Mother of woman whose body was found burned in St. Pete alley 2 years ago pleads for justice

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Almost two years ago, the burned body of 31-year-old Heather Olmstead was found in an alley in St. Petersburg. Three people were ultimately arrested for burning her body, but her mother said she needs more justice.

"She was very friendly. She was very out-going. Always a smile," Heather's mother Lanette Olmstead said.

Heather had just celebrated one year of sobriety and had a whole new outlook on life. Her mom said she was happy and excited about the future when she last spoke to her.

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"Our conversation got cut short, because it was hot out like it is today, and she said ‘I really need to go get something cold to drink,’ and I was expecting to hear back from her and I didn't. That was the last I heard from her," Lanette said.

That was back in August 2022. 

Pictured: Heather Olmstead. 

A day after their conversation, Heather's body was found badly burned in a dumpster in an alley behind the 2900 block of Emerson Avenue South in St. Pete. Autopsy results later showed she overdosed on a combination of drugs and died before her body was burned.

"They used an accelerant to just basically eliminate her. To me, that's really, really evil," Lanette said.

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Cree Worley, 32, pleaded no contest to one count of abuse of a dead body and was sentenced to one year in jail and has since been released. Police tracked down Worley after finding security footage of a truck driving away from the burning trash container. They later traced the vehicle's license plate to a white Ford pick-up registered in Worley's mom's name.

Jerrish Stephens, 42, is also facing one count of abuse of dead body, but his case is still moving through the courts.

"I have no idea how she encountered them or how she knew them or if she knew them before what happened," Lanette said.

Heather's mother feels like, so far, the punishment hasn't been enough.

"Somewhere along the line she went from alive to dead and these people were clearly involved in it, because if they weren't, they wouldn't have done what they did to her. It makes me sick to my stomach," Lanette said.

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She said she hopes whoever sold to her daughter or gave her daughter the deadly combination of drugs that killed her is also held accountable.

"I hope to see an honest level of justice for her sake," she said.

Lanette said she's been in close contact with the state attorney's office for updates on her daughter's case, but because the case is still pending, many of her questions about her daughter's final moments and exactly what happened to her are still waiting to be answered. As for the next steps, Stephens has a pre-trial hearing set for next Tuesday, May 14.

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