Family of Debbie Collier who was found burned and in ravine are being ‘looked at as suspects’
Trigger warning: The following article contains information that some readers may find traumatic. Discretion is advised.
ATHENS, GEORGIA: The family members of Debbie Collier, 59, who was last seen on September 9, 2022, and her body was discovered on September 11 in a horrifying condition, are being interrogated and are “looked at as suspects.” This development comes after one neighbor told that Collier had been involved in a “screaming and fighting” incident the night before she went missing. “There was commotion at the house,” the neighbor, who was not identified, said.
According to New York Post, Debbie's daughter Amanda Bearden had received $2,385 through the Venmo app from her mother along with a cryptic message that 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,” before the mother was found naked and burned. Bearden's boyfriend told the outlet, “They haven’t really told us nothing. They’ve interrogated all of us. The people who are closest to her are kind of looked at as suspects right now.” The boyfriend, who didn’t want to be identified, further said that the cops confiscated Bearden’s phone, along with his own. “It’s weird. I feel like [the Sheriff’s Department] may have some leads but they won’t tell us anything.”
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Bearden's boyfriend also stated that the couple had moved to Athens from Maryland just two days before Collier went missing. He said, “We came back Thursday [September 8]. Her mother brought us lunch Friday [September 9] and then Saturday [September 10] is when she went missing.”
What do we know so far?
Debbie's husband Steve Collier told investigators that he last saw his wife at 9 pm on September 10, 2022. He said her car was still in the driveway when he left for work the following morning. After learning that Debbie's rented SUV had the SiriusXM satellite radio, cops used its technology to track her location. On September 11 around 12.30 pm, SiriusXM tracked the vehicle to US 441 near Victory Home Lane, 60 miles north of Athens, home of Collier, and contacted the Habersham County Sheriff's Office. Her body was discovered in a nearby ravine, away from the highway. According to Habersham County Sheriff’s Office records, the vehicle was "unlocked and unoccupied" when found, as reported by Fox News.
According to Daily Beast, Bearden told police that her mother “did not have any history of mental health issues and denied any suicidal tendencies. In the incident report, she stated that Collier had a bad back, and couldn’t have walked far. The Habersham County Sheriff's Office also stated on September 21, "At this time, there is no evidence to suggest or support that this incident was related to a kidnapping," New York Post reported.