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Woman accused of trying to kill 13-year-old great-granddaughter in attempted murder-suicide
A DeLand woman is accused of trying to kill her disabled great-granddaughter in a murder-suicide attempt, according to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.
DELAND, Fla. - A Florida grandma has been arrested, accused of drugging her 13-year-old disabled great-granddaughter in an alleged murder-suicide plan, according to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies found the 13-year-old girl breathing yet unresponsive in the backseat of the grandma's vehicle Monday afternoon near Seville, Florida, north of Orlando. The girl was transported to the hospital for treatment. On Tuesday morning, the sheriff's office said the girl was listed in stable condition.
What we know:
Deborah A. Collier, 69, was arrested and booked into the Volusia County Jail on a charge of attempted first-degree murder, according to the Volusia Sheriff's Office. She is being held on no bond, according to online jail records.
According to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office, deputies and family started looking for Collier on Monday after an apparent suicide note was found by family members indicating she planned to harm her granddaughter and then planned to take her own life.
Deborah A. Collier booking photo. (Courtesy of Volusia County Sheriff's Office)
Collier and her husband, who was not named, are the sole guardians of the 13-year-old girl, who requires "comprehensive, 24-hour care due to her disabilities," detectives said.
"The constant demands of caretaking have contributed to significant stress in the family," the sheriff's office said in a news release. "Collier was 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. In her desperation due to these hardships, Collier made a plan to end her great-granddaughter’s life followed by her own."
VSO said Collier left her home in DeLand around 4 p.m. on Monday. Deputies found her vehicle near Seville and conducted a traffic stop. Collier was driving the vehicle and the 13-year-old girl was in the backseat breathing, unconscious, but unresponsive to stimuli.
Collier reportedly told the deputy that the girl was sleeping. However, a deputy noticed what appeared to be "white pill residue" on the girl.
Detectives found another suicide note and prescription medication bottles in Collier's purse, the VSO said.
Dig deeper:
- Florida Department of Children and Families - Services
- Disability Rights Florida
- Disability Information and Access Locator
- Abuse Hotline, 1-800-962-2873
- Domestic Violence Hotline, 1-800-500-1119
- Disaster Distress Helpline, 1-800-985-5990
The Source: The information is from the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.