The woman arrested and charged with her girlfriend’s murder was in court Thursday for a pretrial hearing. The victims family spoke with Action News Jax about what the last 8 months have been like grieving their mother.
Heather Sheppard was a mother of 3, daughter, and friend.
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“She loved her kids tremendously,” Brenda McGehee said, speaking about her late daughter.
“One of the biggest things I miss right now is she always said ‘I love you,’” Samantha McGehee, Sheppard’s daughter, said. “Leaving the house, talking on the phone and it’s just kind of like less love without her around.”
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Sheppard was known for checking in with her family daily.
“She either called her daughter or me or someone every day,” Brenda McGehee said. “She hadn’t been heard from in two days.”
Read: Homeowner charged with murder after woman’s body found on porch in Jacksonville’s Lakeshore area
Sheppard was last seen on June 29, 2023. When her family didn’t hear from her, they began reaching out to her partner, Shannon McCarthy. A Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office arrest report said McCarthy said Sheppard was “sick and still in bed.” McCarthy wouldn’t let anyone inside her property to see Sheppard during that timeframe. Neighbors and family noticed a foul smell coming from the screened in porch.