After nine weeks of family members wondering what happened to Deborrah Collier, Habersham County Sheriff’s investigators announced Friday that she died of an apparent suicide.
When Collier was found dead Sept. 11 in the woods near Victory Home Lane, just south of Tallulah Falls Middle School, investigators were sure it was a murder due to the bizarre condition in which she was found. They called it a “deliberate and personal” attack and were looking at it as a homicide from the beginning.
But they questioned family members and other witnesses and never named a person of interest. Then the final autopsy report came back from the GBI Crime Lab.
“Investigators have met with the medical examiner’s office and spoke with the medical examiner in regard to the results of the autopsy, reviewed the findings of items submitted to the crime lab for analysis, reviewed the reports and records received in response to the 26 search warrants and subpoenas issued in relation to every form of social media, electronic communication, cellular tracking data, and banking records, and reviewed information gathered from the 20+ interviews of family members and potential witnesses,” the sheriff’s office described in a release Friday. “A detailed examination of all gathered information has enabled investigators to determine, based on factual evidence and data, that Mrs. Collier’s death was self-inflicted.”
The GBI Medical Examiner’s Office determined that the cause of death was inhalation of superheated gasses, thermal injuries, and hydrocodone intoxication.
Collier was found with her shirt burned off and in a state of disarray hugging a nearby tree to a makeshift campsite she was setting up with items she bought hours earlier from a store in Clayton. It was the video from that store that enabled investigators to pinpoint a timeline of Collier’s travel from her home in Athens to Rabun County, and then back into Habersham.
Habersham County Sheriff’s Office investigators met with family members Friday morning and discussed the specifics of the investigation prior to distribution of this release. Collier’s daughter Amanda Bearden said on a podcast last week that didn’t recognize signs that her mother was in a mental state that could lead to suicide, but that they were present. Collier sent Bearden all the money in her bank account – $2,385 – on Venmo just before heading back into Habersham County on Sept. 10, saying “They won’t let me go,” a cryptic message that sparked much of the widespread interest surrounding the event.
The case got national attention, with coverage in outlets like The New York Post and on multiple true crime podcasts. Theories ran wild during the investigation and there were leaks from within the sheriff’s and coroner’s offices that caused frustration for investigators as they dealt with the complicated case.
“The Habersham County Sheriff’s Office would like to commend Investigator George Cason and Investigator Cale Garrison for their dedication and persistence in conducting a thorough investigation,” the release said. “Additionally, the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the State Fire Marshal’s Office, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department, The Tallulah Falls Police Department, the Banks County Sheriff’s Office, the Habersham County Coroner’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for their assistance in various aspects of this complex investigation.”
“The Habersham County Sheriff’s Office would also like to extend our deepest sympathies to Mrs. Collier’s family and friends,” Sheriff Joey Terrell said. “It is our hope and prayer that the findings of this investigation provide some form of closure and allow for the healing process to begin.”