On November 4, 2018, Tamla Horsford was discovered dead in the backyard of the Cumming, Georgia, home where she had been attending a slumber party with other "football moms" the night before.
[3] The Forsyth County Sheriff department initially ruled the death an accident, stating that the "multiple blunt force injuries" were related to Horsford likely falling from the balcony due to "acute ethanol intoxication".
[5] The family's attorney also stated that lack of evidence, types of injuries discovered, and mismatched witness accounts strongly suggested homicide.
[6] On February 20, 2019, Major Joe Perkins of the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office announced that the case would be closed and that there was no evidence of foul play.
[8][9] The case did not receive public recognition until two months after her death, when one of the witnesses was fired from his county court officer job for internally accessing the incident report.
[4] In the summer of 2020, the nationwide protests against racism and police brutality sparked by the murder of George Floyd renewed public interest and advocacy of the case.
[6] The initial autopsy ordered by the Forsyth Sheriff's Office discovered "multiple blunt force injuries" and a high blood alcohol level.
The GBI toxicology screening found a blood alcohol level of .238 and traces of THC and Alprazolam (an anxiety medication) at the time of her death.
Major Joe Perkins of the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office stated that none of Horsford's injuries aligned with foul play, saying: "It was a party.
"[14] He also stated that Horsford's injuries were "consistent" with those of a physical struggle, but that the absence of photos from the initial autopsy prevented a definite conclusion.