Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - DETAILS EMERGE: Mom Debbie Collier Found Stripped, Dead, Charred After Bizarre Text

Episode Date: September 26, 2022

New details are coming out surrounding the death of Georgia mom Debbie Collier, who went missing after sending a bizarre text to her daughter.  Body cam footage of daughter Amanda Bearden's on-again/off-again boyfriend has been released after Bearden called the police. Andrew Giegerich was arrested for violating a no-contact order.  Giegerich also reportedly wrote a threatening handwritten message, contained in police evidence files, stating, "If you or your family ever come near me again I will hurt them."  Also made public is Amanda Bearden's own arrest record for battery, and for faking a drug test.   The bizarre message reportedly sent by Debbie Collier to her daughter, Amanda Bearden, along with $2,385 through Venmo says, “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. Collier was found the next day in a ravine, naked, her body burned.  Police tracked a rental vehicle Collier was using to a wooded area 60 miles away from the family’s Athens home.  Collier's husband told police that he last saw his wife at about 9 p.m. on Friday, September 9, as he was going to bed. The husband went to work on Saturday morning and told investigators that his wife’s vehicle was still in the driveway at that time.  The New York Post reports that the couple’s neighbor said they heard some sort of commotion going on at Collier’s home the night before she vanished. Anyone with information on the case should contact Habersham Sheriff’s Investigators Cale Garrison at 706-839-0559 or George Cason at 706-839-0560. Joining Nancy Grace Today: Renee Rockwell - Criminal Defense Attorney, Facebook: "Renee.Rockwell"   Caryn Stark - NYC Psychologist, CarynStark.com, Twitter: @carynpsych, Facebook: "Caryn Stark"  Joe Scott Morgan - Professor of Forensics: Jacksonville State University, Author, "Blood Beneath My Feet", Host: "Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan" Cody Alcorn - Reporter, 11Alive WXIA (Atlanta, GA), Facebook.com/CodyAlcornNews  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. A beautiful mom is found stripped, murdered, her body charred down a ravine. I'm talking, of course, about Deborah Debbie Collier and still no arrest. I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. Thank you for being with us here at Fox Nation and Sirius XM 111. There may not be an arrest yet, but a lot has happened during the last 72 hours. First of all, I want you to take a listen to our friends from Fox 5. A trail of caution tape marks the path deep into the woods where Collier's unclothed body was ultimately found.

Investigators believe whoever was responsible attempted to burn the body. Collier's red purse was also found nearby i'm scared for my family uh it puts fear in me one person told me off camera he noticed the van for a few days but didn't think anything of it because cars break down often okay a lot to take in just right there. One of the things we are hearing is that the rental car of Debbie Collier was parked there for a couple of days. That can't be right. But how long had it been parked there? Because that's very important. That really narrows the timeline.

We've got an all-star panel, but first I want to go to Cody Alcorn, reporter 11 Alive WXIA on the case from the very beginning. Cody, did you hear Eric Perry talking about, and that was Daniel Shelton, who was talking to Fox 5 describing how he and others are afraid right now. He said he had noticed the car there for a while. How he says a few days but how long can we narrow it down pinpoint when her rental her suv was parked there on the side of the road well we know from the haversham county's uh reports that they filed from that scene uh when her body was found on the 11th a deputy saw that vehicle at 5 p.m on saturday the 10th. So that's the official. But we've also been hearing since that that eyewitnesses have been watching this case and both of late. We saw that

car there as early as three o'clock on Saturday. So the timeline I have been able to put together between three and five p.m. on Saturday. OK, you know what? Let's go with three. And the day she was reported missing, which would have been the 10th. With me, high-profile criminal defense attorney out of the Atlanta jurisdiction. She is on Facebook at Renee.Rockwell. Renee, thank you for

being with us. You know where I'm going with this. I want to narrow that timeline because the husband is saying he saw her SUV parked in their driveway that Saturday morning, September 10 at 9 a.m. Go with me, Renee, because I'm looking at the timeline and that would put the car at earliest there at 3 p.m. It takes an hour to get there, which means at the latest, the car would have had to leave her home at 2 p.m. And there I've got a timeline between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Well, it's

important, especially for any potential suspects, because we're going to need a timeline on those people as well, Nancy. Yeah, I mean, you can get alibied, for instance, or like you're saying cell phones, say I can get Walmart video on you, Renee Rockwell, at let's just say 2 p.m. an hour away, then it's probably not you. Anybody that has a cell phone usually has a GPS device and can be tracked exactly where they were,

at least where their phone was. Exactly. The digital evidence in this case, so important. You hear Eric Perry from Fox 5 talking about caution tape marking a path deep into the woods. To you, Cody Alcorn, 11 Alive WXIA, I'm hearing a red purse. Is it a red purse or is it a red tote? So what it's listed as in the report is that they came up on that red tote first.

