Celisia Stanton (26:07)
When all was said and done, even Oprah left Forsyth county before the sun went down. But three decades later, with things assumably much safer, Tamla Horsford lived in Forsyth county, but the story of one night in particular is one her family is still hoping to uncover. In the wake of Tamla's death, police interviewed witnesses, partygoers who'd been the last known to see her alive that night. Slowly, a picture of what had unfolded the night before began to come together. According to Nyle Capeo, writing for Rolling Stone, there were a total of 12 people who'd been to Jeanne's house that night, nine women and three men. Later, advocates of Tamla would name this group the Forsyth12.8 in the group, including Tamla, planned a sleepover at Jeanne's, according to Emily Sugarman, writing for the Daily Beast. Police interviews with party attendees described Tamla arriving late, immediately changing into her paw print onesie and lighting up the room with her smile and laugh. According to Rolling Stone, the group split into two the women upstairs and the men downstairs, both groups watching the LSU versus Alabama football game. Tamla was the only smoker in attendance, so she took frequent solo smoke breaks on the balcony. At one point, she switched from cigarettes to weed, but Jeanne asked her to stop, According to her statement to police, she teased Tamela, calling her the female Bob Marley. Eventually, the men joined the women upstairs for a game of cards against humanity. It was the kind of party I could see myself attending with my friends. According to the Daily Beast, video from that night shows partygoers having a great time. They're dancing and celebrating. Even though LSU failed to secure the win, the group struggles to focus on their card game and sips their cocktails between bouts of laughter. Tamla opened the bottle of tequila she'd brought as a gift for Jeanne, but Tamla was the only one willing to drink it. The smell was strong and bitter, and Jeanne would later tell police it made her want to throw up in her mouth. And although Tamla sipped the tequila alone, police found only one eighth of the bottle remaining the following day. But partygoers would tell police they didn't remember Tamla seeming very drunk. If anything, she seemed remarkably composed, especially considering how much of the tequila was missing the next morning, according to Rolling Stone, the party started winding down around 11:30pm as some party attendees went to their own homes and others turned in for the night as Jeanne's. According to the Daily Beast, Jeanne started nudging the remaining guests to go to bed at around 1am as she would tell police, Tamla begged her to stay up, saying she loved hanging around women, that it was a nice break from her house full of boys. But despite Tamla's pleas, John emphasized that she had to get up early the next morning. Heading upstairs to bed, Tamla stayed awake with Jeanne's friend Bridget Fuller, who was waiting for a ride from her husband. The two chatted downstairs, and Tamla snacked on a bowl of gumbo. The Rolling Stone reports that Bridget would later tell authorities that when she left, Tamla planned to smoke one last cigarette before heading to bed. Eventually, Bridget's husband would arrive and she'd tell authorities that Tamla saw her out the door. Tamla leaned over to kiss Bridget's cheek and said, you're a really good person. Bridget replied, okay, well, thank you very much. I appreciate that. Now take your ass in the house and finish eating your gumbo. In this moment, well, it was the last known time that Tamla was seen alive. And when reading everyone's recollection from that night, I was struck by just how mundane it all was. Small moments, drinks shared collectively among friends, jokes over card games, compliments before a friend leaves for the night, all things I've done with my friends at our parties. And while the stories told by the partygoers were sweet, recounting Tamla as someone full of life, enjoying herself, these were moments that probably wouldn't have been that memorable in the grand scheme of things. But eventually, as the sun rose and Tamla's body was discovered, these stories took new meaning. The investigation into Tamla's death was riddled with missteps from the start. According to Rolling Stone, investigators had jumped quickly to the belief that Tamla's death had been an accident. It was an assumption that would ultimately cost them evidence. The crime scene was not preserved, witnesses weren't immediately questioned, and minimal autopsy photographs were taken. Looking into the early investigation felt like reviewing some kind of tragic checklist where nothing had been checked off. No rape kit, no fingerprints collected, no fingernail clippings obtained. The tequila Tamla had brought that night. Not tested. There was a home security camera pointed at the backyard, but it didn't have batteries. And