Nearly two months after a Clayton County mother was last seen alive, her family has learned what investigators believe happened to her.
And the details are horrifying, according to Briana Winston’s cousin.
“I’ve had many sleepless nights, crying every night,” Jasmine Walker told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Friday. “Just knowing what happened and that no one was there to help her.”
Walker said her family learned Thursday that investigators believe 23-year-old Winston was killed and her remains were then stuffed into a suitcase and driven to Tennessee, where the body was set on fire. Police have charged the father of Winston’s child, 23-year-old Michale Edwards, with murder. An arrest warrant accuses Edwards of strangling the woman to death.
Walker said DNA swabs from family members confirmed the remains belonged to Winston.
Winston’s family reported her missing April 1 after going to her Garden Walk Boulevard apartment and finding it cleaned out by Edwards, police previously said. Winston’s family then learned from an employer that she was scheduled to work March 17 but never arrived.
Walker said she usually spoke with her cousin every other day, but she stopped being able to reach her. Winston’s sister called Walker concerned, too. Walker said she asked the apartment leasing office employees to do a wellness check on her cousin’s apartment.
“When they walked in the apartment, it was cleaned out and smelled like bleach,” Walker said. “That was a red flag for me.”
When police began investigating Winston’s disappearance, there were more shocking developments. Edwards, who had been living with Winston, was married to someone else.
“We didn’t know he was married until the detectives called me three weeks ago,” Walker said. “I’m sure she didn’t know.”
In late April, investigators said they believe Winston disappeared during the early morning hours of March 17 and that “she was the victim of a crime that left her incapacitated in some way.” At that point, they said the case had become a homicide investigation.
On April 8, Edwards was charged with aggravated stalking, Clayton jail records show. He has been held without bond since his arrest. Those charges were upgraded Thursday to include malice murder. Edwards was denied bond at a court appearance Friday morning.
Investigators recently learned Edwards took a trip to Tennessee after Winston disappeared, according to an arrest warrant. Earlier this week, investigators traveled from Clayton to Gates, Tennessee. There, a man told police he had helped Edwards burn the suitcase for several hours, the warrant states.
The man spoke with police under a proffer agreement, meaning the information he provided cannot be used against him, the warrant states.
Detectives were able to find human bones where the burned remains were dumped, along with part of a pair of pants and a set of keys, according to police. The keys matched those in the complex leasing office for Winston’s apartment and mailbox.
For now, Walker said her family is grateful for some answers. Relatives hope to get custody of Winston’s daughter, who is in protective custody, Walker said.
“I’m gonna be there every step of the way until we have justice,” she said.
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