The following press release was issued 2/20/2019 by Corporal Doug Rainwater of the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 20, 2019 On November 4th, 2018, at 8:59 AM, the Forsyth County 911 Center received a call of an unresponsive person in the 4000 block of Woodlet Ct in Cumming, Georgia. First responders were dispatched and the Sheriff’s Deputies arrived at 9:07 AM. Deputies discovered the clothed body of a deceased female lying in the backyard of the residence. The deceased female was later identified as 40-year-old Tamala Horsford of Cumming Georgia. Mrs. Horsford had been attending an overnight party at the residence. Detectives from the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit, Crime Scene Investigation Unit and an Investigator from the Forsyth County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene. After an initial crime scene investigation, the deceased was transported by the Coroner’s Office to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI) Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy. Major Crimes Detectives began a death investigation immediately following the discovery. Detectives reviewed the 911 call, interviewed all witnesses present on multiple occasions, conducted neighborhood canvasses, and interviewed certain family and friends during this investigation. Detectives were able to corroborate certain statements and view entry and exit logs from the home security system present at the residence. While the injuries sustained by Mrs. Horsford appeared to likely be received in a fall, Detectives awaited results from both the toxicology and the Medical Examiner reports to verify their findings. On February 6th, 2019, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office received the final Medical Examiner’s report regarding Mrs. Horsford. The State of Georgia Medical Examiner has ruled the death accidental and consistent with a fall. Detectives have spent the following weeks reviewing the medical findings with those found at the scene by the Major Crimes Unit and the Crime Scene Investigation Unit. No evidence or injury patterns indicative of an assault or foul play were noted by Forsyth County Sheriff’s Detectives or in the Forsyth County Coroner’s Office or GBI Medical Examiner’s reports. During the course of this investigation, Detectives have conducted approximately 30 interviews, and spent well over 300-man hours conducting this investigation. With a finding of an accidental death resulting from a fall as recorded by the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office, along with the extensive findings from the investigation of the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s office has closed this death investigation. Again, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office extends our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Mrs. Horsford during this tragic loss. #### Corporal Doug Rainwater Public Information Officer Office Number 678-513-5944