Retired Florida Circuit Judge Brenda “Tracy” Sheehan, 60, accidentally drowned in a hot tub at her Blue Ridge vacation home several hours before she was found by a neighbor Christmas Day.
According to Fannin County Coroner Becky Callihan, the neighbor, whose name was unavailable, went searching for Sheehan when he found her dog anxiously barking outside of her home. He found her face down in the hot tub and called emergency services at 10:02 a.m.
Callihan said The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has ruled the drowning an accident and believes she hit her head before drowning.
Sheehan was a former Hillsborough Circuit judge in the Tampa Bay Area.
The Tampa Bay Times described her as “outspoken and independent” and said she was known to advocate for children and domestic violence survivors. After 11 years as a judge, she worked as a mediator in family law cases since following her retirement in 2017.