Shea's Friend From '90 Day Fiancé' Season 12, Stephanie, Has Tragically Passed Away

Content warning: This article mentions allegations of domestic violence and murder.

Most reality TV shows film long before they air, and 90 Day Fiancé is no exception. However, recent events have made producers' decision to go ahead with Season 12 controversial.

In Episode 1, we're introduced to Shea McGuire and his friend Stephanie Stacey.

Tragically, Stephanie's life was taken from her prior to the show's release. Here's everything we know about the loss.

On the show, we meet Shea's friends — including Stephanie — and learn that the group likes to party. Naturally, Stephanie wondered if Shea was ready to change his lifestyle and settle down.

Given what happened to the young mom, it seems in poor taste that TLC aired the episode.

Stephanie was tragically murdered in December of 2025. Allegedly, her husband (whom she was divorcing), Phillip Whitnel, came to the bar where Stephanie worked and shot her.

According to the Commonwealth’s Attorney Donna Dixon, Stephanie had an emergency protective order against Phillip, making his presence at her place of work a violation anyway — even if he weren't planning to use a weapon. Due to the combination of crimes allegedly committed, the Commonwealth is seeking the death penalty.

Phillip has pled not guilty, which ensures that the case will go to trial. A second pre-trial conference will take place this coming September. Per WPSD, Stephanie's father, Dick Stacey, has said, "It seems like everybody seems to know he's guilty, but you still have to have a trial. I'm not looking forward to it, but, yeah, we want justice."

The community of Paducah, Kentucky, has rallied around Stephanie. In fact, they are pushing to create "Stephanie's Law" in her honor. This new policy would create a public registry for repeat domestic violence offenders — much like other registry laws that are already in place.

Billboards are being put up in Stephanie's honor, demanding justice on her behalf. Furthermore, those who knew Stephanie have created a GoFundMe to support her young children.

As Dick shared with WPSD, "She had all kinds of different friends, and just everybody really just got along with everybody, and she was really fun, usually smiling, kind of the life of the party."

Dick went on to encourage others, "If you think your child is going through something, find out what's happening. Because I don't know if there's anything we could have done to prevent it, but we always think about. ... I just, you know, want to encourage other people. If you have a friend that's being abused or something, let somebody know."

Stephanie's obituary calls her "a ray of light in every establishment she graced, and her warm demeanor made her a favorite among patrons and peers." It also shared, "Stephanie's children knew an unwavering love and the joy of having a mother who put their well-being and happiness at the forefront of everything she did." Hopefully, Stephanie's loved ones will see justice soon.