Georgia Re-Opens Investigation Into Tamla Horsford Mysterious Death

The family of the deceased Tamla Horsford spoke with a local NBC affiliate.

In November 2018, the mysterious death of a Black woman in Forsyth County, Georgia made headlines, even reaching the radar of celebrities like Kim Kardashian-West and 50 Cent. Tamla Horsford, was found dead in the backyard of a Cumming, Georgia home where she'd attended a sleepover with new friends. In June, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation agreed to re-open investigation into the case.

On Thursday, Horsford's family spoke publicly for the first time.

“It’s unfortunate that it has to take other people’s heartbreak and other people’s loss for the proper attention to be given this case involving my sister,” said Summer St. Jour Jones.

Initially, the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office ruled Horsfrod's death an accident. The conclusion was that she fell from a balcony. Her autopsy discovered a blood-alcohol level nearly three times the legal driving limit in Georgia. Additionally, traces of Xanax and marijuana were found in her system. However, the police never provided her family any autopsy photos. The family's attorney, Ralph Fernandez, says there are more concerning details.

“The placement of the body, the multitude of injuries, what I would consider to be defensive injuries. The inexplicable post-mortem bleeding,” Fernandez said. "There were numerous inconsistencies in a series of statements. The disposal of evidence, the relationships between parties."

Two months after Horsford's death, one of the witnesses--a county court officer--was fired for internally accessing the incident report. The decision brought more attention to the case.

Stay tuned for further updates regarding the Tamla Horsford case.