Search for Jesse Kirk: Remains found 11 miles from missing Titusville woman's condo
The Brief
Human remains have been found near Jesse Kirk's home in Titusville, but it's unclear if they belong to her.
Kirk, a well-known community member, was reported missing after her car was found burned.
David Barber, the estranged boyfriend of her niece, has been arrested in connection with her disappearance.
TITUSVILLE, Fla. - Law enforcement officers have found human remains not far from Jesse Kirk's condominium. The 72-year-old Titusville woman was reported missing on Tuesday, March 4.
What we know
Human remains have been found near a canal about 11 miles from Jesse Kirk's condominium in Titusville. The remains have not yet been confirmed as belonging to Kirk, who was reported missing on March 4.
Authorities are investigating the connection to her disappearance, and a man named David Barber, the estranged boyfriend of Kirk's niece, is currently in jail in connection with the case.
What we don't know
The identity of the remains has not yet been confirmed through DNA testing. It is still unclear whether the remains belong to Jesse Kirk, and further investigation is required to determine the cause of the fire and the events leading up to her disappearance.
The backstory
Kirk, a well-loved community member in Titusville, was active in local philanthropy and known for growing sunflowers and vegetables, which she donated to those in need. She was reported missing after not showing up for a scheduled walk, and her car was found burned in Orange County. Kirk and her late husband were both celebrated for their community contributions.
What they're saying
Neighbor Paul Weiss, who described Kirk as a "super-sweet" person, said, "It's not looking good as far as the outcome, and I think everyone is a little numb – a little in shock."
Weiss said Kirk was friends with everybody. "It's sad," said Weiss. "It's obvious something tragic happened, and it's just awful."
Germain Santiago was cycling passed Kirk's condo on Wednesday. He said he was hoping to catch a glimpse of his boss's white Lincoln Navigator in her usual parking spot. He said he prayed the news of her disappearance wasn't true.
"I wanted to see if I could see it or not – just to confirm it myself," said Santiago.
Kirk is a realtor, and Santiago said he maintains some of her properties. According to Santiago, Kirk was liked by all who knew her.
"Beautiful… no other words," Santiago said. "Just awesome."
Latest in Investigation
The human remains will undergo DNA testing for proper identification.
Right now, a man named David Barber is in jail facing charges in connection to Kirk's disappearance. Barber, 35, is the estranged boyfriend of Kirk's niece.
According to authorities, Barber was prowling around Kirk's home on Tuesday. A witness also reported seeing him driving her stolen car.
Another witness spotted a man fitting Barber's description walking away from the burning vehicle. That witness told police he was clutching his right arm.
When Titusville police arrested Barber, he reportedly had first- and second-degree burns on his arm. Barber is being held in jail. He was not issued bond as he was already on bond from a previous arrest.
STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO:
Download the FOX Local app for breaking news alerts, the latest news headlines
Download the FOX 35 Storm Team Weather app for weather alerts & radar
Sign up for FOX 35's daily newsletter for the latest morning headlines
FOX Local:Stream FOX 35 newscasts, FOX 35 News+, Central Florida Eats on your smart TV
The Source
This story was written based on information shared by the Titusville Police Department, the Brevard County Sheriff's Office, the Orange County Sheriff's Office, reporting by SpaceCoastDaily.com, Jesse Kirk's neighbor Paul Weiss, and property manager Germain Santiago.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Brickbat: Two-Tiered Justice
A federal judge sentenced Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Douglas Kirk to four months in prison after he was allowed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of excessive force despite being previously convicted of a felony. In February 2025, a federal jury convicted Kirk of the felony, which carried a potential 10-year sentence, for his actions during a June 2023 arrest in a Lancaster, California, grocery store parking lot, where he used excessive force on a couple. But after the new Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli took office, prosecutors offered Kirk a deal to plead guilty to a misdemeanor. The post Brickbat: Two-Tiered Justice appeared first on
Business Upturn
7 days ago
- Business Upturn
Is Lincoln Lawyer season 4 releasing in June 2025? Everything we know so far
