Inset: Deborah Collier (Volusia County Sheriff's Office). Background: The intersection where Collier was allegedly arrested with her unconscious great-granddaughter in tow in Pierson, Fla. (Google Maps).
A great-grandmother in Florida is behind bars after trying to kill her disabled great-granddaughter and then herself in a would-be murder-suicide, law enforcement in the Sunshine State says.
Deborah Collier, 69, stands accused of one count of attempted murder in the first degree, according to Volusia County court records.
The underlying incidents occurred on Monday afternoon in and around DeLand and Pierson – small towns located some 30 miles due west of Daytona Beach, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by Law&Crime.
On the day in question, deputies were asked to be on the lookout for a woman in a silver Chrysler Pacifica "deemed suicidal" after an all-caps "typed letter" with a typo was found at her residence, which read: "CREAMATION NO URN JUST BOX NO CELEBRATION MY LIFE SUCKED," according to the affidavit.
The vehicle was spotted driving on Bunnell Road in Pierson and a deputy pulled Collier over for a well-being check.
During the stop, the deputy noticed Collier's great-granddaughter, Sophia Abbott, 13, asleep in the front passenger seat of the car, according to the affidavit. The deputy noted the girl's stomach was "expanding and contracting, indicating normal breathing, and did not observe any other apparent signs of distress at this time."
"Deborah stated that Sophia was her grandchild and was sleeping," the charging document reads. "Deborah advised that Sophia is non-verbal, autistic, and unable to move on her own. Deborah further stated that if Sophia were awakened, she could become aggressive toward law enforcement."
The deputy arranged for backup to pick up Collier and take her to a hospital and for the defendant's husband to arrive and take the vehicle and their great-granddaughter home. Meanwhile, the deputy "periodically checked on Sophia, who remained asleep and was observed to be breathing normally each time he checked on her."
The next deputy to arrive, however, noticed "Sophia had white pill residue and purge all over her and the surrounding areas of the vehicle" and "urinated on herself," according to the affidavit.
While attempting to help the girl regain consciousness, the second deputy cleared the area and radioed for paramedics.
"Sophia was observed to be breathing normally but was totally unresponsive to stimulus," the charging document goes on.
The girl was eventually taken to a nearby hospital. Then, a third deputy "conducted a search of the vehicle in an effort to identify what Sophia may have ingested and located prescription medications inside a purse positioned behind the driver's seat," authorities say.
And law enforcement found another "typed" letter – again in all-caps – accompanying the pills, according to the affidavit.
The second missive reads:
SORRY IT HAD TO BE THIS WAY BUT IT HAS TO BE DONE NO WAY CAN SHE GO TO A HOME MY FAMILY HAS GONE TO HELL SO SORRY FOR NEVAEH PLEASE KEEP UP THE GREAT JOB PLEASE GO TO COLLEGE BE ALL U CAN PLEASE FOR
ME MIKE TAKE CARE OF HER MAYBE YOUR HEALTH WILL GET BETTER WITHOUT THE STRESS OF SOPHIA I LOVE YOU NEVAEH NOW U DON'T HAVE TO HELP WITH SOPHIA MY LIFE HAS BEEN HELL GOTTA DO THIS
Then, instead of a hospital, Collier was transported to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office headquarters in Daytona Beach, according to the affidavit. The defendant was Mirandized and relayed several details about the family history and their current life.
During her custodial interview, Collier explained that Sophia was born with cerebral palsy and brain damage, while the girl's 17-year-old sister Nevaeh is "healthy" and "well-adjusted," according to the charging document. Both the defendant and her husband have been the sole guardians of the sisters since they were born, as their biological parents have no involvement in their upbringing.
"Sophia requires 24-hour care, is unable to walk, communicate normally, wears diapers, and is incapable of caring for herself in any way," the affidavit continues. "Sophia can 'scoot' along on the floor to move about the house and is able to use a tablet for watching videos and playing video games. Sophia has violent outbursts of anger which has caused physical injury to Deborah and [her husband] in the past. Sophia is also overweight, which has increased the difficulty in Deborah and [her husband's] ability to care for her."
As the interview continued, Collier went on to relay a story of increasingly dispiriting home life where her husband "is mean to her" and "a great rift in the family" has been caused due to the constant care required for Sophia, disagreements about what kind of care is best for her, and the physical toll providing such care exerts on her aging and injured great-grandparents, according to the affidavit.
"I hope she doesn't ever have to live without me," Collier allegedly said at one point, "nobody could handle or love her like I do."
As for the letters, Collier allegedly said the first one was "older," and she had typed it "while making final arrangements as a part of life planning," adding that she is "a planner" who "liked to have things in order."
Asked about the second letter found with the pills, the defendant allegedly admitted: "I wrote that yes," according to the affidavit.
Collier allegedly insisted she didn't "know what I was planning" and that her driving around all day with Sophia suggested a lack of a real plan, according to the charging document. When asked outright by a detective, the defendant said she was not trying to hurt the girl. Then, when the detective suggested the defendant was instead "trying to set her free," Collier allegedly "nodded in agreement."
Soon enough, the alleged plan came out, authorities say.
The detective pressed and asked if the plan was to wait for Sophia to "go to sleep" and then "join her," the affidavit says. To this question, Collier allegedly said: "Yes. Nobody knows what it's like in my house."
Then, the defendant said she was tired of her husband's "constant complaining and being mean to her," the charging document says.
"If Sophia goes, I got to go because I can't leave her behind," the great-grandmother allegedly told law enforcement as the interview ended.
Collier is being detained in the Volusia County Jail with no bond. She is slated to appear in court for her arraignment on Jan. 22, 2026.
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