Okay, wait a minute. Are you actually trying to tell me tote purse? Did you just say that? They said a tote bag is what they said. Okay, that's important. You know why that's important? Karen Stark, would you please explain to Cody Alcorn the difference between a tote bag and a purse? Purse will have personal belongings.

You'd be able to tell from the purse, is this her purse? And that makes a big difference. A tote bag could have been left by whoever killed her. And then it would not have, and you wouldn't be able to see anything that would give you clues as to what might have happened. Exactly. Guys, Karen Stark joining me. Renowned psychologist joining us out of Manhattan today.

You can find her at karenstark.com. That's Karen with a C. Also with me, Joseph Scott Morgan, professor of forensics, Jacksonville State University, author of Blood Beneath My Feet on Amazon, star of a brand new hit series, Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan. He is the host. And you can find that on iHeart, wherever you download your podcasts. Joe Scott, another thing that's important, and I agree with what Karen Stark just said and remember everybody Renee Rockwell Cody Alcorn this ain't high tea at Windsor Castle jump in if you have a thought now's the time okay so let's talk about a red purse versus the red tote okay sorry Joe

Scott she took me seriously go ahead yes you Yes, you're right, purse going somewhere. No, red tote. Was she leaving? Did she decide to leave the house, the husband, the life, the drama? I believe she packed more than a red tote. I think of a red tote, it's like, Jackie, one of those canvas bags you have maybe at the grocery store, that kind of tote. Or could it have been like a duffel bag tote? Any idea, Cody Alcorn? Because actually what Renee said could be important. What about it, Cody? No, they've not released any of the warrants or any items they found on scene. Only what they put in the report.

And both of those officers, Tolua Falls Police and Habersham County Deputy, both described it as a, quote, red tote bag. Okay, back to you, Joe Scott Morgan, where I was going with this before we got Renee's idea. We've been told over and over that she, Debbie Collier, left with nothing but her debit card and her driver's license. Wow, that's convenient for somebody that wants to get her, for instance, take money out of her ATM, all sorts of things. We've heard nothing about a purse,

and I've been hypothesizing that the red tote may have carried the necessary items to start a fire, like, I don't know, lighter fluid, matches, rope. I'm not sure the tarp folded up. Maybe it was a new tarp in a package. What do you think? I think that that's quite possible. And kind of backing up a little bit, we've heard about all these items that they keep referring to relative to the tote.

One of the things that, and maybe Cody can enlighten us about this, I still haven't heard anything about keys at this point. Maybe the keys are in the ignition maybe the keys aren't there but i want to know where the keys are wait a minute wait a minute hold on that's a really good thought and i think i have something on that wasn't it a chrysler pacifica cody alcorn yes okay i looked it up and researched it over the weekend chrysler Pacificas don't have like you put in the key and turn the ignition. They have the touch button. Yes. But the actual key has to be within X number of feet of the touch button when you start the vehicle.

So that makes it less likely that they would find a key and we've heard nothing about a key being found a lot more happening in the last 72 hours uh take a listen now to our friends at wxia the report indicates investigators saw a red tote bag near an uprooted tree in the woods off georgia highway 15 along with what they believe were the remains of a fire. They also discovered a burnt blue tarp and a naked woman's body. She was lying on her back and her abdomen appeared to be charred. That woman was later identified as Collier. On Sunday a serious ex-sim representative called Habersham County authorities about a vehicle belonging to a missing person pinging its location in Clarksville. Habersham County deputies and canines started searching for the driver.

They found a red tote bag and a partially burned blue tarp before finding the woman's body down an embankment. In the last couple of hours, authorities have confirmed the victim is Deborah Collier from Athens. Anyone with information is asked to please contact police. What I want to get at in that information, Joe Scott Morgan, is the pinging of the Sirius XM. A lot of people don't know that your Sirius can actually be used

via satellite to find out where your vehicle is. Here's my question to you, Joe Scott Morgan. Can it also tell me where you've been? find out where your vehicle is. Here's my question to you, Joe Scott Morgan. Can it also tell me where you've been like a phone can? Can it tell me? Did she go straight from her home to that location? Did she stop somewhere in between? Of course, I think she was dead at the get-go and wrapped in that blue tarp.

