'I'm really scared': Texts between Ciera Breland, cousin reveal she was worried for her safety

CARMEL — As authorities in two states continue to search for a missing Carmel mom, Ciera Breland's cousin continues to share her story in the hopes that someone out there will have the information they need to find her.

The 31-year-old was last seen in John's Creek Georgia on Feb. 24, according to police.

Shelby Campbell described Breland as her best friend.

Provided Photo/Shelby Campbell

The two were always talking and exchanging text messages about what was happening in their lives - the good and the bad.

Campbell says Breland met her husband in Georgia but the two had moved to Indiana to get away from all of the legal troubles he was having with his ex.

But the trouble between them started after the very first few dates.

"There were some messages that were on a different phone that I turned over to police, so I don't have access to those now, but it was when they first started dating where she was scared of him," Campbell said. "Something happened and she had called it off with him... She was hanging out with a separate friend who was a male at her apartment and he showed up at her apartment without being invited and was sitting outside her apartment. He started sending her a bunch of threatening texts about hanging out with another male."

"She told him she was done, she wanted to have no more contact with him - and she told him that if he didn't stop she was going to contact authorities," Campbell said.

The details surrounding Breland's disappearance have evolved since she was first reported missing on Feb. 26 by her husband.

READ | Ciera Breland was last seen in Georgia, not Indiana like her husband reported

He had initially told police that she had disappeared in Carmel on Feb. 25 after walking out on him and their 5-month-old son, but investigators later determined the last time she was seen was Feb. 24 in Georgia.

Carmel Police have named Breland's husband a "person of interest" in her disappearance. He was arrested last month on an unrelated warrant out of Georgia and extradited back to the state, but he has not yet been charged with anything in connection with Breland's disappearance.

Campbell says Breland would send her messages about how things were going with her husband.

“[Cierra] was scared. I mean literally from the beginning. And she ended up giving him another chance because he did a complete 180," Campbell said.

Even before their baby arrived, Campbell says Breland would go back and forth from being scared and then wanting to fix things.

Campbell says things got progressively worse and she often told Breland she needed to leave her husband.

But Breland, whose son was 5-months-old when she disappeared, knew if she was going to leave, she had to do it strategically.

The ominous words below were from a text exchange between the two back in August.

“A lot of our conversations did stem from ‘what are you doing?’ You’re a very successful lawyer, you have never taken just anything off anybody; she wouldn’t stand for it," Campbell said. "And here this random guy is that seems like a loser and you’re just letting him do whatever. I don’t understand, like what is this?”

"I just told her so many times, like, you have to leave. What are you doing? You have a baby to think about now," Campbell said. "What's going to happen to him if you're not around?"

Campbell said the texts she shared are only some examples of what was going on between Breland and her husband.

"She did call the police multiple times. The police were called to her residence both in Georgia and Indiana multiple times," Campbell said. "By the time the police would get there she would have calmed down enough to where she was lying for him."

Campbell said an investigator had even called Breland's mother after one of those instances and told her that he knew she was lying about what was happening when she called 911 and that he had seen the same pattern before, it was escalating and he was worried that something was going to happen to her.

Campbell says she's also turned over multiple videos to police that Breland had asked her to save and give to them if anything ever happened to her.

"I turned all of this over to authorities when this first happened. I uploaded messages for them, I turned over my old phone to them - the whole nine yards - because there was so much in here that she wanted the authorities to have in case something did happen. So they are aware that it is there," Campbell said.

Campbell says Breland's young son is with family right now and that authorities in Georgia and Indiana are "amazing" and have been working diligently on her cousin's case.

But she still constantly thinks about those text exchanges and what could have happened to her.

“I thought maybe something crazy would happen and she wouldn’t be able to lie about it anymore or she would hurt him in self defense kinda thing. I never thought this would be the next step," Campbell said.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the whereabouts of Breland.

"I think it's extremely important to keep her out there and relevant," Campbell said. "Somebody, somewhere saw them at some point."

Anyone with information related to the disappearance of Ciera Breland is asked to contact the Johns Creek [Georgia] Police Tip line at 678-474-1610 or the Carmel Police Dept. at 317-571-2500. You can also call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or visit tips.fbi.gov.