Murdered Debbie Collier's son says sister doesn't have 'capacity to hurt mom' but is dubious of her friends
HABERSHAM COUNTY, GEORGIA: Georgia mother Debbie Collier's son Jeffrey Bearden has raised multiple questions about her tragic death. It has been over a month since Collier's naked and charred remains were found in a ravine in Georgia. On September 11, 2022, 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.
Bearden had now raised questions on why his mother would drive to a Dollar store when a Dollar General was located just half a mile from her home in Athens. He said he never knew she was a camper and that the family home has several tarps and reusable bags as his stepfather works in construction. Bearden notably claimed that the blonde-haired woman with a red visor in the video does not look like his mother. "I have a lot of concerns about if that was my mom in that actual video because that doesn't actually appear of like her posture," he said, according to 11 Alive News.
READ MORE
Bearden said his sister Amanda, 36, moved back to town two days before Collier went missing. Amanda has a sketchy history -- she had a brief prison stint for faking a drug test and was reportedly also arrested for fighting with her boyfriend, Andrew Giegerich. Amanda was the last person who had seen Collier and also reported her disappearance to the police. Bearden has now said that he does not believe Amanda could have hurt their mom, but he did not trust the people she was friends with.
"I do not think my sister has the capacity to hurt my mom. She was my mom's lifeline," Bearden said, adding "but, I don't trust the people that my sister hangs out with, and that's my concern."
Before Collier vanished, she transferred $2.4K to Amanda via Venmo. Along with the money, she sent a message saying, "They are not going to let me go, love you." Bearden said the money transfer was out of character for his mother. "I've never seen my mom Venmo that large amount of money," he said, adding that he had no clue who the "they" in the message were.
Bearden had blasted the Habersham County sheriff’s department investigating his mom's death, claiming that the sheriff in charge laughed at him. He said the sheriff also dismissed his concerns about the death of his mother during a phone call.
While officials had initially said Collier's murder was "deliberate and personal," Georgia investigators have begun to explore the possibility that the mysterious death may not have been a homicide, law enforcement sources have said. Investigators have no evidence linking several people close to the mom, including her husband, daughter, and daughter's boyfriend, to locations anywhere near the scene of crime. Sources with knowledge of the investigation have now said evidence at the scene suggests her death could have been accidental or a suicide, Fox News reported.
Earlier reports, however, suggested that her death was a murder. A report seen by The US Sun revealed that cops found a bag, the remains of a fire, and a partially burned tarp at the crime scene. Georgia investigators collected an unfired ammunition round from a wooded area near the spot where her body was discovered. Investigators in Habersham County said her phone, which was smashed, was also discovered. The cause of her death has yet to be revealed.