Yeah. But what can SiriusXM information, tracking information, tell me? It's two different types of technology, Nancy, when you think about phones versus the SiriusXM radio. With the SiriusXM, this is what's referred to as one-way technology, and it's been controversial over the years. People are afraid that they're being tracked. Oh, no. Not those people like Renee Rockwell that thinks the government's actually

listening in on her and won't use Siri or Alexa. Well, let's don't drag Renee into this. She's already in it. The thought is, is that when they knew they being Sirius XM, they knew that this this vehicle was missing. And so they're going to they're going to send a signal. Now, this is a satellite generated signal as opposed to phone. You know, phone pings off of towers, which are terrestrial kind of thing that are based here. You have, you know, the GPS, you know, which is satellite based technology.

And they claim and when you read their literature, they say it's one way technology. And in other words, you have a specific identifier on your radio and you've seen those code numbers on there and blasted out to that location. And somehow they were able to kind of reverse this. And it's not something that they commonly use. They say that they don't commonly use it. But in this case, they were able to find her. The trick is, can they actually kind of follow the breadcrumbs, you know, going out? You know, and I'm thinking about

this, you know, we've talked about this before, the Gooch case out in Arizona and New Mexico with a young Mennonite woman who was killed out there by this Air Force serviceman. And those two phones were tracked together. And that's another piece to this. You know, you have her phone, you have potentially a perpetrator's phone. Are they traveling in tandem? I got a question for you, scott morgan did you do that on purpose or did you just follow wherever your mind led you because my question was not about your cell phone my question was will sirius xm data tell me just where the phone is at that moment or can we get a trail

based on this one-way technology i think at that moment because the way this this reads is that they said hey guys we've we've located this vehicle that is you know that is equipped with this it's in this specific location got it Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Okay, guys, as I'm trying to get in all the information I'm going to get off what we already know and tell you something brand new. Take a listen to our friends at CrimeOnline.com. Debbie Collier's daughter, Amanda Bearden, has had a number of brushes with the law, including fighting with her boyfriends, faking a drug test, and filing a false police report. The 36-year-old Bearden once claimed her boyfriend, Andrew Tyler Gigerich, had broken into her home, screamed at her, and attacked her.

The police report noted Bearden had bruises on her shoulders and arms. However, they also determined the couple was really living together and arrested Bearden for making a false report of a robbery. Geigrich was also arrested and hit with various charges, including battery. Documents associated with the case noted Geigrich and Bearden have a family violence relationship. Whoa. Whoa. Okay. That's certainly putting perfume on the pig. What does that mean to you, Renee Rockwell? And you're the one, and I've quoted this many, many times.

You'll remember the case. Very rich, high-profile husband. You represented the wife. This is when I was still in the DA's office. And they're getting a divorce. And I remember this like it was yesterday. It was at night. And you and I left the courthouse late. And we went to the bonding company. Why? I can't remember. We were at some bonding company and you were in the middle of this divorce and calls were coming in and you said, I'd rather try a homicide or a drug lord than try this divorce case because this guy is going to come by and take a shot at me one night as I'm walking across

the den. You know that picture window, that window you used to have in the front of your house? I'll never forget that, and it's true. So when you stick your hand in the middle of a domestic violence case, you might as well be sticking your hand in between two slathering Rottweilers. So when you hear the words family violence relationship, what does that tell you, Renee Rockwell? Doesn't tell me too much about whether or not she would have killed her mother, Nancy. That's not what I asked you. Number one, that was completely unresponsive. It tells me they've got a rocky relationship and police have been called out a lot.

That's what it tells me. Between those two. Yes. That's what it tells me. Between those two. Yes. That is not a murder make. You stole that from me, but okay. Speaking of that event, we're learning a lot about the daughter and her boyfriend, the mixed martial arts specialist. Take a listen to our cut 26. This is police body cam footage. I haven't recently, but she's still been taking money from my car. And that's the only reason we've had any contact because every week she takes five or six hundred dollars from my check. And I just don't see how that's right. She goes and does dope with my money.

