The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has completed its renewed probe into the mysterious death of Tamla Horsford and said it will not be pursuing any criminal charges. Horsford died while at an adult slumber party in 2018.
“The DA review determined the facts and investigative findings do not support pursuit and prosecution of criminal charges,” Nelly Miles, a spokeswoman for the GBI, said in a statement on Tuesday (July 27).
For the new investigation, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office said it conducted over 30 interviews with people who attended the slumber party and other individuals who were connected to the event. The office said the renewed investigation lasted 300 hours.
Horsford’s death was initially ruled an accident, but renewed calls for justice last year led investigators to reopen the case. Authorities believe the 40-year-old mother of five tragically died after falling from a second-floor balcony and said she had alcohol, Xanax and marijuana in her bloodstream. She was found unresponsive in the backyard the following morning.
However, Horsford’s family pushed for the case to be reopened as a possible homicide, citing discrepancies in witness statements and more. According to the family’s lawyer, Horsford had injuries that indicated she was involved in a “struggle” and her body may have been moved after her death.
“She couldn’t have [had the] catastrophic injuries, fall from the balcony and ended where she did. She had defensive wounds that were not accounted for by either Forsyth County or GBI,” her family’s lawyer said on Tuesday in response to the GBI.
“There’s not going to be any surrender. We’re not going to go away,” he added. “There is going to be justice served in this case.”
In response to the GBI’s findings; Elizabeth Potts, Tamla Horsford’s mother, said, “We just want justice… the boys [and] I just want justice.”