DeLand woman charged in attempted murder-suicide plan involving 13-year-old victim

Date Added: December 30, 2025 8:34 am

A DeLand woman sought by deputies Monday night after her family found a suicide note was taken into custody when a deputy found her in the process of an apparent murder-suicide with her disabled 13-year-old great-granddaughter.

Deborah A. Collier, 69, is charged with attempted first-degree murder. The 13-year-old victim is in stable condition in an area hospital after deputies discovered she ingested pills Collier fed her to end her life.

Deputies were looking for Collier around 4:20 p.m. Monday after she left her home in the Daytona Park Estates area of DeLand and left behind a suicide note. A deputy spotted her vehicle near Seville and conducted a traffic stop for a well-being check, finding Collier at the wheel and the 13-year-old unconscious in the passenger seat.

Collier told the deputy the girl was sleeping, and the deputy observed that she was breathing. However, deputies discovered white pill residue on her and found her totally unresponsive to stimulus. She was transported to the hospital for treatment while the investigation continued.

In Collier’s purse, deputies found prescription medication bottles and another typed note which indicated Collier was ending her and her great-granddaughter’s lives due to the stress caused to the rest of the family.

Detectives learned the victim requires comprehensive, 24-hour care due to her disabilities. Collier and her husband have been her sole guardians since birth. The constant demands of caretaking have contributed to significant stress in the family. Collier was opposed to the idea of the victim receiving care in an assisted living facility and said she believed that no one would care for her like family. In her desperation due to these hardships, Collier made a plan to end her great-granddaughter’s life followed by her own.

Collier was transported to the Volusia County Branch Jail overnight and is currently being held without bond.