Mother of Douglas County Investigator Aubree Horton challenges official narrative

Yahoo

26-04-2025

The Brief
Atlanta Investigator Aubrey Horton's mother met with Douglas County investigators about new developments in the case.
Lesa Collins says two autopsy reports show Horton did not have drugs or alcohol in his system.
Collins says her son did not break into the house on Orkney Way as was initially described. She says video shows the homeowner opened the door and let him in.
Collins says Douglas County said her son was shot in the chest, but she claims the autopsy shows he was shot in the back.
CARROLL COUNTY, Ga. - A Carroll County homeowner says her son found Horton's cellphone on their 40-acre property.
What we know
Horton was Atlanta Police's 2024 Investigator of the Year.
He had been to the Atlanta Falcons game just hours before he was shot by a Douglas County homeowner.
The homeowner was not charged under Georgia's Stand Your Ground law.
What we don't know
Was Horton in a Carroll County pasture before his death?
Who did he encounter there?
How did he get wounds and scars all over his body that his mother claims were on the autopsy report?
What's next
The Douglas County District Attorney's office met with the investigator's family Thursday. They say they will release a statement when they finish their review. The mother of an award-winning Atlanta investigator, who was shot and killed by a Douglas County homeowner, says she still wants answers. The mother says there have been lots of new developments since her son was killed, and she wants the case further investigated.
What they're saying
"We have dealt with the shame of the false narrative that he was a burglar with criminal intent," mom Lesa Collins revealed. She has been like a detective over the last 7 months trying to find out what really happened to her son, Aubrey Horton. Horton was Atlanta Police's 2024 Investigator of the Year. But somehow, in October of last year, Douglas County released this surveillance video of Horton having some type of episode before they say he broke into a homeowner's house and was shot to death. Collins says a lot of what Douglas County released was not true. She says surveillance video shows something different.
"The untruths, that my son had broken through the door of the residence on Orkney Way and was shot in the chest. The video shows he sits down, it de-escalates. My son is breathing with his back to the front door, the homeowner opens the door. My son enters with his hands to the side; there are no threats," she claims.
Collins says her son was shot in the back, not in the chest. She also says the autopsy refutes the drug narrative.
"Not one but two autopsies, because the family did one, and of course we had GBI Toxicology as well. There were no traces of drugs or alcohol in his system," she affirmed.
Collins believes Douglas County jumped the gun in their investigation. Another new development: Horton's cellphone was found in this Carroll County pasture earlier this month. His mother believes Horton was here just before his death. Collins says deputies have not been able to access it yet, but the family that found it says the Douglas County deputy who came out to retrieve it seemed disinterested.
"Yeah. He just kinda... like- They never asked any questions about the phone or where we found it. They did not want to see where we found it," landowner Tracy Carroll said.
Collins is asking anyone with information to come forward.
"There are a lot of unanswered questions as to why, what put my son in that distress, who were the last people with him? Does anybody out there know anything?" Collins pleaded.
Mrs. Collins says she understands the Stand Your Ground laws and believes they should be reformed. She is so determined to solve the case that she says she will give out a $25K reward if the information leads to an arrest.
The Source
FOX 5's Aungelique Proctor spoke with the mother of Investigator Aubree Horton for this story. Additional information was provided by the district attorney's office and previous FOX 5 Atlanta reports.