On February 19, 2022, 31-year-old Ciera Breland traveled from her home in Indiana to Georgia to visit family with her 37-year-old husband Xavier Breland, their 5-month-old son Jackson & their white Goldendoodle, Baker in Ciera’s 2017 white Volkswagen Tiguan, making the 11 hour drive south. They planned to use the trip to catch up with family that Ciera hadn’t seen since she’d moved to Indiana about a year prior.
Ciera was born on January 10, 1991 in Georgia to parents Nick & Kelly Locklair. She attended the University of Tennessee & went on to law school at Florida State University & became a lawyer, specializing in insurance defense while working in Atlanta, Georgia. Kelly’s mom indicated that Ciera had overcome some health issues when she was younger & she was a happy, energetic girl who pushed through, she was loving & extremely driven in her career. She said that Ciera was a Georgia girl & dreamed of living in Atlanta someday. Despite her career focus, she always made time to stay close to her family, often calling home to catch up. Ciera’s dad Nick describes his daughter as outgoing, someone who likes sports & movies.
Ciera & Xavier’s relationship progressed very quickly after meeting in October of 2020; they were married six months later & by that time, she’d discovered that she was pregnant. Ciera worked as a paralegal & had previously assisted Xavier in a dispute with his ex-wife; they were newly married & the issues between Xavier & his ex became heated so the couple decided to relocate from Georgia to Indiana, where Xavier’s father lived.
Ciera’s family felt that things started to change after Ciera met Xavier; they didn’t have a wedding & family didn’t know she was married until after it was official. Ciera’s aunt Jeannie felt that this was not at all like her niece who was all about dresses & weddings & destinations. Over the years, she had talked about planning her wedding.
As they made their fresh start in Indiana, Ciera got a job as an associate attorney at Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, a law firm in Indianapolis. When they made the drive back to Georgia for their visit, they arrived at Ciera’s parent’s house in Cleveland, Georgia on the night of Saturday, February 19, visiting with nieces & nephews. Ciera’s mom, Kelly Locklair said that her daughter had actually come home to find a new job; Ciera had been talking with her family about her intentions of leaving Xavier over the previous one to two months. She told them that his abusive behavior was escalating & she wanted to get a divorce; she’d been secretly saving money & planned to move in with her family until she got back on her feet. She planned to pose the trip to Xavier as a visit with her family, his mom & then his & she would then stay back in Georgia permanently.
Cracks within the relationship developed as far back as June of 2021 as they were packing to move to Indiana. Ciera admitted that she was in a bad situation & several times, openly discussed that she should leave. As time went by, Xavier became increasingly aggressive & possessive. Ciera was alarmed by this change in behavior & tried to end their relationship, though time & time again, he managed to win her back, telling her that he loved her, he was sorry, he would be better, he can’t live without her, please give me another chance. Ciera, being a new mother, wanted to try her best to hold her family together & make the relationship work. She was also terrified that if she sought divorce, they would have joint custody & she would have to leave Jaxon with Xavier. She seemed to be waiting for a calm moment to make her move but that moment seemed never to come.
Xavier was also physical with Ciera, shoving her into things, throwing things at her when she was pregnant & even later, when she was holding their baby. He hit her in the face with a gun, threatened to kill her & screamed at her. Family say that Ciera was very smart & never put up with anything from anyone; they all encouraged her to leave him & assured her that she had a safe place to go. Her mom and dad trusted that their daughter would know what to do. Ciera began texting her cousin & best friend, Shelby Campbell about issues in their marriage in August of 2021, telling her that she sees things that scare her a lot for her future & they weren’t things that she could accept or live with. She came up with a secret code she shared with Shelby in case of an emergency; Ciera would call Shelby twice & that would prompt Shelby to call the police. Shelby indicates that these were just conversations they had via text; they often spoke on the phone about the turmoil in the relationship & Ciera recorded videos of Xavier being violent toward her & shared them with her cousin. She told Shelby that she was genuinely concerned that Xavier was very capable of hurting her.
Ciera left her parents home the next day, Sunday, February 20 with the intention of going to her mother-in-law’s house an hour away at the Parsons Walk subdivision in Johns Creek & told her family she would be back. That was the last time they saw Ciera. She texted her dad on Monday, February 21 at 11:17 pm & said she planned to be back at their house the next morning. The next day, Tuesday, February 22, he hadn’t heard from Ciera, Nick reached out & she said everything was OK but she was feeling a little sick.
