TAMPA, Fla. — Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the death of a 29-year-old Dover woman who was found unresponsive on the shoulder of I-275 on Christmas morning.
FHP said the woman, now identified as Stephanie Contreras, was found unresponsive on the northbound shoulder on I-275 near Dale Mabry Highway around 7 a.m. Christmas Day. Contreras suffered road rash and significant head injuries, which she later died from.
According to FHP, Contreras leaves behind four children, including an eight-year-old daughter, two-year-old twin daughters, and a one-year-old son.
To Samantha Conover, Contreras' death is still impossible to understand and comprehend.
“Even still now I get chills like tearing up thinking about that it was her," she said.
Contreras hailed from Plant City, where Conover met her in middle school. Conover describes her late friend as a comedian with an infectious laugh, an animal lover who rescued stray dogs and turtles that wandered into harm's way, and an overwhelmingly bright light in a dark world.
“And you know, not only did the world lose it, but her children lost a big part of them, and that’s terrible," Conover said. “She was great. She really was amazing.”
Now, FHP and the Contreras family are focused on answering a long list of questions, including who was involved and how the young mother ended up on I-275 in the first place.
“To me, thinking about it, I don’t think that this would happen to someone like her. It’s just so out of the ordinary for her. I’m in denial thinking about — that it happened to her," Conover said.
Her hope is that justice won’t take long.
FHP is asking anyone with any information on the death of Stephanie Contreras to call 813-558-1800, *347, or CrimeStoppers at **TIPS.
According to FHP Sgt. Steve Gaskins, the community's help is desperately needed since the agency is still struggling to answer even the most basic questions about her death.
While cameras are positioned along I-275, they do not record, Gaskins said. He said troopers would like to talk to anyone who knows anything about the case — big or small — and any tips can be submitted anonymously.
