Georgia mom whose body was found in woods was seen buying rain poncho and reusable tote bag, authorities say

A Georgia mom whose naked, partially burned body was found in the woods this month was last seen at a dollar store and appeared to be calm and not afraid of anything, authorities said Monday.

In a news release, the Habersham County Sheriff's Office said Deborrah Collier, 59, of Athens, was captured in security video at a Family Dollar in Clayton, in the North Georgia mountains, buying a tarp, a rain poncho and a reusable tote bag.

She made the purchases around 2: 55 p.m. on Sept. 10, according to the release, noting that investigators confirmed what she bought with a receipt provided by the store.

The Family Dollar is located about 13 miles north of the wooded area off State Road 15 where her body was found at 12: 44 p.m. on Sept. 11, authorities said.

Among the items found with Collier's body were a red tote bag and a partially burned blue tarp. It wasn't clear whether they were the items she bought at the Family Dollar. The sheriff's office didn't respond immediately to a request for comment.

It wasn't clear whether the purchases, including the lighter, were found at the scene.

The development allowed investigators to determine whether Collier died between 3: 09 p.m. Saturday - when she was seen leaving the store - and 12: 44 p.m. the following day, the sheriff's office said.

Investigators obtained the security video after they got a tip that Collier's daughter was seen in the shop on Saturday, the sheriff's office said. A review of the video showed that Collier was there, not her daughter, the sheriff's office said.

Neither the sheriff's office nor Collier's daughter responded to requests for comment.

The daughter alerted authorities to a chilling text message — they won't let me go — that her mother sent by Venmo before she disappeared, according to the sheriff's office. Collier sent her daughter $2,385, the sheriff's office said.

There was no other physical or eyewitness evidence suggesting that Collier was abducted, Habersham Chief Deputy Murray Kogod said last week.

As we move forward and get more information, we will continue to review all possible theories, he said.

The sheriff's office said it had found no evidence linking Collier's death to suicide. The manner and cause of death are not known. The state crime lab was still conducting an autopsy, the sheriff's office said last week.

Collier's body was found after a late model van she'd been driving was found unlocked and unoccupied at a road pullout, authorities said. The authorities found her lying on her back, grasping a small tree with her right hand, in search of nearby woods.

Her abdomen appeared to have been burned, the sheriff's office said.