GBI To Open Tamla Horsford Death Investigation: Forsyth Sheriff

CUMMING, GA — In light of recent calls to reexamine the 2018 death of Tamla Horsford, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office has made an official request to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to open an investigation and examine any new evidence which may be available.

"We recognize that transparency is vital for law enforcement agencies, and we want to ensure that no stone has been left unturned in the investigation of this tragic death," the Sheriff's Office wrote Friday.

Sheriff Ron Freeman said in the letter to the GBI that, "renewed requests for reexamination are best served by an independent law enforcement agency to review previous findings and to search and act on any new evidence which may come to light."

"The Forsyth County Sheriff's Office stands ready to assist in any manner and will turn over our complete investigative case file to your agency," Freeman wrote. "Your agents will have complete access to my office and deputies as well as my full cooperation."

Horsford was reported dead the morning after she spent the night at a friend's house following a birthday and football party in November 2018, according to a case supplemental report by the Sheriff's Office.

"The deceased is an acquaintance of the resident homeowner," the case report states. "The deceased was drinking heavily. At some point the party began to wind down and attendees began to go to bed for the night. The deceased was left downstairs and was awake. The back door which has an alarm connected was triggered on the homeowners phone. It was triggered, open, closed and opened again. Times are detailed on the phone. The following morning when the homeowners and party attendees awoke they discovered the female deceased in the backyard. They then contacted 911 to report the incident."

Kurt StJour, Horsford's father, was also quoted in the case report as he had many questions for the investigator.

"I answered Kurt's questions in general as best I could with what little information I had at the time," the investigator wrote. "I explained to him that until the reports from the GBI returned I would not be able to tell him exactly what had happened to his daughter. Kurt still had questions and I asked him if it would help for him to see the pictures from the scene. He stated he wanted to. So I went through the scene pictures with him. This only seemed to cause Kurt to have more questions. He stated the death and scene was suspicious to him. I explained that is why Tamla went to the GBI for autopsy in order to determine the why and how of her death."