I've made over $30,000, $40,000 this year, and I'm completely broke because she spent it all on drugs. There's clothes in the house that is mine. Did you tell me what happened when you came over here this morning? I asked for my clothes, and she said I needed to leave. I mean, I just got here. I didn't do anything wrong. That window has been closed.

Okay. To Cody Alcorn, what I'm gathering is the MMA boyfriend, mixed martial arts boyfriend, is trying to get into the home to get, that he shares with Debbie Collier's daughter, to get clothing out and police show up. And he tells cops, this is from the police body cam, sound and footage, he tells cops, his words, not mine, that she takes five or six hundred dollars from every, from his check and he's broke even though he makes good money because she takes it and spends it on drugs yeah that's what he's accusing her of and they stayed together this whole time so it's not like they were split up

forever they had these fights they stayed together another interesting part about this is they were living in maryland and they just moved back to Athens two days before Debbie Collier vanished. Repeat. So they lived in Maryland. And what they have told us is they moved back to Athens two days prior to Debbie Collier vanishing. Who tells you that? He did. He has said that.

He's told numerous people that. Their phones have also been taken away. Wait a minute. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Let me let that sink in. The daughter who her live-in is accusing her of stealing his money to buy dope. Again, we're not making that allegation. He did.

They just moved back two days before the mom is murdered yes okay take a listen to more of that body cam footage our cut 27 can i just leave if she's not going to give me my stuff i really haven't uh i mean we're just trying to figure out what's going on because you know beating on somebody's door this early cause you've seen it i'm saying i mean all right stuff's been stolen or whatever she said to not ring the doorbell i just knocked on the door a couple times i haven't done anything that they're saying i mean they've already made false charges against me before. So y'all were talking through the door to each other? Yeah, we still.

I'm trying to. But, I mean, if she wants me to leave, I'll leave. I didn't know. All right, man. Can I just go? Just stand by with me so he can talk to her. What's your name? Andrew. Andrew.

Andrew. Okay, so back to you, Cody Alcorn. I'm hearing this body cam footage where he is trying to get into the home to get money out. When did this, to get his clothing out, when did this happen? That was in 2021. Where were they living then? They had to be living in Athens because that's from Athens-Clarke Police. You're right.

So then, as I'm understanding, they moved to Maryland and then they come back right before she's killed. Is that correct? That's according to him, yes. Okay. Take a listen one more time. Jackie, it's our cut 28, the body cam footage sound. I just want to be done with her. Have y'all...

She's been cheating on me. She's been doing drugs. I've never done any drugs in my life. Have y'all... She's been cheating on me. She's been doing drugs. I've never done any drugs in my life. Have y'all had police involved before in y'all's business? Yeah, and that's why I'm trying to get my money back, because we're not supposed to have contact, but she's taking $500 each check. Why aren't y'all supposed to have contact, Andrew?

Because... Is there, like, a court order? I guess so. I don't know. I went to court a while back, but. Did you get arrested? I've been arrested before. The last time I got arrested because they falsified whatever.

I mean, her mom. I don't know what the issue is here. I don't know why I'm so unliked. This girl got hit by a car and I'm taking care of her. I don't know what the problem is.liked. This girl got hit by a car, and I'm taking care of her. I don't know what the problem is. Okay, I can tell you this much. To Renee Rockwell, criminal defense attorney, when you were asked a direct question, when was the last time you were arrested, and you can't get a straight answer, that signals a problem to me.

Okay, so he might be all jumping around and dodging questions, Nancy. But this is what I want to know. It tells me that she's taking money from him in some form or fashion. That's the allegation. That would be the daughter. My question is, was mom's phone locked? Does daughter have the combination to mom's phone? Did the daughter send the money to herself?

Yeah, I've been asking that from the get-go, Cody Alcorn. I want to know where was Deborah, Debbie Collier's phone when she sent that $2,385 Venmo to her daughter just before she's killed. Was that in her home? Was that at the location where her body was found? And how quickly can we figure that out, Joe Scott Morgan, based on pinging of mom's phone? Because I think you'd have to have your phone to send a Venmo unless you could send a Venmo from your mom's account from somebody else's phone.

I think you can do that. Yeah, I think that you could too. I think that you could pinpoint a Venmo from your mom's account from somebody else's phone. I think you can do that. Yeah, I think that you could too. I think that you could pinpoint it pretty closely. And here's one other piece to this, Nancy. You know, I'm always going to go back to the deceased. The condition of the body relative to postmortem interval. How long had she actually been down? And was that measured at the scene?

