Tamla Horsford: Was Her Death Really An Accident?
Tamla Horsford of Cumming, Georgia was pronounced dead on November 4, 2018 after a sleepover at a friend’s house. Her death was quickly determined to be an accident after sustaining a two-story fall from the house’s balcony after a long night of drinking and smoking. At least that’s what the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office and Georgia Bureau of Investigation concluded.
Here’s what Happened:
On November 3, 2018 after having dinner with her family, Tamla Horsford attended a sleepover party at her friend Jeanne Meyers' house to celebrate her birthday. A bunch of other moms were invited to this gathering, many of which Horsford became acquainted with through her son’s local youth football league. Horsford brought a bottle of tequila to celebrate and seemed to enjoy her time with the women. Two men were also present in the house at the time, both of which were significant others to the women at the sleepover. A total of eight people including Horsford stayed the night.
According to the other guests, Horsford drank most of the tequila and smoked Marijuana prior to her death. By 1:30 a.m. the homeowner and her boyfriend, Jose Barrera, headed off to bed and one of the women who was being picked up by her husband was reportedly the last person to see her at 1:47 a.m.
Over the next ten minutes, according to the home security system, the back door was registered opening and closing multiple times. As well as the front door being opened at 4:10 a.m.
It wasn’t until around 8 a.m. when Meyers’ aunt, Madeline Lombardi first spotted Horsford’s body in the backyard. Her body was planted face down directly beneath the second story balcony. Lombardi quickly told Meyers about what she saw, and Meyers and her boyfriend went to investigate before calling 911.
Since then:
Over the course of three years since her death, many red flags have been raised and many discrepancies were found regarding Horsford’s death and the handling of the investigation. Many people including Horsford’s husband, Leander, her father, Kurt St. Jour, and good friend Michelle Graves advocate her death was a homicide and that there are holes in the story that have been covered up by law enforcement and the people at the party.
For a long time, this closed case has been quiet. It wasn’t until the summer of 2020 during the peak of the Black Lives Matter movement in the midst of quarantine when people began to speak out. Even famous faces including Kim Kardashian, T.I., and 50 cent have questioned authorities behind the case in the ways in which it was handled and whether it was an accident or not. Evidence seems to support this.
Details from reports such as only five photos being taken during the autopsy, an absurdly low number while investigating a death, as well as the disparity between the statement from Barrera about the positioning of Horsford’s left arm upon discovering her body which he claimed was planted flat by her side, and the crime scene photos which show her left arm extended outward with her fingers tucked underneath her palm. Barrera was later asked if he had moved her arm before investigators arrived on the scene, but he denied ever moving it.
This contradicts documents stating Barrera moved Horsford’s arm to check for a pulse. This came from a Supplemental Report which Andy Kalin recorded Barrera advising he checked Horsford’s pulse.
Whether Barrera did or didn’t move her arm isn’t what makes his involvement appear questionable, more so his association with investigators and law enforcement on this case. Barrera, at the time of the crime, was a Pre-Trial Officer for Forsyth County. Barrera knew of the lead investigator, Michael Christian, prior to the case. Christian in October 2020 resigned from his position after several women came forward about sharing scene photos and confidential information regarding Horsford’s and other cases. He denied those accusations. On top of that, Snapchat messages between Christian and Leander confirm his apathy of the situation with “jokes” of him being a racist.
What makes Barerra appear the most suspicious were the reasons behind him getting fired from his position in February of 2019. According to Rolling Stone, Barerra was let go for trying to illegally access the Horsford incident report and name record his girlfriend Meyers with the Records Management System Database.
Aside from Barrera, other discrepancies from other witnesses have some people raising an eyebrow. One of the substances recorded to be in Harsford’s system from the toxicology report was Xanax. All of the party attendees denied having any knowledge of Horsford taking or being given Xanax, and even Leander mentioned her never using Xanax prior to the sleepover. One of the women who stayed at Meyers’ house had a necklace with Xanax in it to help with her severe anxiety. She told investigators she never shared it with anyone else, but was quickly caught in a lie as evidence from her phone revealed messages exchanged between her and another woman at the party asking for more Xanax. The woman rode it off by saying she knew the other woman well and didn’t know Horsford as much.
Why?
The real question behind all the holes in the story and the tampering of evidence is why? Many agree this possible murder was racially motivated. Not only was Horsford the only Black person among many white women at the party, but there is a long history of racism in Forsyth County, especially “racial cleansing”. In 1912 two black man were blamed for raping and beating white women. This led to white mobs descending on Black homes and businesses, and in the end, drove the Black population out of the area. It wasn’t until 1990 when a few Black residents moved to Forsyth County.
Since then, the population has stayed primarily white. Racism still lingers in Forsyth County and that can be seen with people like Michael Christian who, of all things, was the lead investigator on this case. It’s safe to say racism could’ve been the motive behind the tragic death of Tamla Horsford.
Despite new evidence from an independent autopsy report funded by Horsforth’s family, the case still remains closed. Over three years and a half have passed since the incident and justice has yet to be served for Horsforth and her family.
