A 69-year-old Florida woman is behind bars this week, accused of trying to kill her disabled 13-year-old great-granddaughter in a desperate murder-suicide attempt.
Deborah Collier faces a charge of attempted first-degree murder following a traffic stop in Pierson on Monday.
Deputies initially pulled Collier over for a welfare check after finding a typed suicide note at her home that read, “CREAMATION NO URN JUST BOX… MY LIFE SUCKED.”
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While Collier appeared calm during the stop, a second deputy noticed her great-granddaughter, Sophia Abbott, was unresponsive in the passenger seat. The teen, who has cerebral palsy and is non-verbal, was covered in “white pill residue” and had urinated on herself. She was immediately rushed to a hospital.
Investigators discovered prescription pills and a second letter in the vehicle.
“SORRY IT HAD TO BE THIS WAY BUT IT HAS TO BE DONE,” the note read, adding, “NOW U DON’T HAVE TO HELP WITH SOPHIA MY LIFE HAS BEEN HELL.”
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Collier, who has raised Sophia since birth, allegedly confessed that the stress of providing 24-hour care had become unbearable.
She told detectives she intended to wait for the girl to die so she could “join her,” explaining, “If Sophia goes, I got to go because I can’t leave her behind.”
Collier is currently held without bond at the Volusia County Jail. Her arraignment is set for Jan. 22, 2026.
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