Mystery lingers as woman’s body found by road, husband’s truck burned, Florida cops say
A missing woman was found dead on the side of the road one day after her husband’s truck was found burning in Florida, a sheriff said.
Amber Renee Estep, 39, was reported missing on Jan. 19 by her mother when she missed multiple shifts at work, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said in a Jan. 25 Facebook video.
Deputies interviewed Estep’s husband, Brian Estep, the same day, the sheriff said.
Brian Estep told investigators he had last seen his wife on Jan. 16 when the two were driving back home from a medical appointment in Merritt Island and they started to argue, according to the sheriff.
Brian Estep said Amber demanded to be let out of the vehicle, so he dropped her off on Interstate 95, the sheriff said.
Just a few hours later, multiple people called the sheriff’s office and others posted videos online of a vehicle on fire in Port St. John, Ivey said.
The sheriff’s office confirmed it was Brian Estep’s truck, and it was “completely engulfed in flames,” according to the sheriff.
Ivey said the department is working with fire marshals to determine how the fire started and the circumstances surrounding the fire.
On the afternoon of Jan. 20, a property owner off State Road 46 in Mims found Amber Estep’s body just off the road, the sheriff said.
Her death was ruled a homicide, according to the sheriff’s office.
Ivey did not identify a potential suspect and said the investigation is ongoing.
When asked to clarify Brian Estep’s whereabouts following the discovery of his wife’s body, public information officer Tod Goodyear told McClatchy News “we do know where Mr. Estep is and agents have been in contact with him” but said he could not comment further as the investigation is active.
“She was a sweet and loving young woman who was taken from this world before her time,” her brother Shawn Leet wrote on a GoFundMe page. “Nobody deserves to go through anything like this. The family is devastated by this horrific tragedy.”
Mims is about 40 miles northeast of Orlando.
This story was originally published January 25, 2024 at 6:29 PM with the headline "Mystery lingers as woman’s body found by road, husband’s truck burned, Florida cops say."
