The primary “person of interest” in an almost two-year-old Indiana missing person case has gone missing himself.
Xavier Breland, the estranged husband of Ciera Breland, failed to appear in court in Hamilton County, Indiana, for an unrelated gun charge in late December and has not been located since.
In response to the defendant’s disappearance, a Hamilton County judge issued a re-arrest warrant and called off the scheduled January 8 jury trial.
According to Fox News Digital, Ciera has not been seen since February 2022. The defendant’s lawyer, Bryan Howard, said in March that his client is innocent and the missing person case would never progress if “police continue to focus” on Xavier.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Ciera was last seen driving away from her father’s home in John’s Creek, Georgia, on February 24, 2022. Xavier Breland reported her missing a few days later, telling investigators he last saw her in Carmel, Indiana.
He told investigators that Ciera walked to a store on February 26, 2022, in below-freezing temperatures. He claimed she left wearing shorts while leaving her wallet and cell phone at home.
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Xavier Breland was later taken into custody on an unrelated warrant and extradited to Coweta County, Georgia, where he has been charged with stalking his ex-wife.
Investigators confiscated two guns during a search of the home on the day he reported Cierra Breland missing. They confiscated a third one the following day after responding to a call about an “accidental discharge” of a weapon, Fox News Digital previously reported.
Both Brelands and their then 5-month-old baby visited with her father last February in Georgia. It’s not known if Xavier Breland or the baby were in the car when she reportedly left on February 24.
Ciera’s mother, Kelly Locklair, said although the baby and the couple’s other children are safe, she fears her daughter is “gone.” She said that Ciera was afraid of her estranged husband and was desperate to leave Indiana and get away from him.
“She’s definitely gone,” Locklair said. “That was the first thing my husband said when police called after (Xavier) reported her missing, and the officer said she had walked away without bringing the baby. She wouldn’t even take a shower and let anybody else watch the baby.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Johns Creek Police Department at 678-372-8046, the Carmel Police Department at 317-571-2580, or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-TIPS (8477).
You can also contact 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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[Feature Photo: Ciera and Xavier Breland/Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office]
