Timeline: The death of Heather Turner and the investigation

PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. - For more than nine years, the death of Heather Turner has remained one of Paulding County's most closely watched and hotly debated cases. Found dead from a gunshot wound inside her home in May 2017, her death has been the subject of multiple investigations, extensive forensic reviews and widespread public scrutiny. 

What we know:

In February 2026, the Paulding County Sheriff's Office announced it had concluded Turner died by suicide. But that finding has now been challenged by the county coroner, who has ordered a rare coroner's inquest that could ultimately determine whether Turner's death is officially ruled a suicide, homicide, accident, natural or remains undetermined. 

Here's a timeline of the major developments in the case:

May 4, 2017

• Heather Turner, 35, is found dead from a gunshot wound inside the bathroom of her home on Buck Trail in Paulding County.
• Her husband, Andy Turner, calls 911 and reports that she died by suicide.
• Investigators begin what would become one of the county's highest-profile death investigations.

2017-2025

• The case remains open for years as investigators continue reviewing evidence.
• Heather Turner's manner of death remains listed as undetermined on her death certificate.
• The case attracts national attention through television programs, podcasts and online discussions, with continued speculation about whether she died by suicide or was the victim of a homicide.
• Investigators continue reviewing forensic evidence, witness statements and other records over several years.

2022

• Then-Paulding County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Ashley Henson tells reporters investigators would like to conduct a formal interview with Andy Turner, saying one had not yet occurred.
• Andy Turner says he cannot discuss the case because he is under contract for a book and movie project and denies any involvement in his wife's death.

After Ashley Henson becomes sheriff

• The sheriff's office launches a fresh review of the case.
• Retired Cobb County police investigator Eddie Herman is brought in as an independent cold case analyst.
• Investigators reexamine hundreds of reports, 911 recordings, forensic evidence and consult with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Medical Examiner's Office, GBI Region 1 agents and the Paulding County District Attorney's Office.

Feb. 20, 2026

• Sheriff Ashley Henson announces the investigation is complete.
• The sheriff's office officially rules Heather Turner's death a suicide and closes the nearly nine-year-old investigation.
• Officials say the conclusion is based on forensic evidence, including gunshot residue testing, DNA evidence, a handwritten note and additional reviews conducted during the renewed investigation.
• The sheriff says the evidence supports suicide and that the case is closed.

Immediately after the sheriff's announcement

• Paulding County Coroner Lindsey Eberhart Fuller says she had not been formally presented with the evidence used to reach the new conclusion.
• Fuller requests the complete investigative, medical and forensic record before deciding whether to amend the death certificate.
• She also says she will determine whether an inquest is warranted under Georgia law.

July 31, 2026

• After reviewing the available information, Fuller announces she will not support changing Heather Turner's death certificate from undetermined to suicide.
• She says important questions remain unresolved and that she was excluded from key meetings where the manner of death was changed.
• Fuller emphasizes that preliminary observations she documented at the scene—including concerns that later became points of public discussion—should not be dismissed simply because additional forensic findings were made later.
• Instead of approving the change, she orders a Coroner's Inquest.

What's next:

The next step in the case is a coroner's inquest, a rare legal proceeding that is not a criminal trial and will not determine whether anyone is criminally responsible for Heather Turner's death. Instead, a civil jury will hear sworn testimony, review evidence and decide the official manner of death. 

Jurors will choose one of five possible findings: natural, self-inflicted (suicide), accidental, homicide or undetermined. Paulding County Coroner Lindsey Eberhart Fuller has said she plans to hold a news conference within the next two weeks to outline how the inquest will proceed. 

Meanwhile, the Paulding County Sheriff's Office says it will fully cooperate with the process while continuing to stand by its February conclusion that Turner died by suicide.

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