Friday 18 November 2022 05:47 AM Debbie Collier's death is ruled a SUICIDE after coroner concluded she burned ... trends now
The death of Georgia mom Debbie Collier, who was found naked and burned in a ravine, has been ruled a suicide.
Collier was last seen on September 10 when she left her Athens home en route to Clarksville, approximately 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.
This week, it was revealed that the Georgia Medical Examiner's Office has ruled Collier's death a suicide, having suffered 'inhalation of superheated gases, thermal injuries, and hydrocodone intoxication,' according to Habersham County Deputy Coroner Ken Franklin.
Franklin added: 'It's pretty evident that she started the fire. From what I saw and what I considered to be the case is that this was a self-inflicted death, but I was relying on the results of the autopsy and the doctor at the lab to make the final call.'
Collier, 59, was a real estate agent. She lived in Athens, Georgia with her husband and Beardon's stepfather
Debbie was found dead in a ravine in Georgia on September 11 with physical burns on her naked body. Law enforcement initially said they believed she had been killed but are reportedly exploring the possibility that her death was an accident or suicide
Forensic gloves lay nearby along with pieces of paper and what appears to be a strip of a book cover
Last week, Collier's daughter, Amanda Bearden, told the "Crime on the Record podcast that she believed her mother had taken her own life.
She told the hosts that her mother had begun to share 'key, intimate things' with her in the weeks leading up to her death and said: 'Looking back on it, it just almost seemed like she was giving me all of her things.'
Bearden added that the last time she saw her mother alive, her mother had 'tears in her eyes. I’d never seen her that sad.'
Franklin told the New Habersham: 'I'm glad it's over, but I'm sorry for the family and all that they have had to go through. All of the questioning and suspicion and things they've had to go through made it difficult 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 providing a timeline of the crime, and released surveillance video.
Police found Collier's body naked and charred in the woods on September 11 near Tallulah, Georgia
" class="c7" scrolling="no"
The footage shows Collier browsing a Family Dollar in Clayton on September 10, the day before her partially burned body was discovered.
In the video she is seen purchasing items including, a tarp, a refillable torch light, reusable tote bag, two-roll pack of paper towels, and a rain poncho.
Collier's concerned son questioned why his mom would drive to a Dollar store when there was a Dollar General a half mile from her home in Athens.
He also said he'd never known her to be a camper, and pointed out the family home has numerous tarps and reusable bags, since his stepfather works in construction.
He also made a chilling remark that the blonde-haired woman with red visor,
