Authorities have announced the cause of death of a Georgia mom who mysteriously disappeared after texting her daughter: "They are not going to let me go".
On September 11, 2022, the body of 59-year-old Debbie Collier was found partially nude and burned at the bottom of a ravine in Tallulah Falls - approximately 60 miles north of her home in Athens.
Authorities arrived on the scene and began searching the woods by the highway after finding Collier's car unlocked, and parked off the side of the road.
Collier's husband, Steve Collier, and her daughter, Amanda Bearden, reportedly told authorities that they last heard from Debbie the day before her body was discovered.
The Habersham County Sheriff’s Office had previously announced that Debbie Collier had visited a Family Dollar store in Clayton on the day of her death. While at the store, she purchased a tarp, a torch lighter, a rain poncho, and a reusable tote bag, per NBC News.
This preceded the mom sending her daughter a mysterious message, along with a $2,385 Venmo payment. The worrying message read: "They are not going to let me go, love you there is a key to the house in the blue flower pot by the door."
Daughter Amanda had tried to call her mother after receiving the message, per PEOPLE, but was unsuccessful at getting through. A missing persons report was then filed by the husband and daughter.
Now, the Habersham County Sheriff's Office has announced in a statement that "Mrs. Collier's death was self-inflicted".
This comes after "a detailed examination of all gathered information [...] based on factual evidence and data", per the sheriff's office.
"Furthermore, the G.B.I. Medical Examiner's Office has determined that the cause of death was Inhalation of Superheated Gases, Thermal Injuries, and Hydrocodone Intoxication and that the manner of death was suicide," the statement added, per NowHabersham.com.
Habersham County Deputy Coroner Ken Franklin told NowHabersham.com: "It’s pretty evident that she started the fire. From what I saw and what I considered to be the case is that this was a self-inflicted death, but I was relying on the results of the autopsy and the doctor at the lab to make the final call."
The announcement comes after daughter Amanda revealed on the Crime on the Record podcast that she believed her mother ended her own life.
Revealing that Debbie took medication for her back problems, Amanda Bearden also said that in the days leading up to her mother's death, Debbie shared some "key, intimate things" and was "giving away things".
"Looking back on it, it just almost seemed like she was giving me all of her things," Amanda said.
The grieving daughter had previously told CBS 46: "Somebody took my whole world from me. She was a beautiful, kind, giving woman — and she didn’t deserve any of this… I want justice for my mom."
Our thoughts continue to go out to the Collier family and those affected by this story.
Featured image credit: Facebook
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please reach out for help and contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741, or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.
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