Debbie Collier was calm and did not appear frightened as she shopped at the Clayton Family Dollar Store the day she disappeared, officials say. This latest revelation deepens the mystery surrounding the missing Athens woman’s death.
Last known images of Collier alive
On Monday, the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office released surveillance video from the Family Dollar located at 112 Plaza Way. Iin the video, Collier is seen entering the store around 2:55 p.m. on Saturday, September 10. She was casually dressed in a red top and shorts wearing a sun visor. Less than 15 minutes after entering the store, Collier approaches the register and places a reusable red tote bag and blue tarp on the counter. Those items were later found at the crime scene. She also purchased a rain poncho, a refillable torch lighter, and a two-roll pack of paper towels.
Investigators confirmed the purchases by reviewing the store’s security footage and obtaining a copy of the store receipt. They have not said what became of the other items.
Collier can be seen exiting the Family Dollar store in Clayton at 3:09 p.m., in what are the last known images of her alive.
“All video footage obtained from the store and surrounding businesses reflect that the victim was alone in the van at the time she visited the store,” the sheriff’s office says.
What happened next, remains a mystery.
Eight minutes after Collier departed Family Dollar, her daughter, Amanda Bearden, said she received money and a chilling message from her mom. Bearden told Athens-Clarke County police that at 3:17 p.m. on September 10 her mom sent her $2,385 through the Venmo payment app. Accompanying the payment was a message that read: “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.”
Grisly discovery
The next day, law enforcement found the 59-year-old Athens real estate office manager dead in the woods of northern Habersham County. Officers discovered her partially nude burned body two-tenths of a mile into the woods off of GA 15/US 441 in Tallulah Falls. Law enforcement was tipped off to the location by the satellite service in Collier’s rented van. The black Chrysler Pacifica was left parked alongside the highway, some 13 miles south of where she went shopping.
Collier’s body was charred at the abdomen. She was found down an embankment a distance from where it’s believed she was set on fire. When investigators found her, she was grasping a small tree in her right hand possibly indicating she may have survived the fire and attempted to find help.
Narrowing investigation, still searching for leads
Based on the surveillance footage, investigators have narrowed the time of Collier’s death to a window between 3:09 p.m. on September 10 and when her body was found at 12:44 p.m. on Sunday, September 11.
Further narrowing the investigation, detectives announced last week there is no evidence to suggest that Collier killed herself or that a kidnapping was involved. Through interviews with the store clerk and a review of store camera footage, they were also able to rule out information they received that Bearden was at the same store in Clayton as her mom.
Bearden and her stepfather, Steve Collier, filed a missing person report with Athens-Clarke County police at 6:01 p.m. on September 10, three hours after Bearden received the payment and cryptic message.
The Habersham County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division has interviewed family members and others close to Collier. They’ve executed a number of search warrants and say they’re now starting to receive information from subpoenas they filed over a week ago. The GBI Crime Lab is analyzing evidence that was collected from the van and crime scene. The state medical examiner’s office was to conduct an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of Collier’s death. While she was burned, officials have still not said how she died.
Investigators are still following up on leads. They ask anyone with information about this case to contact Investigator Cale Garrison at (706) 839-0559 or Investigator George Cason at (706) 839-0560.
