Mother seeks MCSO review in daughter’s death

A mother is asking the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office to review the death of her daughter, who authorities said committed suicide two years ago in a Bradenton Beach resort room.

Kelly Osborn of Tampa made the formal request to Sheriff Brad Steube in a letter March 28, after she talked with Bradenton Beach Mayor Bob Bartelt.

The Bradenton Beach Police Department, which handled the initial investigation, determined that on Jan. 1, 2009, Sheena Lee Morris, 22, committed suicide.

Prior to the death, the BBPD responded to a call from the Bridgewalk resort about an argument between Morris and her boyfriend, with whom she was spending New Year’s at the beach. A text message from Morris’ phone after the incident read, “Your better bet is to stop being an alpha male and keep your hands off women.”

The next day, Morris was found hanging in the shower.

Osborn, in her letter, said, “Many mistakes were made in this investigation.” Primarily, she said, BBPD rushed to judgment in the case.

Over the past two years, Osborn said she has investigated and gathered information — including affidavits from forensic pathologists, criminal investigators and a former FBI agent — indicating that her daughter was killed.

“I would like to share these affidavits with you or your homicide investigators,” the mother wrote to Steube. She added, “So that we can finally have a real investigation into the cause of my daughter’s death and get a killer off the streets before this happens to another young woman.”

Osborn met with Bartelt about a week before writing the MCSO. The mayor told her that BBPD had previously released the investigation files to the MCSO and that “we are willing to again provide these records to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, if so requested by them.”

As of April 1, the MCSO had not responded to Osborn’s request, and BBPD had not received any request from the sheriff for additional case files.

BBPD Chief Sam Speciale said he would have no problem again sharing information with the MCSO.

The chief said numerous agencies and authorities, including the state attorney’s office, the medical examiner, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the MCSO, already have examined the case and reached the same conclusion as BBPD.

“All these agencies that have looked at this have said the same thing: We didn’t’ find anything different than what you found,” Speciale said.

Regarding his department’s investigation, he said Morris’ death was handled as a potential homicide, with the MCSO crime scene unit collecting evidence.

“We handle every suicide as a homicide,” the chief said.

He added, “We have done not only what we’re supposed to do in this case, but detective (Lenard) Diaz went way beyond that. It was a tragic event.… Still, our findings are our findings.”

Osborn insists that she is not a mother in denial or shock, but rather puzzled by many unanswered questions in the case.

During a brief interview with The Islander April 1, she said her investigators believe the alleged suicide was staged to conceal a crime.

Speciale said his detective has indicated that if Osborn has new, solid evidence, the BBPD would not hesitate to reopen the case.