Former Freedom Principal's Wife's Death Ruled Suicide

By Matt Wiley

UPDATE: The Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office has determined that Donna Sheppard, wife of former Freedom principal David Sheppard, committed suicide. The cause of death has been determined to be drowning, but the autopsy and toxicology report still are pending, says medical examiner Dick Bailey. Stay tuned for updates as they become available.

An affair, a stalker and a suicide. While it may sound like a movie plot, these events have transpired right here in New Tampa during the past few months.

According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO), former Freedom High principal David Sheppard’s wife, Donna, 44, was found at the bottom of the family’s swimming pool at their Lutz home on October 29, more than a month after the woman Sheppard reportedly had previously had an affair with was arrested on aggravated stalking charges and released on a surety bond. Donna Sheppard was discovered deceased five days after her husband stepped down at Freedom, citing health concerns.

Deputies say that the episode started more than two years ago, while Sheppard and Tracey Elana Seenath, 40, of the Hammocks community off County Line Rd. in New Tampa, both were working at Paul R. Wharton High on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. — Sheppard as assistant principal and Seenath as a secretary. Sheppard ended their relationship in December of 2011, telling Seenath in March 2012 (one month after taking the top job at Freedom) to have no further contact with him.

The HCSO arrest report states that from the time when Sheppard ended the affair to Seenath’s Sept. 11 arrest, the former Freedom principal and his wife received repeated threats in the form of notes, letters and phone calls to their home, letters sent to Hillsborough County School District (HCSD) officials, as well as thousands of emails to Sheppard and text messages to the couple’s cell phones.

Seenath also reportedly sent books, flowers, CDs, lingerie, magazine articles, song lyrics and nude photographs to the Sheppard household.

HCSO reports that between September 6-8, the Sheppards received more than 500 phone calls from Seenath’s cell phone number, as well as text messages containing nude photographs.

In the days leading up to Seenath’s arrest (between September 2-10), Sheppard received 200 emails from Seenath’s work email, 99 of which were received on September 10. In March, seven emails Sheppard received contained threats from Seenath about sending a letter about their affair to each of the 29 HCSD high school principals.

“MY PAIN WILL FALL ON YOUR KIDS,” Seenath wrote. “YOU WILL FOREVER HURT…FOR HURTING ME.”

Seenath also placed notes stating, “I LIE and CHEAT ON MY WIFE,” on Sheppard’s car while it was parked at his home (as well as on his mailbox) on five different occasions in the two months leading up to her arrest, HCSO reports. Donna Sheppard actually took a photograph of Seenath in the act of putting a letter addressed to the Hillsborough County School Board (HCSB) about their affair into the Sheppards’ home mailbox.

Seenath, of 8552 Trail Wind Dr., was arrested for aggravated stalking, a third-degree felony, on September 11 and released on a $10,000 surety bond the following day.

HCSO spokeswoman Debbie Carter says that a toxicology report is pending in Donna’s death and that it is not yet known whether or not foul play was a factor, or suicide. Since suicide has not yet been ruled out, information was not immediately released to the media, law enforceoment officals sy that sometimes, it isn’t released at all if a case is determined to be suicide. The investigation was still ongoing at our press time, according to Carter.

Seenath is scheduled to be arraigned on December 10, court records show. HCSD reports that she was under suspension from her position as property control clerk at our press time. A new principal has not yet been named for Freedom.

HCSD officials declined to comment, but confirmed that there is not an active investigation into Sheppard because he no longer is a principal in the District.

No additional information was available when we went to press with this issue..