FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Michelle Graves says she’s carried grief and a thirst for justice with her for almost six years while speaking out about what happened to her friend Tamla Horsford at a birthday party in November 2018.
“The balcony had nothing to do with her death,” Graves told Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Ashli Lincoln.
Tamla Horsford died after attending an adults-only slumber party at a north Forsyth County home in Nov. 2018.
A sheriff’s office investigation concluded she was drunk and had drugs in her system and that she accidentally fell off a deck to her death.
Close friend Michelle Graves has been outspoken in her belief Horsford’s death was no accident, citing an independent medical examiner’s report that found extensive injuries to her body.
Her death sparked outrage on social media, with some social media users posting #TamlaHorsford and #JusticeForTamlaHorsford.
Several of the party guests filed a defamation lawsuit against Graves, arguing she is wrongly accusing them of a crime.
Court documents show the case was dismissed without prejudice by the plaintiff’s attorney.
Channel 2 Action News first reported on her death after learning court employee Jose Barrera was fired for accessing documents related to the case.
The party was held at Barrera’s girlfriend’s house and Barrera found Horsford lying face down in the backyard unresponsive, according to police reports.
Barrera could be heard on the 911 calls telling dispatched Horsford was non-responsive.
“She’s lying in the yard, basically on the patio downstairs.. She’s not moving one bit. She’s not breathing,” he told dispatchers. “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.”
The coroner’s death certificate listed Horsford’s death as an accident. The report said that a fall from a deck caused multiple blunt force injuries and “acute ethanol intoxication” was a contributing factor.
But Graves says she believes something else happened to her best friend and the family hired another medical examiner who found extensive injuries all over her body.
“I don’t believe that’s the only thing that happened. My belief, 100% based on the injuries, is that she was badly beaten and left out there for dead,” Graves said.
Forsyth County Sheriff Ron Freeman asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to reopen the case amid mounting pressure from the family and others who don’t believe what investigators concluded.
The GBI confirmed with Channel 2 Action News that the case remains closed and there are no new updates.
The homeowner shared a statement with Channel 2 Action News in 2019 saying:
<i>At this time, our client, as well as each person who was present on November 4, 2018, has completely cooperated with law enforcement officers in attempting to give the family and friends answers with regards to the tragic death of Tamla Horsford. Every aspect of our client’s life has been investigated. She has provided answers to every question asked by the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office. Although the investigation has not been closed, to the best of our knowledge, Ms. Horsford’s death certificate has been issued by the Forsyth County Coroner.</i>
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