You mean the body temperature? Well, not just that, but rigor mortis and postmortem lividity and everything else we look for, even from an entomological standpoint. Okay, when you say that, you mean have bugs such as maggots gotten onto her body? And if so, at what stage of development they are if the baby insects have been laid? Is that what you're saying? Yeah, exactly. And so that's something that's measurable. And so you take those two timelines and you try to marry them up.

Now, guaranteed, I mean, you know, with postmortem interval, you can't fine tune it to the point where you're going to get it down to the millisecond. But then you enter in this digital evidence that we're talking about. I think this could be kind of powerful stuff, Nancy. Guys, again, back on the daughter. Is it just a mishmash of domestic warfare? The two of them battling each other over money? Take a listen to our cut 23 from Crime Online.

In 2012, Amanda Bearden was arrested for arguing with her boyfriend. She was charged with misdemeanor battery, simple battery, disorderly conduct, and criminal trespass. Her boyfriend told cops he had to hold her back as she broke his video game. Officers noticed marks on the man's chest and back and handprints on both arms.

Bearden pleaded guilty and got 12 months probation in order to take anger management courses. She broke probation in 2013 when she attempted to provide a fraudulent sample to a drug test lab and was sentenced to 30 days in local jail. Okay. All right. So now we've got violence and alleged violence and faking a drug test. Got 30 days in the local jail. But remember, this is all the way back in 2012 and 2013. It's not leading up to the death of her mother.

Let's move forward to the death of her mother. Take a listen to our cut one. This is Dave Mack from Crime Online. On Saturday, September 10th at 3.17 p.m., Amanda Bearden got an unexpected surprise from her mother, Debbie Collier. Without any warning, Debbie used Venmo and digitally transferred $2,385 to her daughter, Amanda. Amanda wasn't expecting any money from her mother mother and it wasn't something she normally did. But it was the text message that accompanied the money that shocked and frightened Amanda. In the text with the money, Debbie Collier wrote, They are not going to let me go. Love you.

Amanda Bearden was so shocked when her mother used Venmo to send nearly $2,400 with a cryptic text message that said, they are not going to let me go. Love you. There's a key to the house in the blue flower pod by the door. Amanda immediately called her mother's cell phone and went to voicemail. She tried it again and again with the same result. Reaching out to Debbie's husband of nine years, Steve, he said he hadn't seen Debbie since he went to bed the night before. Frustrated and scared, Amanda and Steve reported Debbie missing around 6 p.m. Less than three hours have passed since the cryptic message. Straight out to 11 Alive's Cody Alcorn.

Is it true that the daughter, Amanda Bearden, showed up at the scene where cops found her mom's body. Yeah, she was one of the she was the first person outside of law enforcement to show up. In fact, they held the scene for a while, even after she showed up to even go in the woods to find this body. And all that it says is that Athens Clark alerted her that her mom's car pinged in the area from the radio. A lot of people questioned, how did she know to go to exactly that logging road off of 15 near Tolua Falls? That's one thing. Did they give her the address?

It doesn't say, but in the report, it says they gave her an idea that her mom's Pacifica had pinged in that area. So she was the first one there. Question about that. If they told her the area, a lot of questions have been asked of us. How did she know to go to that location? But you're telling me that cops had told her the general location and then she showed up, correct? Yes.

Athens Court Police gave her that information so that really clears that up when you are hearing it does it doesn't clear up anything nancy go ahead where did she leave from it clears up the question of did she know on her own independently where her mother's body was alcorn is telling me the cops told her the general area and she went that way and saw all the cops so that clears that up let's get the general area and she went that way and saw all the cops. So that clears that up. Let's get the general area and you and I will go tonight and see if we can figure out where everything is. Nancy, this is what I want to know.

Where was she at 310 when the money was sent? Why would she wait several hours after a cryptic message like that, which sounds scary to me, to call the police and say, wait a minute, something's going on here? What were their movements? Cody Alcorn joining us from 11 Alive after the daughter gets the message about they're not going to let me go. The key is in the flower pot. Love you. what did she do following that message receipt that was at 3 p.m on saturday and according to her to this report she made some phone calls she went out looking but even she and police said the mom's phone was going straight to voicemail we know that for a fact and it says at around six her dad called and made this missing persons report. And back to your question about the phone, that's never been found, according to us. There was nothing in the Pacifica when they searched, according to the report.

