PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. — The Paulding County coroner is calling for a five-person jury to decide how a 35-year-old mother died nearly a decade ago.
Heather Turner was found fatally shot in her Dallas home in May 2017.
This move comes six months after the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office closed its case on Heather Turner, determining she died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
But despite the State Medical Examiner and Paulding County Sheriff’s Office concluding their case, the coroner wants a jury to decide how Heather Turner died.
“This is not about rejecting anyone’s conclusion or determination. It’s just about making sure I fulfill the responsibility of my office,” said Paulding County Coroner Lindsey Fuller.
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For nearly nine years, law enforcement said the death of Heather Turner was a mystery. Investigators weren’t sure whether she died by homicide or suicide. Her cause of death was undetermined.
That was until February of this year, when Paulding County brought in their cold-case unit to take a fresh look at the case along with the GBI and the State Medical Examiner’s Office. The agencies agree Turner died by a suicide, and the sheriff’s office closed their case.
Fuller did not say if she disagreed with the investigation’s finding and didn’t point to specific evidence explaining why she wants the inquest.
She says a jury of five citizens and an alternate will determine what manner of death to place on Heather Turner’s death certificate.
“You’re giving this information as a whole to the jury. You’re not giving pieces and portions of it,” Fuller said.
But the sheriff’s office says, in its view, the case is already closed.
The office says the state medical examiner’s office, along with its cold case unit, which includes a retired FBI agent and a homicide investigator with more than 30 years of experience, already concluded how Turner died.
“They were handed the original file and started like nobody had looked at it from beginning to end,” Jordan Yuodis, public information officer at Paulding County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office says it will work with the coroner’s office but feels the inquest will have an emotional toll on some family members who had just begun to get closure.
“That wound was starting to heal. And this has done nothing but rip the Band-Aid off that wound,” said Yuodis.
But the family is split on if this coroner’s inquest is a good idea.
“The family’s very, very appreciative of her going the extra mile,” said Mary Alldredge, a family advocate representing Heather Turner’s father and aunt.
“I don’t think this is necessary at all,” said Andy Turner, Heather Turner’s husband.
Andy Turner, Heather Turner’s husband, says the decision is taking another toll on their family.
“My daughter, when she got wind of it, she came in my bedroom with tears in her eyes. She goes, ‘Dad, I’m starting my senior year,’” Turner told Channel 2’s Ashlyn Webb.
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He says he found his wife dead in their bathroom in May 2017. He was questioned during the investigation. The state medical examiner’s office and the sheriff’s office ultimately determined Heather died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
“This should be over. Our family should be allowed to heal and move on.” Turner said. “I lost my wife. I lost my best friend. Kids lost a mom. We never even had a chance to breathe. That, that’s what people don’t understand.”
However, Heather Turner’s father and others have pushed for an independent review, saying they want to know how evidence was gathered and what evidence was considered before reaching their conclusion.
“For years, our family has sought those answers. We respect the responsibility of law enforcement and understand that death investigations are often complex. However, we continue to have serious questions about the investigative process and the conclusions that were ultimately reached,” said Billy Milam, Heather Turner’s father, who released his first statement since his daughter’s death.
“We believe that a complete death investigation should consider the entire body of available evidence—not only evidence from one point in time, but all relevant forensic findings, investigative leads, witness information, and other facts gathered throughout the investigation. Our family is asking for transparency regarding how the evidence was evaluated and why certain information appears to have been given greater weight than other evidence,” Milam added.
Last month, some of Heather Turner’s family and friends started a petition for an independent investigation into her death. More than 1,100 people have signed.
“All we’re looking for is the truth. Homicide, undetermined, suicide …I think it’s all still questionable, and that’s where the case file is going to come in and the interviews will come in," said Mary Alldredge, an advocate speaking on behalf of Heather Turner’s father and aunt.
Fuller stressed that she is not law enforcement or a medical examiner. The coroner’s office cannot prosecute or file charges.
The coroner’s inquest will only determine manner of death.
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