The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Friday it had agreed to investigate the 2018 death of a woman at an overnight party in Cumming.
Forsyth County Sheriff Ron Freeman asked the GBI for an independent investigation to review previous findings in the case and to search for new evidence.
GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles confirmed the investigation but released no further information about it.
Tamla Horsford, 40, died in November 2018. She appeared to have fallen from the home's deck, more than 10 feet off the ground. She was unresponsive when she was found. No one at the party saw her fall.
Nearly four months later, her death was ruled accidental. Her autopsy revealed a broken vertebra and a laceration to the heart. She also suffered severe injuries to her head and torso. Blood tests showed she was intoxicated and had marijuana and Xanax in her system. The autopsy said the injuries were consistent with those received in a fall, and the sheriff's office closed the case, citing no evidence of foul play.
But Horsford's family and friends have questioned whether she could have died from the fall. A private medical examiner found injuries all over her body. An attorney hired by the family has suggested Horsford was involved in a struggle and her death was a homicide.
An online petition on change.org had almost 600,000 signatures from people requesting the case be reopened.
