Ciera Breland disappearance: Former sister-in-law pleads for justice

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. - Family of a missing 31-year-old mother from Indiana last seen in Georgia said they have been going through a torrent of emotions the past couple of weeks.

The former sister-in-law of Ciera (Locklair) Breland said that most of the family has accepted the worst after she was last seen by family members 21 days ago.

First impressions of Ciera Breland

If someone just looked at Ciera Breland, their first impression might be that she was very timid. It is an observation that some have made, but like Lauryn Locklair, they would be quickly proven wrong.

"Ciera is a firecracker. She’s very feisty and very funny," Locklair wrote.

Locklair met Ciera when she was 16 and eventually married into the family. While she might not technically be her "in-law" today, she still feels she is very much the "sister" part.

"She’s a great aunt to my children and they adore her," Locklair wrote. 

Loclair said her kids always call Ciera "Aunt Juju."

"They have always called her that. They love her very much.," she added. "Aunt Ciera is the ‘cool aunt’ who gets them all the goodies."

Among those spoils were cell phones her children currently use.

"Of course, when they used those phones to constantly spam her messages all day…sure she regretted it," she wrote.

Her gift also speaks, almost quite literally, to Ciera herself.

"She also loves to talk," she said.

It was all these qualities that Locklair said made Ciera a perfect lawyer.

"Being a lawyer perfectly suited her personality, for sure," she said.

Ciera Brelands's heartbreaking disappearance

Ciera Breland was traveling in Georgia to visit family with her husband, 37-year-old Xavier Breland Jr., in February. The 31-year-old aunt had recently moved from metro Atlanta to just outside of Indianapolis after taking a job at law firm. 

She made a stop in Cleveland, Georgia on Feb. 19, spent the night, and then left the next morning. That was the last time her family saw her.

Ciera then reportedly headed to Johns Creek, Georgia to meet up with her husband at his mother's house. 

TIMELINE OF CIERA BRELAND'S DISAPPEARANCE

That Tuesday, family members would try to get in touch with her, but never got a response. That was something unusual for her, family said. Ciera and Xavier were due home the next day.

It would be three more days until she was reported missing. According to the Carmel Police Department, Ciera was reported to have left the couple home in the Brookstone Park subdivision in Carmel, Indiana sometime shortly after 10 p.m. to walk to the nearby store. She was reportedly wearing a black top and purple shorts in temperatures that were in the mid- to upper-20s that night.

There was no evidence she arrived, no receipt, no surveillance video, her family said. They added there was no evidence she actually even made it back to Indiana.

Left behind were her cell phones, ID, credit cards, and the couple's 5-month-old son Jackson.

News quickly spread among family members about her disappearance. 

"My kids have taken this pretty hard," Locklair wrote. "My daughter laid on my lap for a while just crying. Then she got up, went to the bathroom, closed the door and just sobbed. Anytime her name is mentioned, my youngest son Nicholas tears up. Joshua, my oldest— is also heartbroken over it."

It would be another four days until police named her husband as a person of interest in the case and arrested him on an unrelated warrant out of Coweta County, Georgia for aggravated stalking. He has not been charged in connection to Ciera's disappearance. 

"Most of the family has accepted the worst. We know what happened. We are hoping Ciera gets justice and we won’t stop until she does," Locklair said.

Searching for Ciera Breland

Ciera Breland's family is not letting the case grow cold. They are actively organizing searches and canvassing of businesses in both Johns Creek, Georgia and Carmel, Indiana.

Volunteers will meet at the Johns Creek Police Department on Friday at 10 a.m. to canvass the area. They will be asking people and businesses if they saw Ciera, Xavier, or the car they drove to Georgia in.

Family members are hoping someone saw the vehicle sometime in the week following Feb. 20 and will step forward to tell investigators when and where that was. The couple was driving a white 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan with Georgia tag RMB 5869. An FSU Law School frame surrounds the license plate.

Ciera is described by police as being 5-feet tall and weighing about 120 pounds with blonde hair.

Friends in Indiana are also taking to the streets, putting up flyers and asking anyone to call the police.

"Ciera deserved better than this. She deserved to be able to raise her son and see him grow. To have a full life, happy life. And Jackson deserved to have his mother," Locklair wrote.

Anyone with information surrounding the case is asked to call Corporal Rozier with the Johns Creek Police Department at 678-372-8046, the Carmel Police Department at (317) 571-2580, Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-TIPS (8477), the Georgia Bureau of Investigation tip line at 1-800-597-TIPS(8477) or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324).

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