The son of Debbie Collier, whose mysterious death has baffled police after she was found partially burned and naked in a ravine on September 11, has said he is wary of the people his sister Amanda Bearden associated with before his mom's death.
Amanda has a history of past arrests for fighting with her boyfriends. The 36-year-old was once thrown in jail before for faking a drug test. She had just moved back to Athens, Georgia, where her mom Debbie lived with her boyfriend, Andrew Giegerich, a couple of days before she disappeared.
Amanda's brother Jeffrey Bearden told 11Alive that he does not think his sister can hurt his mom as she was her mom's lifeline. He added that his concern is that he does not trust the people his sister hangs out with.
Jeffrey says mom's actions were out of character before her death
Collier sent a chilling message to Amanda before her death. She transferred $2,385 via the Venmo app with a note that said they wouldn't let her go. She added that there is a key to the house underneath the flowerpot, according to the New York Post.
Amanda, who had last seen her mom the previous day, reported Collier's disappearance to the cops. Jeffrey said he had never seen his mom Venmo that large amount of money, which was very out of character for her. Jeffrey also did not know who the "they" his mom was referring to in the text message could be.
Collier had not told anyone that she was leaving home on September 10 before she traveled from Athens to Clarksville in Georgia, which spanned around 60 miles. The Habersham County Sheriff's Office released surveillance video of Debbie browsing at a Family Dollar in Clayton on September 10, shortly after her body was discovered the next day.
What was Debbie Collier doing in Clayton?
Jeffrey said he did not know why his mom was up there. He added that it did not make sense to him why she was in Clayton. He explained that there is a Dollar General that his mom frequently visited that was less than a mile from her Athens home, the Daily Beast reported.
Aside from that, Jeffrey was also confused by what his mom bought in the store, which according to cops, included a large tarp, a reusable tote bag, a rain poncho, a refillable torchlight, and a 2-roll pack of paper towels. The tote bag and the tarp that Collier purchased were later found next to her body.
Jeffrey told the media outlet that he had never known his mother to be a camper. He said they have tarps at the house as his stepdad works in construction. He found about 20 to 30 reusable bags at home as his mom was very green and had a bunch of those.
