It Will Never Be Over- Tamla Horsford

Welcome back, and thank you for returning for my third post! This week I will be discussing the death of Tamla Horsford. I chose this case in light of recent events. Well, many recent events but one in particular- as of June 12, 2o20 the investigation on Tamla's death has been reopened.

On the morning of November 4, 2018 a man and woman called 911 to request an ambulance to their residence in Forsyth County, Georgia. The call was... odd to say the least (call can be found on youtube). Neither of the two seemed upset or even shocked. The woman caller, who identified herself as Jeanne, told the dispatcher, "We went outside and she's laying facedown in the backyard." Jeanne goes on to say that she threw a party at her residence the night previous, and the woman in the backyard is one of the partygoers. A man then comes on the line and identifies himself as Jose Barrera, the boyfriend of the homeowner Jeanne. Jose goes on to explain that they found the woman, who he refers to as Tam, in the backyard and she was stiff and not moving. "She's laying in the yard, basically under the patio downstairs. She's not moving one bit. She's not breathing," Jose told the dispatcher. "I'm noticing a small cut on her right wrist. She's not breathing whatsoever. I don't know if this cut was self-inflicted."

"Tam" is Tamla Horsford, who was 40 years old at the time of her death in 2018. Tamla was a mother of five and happily married. According to her family, Tamla was excited to go to an all female adult sleepover she had been invited to by a fellow "football mom" on her sons football team (Jeanne). On the night of November 3rd, Tamla prepared dinner for her family, got dressed in her paw print onesie pajamas, and headed out to the party. Other partygoers report Tamla arriving around 8:30-9, bottle of Tequila in hand. Everyone at the party was drinking and socializing, as this was a birthday party for Tamla's friend Jeanne. Photos and videos from that night were later released to the media and show the women smiling and laughing. Apparently, the all female sleepover didn't go as planned. Not long after Tamla arrived, Jose Barrrera and two other men joined the party. According to the women and men at the party, the events died down around 1:30 am and the guests started going off to bed or leaving. Reportedly, Tamla announced she was going out to the balcony to smoke a cigarette and would be back in after. This is the last anyone saw Tamla alive- supposedly.

How did Tamla go from alive and well at the party, to being found facedown in Jeanne's backyard? Well, the police speculated that Tamla fell off the first floor balcony onto the backyard accidentally. Here is where things get weird for me. First, the police arrive on a non- preserved scene where witnesses have touched and moved the body. They see this as no big deal. Second, police quickly speculate that Tamla's death was an accident, even before autopsy or forensic investigation. Lastly, Jose and Jeanne claim to have video surveillance from the night of the party (there were several security cameras on the property), but police don't immediately obtain that footage. ( side note: When police write to Jeanne via email several days later, Jeanne claimed to not have any video from the time of the party to the next day. She claims it was "lost.") Police gather all partygoers from the night before, and conduct interviews. Some report Tamla acting normal and decently sober, and others report she was obviously intoxicated by the end of the night. One thing they all report is that Tamla was the only smoker in the group and she went out on the balcony alone.

After an autopsy was performed by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Forsyth County Sheriff's Office announced that her death was officially ruled as accidental. The medical examiner found multiple blunt force injuries to Tamla's head, neck, and chest (as well as the broken wrist that was a post mortem injury) but revealed this was consistent with an accidental fall. To further corroborate their findings, police listed acute alcohol intoxication as playing a role in her death. In February 2019, the department announced the case was officially closed.

Multiple blunt force injuries... consistent with ONE accidental fall? Hm.

Tamla's family and some of her other friends were in disbelief. They did not accept the findings in the Forsyth County Sheriff's investigations. Tamla's widow Leander and her friend Michelle did not accept this as truth. They claimed the investigation into her death was not handled correctly or looked into sufficiently. Can you blame them? There were so many missing pieces. Even if Tamla did fall off the first floor balcony accidentally, how did no one hear her cry out for help or scream? Additionally, the positioning of Tamla's body seemed very odd. She was LITERALLY face down in the grass with her feet outstretched behind her, partially under the balcony. In most cases, a victim of an accidental fall is almost always found with their head to the side or on their back completely. And if she "fell" from the balcony, why was she partially UNDER the balcony?

