A Florida man was captured in West Virginia weeks after his slain wife’s body was found in a wooded area of Port St. John, police said.
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey announced the arrest of Brian Estep on Thursday over the January slaying of his wife Amber Estep.
The victim’s mother reported her missing when she failed to show up to her work. Her body was found on January 20 with evidence suggesting she had been brutally beaten and shot multiple times.
Brian Estep’s car was found in flames the following day. He initially cooperated with investigators, although providing inconsistent statements, before moving out of state.
“This was just pure evil is the best way to look at it. You’re talking about an individual that normally not brutally, murdered his wife, but also an individual that lied and dumped her body,” Sheriff Ivey said.
“We knew who did it. We just had to figure out how to get all the evidence together to prove that you know, he had murdered her.”
“He drove up to south Volusia County at times, driving all around, and then ended up off 46 where he dumped her remains,” Ivey alleged.
Estep is facing murder charges and is expected to be extradited to Florida.
