A Georgia mother whose bare, partly burned physique was discovered within the woods this month was final seen at a greenback retailer and seemed to be “calm and never afraid of something,” authorities mentioned Monday.
Deborrah Collier, 59, of Athens, was captured in safety video at a Household Greenback in Clayton, within the North Georgia mountains, shopping for a tarp, a torch lighter, a rain poncho and a reusable tote bag, the Habersham County Sheriff’s Workplace mentioned in a information launch.
She made the purchases on Sept. 10 round 2:55 p.m., the discharge mentioned, noting that investigators confirmed what she purchased with a receipt supplied by the shop.
The Household Greenback is roughly 13 miles north of the wooded space off State Street 15 the place her physique was discovered at 12:44 p.m. on Sept. 11, authorities mentioned.
Among the many objects discovered with Collier’s physique have been a purple tote bag and a partly burned blue tarp. It wasn’t clear whether or not they have been the objects she purchased at Household Greenback. The sheriff’s workplace didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
It additionally wasn’t clear whether or not the purchases, together with the lighter, have been discovered on the scene.
The event allowed investigators to find out that Collier died between 3:09 p.m. Saturday — when she was seen leaving the shop — and 12:44 p.m. the next day, the sheriff’s workplace mentioned.
Investigators obtained the safety video after they received a tip that Collier’s daughter was seen on the store that Saturday, the sheriff’s workplace mentioned. A evaluate of the video confirmed that Collier herself was there — not her daughter, the sheriff’s workplace mentioned.
Neither the sheriff’s workplace nor Collier’s daughter responded to requests for remark.
The sheriff’s workplace has beforehand mentioned the daughter alerted authorities to a chilling textual content message — “they will not let me go” — that her mom despatched by the cost app Venmo earlier than she disappeared. Collier additionally despatched her daughter $2,385, the sheriff’s workplace mentioned.
There was no different bodily or eyewitness proof suggesting that Collier was kidnapped, Habersham Chief Deputy Murray Kogod mentioned in an e-mail final week.
“We’ll, in fact, proceed to evaluate all doable theories as we transfer ahead and procure additional data,” he mentioned.
The sheriff’s workplace has additionally mentioned it had discovered no proof linking Collier’s dying to suicide. The way and reason behind dying stay unclear. The state crime lab was nonetheless conducting an post-mortem, the sheriff’s workplace mentioned final week.
Collier’s physique was found after a late mannequin van that she’d been driving was discovered unlocked and unoccupied at a street pullout, authorities mentioned. Looking close by woods, authorities discovered her mendacity on her again, greedy a small tree along with her proper hand.
Her stomach appeared to have been burned, the sheriff’s workplace mentioned.