while that last one wasn't the investigator's fault, it was just another disappointment in a long line of disappointment. But investigators weren't without their ideas. According to writer Niall Capeo, after lead investigator Mike Christian noticed that some landscaping edging seemed to match cuts on Tamla's shins, an early theory arose that Tamla had died from an accidental ground level fall. It was a guess Mike would share with Tamla's family after they had been notified of her passing. And this, perhaps, is where the first seeds of mistrust between investigators and Tamla's family may have taken root. However, the medical examiner didn't feel the evidence was consistent with a ground level fall because Tamla's injuries were severe. She had a dislocated wrist, a broken neck, four different types of hemorrhages in the skull and brain, and even a laceration to her heart muscle. It led investigators to look in another direction. Using data from Jeanne's home security system, they identified that a sliding glass door leading to an upper level backyard deck had been opened, closed, and then opened again, final time at 1:57am just minutes after Bridget Fuller had left Tamla to head home. This, paired with Tamla's toxicology report, which found Xanax, marijuana, and three times the legal limit of alcohol in her system, opened a new line of thinking for investigators. Perhaps Tamla had headed to the balcony for another smoke break, and in her intoxication, she'd stumbled over the edge, falling to her death. But this new theory raised questions for Tamla's loved ones. As Nyle Capeo writes, if Tamla had been that inebriated, why had so many people who'd attended the party confirmed that she hadn't seemed drunk? Pictures and videos from the night also seemed to indicate that Tamla hadn't been acting erratically. And if she'd fallen from the balcony, how come no one in the house heard it? Some of the partygoers had headed to their rooms less than 30 minutes beforehand. While a fall from a balcony would likely pose more danger than the original ground level theory, family members quickly pointed out that the balcony was only about 15 to 20ft off the ground. Tamla's injuries, they felt, still seemed severe for a fall of that height. But it wasn't just family who was skeptical. According To Rolling Stone, one partygoer, Stacey Smith, would say, I mean, I've been on that deck like a million times. I've looked and I've tried. Referencing the theory that Tamla had fallen over the edge, and I don't understand. Family members also felt confused about the Xanax the medical examiner found in Tamla's system. How had it gotten there? They'd wondered. As it turned out, another attendee did have a Xanax prescription, and while she denied having shared any with Tamla, texts would later reveal that she'd given out pills to other friends in the past. It was a lead that was never explored further. Feeling alarmed and suspicious of the quality of the investigation, Brian Paglia of Forsyth County News reported that Tamla's family ordered a secondary private autopsy. Leander Horsford, Tamla's husband, would say, in my personal opinion, I think that the investigation has been mishandled. There are a lot of things that were left back that should not have been left back. I want the truth of what's going on, because, I mean, the stories I've heard so far, none of them make sense. And if they don't make sense, usually there's a reason. But despite all of this, In February of 2019, after three months of investigation, the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office decided to close Tamla's case. Case closed. The controversial death of a mother found dead outside an overnight house party ruled accidental. But not everyone believed that investigators had uncovered the whole story, and some held fast the idea that Tamla had been murdered. Before long, people started pointing fingers at those who'd last seen Tamla alive. And over time, members of the Forsyth 12, the group of folks who'd been at the sleepover the night of Tamla's death, would come under intense public scrutiny as theories about what really happened to Tamla made their way across social media. The first person to receive public backlash was Jeanne's boyfriend, Jose Barrera. Rolling Stone reported that the time of Tamla's death, he'd worked as a pretrial officer for the Forsyth county courts. But Jose was soon fired. As it turns out, he'd used his position to illegally access documents related to Tamla's case. According to Forsyth County News, this scandal happened just one month after Tamla's death and fueled theories claiming that the investigation had been mishandled from the start. By February of 2019, Tamla's case was making headlines on larger media outlets like vibe.com and the Daily Mail. And on social media, claims of corruption continued to spread viral posts made claims without evidence that Tamla was murdered