Tamia Horsford: Police rule out charges in woman’s death at adult slumber party

Woman’s family believes there is more to the story than police are making public

Tamia Horsford, 40, at an adult slumber party. Ms Horsford was found dead in the home’s backyard after reportedly falling off the deck. (screengrab)

The mysterious death of a woman at in an adult slumber party in Georgia has once against been put to rest, much to the dismay of those who believe she was killed.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced it has completed its inquiry into the 2018 death of Tami Horsford, 40, and that it will be sending its findings into the state for review.

Ms Horsford's case was re-opened in 2020 on the orders of Forsyth County Sheriff, Ron Freeman. Mr Freeman said in a statement at the time that he re-opened the case in the interests of transparency.

The woman's death remains a mystery to those closest to her and the public; somehow, Ms Horsford ended up face down and dead in the backyard of a slumber party for adults. The official explanation has been that she fell off the house's back deck and died. Her body was not discovered until the next morning.

Ms Horsford was a mother of five.

Those critical of the findings have pointed to the GBI's previous mishandling of police shooting investigations and argued that there could be evidence that the woman was in a struggle before she died.

The GBI told McClatchy News that the “DA review determined the facts and investigative findings do not support pursuit and prosecution of criminal charges.”

The fall caused Ms Horsford “severe injuries,” according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, including a laceration to her heart. A toxicology report found that alcohol and Xanax were in her blood at the time of her death.

Lee Horsford, Ms Horsford’s husband, believes there is more to the story than what the police have released.

“I’m not saying it wasn’t an accident, but I am saying it was a coverup,” Mr Horsford told WSB-TV in March. “I’m saying they made it look like something else ... I just want the truth to come out.”

Ms Horsford’s case was initially closed in 2019, but criticism and the pressure of the ongoing George Floyd protests in 2020 prompted the sheriff to re-open the case.

Guests at the slumber party where the woman died had apparently been drinking heavily, playing cards and watching football. The GBI concluded that Ms Horsford stepped onto the back deck around 2am to have a cigarette but ended up falling to her death.

Because everyone else was asleep, Ms Horsford’s body was not found until the next morning, according to the report. The other guests called 911 after finding the woman.