ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A 42-year-old man was arrested Thursday for setting Heather Olmstead's body on fire in a St. Petersburg alley last month, according to an arrest affidavit.
Jerrish Stephens of St. Petersburg was charged with abuse of a dead body. According to arrest records, Stephens mutilated Olmstead's body on Aug. 18 by lighting her on fire using a "flammable substance."
St. Petersburg Police responded to the call of a fire in an alley behind Emerson Avenue South near 29th Street South. Authorities later said Olmstead's body was found next to a trash container.
At first, authorities were unable to identify the body due to the severity of the burns. Later, however, a fingerprint was able to be used to positively identify the 31-year-old.
Mother and daughter, Julie Heltman Curran, 64, and Cree Worley, 30, were also accused of 'mutilating' Heather Olmstead's body. They received the same charge as Stephens.
Video surveillance showed a white pickup truck driving away from the burning dumpster, the arrest affidavit noted.
It was determined that the truck's license plate was registered to Curran. The court document states that the truck was seen with a black GMC pickup truck at a home on 10 Avenue South 16 minutes before the incident. It was determined that Stephens lived at the home.
The arrest affidavit notes that Stephens is seen walking up to both vehicles and placing what appears to be a gas can in the bed of the black truck.
“Additional video footage also the black GMC following the white truck eastbound on Fairfield Avenue South two minutes before the fire is set in the trash container,” the affidavit noted.
Olmstead's cause of death has not been determined, according to authorities.
Earlier this month, 10 Tampa Bay's Angelina Salcedo spoke exclusively with Olmstead's father. He told her she was working to turn her life around after getting out of jail a few months prior.
"She had her issues and everything, but she was a good, kind-hearted person," William Olmstead said.