while she attended a sleepover with seven white women or that she was beaten and thrown off a balcony. One such speculative theory pointed to connections between the partygoers, the Forsyth county sheriff and a Forsyth county deputy coroner as evidence of bias in the investigation. According to the Daily Beast, this theory was fueled in part by a Facebook post with more than 70,000 shares. The post claimed that the Forsyth 12 were covering up Tamla's murder and that they had political ties and lots of money. Truthfully, when I was investigating these alleged political ties, I kept getting lost along the chain of connections. But what's important to remember is that coming Georgia, the city in which Tamla died, it's small, like under 8,000 people small. For better or for worse, connections between different people might be almost inevitable, but those connections fueled public speculation. Ultimately, though, many of these connections proved tenuous, and the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office asserted that even if there were connections, that didn't inherently point to corruption in the investigation. Public Information Officer Stacey Miller told Rolling Stone that the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office investigates each case with the same tenacity, without bias, no matter who the victim, witnesses or suspects are. Still, people close to Tamla insisted that members of the Forsyth 12 knew more than what they'd been letting on. According to Forsyth County News, one of the people most vocal against the Forsyth 12 was Michelle Graves, who'd been a close friend of Tamla's prior to her passing. And by the end of February 2019, seven of the partygoers hired attorney Eric Tatum to help them file a defamation suit against Michelle. The complaint cited 13 of Michelle's Facebook posts, each of which directly named folks who'd been at the party, and noted that some of the posts had been seen more than a hundred thousand times. According to Eric, these posts named his clients as responsible for Tamla's death and accused them of aiding and abetting in her murder. As the Daily Beast would tell it, Eric stressed that Michelle's posts had serious consequences and said that each of his clients had received death threats. Additionally, Forsyth County News reports that according to the lawsuit, Eric's clients, their character, their reputation and their businesses had all suffered irreparable damage. Michelle would defend herself, saying, I state nothing but factual information which was verified by the case file. I stand strong behind my statement. These people know what happened and if they were not directly involved, they have to come forward with the truth. She further challenged the claims of the lawsuit, telling Forsyth County News this is nothing More than another intimidation tactic on their part, these people caused this negative attention by having a party where someone lost their life. Ultimately, nothing would come of the lawsuit, and the case was dismissed. But it did cause a lot of confusion in the community. And it was yet another strange moment in a long chain of events following Tamla's death. And for some, the lawsuit bolstered the idea that something sinister had happened the night of Tamla's death. But the Forsyth 12 weren't the only ones who'd find themselves embroiled in controversy in 2020. A woman came forward with accusations against lead investigator Mike Christian. It would all culminate in his resignation in October of 2020 after an internal investigation discovered that Mike, who'd been having extramarital affairs with multiple women, had shared with them confidential details about Tamla's case. According to Rolling Stone, he'd continuously referred to Tamla not by her name, but instead called her Porch Lady, a crass moniker, poking fun at the theory behind her death. One woman told the GBI that Mike had sent her pictures of Tamla's body, but and even shared her unreleased toxicology report. It turns out even Mike had felt wary about the investigation's conclusion. He told the women that although he believed her death to be accidental, he didn't buy that she'd fallen from the balcony. The women shared he'd been obsessed with the case, that it even caused him to have multiple panic attacks. But none of it stopped Mike from making insensitive comments about what had happened. In one Snapchat message he'd sent, he joked about having to notify Leander about Tamela's passing. He said, hello, sir. I know we've never met, but I'm here to tell you that your wife and the mother of your six children is dead. Oh, yes, I am happy to report that she was really, really drunk. Trip landed face down in the backyard. And you know I know you have fun memories. Enjoy corralling those six boys who are now going apeshit. Comments like these were often sandwiched between completely unrelated explicit sexual messages. It seemed like