Friends celebrate life of Manatee mom whose body was found in Palmetto

MANATEE, Fla. - Loved ones are remembering a Bradenton mother whose body was found in Palmetto last week. A convicted felon has since been charged with dumping her body in a ditch while friends spent days searching for her.

"She's an amazing soul. She would really give the shirt off of her back," Stephanie Shenefield's friend Megan Randol said.

Friends describe Shenefield as a loving mother who would do anything for her kids.

"She wanted to give them the most life experiences that she possibly could to make sure they had the best life," Randol said.

Sunday loved ones came together at Papa Joes Sports Bar in Manatee County where Shenefield worked as a bartender. Co-workers say she was a cherished member of the staff who was loved by her regulars. Randol is one of many still struggling to wrap their mind around what happened.

"They say really bad stuff happens to good people and legitimately that was really what happened," Randol said.

According to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office, Shenefield was supposed to attend a concert with a friend in Ybor City the night of Friday, June 3rd, but never showed up. Investigators later discovered through her Uber account her latest activity was a ride to the home of 51-year-old William Redden just before 1:30 the morning of the 3rd.

When detectives interviewed Redden, his home surveillance cameras verified that Shenefield was there – but died at some point during the night in the home. The Sheriff tells FOX 13 that Redden could be seen on camera dragging her lifeless body wrapped in sheet out of his home before loading her body in his car and driving away.

"It should never happen to anybody. It's heart-wrenching to know that somebody would do that someone and throw them away like a piece of trash," Randol said.

It's still unclear how Shenefield died, but her friends say they're determined to get justice.