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PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. - The Paulding County coroner is expected to reveal more Thursday about her decision to reopen the review of a woman's mysterious 2017 death, months after sheriff's investigators concluded she died by suicide.
What we know:
Coroner Lindsey Eberhart Fuller has scheduled a 3 p.m. news conference to discuss the death of Heather Turner and plans for a coroner's inquest.
Turner's husband, Andy Turner, found her inside the couple's Paulding County home on May 4, 2017, with a gunshot wound to the head.
The case remained unresolved for years before the Paulding County Sheriff's Office announced in February that investigators had closed their investigation and determined Turner's death was a suicide.
Fuller, however, has said she is not prepared to support changing Turner's death certificate from undetermined to suicide.
Why the coroner is taking another look
The backstory:
Fuller was among the officials who responded to the Turner home in 2017.
Her initial observations included questions about a missing bullet and an area of a wall that appeared to have been washed. An autopsy later located the projectile.
The medical examiner initially classified Turner's manner of death as undetermined but later changed that determination to suicide following a meeting in January.
Timeline: The death of Heather Turner and the investigation
Fuller has said she was not included in key meetings surrounding that change and argued that later forensic findings do not erase observations made when the death was first investigated.
"Based on the information reviewed to date, I am not prepared to initiate or support an amendment of Heather Turner's death certificate from undetermined to suicide," Fuller previously said.
Sheriff's office closed its investigation
What we know:
The Paulding County Sheriff's Office announced Feb. 20 that it had closed its investigation after reviewing the case with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, medical examiners and local prosecutors.
Investigators publicly presented evidence supporting their conclusion that Turner died by suicide, including portions of the original coroner's report.
But the disagreement over Turner's official manner of death did not end there.
About two weeks ago, Fuller announced she would convene a coroner's inquest, creating a formal process for another review of the evidence.
What is a coroner's inquest?
Dig deeper:
A coroner's inquest is not a criminal trial and does not determine whether someone should be prosecuted.
Instead, a civil jury hears sworn testimony, examines evidence and reaches its own determination about the manner and circumstances surrounding a person's death.
"A coroner's inquest is not a criminal prosecution and is not conducted to accuse, indict, establish guilt, or imply the criminal responsibility of any person," Fuller previously said. "Its purpose is to allow an inquest jury to hear sworn testimony, consider the relevant evidence, and determine the manner and circumstances of Heather Turner's death."
The sheriff's office has said it will cooperate with the coroner as the process moves forward.
Fuller is expected to provide additional information about the inquest and the next steps in Turner's case during Thursday afternoon's news conference.
Previous stories
- Forensics vs. rumors: Inside the final ruling of the Heather Turner cold case
- Heather Turner 2017 death: Paulding County DA promises future updates