to Mike, Tamla was just another topic of conversation. And while none of it proved that investigators were covering up some more sinister truth about Tamla's death, it highlighted how those entrusted to get justice for Tamla couldn't even show her the most basic levels of human dignity. And how could Tamla's loved ones trust a system that can't even provide that? But it would be years until the case truly gained national recognition. According to Niall Capeo, writing for Rolling Stone. The increased attention and support for the Black Lives Matter movement in the summer of 2020 led countless folks to share Tamla's story across social media, including big celebrities like Kim Kardashian, TI and 50 Cent. And with this increased attention on the case, local police faced a new wave of speculation about whether investigators are right about what happened to Tamla. In June of 2020, the Horsford family was able to reignite the case after hiring a new attorney, Ralph Fernandez. Ralph told the Daily Beast that it was Tamla's sister in law who'd urged him to help the grieving family sort through the confusing information they'd received from police. Ralph started his own investigation, filing public record requests and reviewing what he could of the original files. Eventually, he'd write a letter to Tamla's husband, Leander, concluding that evidence pointed to a strong possibility that Tamla had in fact been murdered. In the letter, Ralph claimed that investigators botched the case from the beginning, pointing to conflicts in witness statements, inappropriately handled evidence, and a lack of autopsy photos. He'd conclude the letter with a few sentences of support, writing, here we are fighting an uphill battle because those who wear the badges and were entrusted with the investigatory task failed you. But this is not over. It will never be over. Be safe. Be strong. We will get to the bottom of this. According to Rolling Stone, it was a Change.org petition that finally pushed things over the edge, with more than 600,000 signatures asking Sheriff Ron Freeman to reopen Tamla's case. Eventually, he'd do just that. And while this new investigation provided hope for those who believed Tamla's death wasn't an accident, they'd soon be met with yet another dead end. According to 11 Alive, in the summer of 2021, the GBI announced that the review of the case did not support pursuit and prosecution of criminal charges yet again. Many of Tamla's supporters felt that there was still more to uncover about what really happened that night of the party. But even in confirmed murder cases, victims, loved ones are often left without answers. In 2018, the Washington Post analyzed homicide arrest data in 55 of the nation's largest cities over the past decade. What they found, while perhaps not shocking for folks that listen to this podcast, left me feeling uneasy. Within the data reviewed, police arrested someone in 63% of cases involving white victims. And while that number might already feel low, it's important to note that in the cases involving black victims, police arrested someone only 47% of the time. Finally, in the cases where no arrests were made. Nearly three quarters of those victims were black. But as attorney Ralph Fernandez would tell 11 alive, the Horsford family isn't ready to give up just yet. If it takes me 20 years and I can live that long, I'll be working on this case anytime there's a homicide until it is resolved. The investigation is subject to being reopened. Fernandez says he's invested 500 pro bono hours into the case and will put in 10,000 more if it means finding out the truth. There's not going to be any surrender. We're not going to go away. There's going to be justice served in this case. Public support for Tamla and her family has waned some since 2020, but many folks are still rallying around her case. Other Change.org petitions have continued to circulate and gain support, including one from Forsyth Exposed, which at the time of writing this episode has nearly 750 signatures demanding the FBI handle all aspects of the reinvestigation into Tamla's death. Tamla's family still hopes they will receive answers one day, no matter how long it takes to get there. According to Emily Sugarman, writing for the Daily Beast, Tamla's husband, Leander, told police detectives, if you're truthful, in my mind, everything will make sense. Everything will fit together. All of the pieces of the puzzle will be there. My mother and grandmother always told me as a little boy, no matter what, the truth will always come to light. And here I think it's important to note that Tamla's story and her loved one's work to bring this truth to light, it all carries a message with implications far beyond the possibility of foul play. Because the fact that this level of corruption, scandal coverup, the fact that it could even be possible, the fact that the family's suspicions are even warranted