A Georgia mother who disappeared in late March has been found dead in Tennessee — and her live-in boyfriend and father of her child is facing murder and other charges.
Clayton County Police Lt. Ashanti Barbury said that Michale Edwards apparently choked Briana Winston to death on March 17, put her body in a suitcase, and burned it in the woods in Tennessee, WXIA reported.
Police said Edwards and Winston argued in March when she learned that he had secretedly married another woman in January. Edwards killed her, they said, then took off for Tennessee in a car provided by his newlywed wife, Breanna Phillips-Edwards, where he enlisted the aid of another man to burn and dispose of the body.
Winston was reported missing on April 1, after she failed to show up at her jobs and family members found her apartment mysteriously cleared out, as CrimeOnline previously reported. On April 27, investigators named Edwards and his wife as persons of interest in Winston’s disappearance.
Investigators tracked the crime to Gates in far West Tennessee and spoke to the man who told them of his role in helping Edwards dispose of Winston’s body, WXIA said. That man, who also told investigators about the argument, has now been granted immunity for some crimes.
This week, Edwards was charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and tampering with evidence, among other related charges. His wife has also been jailed on accessory charges.
Other family members have also been charged with tampering with evidence, including Edwards’ mother, Ebony Anderson, and his brother, Keilan Wright.
“It turned into a family affair. He definitely looped everyone into this crime,” said Marbury.
Edwards and his wife are due in court on June 5.
