The family of Tamla Horsford, a Black woman who died during a sleepover party in Georgia in 2018, is speaking out as they demand justice for their loved one. Still overcome with emotion two years later, the family said they are not accepting the findings of the investigation, which described the tragedy as an accident.
“We need answers that make sense. None of this makes sense. None of it,” Horsford's sister, Summer St. Jour Jones, said, according to 11Alive.
The 40-year-old mother of five was found unresponsive in the backyard, wearing her pajamas, after going to a friend's sleepover birthday party in Forsyth County, Georgia. As Blavity previously reported, a video released to WSB-TV showed the woman celebrating her birthday with a group of white friends on the night before the incident.
EXCLUSIVE: Video shows #TamlaHorsford at a house party on the night before her mysterious death. Starting at 4, the concerns her friends and family have about the investigation. pic.twitter.com/BQfN0OSc4p
— Mike Petchenik (@MPetchenikWSB) February 19, 2019
Jose Barrera, the homeowner's boyfriend, called 911 after he found Horsford face down in the backyard. Barrera was later fired from his county probation officer position after he was accused of illegally accessing confidential documents related to the case.
"She's lying in the yard, basically on the patio downstairs. She's not moving one bit. She's not breathing," the homeowner said when he called dispatchers.
Amid the nationwide protests of recent months and the ongoing outcry for social justice, which has already prompted investigators to relaunch other unsolved cases, the family of Horsford also pushed for the case of their loved one to be reopened.
"It's unfortunate that it has to take other people's heartbreak and other people's loss for the proper attention to be given this case involving my sister," St. Jour Jones told CNN.
Investigators, who initially said the woman fell from a second story balcony, reopened the case in June, 11Alive reported. As police refocus on the story, the family is questioning the autopsy report, which uncovered a blood alcohol level of .23, as well as traces of Xanax and marijuana.
"Never ever ever have I seen my sister sloppy drunk and incoherent," St. Jour Jones said. "So I doubt that she would pick a sleep-over with people she was just getting to know to start behaving that way."
Ralph Fernandez, the attorney for Horsford's family, said police haven't provided any autopsy photos despite repeated requests. While the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said the attorney didn't follow procedure, Fernandez refuted the claim.
A spokesperson for the GBI followed up with a statement to 11Alive after the dispute.
"There was some discussion about the autopsy photographs, but that has since been resolved," the spokesperson said. "Mr. Fernandez’ request for the autopsy photos has been fulfilled."
The attorney believes there is a strong possibility of foul play involved in Horsford's death.
“I am not saying that somebody killed her," he told KMOV4. "I am saying the overwhelming probability is that this was foul play and it was mishandled.”
Fernandez said the injuries are consistent with somebody who was fending off an attack.
"The placement of the body, the multitude of injuries – what I would consider to be defensive injuries. The inexplicable post-mortem bleeding," he told the newsstation. “There were numerous inconsistencies in a series of statements. The disposal of evidence, the relationships between the parties."
The mother of five boys is remembered as a supermom.
"Supermom. Supermom. She made sure she could provide for them," St. Jour Jones said. "She was always the type of person who would stand up for the little guy."
GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles said no new details have been released since authorities reopened the investigation in June.
As Blavity previously reported, thousands of people have been signing petitions since the death of George Floyd, calling for several cases to be reopened. That includes the case of Kendrick Johnson, who was found dead and rolled up in a wrestling mat in 2013.
Social justice advocates have also demanded justice for another older case — the killing of Javier Ambler. The Black Texas man was killed by police when they tased him multiple times as he said, "I have congestive heart failure. I have congestive heart failure. I can’t breathe."
In Saratoga Springs, Utah, the community is demanding justice for Darrien Hunt, who was killed by police while cosplaying with friends in 2014.
