TITUSVILLE, Fla. – The Titusville Police Department on Thursday said remains found earlier this week are that of a missing 72-year-old woman.
Jessie Kirk was reported missing Tuesday after she failed to show up for a morning walk with a friend, police said. Authorities later found Kirk’s vehicle set on fire in a wooded area of Orange County nearly 20 miles from her condo.
At a Thursday news conference, police said human remains were found Tuesday afternoon just south of Haulover Canal and Courtenay Parkway.
Police said Kirk’s white Lincoln SUV was seen on surveillance cameras around Titusville between 9 p.m. Monday and around 4:15 a.m. Tuesday.
At around 9:36 a.m. on Tuesday, the SUV was found on fire in the area of State Road 520 and State Road 50.
“Jessie was a long-time resident of Titusville and North Brevard. She was a kind individual and had a gift to connect to anyone and everyone she met,” said Titusville Police Commander Tyler Wright. “She was known to always be there for anyone and help, regardless of the situation."
Former Brevard County corrections deputy David Armstrong Barber, 35, was arrested on charges of loitering and grand theft auto after investigators said they found him lurking near Kirk’s condo with first- and second-degree burns on his arms.
Police are asking that anyone who may have seen a person walking in the area of State Road 520 and State Road 50 on Tuesday morning between 9:45 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., or anyone who was in the area of Haulover Canal Bridge during the early morning hours, to call Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS (8477).
Barber is also under a restraining order for allegedly stalking Kirk’s niece last year, court records show.
Barber previously dated Kirk’s niece and is currently facing separate criminal charges for allegedly attempting to burglarize the ex-girlfriend’s former home, according to records.
News 6 is not identifying Barber’s ex-girlfriend by name since she claims to be a victim of stalking and revenge porn.
According to a petition filed in Orange County Circuit Court, the woman said she moved out of the Brevard County apartment she shared with Barber in June and ended their three-year relationship because he was posting sexually explicit photos of her on a pornographic website without consent.
Barber was employed by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office as a corrections deputy from January 2018 until he voluntarily resigned in January 2022. He received no formal discipline during his time at the agency, a spokesperson said.
Check back for updates.