Brian Estep’s burning pickup truck and Amber Renee Estep (Brevard County Sheriff’s Office)
Authorities in Florida are still trying to untangle the mystery of a missing 39-year-old woman who was found dead on the side of the road last weekend, one day before her husband’s pickup truck was discovered “completely engulfed in flames.”
The victim, Amber Renee Estep, was first reported missing by her mother on Friday, Jan. 19 after the younger woman missed multiple shifts at work, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said during a news briefing. Investigators following up on the missing person report interviewed Amer Estep’s husband, Brian Estep, later that same day.
During the interview, Brian Estep allegedly told detectives that he had last seen his wife on the afternoon of Tuesday, Jan. 16. The husband said he and his wife got into an argument after leaving a medical appointment in Merritt Island and claimed that he dropped her off on the side of Interstate 95, just north of State Road 50 “after she requested to be let out of the vehicle.”
The investigation then took a bizarre turn, when the sheriff’s office was notified about a car fire about 15 minutes northwest of Merritt Island.
“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.
The flaming truck was reported to the sheriff’s office by multiple witnesses. Ivey said that his agency is working with the fire marshal’s office to “determine exactly what took place and the cause of the blaze.”
The search for Amber Estep came to a tragic end one day after her husband’s truck was found on fire.
“Sadly, on the afternoon of Jan. 20, the victim was found deceased off State Road 46 near Pit Bull Lane by a property owner who discovered her lying just off the roadway,” Ivey said. “Our crime scene unit subsequently responded to the area to process the scene as well as the medical examiner’s office that is working closely with our team to develop any evidence in the case.”
Amber Estep’s body was located about 5 miles west of Interstate 95 and the case is being investigated as a homicide.
Authorities are yet to make an arrest in the case and say that Brian Estep has been cooperating with the investigation into his wife’s death.
The sheriff’s office emphasized that the investigation into Amber Estep’s death remains ongoing and are asking anyone who may have seen her since she went missing or who may have information relevant to the case to contact homicide detectives at 321-633-8413.
A GoFundMe account has been set up to raise money for Amber Estep’s funeral service, which can be found here.
“She was a sweet and loving young woman who was taken from this world before her time,” the page states. “Nobody deserves to go through anything like this. The family is devastated by this horrific tragedy.”
Watch Sheriff’s Ivey’s press briefing below.
