Months after a gruesome discovery behind a fast-food restaurant in Tampa, police have arrested 54-year-old Michael Canty in connection with the murder of Dawn Morrison. The 48-year-old woman’s partially buried body was found near a Church’s Chicken drive-thru on June 18 last year, sending shockwaves through the community.
Authorities say Morrison had suffered upper body trauma, though they haven’t released further details on the cause of death. Her death was ruled a homicide, and after months of investigation—including interviews with her friends and family, DNA analysis, and security footage review—Canty was identified as a suspect.
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Surveillance footage played a key role in the case. According to the Tampa Bay Times, video captured Canty and Morrison walking together near a McDonald’s dumpster on June 15, just days before her body was discovered. The two then moved toward the Church’s Chicken location, and chillingly, a loud scream for “help” was heard before the camera footage cut out, as reported by the Independent.
Additional footage showed Canty pacing between the two restaurants and later changing his clothes, raising further suspicions.
Canty initially denied having been at the fast-food location with Morrison. However, when police confronted him with surveillance clips, he backtracked, admitting it was “a possibility” that he had been there and suggesting he may have simply forgotten. He also claimed that he and Morrison were together that night because they were using drugs.
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At the time of his murder charge, Canty was already behind bars on an unrelated offense—failing to register as a sex offender. Now, in addition to that charge, he’s facing accusations of second-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence.
The case has left many in the Tampa area shaken, with Morrison’s tragic death and the unsettling circumstances surrounding it sparking ongoing conversations about crime and safety in the community.
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