JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville woman is behind bars Thursday after her girlfriend was found dead.
It’s the latest twist in a story that began with a missing person’s complaint and ended with the discovery of human remains on the front porch of a Westside home.
Heather Sheppard went missing on June 29. Her girlfriend, Shannon McCarthy, was already facing charges of battering Sheppard in January. Today, a judge revoked McCarthy's bond in the domestic battery case, because "the victim is now found deceased."
Police have not connected the human remains to Sheppard; any formal identification will come from the Medical Examiner. However, Sheppard's daughter confirmed her mother was dead, and told First Coast News the human remains found Wednesday are her mother's.
Around 3:15 p.m. Wednesday, JSO said officers were in the area of Colonial Avenue following up on a missing person's case when they discovered the remains in an advanced state of decomposition.
Homicide detectives, the Medical Examiner and crime scene investigators responded to the scene.
Officers on Wednesday said they were treating the incident as a death investigation but had not ruled out foul play. McCarthy's residence at 5321 Colonial Avenue remained an active crime scene with tape surrounding it on Thursday morning.
Neighbors told First Coast News they could smell a "foul odor" in the area.
Sheppard was last seen on Colonial Avenue last Thursday, according to a flyer posted on The Justice Coalition's Facebook page. Sheppard's family said her phone was turned off, her credit cards were missing, a stained pair of shoes were found in McCarthy's home and that they found Sheppard's truck with a bullet hole in it.
McCarthy and Sheppard have been in a relationship since approximately November 2022, according to the January arrest report. McCarthy was arrested on Jan. 29, 2023 for the incident.