Nick reached out to Ciera the next day, Wednesday, February 23, to see how she was feeling, but he didn’t get a response. He texted again the next day & again, no response. By Friday, the 25th they began to worry because it wasn’t like Ciera not to respond. Shelby also tried calling Ciera but got no response. Shelby said that one of the last texts she received from Ciera said, “I’m at Xavier’s mom’s house, he won’t give me Jackson so I’m waiting to get him so I can leave.”
The next information that family heard wasn’t until February 26 when the Carmel police in Indiana called to tell the family that Xavier had reported Ciera missing. The family was confused by what they were being told, assuming their daughter was still in Georgia.
Family was baffled, not understanding why Xavier wouldn’t have called them first to check on her or make them aware of what was going on. Ciera’s father, Nick Locklair spoke with the Carmel police & then called his daughter’s phone & Xavier answered. Nick asked Xavier what was going on & pleaded with him to tell him the truth saying, “Ciera told me if anything happened to her, that you were responsible for it so just tell me the truth.” Xavier told his father-in-law to go to hell & hung up. Nick called Xavier’s dad who lives next door to Ciera & Xavier & he told Nick that he hadn’t seen Ciera.
Xavier had called the Carmel Police Department on February 26 & said that Ciera had left their home in the Brookstone Park of Carmel subdivision in Carmel, Indiana just after 10 pm to walk to a nearby store, possibly CVS. He said she was wearing a short black top (some reports indicated a back tank top) & purple shorts despite the fact that it was the dead of winter at night & AccuWeather records indicate that the temperatures were in the mid to upper 20s. She’d left her wallet with money & IDs, her car keys, personal cell & work cell phone behind. She’d also left behind a burner phone that she used to contact family in case of an emergency. Most importantly, she’d left behind her 5-month-old son to whom family say she was deeply devoted to as well as her beloved dog. Police told the family that there was no surveillance video of Ciera entering the store or inside the store that Xavier said she was heading to. Their son Jackson & their dog were back home but there was no sign of Ciera. She is described by police as being five feet tall, weighing 120# with blond hair.
After reporting Ciera missing, Xavier was arrested on March 1, 2022 in Indiana & extradited to Georgia based on an arrest warrant that was issued February 24 after he failed to appear for an arraignment in the stalking case that he’d previously pleaded not guilty to. His ex-wife indicated that he placed a tracking device inside a stuffed animal that he’d given their daughter; he has two children with his ex, ages 6 and 10. His wife also alleged that he made harassing calls despite a court order that banned him communicating with her. Xavier’s ex-wife & mother of his two children was seeking to terminate all communication between him & his two children, including virtual video visits, saying that he is a danger to their children. Judge Alex Manning watched a video in court during a previous visit between Xavier & his two children; he told the boy & the girl that their stepmom had been kidnapped & will not be returning. In the video, the children became visibly upset, Judge Manning indicating that it was heartbreaking to watch, the little girl falling apart & sobbing. He was cleared of these charges in August 2022 by a jury. According to online jail records, he was then taken into custody in Fulton County on contempt of court charges.
Within the statement he made to his two children, Ciera suddenly goes from missing to kidnapped. Xavier’s attorney made a statement indicating that his client has nothing to do with Ciera’s disappearance & he is devastated by the fact that she’s missing which he did report to police & that if he wasn’t incarcerated on an unrelated matter, he would be out searching for her. On March 2, 2022, Xavier was identified as a person of interest in Ciera’s disappearance but he was not faced with any criminal charges.
Family believes that Ciera never made it out of Georgia; there is no evidence to suggest that she returned home from their trip to Georgia. The Carmel PD issued an alert for Ciera on the Facebook page the next night & soon The Johns Creek Police Department in Georgia joined the search as well as the Georgia Bureau of Investigation & the FBI. The FBI has offered a $10,000 reward for information that could lead to Ciera
The last known sighting of Ciera was a surveillance video of her standing outside her mother-in-law’s suburban Atlanta home at 7:17 pm on February 24 when she was seen leaving the home. Police believe that the couple made it 45 miles southwest of his family’s home together. From there, investigators have not released too many details. The video of Ciera in front of her mother-in-law’s home hasn’t been released to the public but it’s said that nothing unusual was going on during the video. Ciera’s cousin Shelby said that she’d received texts from Ciera in August saying that her husband “is nuts. If anything happens to me then he is responsible. I’m really scared and idk what to do.” Shelby turned her cell phone over to investigators containing Ciera’s texts & videos she’d sent to document her husband’s alleged abuse, saying that Xiaver has threatened to kill her multiple times & throw her into a lake.
