Debbie Collier murder: Photo of Georgia mom's rented minivan captured day before brutal killing released
HABERSHAM COUNTY, GEORGIA: In a new development in Debbie Collier's murder, which police believe was “personal and targeted”, a photo of the Georgia mom’s rented minivan has been released. The vehicle was reportedly traveling toward a store where she was later caught on video. The Chrysler Pacifica was seen on traffic cameras by the Tallulah Falls School in Georgia at 2.17 pm on September 10, a day before Collier's naked and charred body was found in a nearby ravine, CrimeOnline reported.
On the same day, surveillance footage from a Family Dollar store in Clayton showed the 59-year-old calmly shopping for a blue tarp, a lighter, a tote bag and a rain poncho. Habersham County Sheriff’s Investigator George Cason said Tallulah Falls police investigators are trying to determine she was captured by traffic cameras traveling back south. She reportedly entered the Family Dollar outlet at 2.54 pm, left at 3.09 pm and sat in the vehicle until 3.19 pm, following which she pulled out of the parking lot and headed south.
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Collier's husband, Steven Collier, told the dispatcher that Collier's purse was found at her home by his stepdaughter Amanda Bearden. However, investigators reportedly recovered Collier's purse and cellphone at the crime scene.
A private investigator has claimed the way Collier's body was found may reveal important clues about her death. A day before her death, Collier had sent her daughter money, along with a chilling message. Collier sent her daughter Amanda Bearden $2,385 with the message, "They are not going to let me go, love you." Collier disappeared on September 10. According to cops, she told her daughter there was a key to their home underneath a flower pot.
Private investigator Jason Jensen said he believes Collier had not been kidnapped as she was able to transfer money via Venmo. Jensen further said investigators would be looking for signs of a struggle if the message really was a warning that the mother had been kidnapped. He explained someone may have tried to hide DNA evidence, considering Collier was found naked and burned.
Bearden, who was “hysterical” at the scene, told detectives that Collier had no mental health issues and was not suicidal. Officers in Habersham County have confirmed there is no evidence to suggest she had been kidnapped before her murder. Years before her death, Collier had shared chilling photos of herself with a black eye saying she "face planted" on the sidewalk. Her husband, Steven, said he saw her at around 9 pm on September 9 for the last time. Investigators have yet to confirm how Collier died, and autopsy results have yet to be revealed.