What Happened to Sheena Morris?

On January 1, 2009 our daughter Sheena Morris was found deceased in a hotel room at the Bridge Walk Resort in Anna Maria Island, Florida. She was found hung in the shower with her buttocks only 6 to 7 inches off the floor and legs straight out in front of her. (This was a stand-up shower, the garden tub was separate) Prior to her being found Sheena and her boyfriend Joe Genoese had a fight that prompted people in the next room to call 911 to report a domestic violence disturbance. Officer John Tsakiri and Officer Mike Bazell with the Bradenton Beach Police Department responded to the call. As they arrived they passed Joe Genoese in the stairway and continued to Sheena’s hotel room. According to the reports of the Domestic Disturbance the 911 call was dispatched at 1:21am and they arrived at 1:22am and they completed their call at 1:50am. According to other reports this 911 call wasn’t dispatched from Manatee County Sheriff’s Department until 1:46am. The Domestic Disturbance report was never written until 1/3/2009 after the report of her death.

At 2:05am Sheena places her own 911 call to the Hillsborough County Police where her apartment was located. She wanted the police to help check on her apartment because she stated that Joe was “going to ruin her apartment because she ruined his life”.  This call can be heard by clicking the video icon below. Throughout the investigation Det. Lenard Diaz insists that Sheena never made a 911 despite having her cell phone in his possession. Sheena’s phone was in her mother’s name and was able to check the call logs and then obtained the 911 call.

Despite being aware of the domestic disturbance just prior to Sheena’s death, her 911 call and not finding any finger prints in the shower (not even hers) they ruled Sheena’s death a suicide. You can find more information about the details on The Investigation page of this website. 

Sheena’s family has continued their investigation to seek the truth in the death of their only child/daughter. After the exhumation of Sheena’s body and a 2^nd autopsy the medical examiner changed the Manner of Death to Undetermined. Although in affidavits by Certified Criminal Investigators stating that Sheena’s death was a “Staged Crime Scene” not a suicide the Bradenton Beach Police refuse to re-open the investigation.