Debbie Collier’s death is ruled a SUICIDE after coroner concluded she burned herself to death

The death of Georgia’s mother, Debbie Collier, who was found naked and burned in a ravine, has been ruled a suicide.

Collier was last seen on Sept. 10 as she left her home in Athens on her way to Clarksville, about 60 miles away.

The next day, the 59-year-old real estate agent’s body was found naked and partially burned in a wooded ravine near Tallulah Falls — with her purse and cell phone nearby.

It was initially feared that Collier’s gruesome death was the result of a murder.

But it was revealed this week that the Georgia Medical Examiner’s Office has ruled Collier’s death a suicide, following “inhalation of superheated gases, thermal injuries and hydrocodone intoxication,” according to Habersham County Deputy Coroner Ken Franklin.

Franklin added, “It’s pretty obvious she started the fire. From what I saw and what I thought was the case is that this was a self-inflicted death, but I relied on the results of the autopsy and the doctor in the lab to make the last call.”

Debbie was found dead in a Georgia ravine on September 11 with physical burns on her naked body. Law enforcement officials initially said they believed she was murdered, but are reportedly investigating the possibility that her death was an accident or suicide

Forensic gloves lay nearby, along with scraps of paper and what appears to be a slip from a book cover

Last week, Collier’s daughter, Amanda Bearden, told the Crime on the map podcast that she thought her mother had committed suicide.

She told the hosts that in the weeks leading up to her death, her mother had begun to share “important, intimate things” with her, saying, “Looking back on it, it almost felt like she gave me all of her stuff. ‘

Bearden added that the last time she saw her mother alive, her mother had “tears in her eyes.” I had never seen her so sad.’

Franklin told the New Habersham“I’m glad it’s over, but I’m sorry for the family and all they’ve had to go through. All the questions and suspicions and things they’ve had to go through made it hard for them to live a normal life. I feel sorry for them and my prayers go with them.’

On September 30, the Habersham County Sheriff’s Department issued a press release with a timeline of the crime, and released surveillance video.

Police found Collier’s body naked and charred in the woods on Sept. 11 near Tallulah, Georgia

The footage shows Collier flipping through a family dollar in Clayton on Sept. 10, the day before her partially burned body was discovered.

In the video, she can be seen purchasing items including a tarp, a refillable flashlight, a reusable tote bag, a pack of two-roll paper towels, and a rain poncho.

Collier’s concerned son wondered why his mother would drive to a Dollar store when there was a Dollar General half a mile from her home in Athens.

He also said he never knew she was a camper, pointing out that the family home has numerous tarps and reusable bags as his stepfather works in construction.

He also made a cringe-inducing comment that the blonde woman with red visors doesn’t even look like his mother.

“I’m really worried if that was my mom in that actual video because that doesn’t really look like her attitude,” he said, 11 Alive News reported.

Jeffrey Bearden in a photo with his mother, Debbie Collier. Bearden vowed to find those responsible for his mother’s death, saying: ‘He won’t stop until you’re in jail or on death row’

Amanda Bearden mugshot (pictured) and her boyfriend Andrew Giegerich had arrived back in town from Maryland two days before Collier disappeared

Bearden said his sister, Amanda, 36, whose history had a shady past — ranging from a brief jail sentence for faking a drug test to arrests for arguing with her boyfriend, Andrew Giegerich — returned to town two days before she went missing had moved.

Amanda, who had lived in Maryland, moved into her mother’s house with Giegerich, The New York Post reported.

While Bearden did not believe his sister was involved in his mother’s mysterious disappearance, he claimed he was suspicious and bothered by his sister’s company.

Amanda was apparently the last person to see her mother and was the one to report her disappearance to the police, The New York Post reported.

“I don’t think my sister has the ability to hurt my mother. She was my mom’s lifeline,” Bearden said.

He added, “But I don’t trust the people my sister hangs out with, and that’s my concern.”

Additional disturbing details reveal a wire transfer of money — $2,385 sent from Collier’s Venmo app — with a mysterious message: “They’re not letting me go. There’s a key to the house under the flower pot,’ he said.

Bearden called the move to transfer a large sum of money “very inappropriate for his mother.”

“I’ve never seen my mom Venmo that much money,” he said in part, also stating that he didn’t know what was meant by the word “she” used in the final lyrics.

Habersham County Sheriff’s Office Chief has not yet released the names of the suspects in the case.

But officials claimed Collier’s death was not a random act of violence or the act of a serial killer, but the work of someone who knew her.

“We believe this act was intentional and personal,” Deputy Sheriff Murray Kogod said.

An image from the crime scene where Collier was found naked and partially burned in a wooded ravine near the scenic Tallulah Falls with her purse and cell phone nearby, officials said

Close-up of items left at the crime scene hours after Collier’s body was discovered on Sept. 11

They also said they could not yet confirm that the Venmo message had been sent from the device.

Bearden, desperate for answers, has spoken out about the police investigation and is sharing his woes on Facebook.

“I met with a sheriff who was not empathetic to my situation, my concerns for my personal safety and that of my family after being robbed online, or possible leaks coming from his office,” the grieving son wrote.

The distraught son said he will not give up and told those responsible that he “will not stop until you are in jail or on death row.”

Footage of some of Collier’s final moments in life shows her calmly walking into a Family Dollar in Clayton, Georgia at 2:55 p.m. Saturday, September 10, and purchasing a number of items that are later found with her body.

She wore a replica of a Herschel Walker jersey from his days playing for the University of Georgia, a blue skirt, what looked like black boots with light heels, and a red sun visor.

The real estate office manager was then seen at the checkout purchasing a rain poncho, a refillable flashlight, a pack of 2-roll paper towels, a 7.5ft. x 9.5 feet. tarpaulin and a reusable carry bag – for departure at 3:09 PM.

She then waited in the black 2022 Pacifica for 10 minutes until 3:19 p.m. before heading south on GA15.

Her body was found partially burned on September 11 near Tallulah Falls, Georgia.

If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, help is available by calling 988, texting “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741, or visiting 988lifeline.org to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.