at all becomes its own takeaway. Makes you wonder what does it say about all of us that we live in communities where this type of thing can happen? And the reality is that Forsyth represents so many counties and Tamela so many people. It's why her story resonated across the country in 2020. And of course, my hope is that Tamla's family is able to find the answers they're looking for to do right by this woman whom they loved so dearly. But as I researched for this episode, discovered all the ways that a county's scars refused to fade with time, it was easy to notice how no one in this story has ever been held accountable. Not in 1912, when Rob Edwards was murdered. Not in 1987, when white supremacist demonstrators took to the streets, and not in 2018, when the investigation into Tamla's death was so badly mishandled. And yet, despite all of this, we continue to appeal over and over again to these same systems, hoping that maybe this time they might actually save us. In many ways, Tamla's story demonstrates the ongoing echo of our country's racial scars and the reality that if we continue to use imperfect tools, we will continue to yield imperfect, messy, and even painful results. It makes you wonder if maybe it's time for more tools before you click away or move to the next episode, I want you to stay here with me for a moment so I can share a few ways to support Tamla and stories like hers. But first, I really wanted to extend a big thank you for listening to the final prequel episode of True or Crime Season two. I promise myself and the rest of the team are hard at work finalizing the full season and we're really excited to share it with you in spring of 2024. These three episodes were kind of like a sneak peek of sorts to hold you over, give you a taste of what's to come and inside look. And if you want to keep up with True or Crime and be the first to hear when that season two drops, you can make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter. We're on there rueercrimepod. You can also follow me on Instagram and TikTok Alicia Stanton to learn more about Tamla and follow any developments on her case. I recommend following usticefortam on Instagram. This is an account I looked at heavily when I was researching this episode. It's run by Tamla's loved ones and they share occasional updates on her case and just reflections on her life. Tamla's birthday actually passed this fall on October 10, and the account shared a photo of her with a few words honoring her memory. And I think it's definitely worth checking out. You know, in today's story we also talked a lot about the events of 1912 and you know, those sorts of things. The details of these historical events are only preserved because historical societies or similar organizations do the hard work of preserving it. So I really wanted to point you in the direction of two organizations that are working to safeguard the real history of Forsyth County. The first one I actually mentioned during today's episode, it's the Georgia Newspaper Project, run by the University of Georgia Library. This project is part of the US Newspaper Program and Its goal is to locate, catalog and preserve on microfilm newspapers published in the United states from the 18th century all the way to the present. You can learn more and access those resources@libs uga.edu gnp and you can also donate to support the library at libs uga edu Development Support and then another great organization is the Atlanta History Center. They're currently working on a project to collect the histories of descendants of Forsyth County's expelled black residents. So you can donate and check out their extensive photo collection and read more about the history of Forsyth, including the events of 1912 and the 1987 Brotherhood March, which we mentioned in today's episode. And you can do all of that@atlantahistorycenter.com as always, you'll find all of these resources and more, including the full source list for this episode on Today's Show Notes page on our website trueorkrimepodcast.com thanks for listening to this early Season 2 episode of True or Crime. If you want an ad free version of this show and other great shows from Tenderfoot TV, you can subscribe to tenderfoot@tenderfootplus.com or on Apple Podcasts. True or Crime is created, hosted and written by me, Celisia Stanton and is a production of Tenderfoot tv. Additional writing and research by Olivia Heusingfeld. Executive producers are myself, Donald Albright and Payne Lindsay. Additional production by Olivia Heusinkfeld and Jamie Albright Editing by Sydney Evans. Our supervising producer is Tracy kaplan. Artwork by Station 16 Original music by Jay Ragsdale mix by Dayton Cole. Thank you to Oren Rosenbaum and the team at uta, Beck Media and Marketing and the Nord Group. For more podcasts like True of Crime, search Tenderfoot TV on your favorite podcast app or visit us@Tenderfoot TV. Thanks for listening.