Shelby feels that she has no hope that her cousin will ever come home but she has pushed away her feelings of grief until she has answers as to what happened to Ciera. She said that the void that’s been left behind since Ciera has disappeared only grows each day. She knows that her cousin wouldn’t have stayed away from her son for an hour, let alone this extent of time. She also feels that the situation also hasn’t sunk in & she feels a tremendous disconnect, just waiting for Ciera to call so she can say, “Oh my God, you would not believe what is going on here.” After Ciera disappeared, her parents were asked if they felt their daughter would be found alive & her dad, Nick, answered, “No, she would not leave Jackson for a month.. She wouldn’t leave him for a minute.” Kelly, Ciera’s mom also believes that her daughter won’t be coming home; she feels that since her disappearance, a light has been extinguished from her life.
In November of 2022, Xavier was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious felon. The charges stem from an incident that happened two days after he reported Ciera missing, on February 28, 2022; court documents indicate there was “an accidental discharge of a firearm” at a home on Baldwin Lane. He told investigators he was moving a Christmas tree in the garage when he heard a gunshot & ran outside. He returned to the garage, located the gun & unloaded it. Investigators say a SIG Sauer P365 & another gun were found at the scene. During this incident, he handed the officer a missing person flier for his wife. Court records indicate he had also been charged with felony burglary charges in 2005. He was extradited from Georgia back to Hamilton County, Indiana on unrelated charges on February 9. He was released after posting a surety bond the next day, February 10. At his initial hearing, he pleaded with the judge to lower his bond to an amount that his mother could afford; it was set at $35,000 though prosecutors wanted to raise it to $50,000. He said he needed the opportunity to get his life in order & get a job as a truck driver. The judge ended up raising the bond to $100,000. Xavier indicated that he’s in a custody battle for his one-year-old son. Ciera’s parents have since been granted custody.
The FBI continues to work with both the Johns Creek PD & the Carmel PD & foul play has not been ruled out & Xavier remains a suspect. Ciera’s family adamantly believes that he knows what happened to her & hopes that one day he will give them the answers they need to get closure & allow Ciera to rest in peace. Over the past year, multiple organized searches have been done, some targeting specific areas though no clues have been found. The case remains active & ongoing.
Ciera is described as being blond & five feet tall & 120# & her last known location was on February 24, 2022 at 10545 Highgate Manor Court in Johns Creek, Georgia at 7:17 pm. She was driving a 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan with a Georgia license plate TMB5869. The plate has an FSU Law School frame around it. Ciera has multiple tattoos: A Florida State arrow on top of her left wrist, a sunburst on her back left rib cage & three small trees on top of her left ring finger. She has three freckles on her right jaw line.
It’s not clear as to what extent of cooperation investigators are receiving from Xavier’s mom though it’s known that evidence was collected from the home after a search warrant had been executed. Forensic experts & cadaver dogs were brought in during the search as they looked for blood stains, any signs of a struggle or any other clues to indicate what may have happened during the couple’s stay. Police indicated that the K-9 dogs found no good scent trail at the home & any evidence that was collected remains under investigation.
Anyone with any information is asked to call Corporal Rozier with the Johns Creek PD at 678-372-8046, the Carmel PD at 317-571-2580 or the FBI at 800-CALL-FBI
References:
- Fox 5: Timeline of Ciera Breland’s disapperance
- Fox 5: Ciera Breland disappearance: Husband Xavier Breland now in Indiana jail
- Inside Edition: Before Vanishing, Ciera Breland Said Husband Would Be Responsible ‘If Anything Happens to Me,’ Cousin Says
- NBC News: 31-year-old Ciera Breland vanished in Johns Creek, Georgia on February 24, 2022
- Disappeared: Ciera Breland
- WSB-TV: Parents of missing mother fear they’ll never see their daughter again
- Fox 5: Ciera Breland disappearance: Missing Indiana woman ‘scared’ by husband
- Indy Star: Here are the latest updates on the case of missing Carmel woman Ciera Breland
