Mother of Georgia school massacre suspect charged with elder abuse

Atlanta — Marcee Gray, the mother of the suspect in the Apalachee High School shooting, has been indicted in Ben Hill County on charges she tied her then-73-year-old mother to a chair, stole her phone and damaged her home in November.

Deborah Polhamus, 74, spent nearly 24 hours handcuffed to a chair in her Fitzgerald home, according to an incident report. She was found on Nov. 4, 2023, by a friend of her daughter, Annie Brown, who lives in Florida. Brown told police she became worried about her mother after she couldn't reach her by phone and asked her friend, who lives in Fitzgerald, to check on her.

Gray, 43, was charged Monday with exploitation and intimidation of a disabled adult or elderly person, false imprisonment, second-degree criminal damage to property and theft. If convicted, she faces up to 20 years in prison for the most serious charge, elder exploitation.

Gray did not initially comment on her charges.

Police allege that on Nov. 3, Gray tied her mother to a chair, took her iPhone and damaged a bathroom mirror and the back door of her mother's home around 5 p.m. According to an incident report, Gray became upset after Polhamus refused to accompany her to Barrow County, where Gray planned to confront her ex-husband, Colin Gray.