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The Gwinnett County Police Department recently found the body of Susana Morales, a 16-year-old girl who went missing in July 2022.
On February 6, 2023, the police department responded to an area near the Gwinnett-Barrow county line after a passerby seemingly found what they believed were human remains in the forest on Highway 316 at night.
As per Fox News Digital, after a thorough examination, the remains were identified with that of Susana Morales. While speaking with Fox 5, Jennifer Richter from Gwinnett County Police said:
"It does look like she has been there for some period of time."
Susana Morales was last spotted at an unknown location near Oak Loch Trace during the late evening hours
As per reports, authorities had been searching for Susana Morales since July 26, 2022. While she was going home from a friend's house, cops suspected that she may have gotten into a vehicle. Moreover, a GPS app and video captured her on Singleton Road between 10.07 and 10.21 pm local time, going in the direction of her house on Windscape Village Lane.
Authorities in charge revealed that Susana Morales' phone last pinged updating her location to a place near Oak Loch Trace, which was her last known location. This is where her cellphone ran out of battery and shut off. Detectives searched for Susana Morales for one whole month before asking for the public's help to pitch in on the investigation.
It was initially suggested that Morales might have run away since there were no signs of the 16-year-old being held against her will. In addition, there was no indication of physical assault or kidnapping, and the police did not believe she was in any danger.
At the time, her sister Jasmine said (via 11Alive):
"Sometimes I can’t even believe that she’s gone. It’s unreal. We feel her close, we don’t feel her far away. I check her Snapchat score every day, her Instagram following, her TikTok -- nothing. Nothing has changed."
Morales was last seen wearing a yellow shirt, light blue jeans, and white crocs, but authorities did not reveal whether or not her clothes were found in the area. After testing the remains, The Gwinnett Medical Examiners' said that the DNA from the remains matches Morales' dental records.
As of writing, no cause of death has been revealed, but Richter said they are working on other details.
"Right now, we're really looking at this as a death investigation. We haven't ruled out homicide."
On July 31, 2022, Jasmine Morales, Susana's sister, started a GoFundMe page to cover funds for private investigations and advertising for the now-declared-deceased teen. So far, the page has garnered $5,438 of the $16,000 goal.
