Part 3. What Are They Hiding?
- Justice for Tristan Sheppard
- Aug 15
- 6 min read
On April 6, 2024, our beloved family member, 27-year-old Tristan Sheppard, died under deeply suspicious circumstances in Centreville, Alabama. Fifteen months later, we are still without answers. Instead of transparency, local officials have stonewalled our efforts to uncover the truth. What are they hiding?
Authorities claim Tristan drowned in the Cahaba River, but the evidence suggests otherwise. We do not believe this was a simple drowning. The involvement of multiple law enforcement agencies (including the Centreville Police Department, Brent Police Department, Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, and Alabama State Troopers) points to something far more disturbing. We believe a deliberate cover-up is underway.
How many rejections must one family endure before the truth is revealed?
Our latest denial letter was dated July 15, 2025. Despite repeated requests, we have been denied access to:
· The police report
· Body-worn and dashboard camera footage
· The official full autopsy report, including photographs
More than a dozen subpoenas issued in Fall 2024 (intended to clarify what happened to Tristan) were blocked by the Probate Judge at the request of the involved police authorities.
A year later, we were told nothing can be released until the case goes before a Grand Jury. Even Tristan’s personal belongings have been withheld. District Attorney Robert Turner Jr. has offered no updates to the family, except a mere indication the case will go to a Grand Jury and that he is looking into the investigation of the officer, but no timeline has been provided.
A Brutal Night
At around 3:00 AM on April 6,2024, uniformed officers from Bibb County arrived at the home of Tristan’s parents, Terry and Ann Marie Sheppard, to inform them of their son’s death. Officers claimed the incident began around 8:00 PM the previous evening when a State Trooper allegedly saw Tristan holding a bottle of vodka on Mills Road. (Note, Tristan was not wanted by police; he was a free citizen. Witnesses reveal that Tristan, like other citizens, was often harassed by local police.) However, the Chief of Police claims that when officers saw him: Tristan fled through the woods, was allegedly spotted again by a Deputy, who allegedly “heard” him leapt from a bridge into the Cahaba River. A dive team reportedly pulled him from the water 20 minutes later, and he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
That morning, after delivering this explanation, Chief Rodney Smith asked to pray with the family—a gesture that now seems disingenuous and offensive, given how many facts were omitted, distorted, or hidden from the family. There was no mention of Tristan’s physical condition, potential civil rights violations, or any officer misconduct. In fact, Chief Rodney Smith in his official press conference, following the death, stated that none of the officers ever made contact with Tristan that night; they only heard a splash in the water. If this official statement is true, then the authentic body cam and dash cam video footage would be released and not hidden. If the Chief's narrative is true, then the actual forensic photographs of Tristan's body would be released to the family and not hidden. If the Chief's statements are true--- then why is there an “alleged” criminal investigation of an “alleged” drowning on-going for over a year by District Attorney Turner. So far, all the “investigation” has yielded is delay, and has prevented the family from getting any closer to the truth.
A Family Relentless in their Demand for Answers and Justice, Not Sympathy
Tristan’s mother, brother, aunts, and uncle went immediately to Bibb Medical Center ER to identify his body. When his mother asked what time it happened, officers told her 8:00 PM. She then asked: Why did it take until 3:00 AM to inform us?
They were told they could not see Tristan’s body. That his body had already been sent to Rockco Funeral Home and that they would need to wait 3–5 days until AFTER an autopsy was performed by the State Department of Forensics, BEFORE they could see Tristan. However, when Tristan’s father arrived at Rockco, staff told him Tristan was not there and he had actually been sent to the hospital morgue. (Imagine this game of lies, deceit, and trauma inflicted on the parents on the very night of their child’s death.)
Desperate, his father called Coroner Patrick Turner, who confirmed that Tristan’s body was at the hospital but stated he could not allow anyone to see him because the body bag had already been sealed and labeled as part of an "ongoing police investigation." When Tristan’s father asked if that meant police were responsible for his son’s death, the coroner denied it but refused to open the bag. He told the family they could see Tristan only after the autopsy. Does this sound like a simple drowning to you?
