Debbie Collier was a mother and wife — her body was found in Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest (Georgia) on Sept. 11 after being reported missing the day before by her husband. Habersham County Sheriff Joey Terrell reported: “At this time, the investigation is leading us to the proposition that Mrs. Collier’s death was personal and targeted.”
On the day Collier died, she sent her daughter, Amanda Bearden, a Venmo payment of $2,385 and a cryptic note: “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.”
Bearden told police that she attempted to call her mother, but she did not answer the calls.
On Wednesday, Fox News reported that the funds transferred to Bearden were “very close” to the amount her boyfriend, Andrew Giegerich, owes in fines to the Athens-Clarke County Probation Department.
The outlet added that probation fines had not been paid as of Wednesday morning.
Collier’s husband, Steven, reported his wife missing at approximately 6 p.m. on Sept. 10. Security cameras show Debbie Collier leaving a Family Dollar store in Clayton, located approximately 90 miles from her home, at approximately 3:20 p.m. that afternoon.
Habersham County deputies discovered her abandoned vehicle in the Clayton area, off Georgia Route 15, in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest. Collier’s body was found about 450 yards into the woods.
Police note she was unclothed and partially burned. Her purse and cellphone were recovered at the scene.
Habersham County Investigator George Cason told reporters that Bearden and Giegerich moved back to Georgia from Maryland two days before Collier’s disappearance.
At this time, investigators have not publicly named any suspect or person of interest in the case. Police, however, served a search warrant at Bearden’s home. Officials have not disclosed whether or not their search revealed any incriminating evidence.
According to Fox News, Bearden and Giegerich maintain they had “no involvement whatsoever in the crime and are “scared themselves, sleeping behind barricaded doors as Collier’s killer remains unidentified.”
Those with information on Collier’s case are asked to contact Habersham Sheriff’s Investigators Cale Garrison (706-839-0559) or George Cason (706-839-0560).
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