No charges in woman’s mysterious death at adult slumber party, Georgia officials say
Latest findings surrounding the death of a Forsyth County woman during an adult slumber party “do not support” criminal charges in the case, according to Georgia’s top police agency.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation completed its probe into the death of 40-year-old Tamla Horsford and sent its findings to the Forsyth County District Attorney’s Office for review Tuesday, WXIA reported, citing investigators. The GBI re-opened the case last year at the request of Forsyth County Sheriff Ron Freeman.
McClatchy News reached out to the district attorney’s office on Wednesday and is awaiting a response.
“The DA review determined the facts and investigative findings do not support pursuit and prosecution of criminal charges,” a GBI spokesperson told McClatchy News in a statement.
Horsford, a wife and mom of five, died after what investigators said was an accidental fall from the back deck of a home in Cumming, where she was attending a sleepover with at least 11 other adults in November 2018. She was found face down in the backyard the next morning.
Horsford suffered “severe injuries” to her head neck and torso, in addition to a laceration to her heart,” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported, citing a GBI Medical Examiners report. A toxicology report also found drugs and alcohol in her system, including Xanax.
The sheriff’s office shuttered the case in 2019, but faced tough criticism over the findings of its investigation — especially from Horsford’s family and friends.
“I’m not saying it wasn’t an accident, but I am saying it was a coverup,” Horsford’s husband, Lee Horsford, told WSB-TV in March. “I’m saying they made it look like something else ... I just want the truth to come out.”
Best friend Michelle Graves was also skeptical of circumstances authorities said led to Horsford’s death.
“It’s impossible to get the injuries that she had from one fall,” Graves said, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
There was reportedly “heavy drinking” at the adults-only party as the group played card games and watched football, Forsyth County News reported, citing a report from the sheriff’s office. After the others had turned in for the night, witnesses told police Horsford went on the back deck to smoke a cigarette around 2 a.m.
One of them found her body the next morning and dialed 911.
Forsyth County District Attorney Penny Penn on Tuesday confirmed there would be no charges in the case, saying the evidence “overwhelmingly indicated [Horsford] died as a result of a tragic accident.”
“There was no evidence that anyone else was responsible for Mrs. Horsford’s death or that foul play was in any way involved,” Penn told Forsyth County News in a statement. “Therefore, that concludes this office’s involvement in the matter.”
This story was originally published July 28, 2021 at 4:56 PM with the headline "No charges in woman’s mysterious death at adult slumber party, Georgia officials say."