FL Woman Tried To Kill Disabled Great-Granddaughter In Murder-Suicide: Sheriff

DELAND, FL — A DeLand woman was arrested Monday night during an attempted murder-suicide with her disabled 13-year-old great-granddaughter, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said.

Deborah Collier, 69, was charged with attempted first-degree murder.

The teen victim is in stable condition in an area hospital after deputies learned she had taken pills that Collier fed her to end her life, the sheriff’s office said.

Deputies began looking for Collier after her family found a suicide note just before 4:30 p.m. She had left her home in the Daytona Park Estates area, leaving the note behind.

A deputy spotted her vehicle and pulled her over for a well-being check, finding Collier at the wheel and the 13-year-old unconscious in the passenger seat, the sheriff’s office said.

Collier told the deputy the girl was sleeping, and the deputy saw that the teen was breathing.

However, deputies noticed white pill residue on her and found her totally unresponsive to stimulus, investigators said.

The teen was taken to the hospital for treatment while the investigation continued.

In Collier’s purse, deputies found prescription medication bottles and another typed note which indicated Collier was ending her and her great-granddaughter’s lives due to the stress they caused their family, the sheriff’s office said.

The victim requires comprehensive, 24-hour care due to her disabilities, detectives said. Collier and her husband have been the girl's sole guardians since birth and she said the constant demands of caretaking have contributed to significant stress in the family, according to deputies.

Collier was also opposed to the idea of the victim receiving care in an assisted living facility and said she believed that no one would care for her like family, the sheriff’s office said. In response to this, she made a plan to end her great-granddaughter’s life, followed by her own.

See Also:

• Man Stole $1,000-Winning Lottery Ticket From Lost Wallet In St. Pete: Reports
• Salvation Army Bell Ringer Attacked FL Publix Manager: Sheriff
• FL Man Pleads Guilty To Threatening To Kill Federal Officials: U.S. DOJ
• FL Boy With Autism Rescued From Pond On Christmas Night: Watch
• 9-Year-Old Girl Killed In U.S. 301 Crash: FL Highway Patrol