Why was the family denied the basic dignity of identifying their loved one? Why did the Coroner move so quickly to seal the body, yet attempted to donate Tristan’s organs, but he was told they were “mushed”? What was being hidden?
Contradictions and Trauma
Two days later, at a press conference, Chief Rodney Smith reiterated the drowning narrative and claimed officers never made physical contact with Tristan before he entered into the river. However, community members tell a different story—one involving physical assault, handcuffing, gunshots, and even that Tristan was beaten before entering the river.
Family members later learned that Tristan’s head and neck were wrapped in a towel or sheet when they got him in the room. This is a detail that was never disclosed by law enforcement.
His body bore visible signs of trauma:
· Severe bruising and lacerations
· Head injury
· Facial injuries (battered face)
· Possible neck broken
· Appears to be a gunshot-like wound to the upper thigh, allegedly covered by foreign material
Yet, none of these injuries were mentioned in the official reports or press statements.
In March 2025, nearly a year later, Coroner Turner issued a death certificate listing the cause as “accidental drowning.” No explanation has ever been provided for the visible injuries to Tristan’s face, back, arms, and legs.
In the article titled “Centreville police pull man from Cahaba River and later dies” by Bryan Henry at WBRC, Chief Rodney Smith said “he watched the body cams from the police officers and says there is no doubt his team followed protocol and did what they were trained to do.”
Does this look like protocol was followed? If this is what officers are trained to do, then every citizen in Bibb County should be concerned.
A Pattern of Obstruction
The lack of transparency, shifting stories, and refusal to release basic information has destroyed any trust we had in the local system. It now appears our son, brother, grandson, nephew, and cousin were hunted—not helped—by those who took an oath to serve and protect. The aggressive pursuit and narrative manipulation reflect something far more dangerous than incompetence—they reflect systemic misconduct.
We do not believe this was just a drowning. We demand to know:
a. Complete and real details surrounding Tristan's body ending up in the Cahaba River.
b. Specifically, who is responsible for Tristan’s death.
c. How deep is the alleged coverup?
d. Who made the ultimate decision to shroud this entire death in secrecy?
e. How is it that law enforcement and the coroner’s office failed to inform our family about the visible injuries—bruises, lacerations, and wounds—on Tristan’s body? Whose decision was it to hide these things from the family?.
f. The responsible party(s) must be held to account for his death. Was it one, or two officers involved (as a number of community members suggest) or every officer who stood by and allowed it to happen? They all had a duty to protect Tristan.
g. Our family would like to see police reports, bodycam footage, dash cam videos, and official autopsy records with forensic photos included.
h. Since the official death certificate was released 11 months after Tristan’s death, was the coroner’s report inclusive of all the facts? Did the coroner take fresh photos of the body? What will the medical examiner's report reveal? Will it document the true condition of Tristan's body?
i. If this was their child, would they wait 15 months in silence?
We Demand Truth and Accountability
We are fighting for Justice for Tristan, and for every family who has been silenced, dismissed, or denied justice in Bibb County and beyond.
We are demanding:
· Immediate release of all evidence, including police reports, body camera and dashcam footage, and full autopsy records including photos
· A clear timeline for when the Grand Jury will convene and who will be held accountable
The family continues to wait for Justice to Be Served and anxiously await the Grand Jury indictment of the responsible parties for Tristan Sheppard’s death.
Stand With Us
Please:
· Sign the petition
· Share Tristan’s story
· Call your elected officials
· Demand action
Because no family should have to endure this kind of pain and secrecy. And no system should be allowed to cover it up.
If you know something, please speak up.
#JusticeForTristanSheppard #SayHisName #AccountabilityNow #BibbCountyAL #CentrevilleAL #BrentAL #CivilRights #SeekingJustice #IfTheCahabaBridgeCouldSpeak
Contact Us: Justice For Tristan Sheppard 1-800-905-6993, justicefortristansheppard@gmail.com, TikTok – Justice For Tristan Sheppard (@justice4tristansheppard)
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