'Gotta do this': Great-grandmother drove around all day trying to kill her disabled 13-year-old great-granddaughter, deputies say

A great-grandmother successful Florida is down bars aft trying to termination her disabled great-granddaughter and past herself successful a would-be murder-suicide, instrumentality enforcement successful the Sunshine State says.

Deborah Collier, 69, stands accused of 1 number of attempted murder successful the archetypal degree, according to Volusia County tribunal records.

The underlying incidents occurred connected Monday day successful and astir DeLand and Pierson – tiny towns located immoderate 30 miles owed westbound of Daytona Beach, according to an apprehension affidavit obtained by Law&Crime.

On the time successful question, deputies were asked to beryllium connected the lookout for a pistillate successful a metallic Chrysler Pacifica "deemed suicidal" aft an all-caps "typed letter" with a typo was recovered astatine her residence, which read: "CREAMATION NO URN JUST BOX NO CELEBRATION MY LIFE SUCKED," according to the affidavit.

The conveyance was spotted driving connected Bunnell Road successful Pierson and a lawman pulled Collier implicit for a well-being check.

During the stop, the lawman noticed Collier's great-granddaughter, Sophia Abbott, 13, dormant successful the beforehand rider spot of the car, according to the affidavit. The lawman noted the girl's tummy was "expanding and contracting, indicating mean breathing, and did not observe immoderate different evident signs of distress astatine this time."

"Deborah stated that Sophia was her grandchild and was sleeping," the charging papers reads. "Deborah advised that Sophia is non-verbal, autistic, and incapable to determination connected her own. Deborah further stated that if Sophia were awakened, she could go assertive toward instrumentality enforcement."

The lawman arranged for backup to prime up Collier and instrumentality her to a infirmary and for the defendant's hubby to get and instrumentality the conveyance and their great-granddaughter home. Meanwhile, the lawman "periodically checked connected Sophia, who remained dormant and was observed to beryllium breathing usually each clip helium checked connected her."

The adjacent lawman to arrive, however, noticed "Sophia had achromatic pill residue and purge each implicit her and the surrounding areas of the vehicle" and "urinated connected herself," according to the affidavit.

While attempting to assistance the miss regain consciousness, the 2nd lawman cleared the country and radioed for paramedics.

"Sophia was observed to beryllium breathing usually but was wholly unresponsive to stimulus," the charging papers goes on.

The miss was yet taken to a adjacent hospital. Then, a 3rd lawman "conducted a hunt of the conveyance successful an effort to place what Sophia whitethorn person ingested and located medicine medications wrong a purse positioned down the driver's seat," authorities say.

And instrumentality enforcement recovered different "typed" missive – again successful all-caps – accompanying the pills, according to the affidavit.

The 2nd 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, alternatively of a hospital, Collier was transported to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office office successful Daytona Beach, according to the affidavit. The suspect was Mirandized and relayed respective details astir the household past and their existent life.

During her custodial interview, Collier explained that Sophia was calved with cerebral palsy and encephalon damage, portion the girl's 17-year-old sister Nevaeh is "healthy" and "well-adjusted," according to the charging document. Both the suspect and her hubby person been the sole guardians of the sisters since they were born, arsenic their biologic parents person nary engagement successful their upbringing.

"Sophia requires 24-hour care, is incapable to walk, pass normally, wears diapers, and is incapable of caring for herself successful immoderate way," the affidavit continues. "Sophia tin 'scoot' on connected the level to determination astir the location and is capable to usage a tablet for watching videos and playing video games. Sophia has convulsive outbursts of choler which has caused carnal wounded to Deborah and [her husband] successful the past. Sophia is besides overweight, which has accrued the trouble successful Deborah and [her husband's] quality to attraction for her."

As the interrogation continued, Collier went connected to relay a communicative of progressively dispiriting location beingness wherever her hubby "is mean to her" and "a large rift successful the family" has been caused owed to the changeless attraction required for Sophia, disagreements astir what benignant of attraction is champion for her, and the carnal toll providing specified attraction exerts connected her aging and injured great-grandparents, according to the affidavit.

"I anticipation she doesn't ever person to unrecorded without me," Collier allegedly said astatine 1 point, "nobody could grip oregon emotion her similar I do."

As for the letters, Collier allegedly said the archetypal 1 was "older," and she had typed it "while making last arrangements arsenic a portion of beingness planning," adding that she is "a planner" who "liked to person things successful order."

Asked astir the 2nd missive recovered with the pills, the suspect 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 astir each time with Sophia suggested a deficiency of a existent plan, according to the charging document. When asked outright by a detective, the suspect said she was not trying to wounded the girl. Then, erstwhile the detective suggested the suspect was alternatively "trying to acceptable her free," Collier allegedly "nodded successful agreement."

Soon enough, the alleged program came out, authorities say.

The detective pressed and asked if the program was to hold for Sophia to "go to sleep" and past "join her," the affidavit says. To this question, Collier allegedly said: "Yes. Nobody knows what it's similar successful my house."

Then, the suspect said she was bushed of her husband's "constant complaining and being mean to her," the charging papers says.

"If Sophia goes, I got to spell due to the fact that I can't permission her behind," the great-grandmother allegedly told instrumentality enforcement arsenic the interrogation ended.

Collier is being detained successful the Volusia County Jail with nary bond. She is slated to look successful tribunal for her arraignment connected Jan. 22, 2026.