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The daughter of murdered Georgia mother Debbie Collier has a history of lying to the police and abusive lovers arguing with her live-in MMA fighter friend who says the couple has been “interrogated” over her mother’s murder.
Amanda Bearden, 36, told police her mother had mysteriously sent her a $2,000 Venmo payment with the cryptic “they won’t let me go” note in one of her latest acts.
Collier, 59, was found dead, naked and her body burned, tied to a tree on September 11 in Athens, Georgia.
No one has been arrested for her brutal murder and there is no indication that Bearden or her boyfriend, Andrew Giegerich, are considered suspects.
The couple are living together again in Athens, Georgia, despite their previous domestic disputes and restraining orders.
DailyMail.com saw them leave their home this week as the investigation into Debbie’s brutal murder gained momentum.
Police have now ruled out kidnapping and suicide as possible causes of the woman’s death and are now focusing on arresting her killer.
Amanda Bearden, 36, leaves her home in Athens, Georgia, on Friday, September 23. Police have yet to rule anyone out for the murder of her mother, Debbie Collier
Amanda’s live-in boyfriend, former MMA fighter Andrew Giegerich. He has complained that they have been ‘interrogated’ by the police
In May last year, police intervened in the couple’s relationship after Amanda called 911, claiming Andrew had “break into” the house to beat her.
As proof, she showed pictures of bruises on her arms and shoulders.
Debbie Collier, 59, was found naked and tied to a tree in a ditch on Sept. 11, two days after she was last seen by anyone.
However, she was arrested for a false report of a burglary after police determined he lived in the house and had full access to it. The New York Post.
Andrew was arrested on battery charges and the couple ordered to stay apart.
Giegerich has complained that the couple were recently “interrogated” by police over Debbie’s death.
‘The [police have] questioned us all. The people closest to you [Collier] are currently considered suspects,” he told the Post.
Debbie lived with her husband Steve in their home in Athens.
On Friday, he fought back tears when he told DailyMail.com that Debbie was the “love of his life.”
The couple had been married for four and nine years and both had children from previous marriages.
“It’s been two long weeks and I’m very tired. My wife was a wonderful person.’
A close friend of the couple, who did not want to be identified, confided to DailyMail.com: ‘Steve loved Debbie with all his heart. I know that for a fact.
“I can’t imagine what he’s going through right now, with the terrible loss of his wife and the fact that he has to be part of the murder investigation and everything that comes with it.
“I’ve known them both for many years and they were a devoted couple.”
In an immediate statement of support, he added: “I know the families of murder victims can be suspected, but I’ll bet my life Steve had nothing to do with Debbie’s disappearance.”
On September 10, Steve reported Debbie missing, claiming he hadn’t seen her at their home since 9:00 p.m. the previous night.
Neighbors heard fighting and screams coming from the house the night before she disappeared.
Debbie with her daughter in an old Facebook photo. Amanda claims her mother sent her $2,385 on Venmo with a note suggesting she was kidnapped on the day of her death. Police rule out kidnapping
Bearden’s friend Andrew Giegerich was arrested in May 2021 for assault (mugshot, left). He is shown in 2017 (right) during his MMA fighting days
In December 2020, Debbie posted these horrifying photos of a black eye to Facebook. She told friends she fell on the sidewalk
Debbie’s husband Steve reported her missing on September 10. He told police he had last seen her at 9pm the previous night but they were sleeping in separate rooms because of his snoring
The photo shows Amanda leaving her house on Friday. In an earlier interview she said that ‘someone’ killed her mother
“She was a beautiful woman and I loved her,” Steve Collier said distraught of his wife 11 days after her charred, naked body was found in a ravine 60 miles from their Georgia home.
Police then tracked the car Debbie had driven—a rented SUV that was rented because her own vehicle was being repaired—to a wooded canyon 60 miles from her home. Her naked body was found there, charred and tied to a tree.
The exact cause of her death has not yet been confirmed.
When questioned, Bearden told police that she had last seen her mother the night before she disappeared, and that everything was normal. She received the Venmo message the day her mother was reported missing.
In an interview with CBS after her mother’s body was found, Amanda appeared shocked and struggled to speak.
‘My mother was my everything. Someone took my whole world from me. She was a beautiful, kind, giving woman. She didn’t deserve this,’ she said, hands and head trembling.
Police have not yet ruled out anyone as suspects.
Debbie had turned her car in for service and was driving a rented SUV when she died.
That car was equipped with a GPS tracking system that led police to her body after her husband reported her missing on September 10.
It was found 60 miles from the couple’s modest home, where they lived quietly.
Police investigate crime scene where Debbie Collier’s body was found in a ditch on Sept. 11
The humble home in Athens, Georgia, where Debbie and her husband lived peacefully