And police in the report say they tried to ping her phone all night unsuccessfully. So someone has hidden or destroyed the phone. What does that tell you, Joe Scott Morgan? And even though you don't have the phone, it can still triangulate its movements leading up to the discovery of her body. Yeah, it can. And you're bouncing off these points. You mentioned triangulation relative to these towers, where they're going to be able to pinpoint it. Because if that's the last known location, you never know, you might find a remnant of a phone that they actually destroyed it in that location if they searched that particular

area. And it shows you this kind of progression, you know, how did they wind up in that spot? It's very curious. I think at least you combine that information with Venmo. And one thing, I'll shut my mouth, but this idea that the daughter is saying that she is, she was surprised to get a Venmo from her mother. I'd like to know, well, did she have a Venmo account prior to this? And if she did not, when was Venmo,

because this is something that has to be downloaded directly to the phone. When was it downloaded to the phone and had she ever used it before? And the amount is very curious to me too, Nancy, you know, specific. So when you start to look at the forensic accounting here, is this all of the money that she had in her account that she had access to? Or was it a specific number that can be married up with, say, money that was owed to somebody that is in that exact amount. I'll give you a great example, Joe Scott. In the JonBenet Ramsey case, a specific amount was demanded by the kidnappers, $118,000, as I recall. And that was the same amount that Jon Ramsey had just gotten for his work bonus. So those two numbers were married up.

And regarding Venmo, a Venmo account can only be associated with one phone number. You can have two Venmos, but one is typically personal and one is business. So it had to be coming from her phone is the way I understand them, unless somebody could log in in some way. Actually, I think they can, so that's not going to really help me. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace What more do we know? Guys, I want you to take a listen to our friends at Crime Online. Family last heard from Debbie Collier at 3. 17 p.m. Saturday, September 10th.

Less than three hours later, Debbie's husband Steve and daughter Amanda report Debbie missing. Steve tells police he last saw Debbie the night before when he went to bed. Police are skeptical until they hear that Steve and Debbie sleep in separate rooms due to Steve snoring. Steve says Debbie's rented Chrysler SUV was in the driveway when he left for work that morning. Amanda tells police Debbie left the house with nothing except her driver's license and debit card. Left with nothing except driver's license and credit card. Okay, straight up to Karen Stark joining us. Renowned psychologist joining us from Manhattan today. Karen Stark, leaving the home with nothing but your driver's license and your credit card.

So unlikely. It's unlikely. Nancy, think about it. Who leaves without their telephone, without some things? Unless it was some kind of a crisis and she wasn't thinking right. The thing also, you mentioned Brian Laundrie and how he kept texting the family. Fake texts. This Venmo and the text is so bizarre, especially since the daughter said that she never received anything like that from her mother.

Never had gotten a Venmo before. You're right. You and Joe Scott are really hitting on something. I don't think there's a coincidence in criminal law. This is the only time she has ever gotten a Venmo from her mom. And it's a strange Venmo. Yeah, it is. Guys, there's more.

There is a chilling threat issued before Debbie Collier is found dead. Take a listen to our friend Dave Mack. The boyfriend of murdered Georgia mom Debbie Collier's daughter allegedly threatened violence against her entire family last year in a chilling note and was arrested just last month for violating parole. Andrew Geigrich, a former amateur MMA fighter, scrawled a handwritten message that said, quote, if you or your family ever come near me again, I will hurt them. The note was included in police evidence photos after a domestic dispute in May of 2021 between Bearden and Gigerich. At the time, the couple was living in a home

owned by Amanda's stepfather, Debbie's husband, Steve Collier. Okay, what do we know about that? Jody Alcorn joining us from 11 Alive. Yeah, only what we've been told from those reports and what we've read. Again, they've been together this whole time. And again, Andrew and them are together now. They're in Athens together now. They got their phones confiscated by police, but they're still together here today on this Monday. They're still together. Nancy, jump in. It's very strange, again, that you hear him saying to the police, I don't know why she doesn't like me, talking about the mother.

And then he has this threat against the whole family. And then they just moved back to the area. And he's been arrested. It's just, I can't, you know, obviously I'm not going to say that he is, but I would think that he's very suspicious. Everybody's a suspect. I was just about to say, no one is a suspect. No one has been named a person of interest. No one has been named a suspect. And there is a difference. They took their phones. What? They took their phones and they searched the house, right? Yes. Yes. Isn't that right, Jody Alcorn? Yes, yes. Isn't that right, Jody Alcorn?

