Debbie Collier: An unfired round was located near the scene where murdered Georgia mother, Debbie Collier, was found naked and charred after her mysterious disappearance.
According to Fox News Digital, investigators collected the unfired round in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, close to where 59-year-old Collier’s remains were found. An investigator told the outlet that it’s unclear at this point whether the bullet was intended for Collier, who was found deceased on September 11.
Debbie Collier: Unfired Round Located Near Georgia Mom’s Charred & Naked Body as Murder Investigation Continues
“That’s an important piece of evidence, and that’s something [one or more suspects] could’ve dropped on the way out the door,” Former Miami-Dade homicide detective, Pat Diaz, told Fox News Digital.
“It’s not a recreational hunting round that you would find normally in that area. That’s unusual. A hunter’s not using a .223 round, plus…it’s bow season.”
Diaz added that the round could have been meant to force Collier, at gunpoint, to comply.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Collier’s daughter, Amanda Bearden, 36, contacted police on September 10 after she reportedly received a Venmo payment from Collier for $2,385. A cryptic message was attached to the Venmo payment 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.”
Police said at around 3:15 p.m. on September 10, the Venmo payment was sent to Bearden.
Bearden, who reportedly waited several hours before contacting police, said Collier left everything at home aside from her ID and debit card, which contradicts what’s seen on security footage at a Family Dollar store, the last known sighting of Collier.
According to a security video released Monday, Collier walked into a Clayton, Georgia, Family Dollar store on September 10 at around 2:55 p.m. She was seen carrying a large black purse and vehicle keys while wearing a UGA football jersey.
Police say she was seen on security footage buying, in part, a lighter, a tarp, and a bag.
On September 11, police tracked a rental vehicle Collier was using to a wooded area 60 miles away from the family’s Athens home.
Police scoured the vicinity of the vehicle and found her body and a burned blue tarp in a nearby ravine. She was naked, charred, and deceased, police said. Although the case is being treated as a homicide, it’s unclear how Collier died.
At this time, there is no evidence to suggest or support that this incident was related to a kidnapping,” the Habersham County police said in a statement, according to People.
So far, no arrests have been made and no one has been named a suspect in the killing.
Daughter of Murdered Debbie Collier Has History of Arrests, Including Fights with Boyfriend: Court Docs
The daughter of slain Georgia mother, Debbie Collier, has a long history of domestic violence issues, including battery and fighting with her boyfriend.
According to Athens-Clarke County Superior Court documents, 36-year-old Amanda Bearden has had numerous run-ins with Athens-Clark County police, spanning for years. The most recent incident happened in May 2021 after a reported domestic argument.
Bearden reportedly told police that her boyfriend, Andrew Giegerich, intruded into her home uninvited, then robbed her, and physically attacked her.
Bearden was ultimately arrested for making a false report after police learned that Giegerich lived in the home with her. She was also charged with making a false robbery report. Giegerich was arrested for battery and related charges.
“Giegerich and Bearden have a family violence relationship,” an incident report read.
Bearden was arrested in 2008 for obstruction of an officer, then again in 2012, for battery, simple battery, trespassing, and disorderly conduct.
For his role in the 2021 incident, Giegerich spent time in jail and was ordered to undergo domestic violence classes.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, 59-year-old Collier was found dead on September 10 after she allegedly sent her daughter, Amanda Bearden, $2,385 using Venmo. Collier reportedly included 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.”
After receiving the message, Collier’s daughter tried to call her mom but could not get through. Worried, the daughter said, she contacted the police to report her mother missing.
Investigators determined that Collier left her house with only her driver’s license and a debit card. Last Sunday, police tracked a rental vehicle Collier was using to a wooded area 60 miles away from the family’s Athens home.
Police scoured the vicinity of the vehicle and found her body in a nearby ravine. She was naked, charred, and deceased, police said. Although the case is being treated as a homicide, it’s unclear how Collier died.
“At this time, there is no evidence to suggest or support that this incident was related to a kidnapping,” the Habersham County police said in a statement, according to People.
New York Post reports that Bearden and Giegerich are back together and living at the same residence. Police have not named a suspect in the case, but Giegerich told the Post that investors questioned everyone close to Collier.
“The [police have] interrogated all of us. The people who are closest to [Collier] are kind of looked at as suspects right now.”
There is no suggestion that Bearden or Giegerich had any involvement in Collier’s tragic disappearance, and police have not yet named any suspects or motive in the case.
Police wrote in an incident report that Collier was lying on her back while her right hand was “grasping a small tree.” She was nude and charred on her abdomen.
The sheriff’s office said Wednesday that they’ve investigated “at locations tied to the victim,” and interviewed those closest to her.
Bearden told CBS 46 that her mother was her “everything” and she couldn’t imagine who would have killed her.
“Somebody took my whole world from me,” she said. “She was a beautiful, kind, giving woman — and she didn’t deserve any of this…I want justice for my mom.”
To report information about the case, call the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office at 706-839-0500.
Check back for updates