Furthermore, not long after Tamla's death, Jose Barrera was placed on administrative leave from his job as a pretrial officer in Forsyth County for "using position to access confidential files on current investigation surrounding a death" in which he was a witness. Soon after, Jose was fired. It was revealed that Jose was using his credentials to access case files in the system and sharing it with the other partygoers. This included personal information of Tamla's friends and family. In particular, Tamla's friend Michelle who publicly addressed her suspicions of her friends death and her feelings toward the other people who attended that party on the night of November 3rd. This consequentially lead to death threats to Michelle and Tamla's family.

If you're not convinced of foul play yet, get buckled in. The history of Forsyth County where this incident occurred is actually quite shocking, and I honestly believe it played a role on not only what occurred in Jeanne's home in November 2018, but also how the investigation was conducted.

In 1912, an eighteen year old white female named Mae Crow was found on the brink of death in the woods near her home in Forsyth. Subsequently, a man named Ernest Knox and two other black men were arrested for the crime, without any evidence of participating in the beating. One of the men was shot while being held in prison and the other two, including Knox, were hanged in a public lynching downtown with a crowd of 4,000 white citizens.

Mae's case created a racial explosion through the county of Forsyth. A group of white men who identified themselves as "Night Riders" terrorized black citizens, threatening them to leave the county all-together or be killed. They burned down black owned businesses and homes. It didn't take long for 99% of the black population in Forsyth County to leave. After these events, white supremacists vowed to keep the county "pure" with white citizens only.

In 1987, two Civil Rights marches in Forsyth gained national attention. A group of activists, including blacks and whites, marched to the Forsyth courthouse demanding equality and racial freedom in the county. The second of the two marches was successful in gaining the most notoriety. The county formed a biracial panel to help with issues involving segregation, and the black community slowly moved back into Forsyth.

So, if you're not catching my drift- let me be direct. Tamla was the only black female at this party. There were 7 white women and 3 men. The only black female to attend this party (in a place like Forsyth County and its racial history) and she ends up dead in the backyard by sunrise. Tamla's family has every right to be suspicious and they kept fighting.

A letter from June 5, 2020 from the Horsford family lawyer was released to the media. This letter was addressed to Tamla's widow, Leander. In short, this letter describes the suspicious circumstances of Tamla's death, discounts witness accounts, and furthermore questions the autopsy performed by the GBI and the intentions of investigators involved.

This letter written by Ralph Fernandez reads in part, "The review reflects that a homicide is a strong possibility. Witness statements are in conflict. A potential suspected handled the body as well as evidence prior to law enforcement arrival. Evidence was disposed of and no inquiry followed." He goes on to say, "My years of experience lead me to believe that 80% of cases where African Americas die under mysterious circumstances end up closed or cold because there are no videos and the only witnesses are bad guys or good guys that are deep down bad."

In response to the release of this letter, Ron Freeman of the Forsyth County Sheriff's department wrote the Georgia Bureau of Investigation requesting Tamla's case to be re-opened. A petition was also created on change.org requesting signatures to have the case re-opened. A little over a week later, around June 12 2020, the GBI announced they have officially re-opened the case- over 18 months later.

If you do not believe that race still plays a factor in the world today, you are wildly misinformed. As a white woman, I will never know what it is like to be judged by the color of my skin. I was born with white privilege. If I am stopped by a police officer for speeding, I am not afraid for my life. If I was murdered tomorrow, I have faith that my case would be solved because of my privilege. I may never know what POC go through every day, but I can use my privilege to stand up with them and be an ally. Tell their stories. Demand justice. I am little old me, but I hope to spark change and I will keep fighting. What started as a little petition on change.org for #JusticeforGeorgeFloyd blew up and made a HUGE impact on his case. We have to keep fighting.

I will finish this post by sharing the last portion of the letter written to Tamla's husband by their lawyer. It gives me hope for the future and for Tamla's family to have peace. Take it as you will.

"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."

Thank you for reading! As always, feedback welcome. #BLM #TamlaHorsford

-Kayla