Yes, the colonel told us that last week that they have searched multiple homes tied directly to people closest to Debbie Collier. So I know her house has, the daughter's house has been searched. And the boyfriend told multiple agents or multiple news outlets that their phones have been taken by law enforcement. Okay, to you, Joe Scott Morgan, what's being done with their phones right now? There's an incredible phone dump that's going on right now. What that means is that the authorities are taking all phones associated with this crime. And they are bleeding out every bit of information that they can. All the location data, all of the text that were going back and forth,

because if you've got these two individuals that are so intimately linked to her, they're going to want to know what kind of communications have gone on between the boyfriend and the daughter. And let's don't forget about the father as well, because he's her husband, rather. He's, you know, he's part of that little intimate circle that you and I have talked about for years relative to, you know, people that are in your circle that can potentially do harm to you. And of course, there's strangers out there as well. But they're dumping every bit of this data and they are going through it with a fine tooth comb. Now, the daughter, Amanda Bearden, is not husband's bio daughter. Correct, Cody? Correct. Okay, guys,

take a listen one more time to our friend Dave Mack from CrimeOnline.com. In the days leading up to Debbie Collier's murder, Amanda Bearden and Andrew Geigerich were back together as a couple living in the house owned by Debbie's husband, Steve Collier. Geigerich told a reporter that the police had confiscated his and Bearden's phones, saying, The police have interrogated all of us. The people who are closest to Collier are kind of looked at as suspects right now. Meanwhile, Debbie and Steve Collier's house is located on a very quiet street.

A neighbor said they heard a commotion on the night before she died, although it's unclear who was involved. Police have not named any suspects or motive in the case. And we also have the sheriffs coming out and stating point blank kidnapping is out of the question. Take a listen to our friends at Fox 5. Fox 5 reached out to the FBI who sent this statement saying, quote, FBI Atlanta is aware of the case. At this time, the matter is being investigated by local authorities. The GBI had this to say, quote, the GBI medical examiner's office is conducting the autopsy, but those results will

be handed to Habersham County as we are not involved in the investigation. At this time, there is no evidence to suggest or support that this incident was related to a kidnapping or that this was a suicide. You are hearing Chief Murray speaking and now that was from Fox 5 but it's also coming from CBS 46. Listen. Habersham County investigators say there is no evidence to support 59 year old Debbie Collier was taken against her will or that she took her own life. Most troubling was the Venmo transfer Amanda told investigators she received around 3 17 p.m. Saturday. The $2,385 payment included a note that said quote they're not going to let me go. Love you. The sheriff's office says

it's executed several warrants at locations connected to Debbie. Investigators have also interviewed those closest to her. They have yet to rule out anyone. No one has been named a person of interest or a suspect. Quickly, Renee. If your mother sent you that money and a text like that, would it take you three hours to call the police? Probably not because my mother lives with me. But if I drove to her home and then I drove to where she worked, because if I can't find one of the twins, which basically never happens, but the few times I couldn't put my eyes directly on them, I searched the house and searched the backyard and the front yard first. And then I figured out that's why I have Life360, because they're surgically attached to their cell phones. Can I talk about something surgically attached?

Quickly, yes. If this body was dumped, somebody walked into that ravine and somebody walked out. And somebody got a ride home. So where's everybody's shoes? I want to see everybody's shoes. Yeah, the bottoms of the shoes for any matching soil, but also somebody had to either walk away from that crime scene or get a ride because the car was still there. Right now, investigators begging for public help. Take a listen to Eric Perry. Investigators say they need the public's help in piecing together clues as to who could be responsible. The Habersham County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Division has executed several search warrants at locations directly tied to the victim and have conducted

preliminary interviews of those closest to the victim. How and why the body of Debbie Collier ended up in a remote wooded area over 50 miles away from her home remains a mystery. Cody Alcorn, what are police and sheriffs doing right now? I know they're waiting on forensics, but I also know they have been interviewing people closest to Debbie Collier. And that's what the colonel told me last week is they have a lot more interviews to do and follow up as well. He wouldn't tell me who all has been interviewed, but I have a feeling with this public knowledge now of these reports, I think it's putting pressure on these individuals and trying to catch them in a lie. Tip line, everyone. 706-839-0559. Goodbye, friend.