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MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF: Heather Turner
Full original episode. Highlights below summarise the discussion; claims and opinions are attributed to the speakers.A death scene that prompted closer examination
In “MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF: Heather Turner,” Crime Junkie hosts Ashley Flowers and Britt revisit the 35-year-old’s May 2017 death in Dallas, Georgia. According to the show’s account, Heather’s husband, Andy Turner, called 911 and reported that she had shot herself in the bathroom. Deputies found Heather beside a revolver, while a notebook displayed a brief message of apology and love. The newly appointed coroner nevertheless requested an autopsy after noticing a darker area on a wall and wounds on both sides of Heather’s head that she believed warranted examination.
Accounts challenged the image of a trouble-free marriage
Andy reportedly told officials at the scene that there had been no warning signs, although he also disclosed that Heather faced losing her courthouse job over a relationship with a colleague. Crime Junkie says his later book presented aspects of that workplace situation differently. Several colleagues separately alleged that Heather had confided in them about physical violence and controlling conduct at home. One clerk described finding Andy confronting Heather in a locked break room, while a judge told investigators she had advised Heather to seek a protective order. Andy, who declined to participate in the episode, has characterized abuse claims as fabrications by women opposed to him.
Messages suggested Heather was considering a different future
The episode highlights an April email in which Heather described an overnight argument, alleged that Andy had locked her in a bedroom and said he threatened to “bury” her before signing divorce papers. Her colleague Rob Hebert told the show and investigators that Heather had discussed alleged abuse and was planning to leave. According to Crime Junkie, she told colleagues she intended to separate from Andy that weekend and wrote to Rob shortly before her death that she hoped to see him then. The show presents those details as context that concerned investigators and loved ones, not as proof of how Heather died.
Forensic findings pointed in competing directions
The medical examiner concluded that the gunshot was self-inflicted based on its trajectory and the absence of other visible injuries, the podcast reports. Heather’s DNA was found on the trigger, and gunshot-residue testing on her hands was positive. Andy’s residue test was negative, although records cited by the show indicate that he said emergency personnel had washed his hands. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation ultimately classified the manner of death as undetermined while the sheriff’s office continued investigating. Crime Junkie also notes potential evidentiary gaps, including that Andy changed out of a bloody shirt that investigators did not collect.
The case remained open as loved ones pressed for answers
Crime Junkie says detectives gathered extensive witness accounts but did not close the case, leaving it open without evident momentum. Heather’s aunt and friends subsequently created an online campaign seeking further scrutiny, while Andy wrote that public attention brought harassment and forced his family to relocate. The episode ends without resolving whether Heather died by suicide or through another sequence of events, emphasizing that the available physical evidence and accounts from people around her have not produced a definitive public explanation.