Sheriff's Office Not Releasing Deceased Teen's Name or Cause of Death

Sheriff Jud Smith said Monday the department won't release the name of a teen who was found dead inside her Winder home Feb. 14. A former Winder-Barrow Middle School math teacher is facing charges in connection with the teen's death. 

The Barrow County Sheriff's Office says Emily Susan Smith, 37, of Junction Court in Winder, assisted the victim via cell phone in reference to obtaining a controlled substance prior to the teen's death. Emily Smith was booked into the Barrow County Detention Center March 6 and is charged with charged with reckless conduct, criminal attempt distribution of a controlled substance and use of a communication facility in commission of a criminal attempt to distribute a controlled substance. 

The Barrow Journal reports Emily Smith was allowed to turn herself in to law enforcement so students would not have to witness her arrest. She spent about six hours in the detention center before being released the same day on an $8,000 bond, the newspaper reports. 

According to a news release issued by the sheriff's office, the female victim was allowed to supervise Emily Smith's minor child while Smith attempted to obtain a controlled substance. 

Barrow County Schools Superintendent Wanda Creel said in an e-mail Thursday, March 7, that Emily Smith was no longer employed by the school system and an ethics complaint was being filed with the Georgia Professional Standards Commission.

The Barrow Journal reports an attorney for Emily Smith said his client denies culpability in the case and clarified that she was not fired but resigned from her position with the understanding she could be rehired if acquitted.

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