HABERSHAM COUNTY, Ga. — Investigators have narrowed the timeline in the death of Athens mother Deborrah Collier. The Habersham County Sheriff’s Office has said her death was “deliberate and personal.”
Collier was found dead Sept. 11 in a ravine in Habersham County near a burned tarp and a tote bag. Surveillance video showed Collier in a Family Dollar store in Rabun County buying similar items.
That footage and and a school traffic camera video have helped narrow the timeline of her disappearance and death.
Her body was discovered on Sunday, Sept.11 at 12:44 p.m.. Investigators are now working to determine what happened between 3:19 p.m. on Saturday when she was last seen on video and 12:44 p.m. on Sunday when her body was found.
Investigators in Habersham county say Collier walked out of the Family Dollar at 3:09 p.m. on Saturday, Sept.10. The footage shows she sat in her van for 10 minutes before driving away at 3:19 p.m., heading south on Highway 15. This is the last known footage of Collier.
The Habersham County Sheriff’s Office also pointed out a Tallulah Falls school traffic camera that captured Collier’s van traveling north on Highway 15 at 2:17 p.m. on Saturday, before she arrived at the store.
The camera is just north of what would become the eventual crime scene where Collier’s body was found. The Tallulah Falls Police Department is sorting through hours of footage to see if the van came back southbound after Collier left the store.
Collier’s daughter, Amanda Bearden, told police that around 3 p.m. on Saturday, September 10th, her mother sent her $2,385 via Venmo and the following message:
“They are not going to let me go love you there is a key in the house in the blue flower pot by the door (SIC).”
Bearden said she tried calling her mother, but she didn’t answer. Bearden said her mother only took her debit card and driver’s license with her.
“We don’t believe that this is a random act of violence. We do not believe this was the act of a serial killer,” deputies said Friday. “We believe that this act was deliberate and personal.”
“Please understand that this case is very complex in nature and has a lot of questions and unknows that are not typical for a death investigation,” deputies said. “It’s going to take significantly more time than the 19 days that have passed to solve this crime.”
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact Investigator Cale Garrison at (706) 839-0559 or Investigator George Cason at (706) 839-0560.