A missing woman’s dead body found along a Florida highway is at the center of a tangled homicide that law enforcement is trying to unravel.
Amber Renee Estep, 39, was last seen alive on Jan. 16, when she got out of her husband’s truck during an argument and was reported missing by her mom three days later after suspicious no-shows at work.
A homeowner spotted Estep’s body lying near Pit Bull Lane on Highway 46 in Mims, Florida, on Jan. 20 and called police.
Her husband, Brian Estep, was questioned by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. “Within hours” of questioning, his pickup truck was “fully engulfed in flames,” Sheriff Wayne Ivey said.
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Amber Renee Estep was last seen in Florida on Jan. 16 by her husband and reported missing by her mom on Jan. 19. (Brevard County Sheriff’s Office)
The case is being investigated as a homicide and has generated a lot of buzz on social media after pictures and videos of Brian’s burning truck went viral.
“Now, as many of you have seen on social media, and some of you have even shared with our agency, within several hours after our agents interviewed (Brian) Estep, his pickup truck was found in Port St. John completely engulfed in flames,” Ivey said during a Jan. 25 news briefing.
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Law enforcement and fire marshals are working together to “determine exactly what took place and the cause of the blaze,” Ivey said, but there is no definitive update yet.
Port St. John is about 15 miles northwest of Merritt Island, where the couple argued during their drive home from a medical appointment, Brian told investigators, according to the sheriff.
Brian Estep’s truck was “fully engulfed in flames” hours after police questioned him about his wife’s disappearance, police said. (Brevard County Sheriff’s Office)
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey updates the public on Amer Renee Estep’s death. (Brevard County Sheriff’s Office)
Brian told police that Amber “requested to be let out of the vehicle,” and he dropped her off near the intersection of Interstate 95 and Highway 50, about 14 miles from where her body was found in Mims, Florida.
That was Jan. 16, which was the last time Amber was reportedly seen alive, Ivey said.
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A homeowner called police about the discovery, and a crime scene was set up.
Detectives are still piecing together how Amber died, but no arrests have been made, Ivey said.
He did not name a suspect or person of interest and said Brian has been cooperating with the investigation.
Amber Renee Estep was last seen on Jan 16., when her husband told investigators they had left a doctor’s appointment on Merritt Island. He told police he let her out of the car near I-95 and Highway 50, and she was found along Highway 46 near Pit Bull Lane in Mims, Florida, on Jan. 20. (Google Maps)
The location where Amber Renee Estep’s body was found, according to police. (Brevard County Sheriff’s Office)
A GoFundMe that was set up in Amber’s honor said she was a “sweet and loving young woman who was taken from this world before her time.”
“Nobody deserves to go through anything like this,” the organizer, Shawn Leet, wrote. “The family is devastated by this horrific tragedy. Anything truly helps. Thank you and God bless you.”
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The sheriff asked anyone with information or who may have seen her last is asked to call the homicide detectives at 321-633-8413.
