A Florida man has been arrested after inadvertently providing police with surveillance footage showing him dragging the body of a missing mother-of-two through his home. William Redden, 51, was charged with abuse of a corpse after sharing the video, which depicted him pulling Stephanie Lynn Shenefield, 38, wrapped in a blanket, towards a 12-foot ditch.
Shenefield had stayed at Redden's home in Palmetto but died overnight. She was reported missing two days later. Officers asked Redden for his surveillance footage, and he complied, warning it did not show the inside of his home. However, the video revealed him dragging Shenefield's lifeless body across the floor.
A disturbing TikTok clip from February also emerged, showing Redden laughing as he spoke about a friend's girlfriend's corpse. However, Manatee County Sheriff's spokesperson Randy Warren told DailyMail.com that the TikTok video was published months ago and is not connected to the case. 'The subject matter is ironic, but we don't see a connection,' Warren said.
Shenefield was last seen on June 3, taking an Uber to Redden's home at 1:20 am. She failed to show up for a concert that night, and her mother reported her missing. Her digital devices led police to Redden. Two people found her decomposed body in a 12-foot-deep drainage ditch near railroad tracks in Palmetto.
Redden was arrested on June 9 and charged with abuse of a corpse, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of an altered firearm. Sheriff Rick Wells said Shenefield died inside the house, and Redden disposed of her body instead of calling for help. An autopsy showed no signs of trauma; authorities await toxicology results.
