In what should have been a fresh start, 14-year-old Meigan Lin Collier's life was tragically cut short on October 15, 2018, in her Columbia, Tennessee, home. Meigan, a female of Asian ethnicity, was a happy and dynamic young woman with a bright, fun-loving spirit. She had a passion for artistic endeavors, often dedicating her free time to sketching and playing catchy instrumental songs on her guitar.
The tranquility of their immaculate home on Carters Creek Pike was shattered when
Meigan's adoptive mother, 55-year-old Cynthia Collier, perpetrated a horrific act of violence. Cynthia fatally shot Meigan and her three siblings—Kaileigh Lin, 17, Lia Lin, 15, and Bo Li, 14—before taking her own life. The children had been adopted from China by Cynthia and her estranged husband, Randall Collier. The family, described by neighbors as 'exceedingly private,' had only lived in the home for three years after relocating in the aftermath of Cynthia and Randall's separation.
The gruesome discovery was made by one of Meigan's adult siblings who came home from work to find the five family members deceased in different parts of the house. Autopsy reports later revealed the brutal nature of the attack; Meigan had been shot eight times in her bed. In total, her mother fired 34 bullets at her four children before turning a gun on herself. Investigators found two firearms at the scene and a suicide note, the contents of which have not been publicly disclosed.
While the motive for the murder-suicide remains unconfirmed, court records revealed a history of domestic turmoil. Cynthia and Randall Collier were in the process of a divorce, though they had reportedly been attempting to reconcile in the months leading up to the tragedy. Court documents detailed a strained relationship between Randall and the four adopted children, who had been homeschooled by their mother. Despite the loving appearance of the home, it became the scene of an unspeakable tragedy, leaving a community to mourn the loss of four young lives. As the perpetrator was also deceased, no arrests were made in connection with the deaths of Meigan and her siblings.
