A tragic incident occurred involving a young mother who unfortunately lost her life upon discovering that her live-in partner was already married to someone else. A Georgia man, identified as Michale Edwards by police, is facing charges for the alleged murder of Briana Winston and the subsequent burning of her body. It has been reported that they have a child together.
The Clayton County Police Dept. shared information about the unsettling case on Monday (May 13), as reported by PEOPLE. It had been approximately one month since her family reported her as missing after losing contact with her in mid-March.
Edwards was apprehended by authorities following a man’s provision of information regarding Briana’s disappearance earlier this month. Michale Edwards faces multiple serious charges, including aggravated assault, malice murder, felony murder, and tampering with evidence.
Meanwhile, the unidentified individual sought immunity in the case in return for providing disturbing information. He admitted to assisting Edwards in getting rid of Briana’s body following her murder on March 17th. According to reports, she confronted her boyfriend about his infidelity on that day.
In the midst of a heated dispute, Lt. Ashanti Marbury alleges that Edwards “choked” Briana Winston and subsequently placed her lifeless body inside a suitcase. Later, the man from Georgia made his way to Gates, Tennessee, a distance of over 400 miles from Clayton County.
Collaboratively, the individuals placed Winston’s remains into a burn barrel and ignited it with the assistance of an accelerant. Authorities claim that they allowed the body to burn for an extended period of time, resulting in the 23-year-old’s remains being reduced to skeletal remains.
Later, the two individuals scattered her remains in separate places. He scattered them along Interstate 40 in Tennessee, the Georgia man’s ex-boyfriend. In the meantime, his partner disposed of her remains in a cemetery located behind a church.
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Edwards was immediately considered a person of interest in the missing persons case. According to a police statement, during Briana’s disappearance, her family found out that Michale had emptied their shared apartment.
He was initially interviewed by the police on April 4, following his arrest for aggravated stalking. This arrest was in violation of a protective order related to Winston.
The next day, his wife, Brienna Phillips-Edwards, was also arrested for allegedly giving false statements to the police.
The nature of those statements remains uncertain, however, Lt. Marbury suggests that Edwards involved his family, turning the crime into a “family affair.” It is believed that Edwards received assistance from his wife, who provided him with a car to transport Briana’s body.
The mother and brother of the Georgia man are currently in custody for their involvement in tampering with evidence. During a recorded jailhouse call, Edwards advised them to dispose of a pair of shoes and gloves that he purportedly utilized during the incident.
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