on their own, they didn’t receive any help from authorities.
It was actually a full two weeks after Selena vanished that law enforcement took an official missing persons report.
THE SEARCH AND INVESTIGATION.
The search for Selena was a tough one for many reasons. The family didn’t have the support of officials, and proper authorities would have also had resources that the family didn’t, such as GPS tracking, CCTV cameras, and interviewing experience.
But Selena’s family was mostly left on their own.
When law enforcement was pressed for answers, they said they were investigating Selena’s case like any other, but that there were just no leads to go on. Which seemed true.
Maybe if someone with experience and knowledge of these types of cases was out there pounding the pavement they could have uncovered some leads or evidence.
Another reason the family believed that law enforcement didn’t seem to be taking the case too seriously was that Selena had just been released from jail. She did have some legal issues that weren’t quite settled yet.
Did she go on the run to avoid future court dates?
Those who knew her didn’t think so. The charges weren’t that serious, not something she would have gone away for years for so why would she go on the run? It didn’t make any sense. Plus, the hard part of that case was over.
Her sister truly believed that someone kidnapped her or took her against her will.
Why else was her message read, but not responded to? Did someone else have her phone?
Selena’s sister also learned about a text message to a friend that had her even more concerned. Apparently, her friend had texted Selena on October 7th asking if she was safe. Selena responded and said, quote, “Yes, but I’d rather be with you”.
I have questions about that text. Her answer doesn’t seem that alarming to be, but I wonder why the friend asked if she was safe?
Also, were the friends she was believed to have been with that night ever identified?
Selena was believed to be with friends on October 7th at a home in Lilburn, Georgia. She was also known to frequent friends’ houses in Norcross, Georgia. These would be the areas they would focus on.
Norcross, Georgia was just 5 miles from Lilburn, and Norcross, Georgia had been dealing with another missing person case just a couple of months before Selena disappeared.
That case would lead to protests, rallies, and demonstrations for justice for these Hispanic women who vanished just a couple of months apart.
SUSANA MORALES.
Susana Morales texted her mother on July 26th that she was on her way home. She had been visiting a friend at their apartment complex in Norcross. Susana was 16 years old.
When she never made it home that night, her mother reported her missing, but like with Selena, no one really paid attention to her case. Because she was 16 years old, she was classified as a runaway.
It would take a lot of legwork from her friends and family, and the Hispanic community to bring her case to the forefront.
Just two and a half months later, Selena Garcia disappeared as well. Selena was thought to be in Lilburn, Georgia, about 5 miles from Norcross. Selena was also known to spend time with friends in Norcross.
Two young women disappeared, just a couple of months apart from the same area.
By now, with both Selena and Susana missing, the community was very worried. And you’d think that their stories would have been picked up nationally- but they really weren’t. Getting media attention and law enforcement help for these girls was still a struggle.
Sadly, Susana’s case would be resolved when her body was found on February 6, 2023, in a wooded area of Dacula, Georgia. Dacula is a town also in Gwinnett County, about 20 miles east of Norcross.
Found near the scene was a handgun, a Glock 19 that was later identified to belong to Miles Bryant, a Doraville Police Officer. Bryant had stated that his gun was stolen from his truck, however.
As Miles Bryant was identified as a person of interest, authorities began surveillance on him and were able to find sufficient evidence that ultimately led to his arrest for Susana Morales’ kidnapping and murder.
Bryant not only worked as a part-time security guard at the apartment complex where Morales was, but he also lived there.
There is no known connection between Bryant and Selena Garcia, but one has to wonder.
These two cases have also brought to light some possible issues in law enforcement there. Both families stated they received little to no support, especially in the beginning, but authorities did release a statement saying that they treat every case with the utmost importance and urgency.
GWINNETT COUNTY, GEORGIA.
Gwinnett County is considered part of the Atlanta Metropolitan Area, located just to the northeast of the city.
Gwinnett County has just under 1 million residents in total.
While still pretty populated, there are a lot of parks and recreation areas within the County and nearby. The Chattahoochee River is a large river that runs 430 miles from Northern Georgia, through Alabama, and into Florida.
Now, if you are looking to leave the area, there are many ways to do that with several highways and airports. If Selena left the area on her own, she likely did so in a vehicle. But where would she go? Even as authorities labeled her as missing on her own- at least at first- her friends and family didn’t buy it for a second. Where would she go when pretty much everyone she knew was in Georgia?
QUESTIONS AND THEORIES.
With little information to go on, of course, there are many questions.
Was there any cell phone to analyze? Pings, GPS trackers, unusual phone calls, or texts?
Who were the friends she was with on October 7th? Her sister originally said she was kicking herself for not asking who she was going out with that night, but at the time, she just didn’t think to. She had no way of knowing her sister would vanish that night.
If authorities have identified them and interviewed them, what are their stories?
Was any possible connection between Selena and Miles Bryant investigated?
Being that disappeared shortly after being released from jail, I wonder if any cellmates or other prisoners there were interviewed. Was there anyone who had any contact or connection with Selena who might have some information on Selena’s immediate plans?
So we are left with a few possibilities.
- Selena left on her own accord. While there is no evidence pointing to any desire to do this, there is no evidence pointing anywhere. This is what authorities first believed, but not Selena’s friends and family.
- Selena met with foul play. Did something nefarious happen that night? Did Selena find herself in a situation she couldn’t get out of? Either with the friends, she was with or someone else?
- Selena was kidnapped. Her sister has stated that she believed Selena was kidnapped and held against her will. But where? And why?
- Selena harmed herself. This is always a theory in missing adult cases, but nothing points to this as being something Selena was thinking of. Plus, then where is she?
What do you think happened to Selena Garcia?
Selena is described as a Hispanic woman, 5’4” tall and weighing around 150 pounds when she was last seen in October 2022.
She has brown eyes and shoulder-length, light brown hair.
Selena is 25 years old.
Anyone with any information about Selena Garcia’s whereabouts is asked to call detectives at 770–513–5300 or Crime Stoppers, which lets tipsters remain anonymous, at 404–577–8477.
