The 36-year-old son of a Georgia woman who was found naked and burned in a ravine has vowed never to stop trying to find out who is responsible for her gruesome death.
Jeffrey Bearden’s mother Debbie Collier was last seen on September 10 leaving her home in Athens en route to Clarksville, some 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.
On September 30, the Habersham County Sheriff’s Department issued a news release with a timeline of the crime and released surveillance video.
Footage shows Collier browsing through 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 flashlight, a reusable tote bag, a pack of two rolls of paper towels, and a rain poncho.
Collier’s worried son wondered why his mother would drive to a Dollar store when there was a Dollar General half a mile from their home in Athens.
He also said he never met her as a camper, pointing out that the family home has numerous tarps and reusable bags since his stepfather works in construction.
He also made a chilling remark that the blonde woman with the red visor doesn’t even resemble his mother.
“I’m very concerned that in this video it was my mother because it doesn’t really look like her attitude,” he said, reported 11 Alive News.
Jeffrey Bearden pictured with his mother, Debbie Collier. Bearden vowed to find those responsible for his mother’s death, saying, “He won’t stop until you’re in jail or on death row.”
Amanda Bearden’s mugshot (pictured) and her boyfriend, Andrew Giegerich, had arrived back in town from Maryland two days before Collier’s disappearance
Nearby were forensic gloves, pieces of paper, and what appeared to be a strip from a book cover
Bearden said his sister Amanda, 36, whose history was patchy — from a brief jail term for faking a drug test to arrests for fighting with boyfriend Andrew Giegerich — entered the city two days before she disappeared had returned.
Amanda, who had lived in Maryland, moved into her mother’s house with Giegerich, the New York Post reported.
Although Bearden did not believe his sister was involved in his mother’s mysterious disappearance, he claimed he was suspicious and uneasy about his sister’s company.
Amanda was apparently the last person to see her mother and was the one who reported her disappearance to police, the New York Post reported.
“I don’t think my sister is capable of hurting my mother. She was my mother’s lifeline,’ Bearden said.
He added, “But I don’t trust the people my sister hangs out with and that’s my concern.”
More disturbing details reveal a money transfer – $2,385 sent from Collier’s Venmo app – with a mysterious message: “You won’t let me go. There’s a house key under the flowerpot,’ he said.
Bearden called the move to wire a large sum of money “very uncharacteristic of his mother.”
“I’ve never seen my mom, Venmo, make that much money,” he said in part, explaining that he also doesn’t know what the word “she” meant, written in the final lyrics.
The Habersham County Sheriff’s Office chief has not yet released names of suspects in the case.
However, officials claimed Collier’s death was not an accidental act of violence or the act of a serial killer, but the work of someone who knew her.
“We believe this act was premeditated and personal,” Deputy Murray Kogod said.
Collier, 59, was a real estate agent. She lived in Athens, Georgia with her husband and Beardon’s stepfather
A picture of the crime scene where Collier was found naked and partially burned in a wooded ravine near scenic Tallulah Falls with her purse and cell phone nearby, officials said
Close-up of items left behind hours after Collier’s body was discovered at the 9/11 crime scene
They also said they could not yet confirm the Venmo message was sent from the device.
Desperate for answers, Bearden has been vocal about the police investigation and shared his woes on Facebook.
“I was met with a sheriff who failed to empathize with my situation, my concern for the safety of myself and my family after being doped online, or any potential leaks coming out of his office,” the grieving son wrote.
The distraught son said he won’t give up, telling officials he won’t stop “until you’re in jail or on death row”.