Hall County Sheriff's Office investigators haven't been able to find evidence of foul play in last fall's death of Brenda Kaye Autry of Gainesville, but they say they haven't been able to rule it out, either.
Tuesday they went public with a request for information in the 59-year-old woman's death, hoping they can bring some closure to Autry's family.
Autry's body was discovered in a burning mobile home on Lee Land Road on Oct. 1, 2019. At the time, the Hall County Fire Marshal's Office listed the cause of the fire as undetermined. Additionally, an autopsy gave no answers on how Autry died.
"In late 2019...the Hall County Fire Marshal's Office and Fire Services heard from the medical examiner who was unable to determine a manner of death," said Derreck Booth, spokesman for the Hall County Sheriff's Office. "Because of the results of the autopsy and the answers not being forthcoming, they notified us and we became involved in the case from the Criminal Investigations Division standpoint."
Since then, Booth said investigators have conducted a number of interviews, but they haven't been able to find any substantial leads in the case.
"Our investigators have spoken with numerous people, conducted numerous interviews - some folks they've spoken with several times - consulted with medical experts, folks who were involved in the autopsy...and at this point still no definitive answers as to the manner of death," Booth said.
Janna Amber, one of Autry's three daughters, said she has been in constant contact with authorities ever since her mother's body was identified, and she said Tuesday afternoon she is glad investigators are making a public appeal for information.
"Everything that we know about our mother's death doesn't add up," Amber said in a telephone interview. She said she and her sisters hope someone can shed some light on what happened to their mother, and at least give them the answers they have been searching for.
"That's all we can hope for really," Amber said.
Booth said the sheriff's office also wants some closure on the case, both for investigators and for the family.
"Our investigators, you know, get to meet regularly with families of victims and they're as much interested in finding answers and gaining answers as the family is, so we're hoping that with going out with this, somebody saw something that may shed some light on the manner of death for Mrs. Autry," Booth said.
Anyone who has any information concerning the death of Brenda Kaye Autry is asked to contact Investigator Richard Sinyard at 770-297-4697.
