Biglaw

FBI Joins The Search For Missing Biglaw Associate

Authorities say her husband is a person of interest in the case.

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Ciera-Breland-missingCiera (Locklair) Breland, an associate in the Indianapolis office of Gordon Rees, has been missing for two weeks and now the FBI has gotten involved in the case. As reported by Fox 5 Atlanta, Breland has been missing for more than 10 days, and authorities have named her husband, Xavier Breland Jr., a person of interest in her disappearance.

Ciera Breland was reported missing by her husband. He told authorities he last saw her leave their house on February 25th around 10 p.m. — possibly headed to a local CVS — wearing a black top and purple shorts. Temperatures were reportedly in the mid- to upper-20s that night. Family members say she never reached her destination. She also left the house without her cell phones, credit cards, or her infant son.

“For a mom, especially with a young child, to go missing, it causes great concern and obviously, the police department there and us take it very seriously, and we’re doing everything we can to find her,” said Johns Creek Police Lt. Deb Kalish.

Breland, a graduate of Florida State University College of Law and the University of Tennessee, moved to Carmel, Indiana, from Georgia less than a year ago with her husband. They recently visited family in Georgia, and February 20th is the last time her family says they saw her.

Xavier Breland Jr. was arrested last week on an unrelated warrant. Though he is not currently facing any criminal charges in relation to Ciera’s disappearance, he has had other brushes with the law:

[Xavier Breland Jr.] was being held in the Hamilton County jail in Indiana awaiting extradition to Georgia. He was arrested back in June by the Newnan Police Department on charges of aggravated stalking. It was not clear if the current warrant hold was related to the previous charge. A grand jury indicted him on those aggravated stalking charges in December.

This is not the first legal trouble he has been in. Source told FOX 5 News he was had warrants associated with harassing phone calls and violating a family violence order. In 2007, court records indicate he was arrested in Florida and extradited to Indiana on a fugitive warrant.

The firm issued the follow statement:

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“Speaking for the entire Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani family, I can express that we have been deeply concerned about Ciera’s wellbeing over the past week and have been doing our utmost to assist both the local and federal authorities as well as Ciera’s family in determining her whereabouts and helping in any other ways we can. We all pray for Ciera’s safe return and remain at the highest level of vigilance pending resolution of this extremely troubling situation. Anyone with any possible information about Ciera’s whereabouts is urged to contact the authorities immediately.”

Authorities have asked anyone who sees Ciera Breland to call 911 or Corporal Rozier with the Johns Creek Police Department at 678-372-8046, the Carmel Police Department at (317) 571-2580, or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324).

Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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