Georgia authorities said on Monday, September 26, that Deborrah Collier, whose naked, partly burned body was found this month in the woods, was last seen at a dollar store. The 59-year-old appeared to be calm and not afraid of anything, deepening the mystery surrounding her death, according to NBC News.
The Habersham County Sheriff's Office issued a news release, saying that the Athens native was captured in a security video at a Family Dollar in Clayton, located in the North Georgia mountains. She was seen buying a torch lighter, a rain poncho, a tarp, and a reusable tote bag in the store.
The release said that Collier made the purchases around 2:55 p.m. on September 10, noting that investigators were able to confirm what she bought at Family Dollar with a receipt provided by the store.
Collier bought items at Family Dollar hours before her death
Authorities said that the Family Dollar store Collier went to is roughly 13 miles north of the wooded area off State Road 15, where her body was found at 12:44 p.m. on September 11.
Among the items found with her body were a partly burned blue tarp and a red tote bag, according to Fox5 Atlanta. It was not clear, though, whether they were the items Collier bought at the Family Dollar. It also was unclear whether her purchases, including the lighter, were found at the crime scene.
The sheriff's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the investigation. The important development allowed investigators to determine that the victim died between 3:09 p.m. on Saturday, September 10, when Collier was seen leaving the store, and 12:44 p.m. the following day, according to the sheriff's office.
The sheriff's office said that investigators were able to obtain the security video after they got a tip that Collier's daughter was seen at the Family Store shop that Saturday. A review of the video showed that it was Collier herself who was there and not her daughter.
The sheriff's office had previously announced that the daughter alerted authorities to a chilling text message her mom sent with the payment app Venmo before she disappeared. She sent her daughter $2,385 and told her they wouldn't let her go.
What happened to Deborrah Collier?
Habersham Chief Deputy Murray Kogod said in an email last week that there was no other physical or eyewitness evidence suggesting Collier was abducted. He added they would continue to review all possible theories as they move forward and obtain further information.
The sheriff's office announced that it had found no evidence linking the victim's death to suicide, with the manner and cause of Collier's death remaining unclear, according to WALB.
Her body was discovered after a late model van she had been driving was found unlocked and unoccupied at a road pullout. Authorities found Collier lying on her back when searching the nearby woods, with the victim grasping a small tree with her right hand, and her abdomen appeared to have been burned.