By Aman Shukla Published on June 7, 2025, 19:30 IST Last updated June 7, 2025, 15:57 IST The Netflix legal drama The Lincoln Lawyer , based on Michael Connelly's bestselling novels, has kept fans on the edge of their seats with its gripping storylines and charismatic lead, Mickey Haller, played by Manuel Garcia-Rulfo. After the shocking cliffhanger in Season 3, fans are eagerly asking: Is The Lincoln Lawyer Season 4 releasing in June 2025? Here's everything we know so far. The Lincoln Lawyer Season 4: Is It Happening? Good news for fans— The Lincoln Lawyer has been officially renewed for a fourth season! Netflix confirmed the renewal in January 2025, with production kicking off in February 2025 in Los Angeles. The series, which follows defense attorney Mickey Haller as he navigates high-stakes cases from his Lincoln Navigator, will continue with 10 new episodes. However, a June 2025 release for Season 4 is highly unlikely. Based on production timelines and Netflix's release patterns, let's dive into when we can expect the new season and what it will bring. The Lincoln Lawyer Season 4 Release Date Speculation While Netflix hasn't announced an official release date for Season 4, we can estimate based on previous seasons' production schedules: Season 2: Filming began in October 2022, wrapped in March 2023, and premiered in July 2023 (9 months from filming start). Season 3: Filming started in January 2024, ended in June 2024, and premiered in October 2024 (10 months from filming start). Season 4: Filming began in February 2025 and is expected to wrap by June or July 2025. Given this pattern, a release 9–10 months after filming starts points to November or December 2025 at the earliest. However, several reports suggest a 2026 release is more likely, as Netflix didn't include The Lincoln Lawyer in its 2025 slate. What Will The Lincoln Lawyer Season 4 Be About? Season 4 will adapt The Law of Innocence , the sixth book in Michael Connelly's Lincoln Lawyer series. The Season 3 finale set up a dramatic premise: Mickey Haller is arrested after police find the body of a former client, Sam Scales, in the trunk of his Lincoln, framing him for murder. In Season 4, Mickey will face his biggest and most personal challenge yet—defending himself in court. Co-showrunner Ted Humphrey teased that the season will 'pick up right where we left off,' diving into the charges and adversaries Mickey faces. Expect a thrilling courtroom drama as Mickey, imprisoned and representing himself, fights to prove his innocence against a conspiracy that may involve new enemies or old foes. Aman Shukla is a post-graduate in mass communication . A media enthusiast who has a strong hold on communication ,content writing and copy writing. Aman is currently working as journalist at
San Francisco Chronicle
06-06-2025
- San Francisco Chronicle
Officer who used excessive force allowed to plead guilty to misdemeanor after felony conviction
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles sheriff's deputy will serve four months in prison on a misdemeanor conviction for using excessive force after the new Trump-appointed U.S. attorney offered an unusual plea deal despite a jury convicting him of a felony. The victim's attorney asked a federal appeals court to reinstate the felony conviction, but the court declined to do so on Thursday. Deputy Trevor Kirk was recorded tackling and pepper-spraying an older woman while she filmed a man being handcuffed outside a supermarket in June 2023. A federal jury in February found Kirk guilty of one felony count of deprivation of rights under color of law, a crime that carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years. Felony convictions also prevent law enforcement officials from continuing to serve or owning a gun. But when U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli took office a few months later, federal prosecutors offered Kirk a plea deal — a dismissal of the felony if Kirk pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, and a recommendation of one year of probation. A judge agreed to the lessened charge but sentenced Kirk to four months in prison on Monday. Essayli said in a video posted online that prosecutors also offered Kirk a misdemeanor plea agreement under the prior administration, which he turned down. 'After reviewing this case extensively and thoroughly and carefully reviewing the facts and the law, I made the decision to re-extend the misdemeanor plea agreement to Deputy Kirk,' Essayli said. In court filings signed off by Essayli, prosecutors wrote they believed that Kirk's actions fell on the lower end of the excessive force spectrum, the woman did not suffer 'serious bodily injury," and that the case was prosecuted improperly. Some former prosecutors and police conviction experts called the step highly unusual, especially without any indication of prosecutorial misconduct, ethical violations or new evidence in the case. It follows President Donald Trump's vow to 'protect and defend" law enforcement officers from prosecution and his efforts to assert greater control over the U.S. Justice Department. 'It's very unusual to offer a plea deal after a conviction,' said Jeffrey Bellin, a former federal prosecutor from Washington, D.C., who is now a law professor at William and Mary Law School. In cases where it could happen, there's usually new evidence of innocence, 'not just the same evidence from a different perspective,' he said. Kirk's attorney, Tom Yu, said they filed a motion for acquittal that was denied but planned to appeal the decision. The encounter Caree Harper, who represents the woman Kirk injured, said in court filings that the federal government changed its account of the incident to make Kirk's actions seem justified. In the original indictment, prosecutors wrote Kirk 'violently' threw the woman to the ground. In the new plea agreement, the government alleged the woman 'swatted' at Kirk and 'resisted,' Harper wrote, which she said was not proven in the criminal trial nor testified to in civil litigation. She said her client did not commit a crime, had no weapon, and did not try to flee or resist. She suffered from a black eye, a fractured bone in her right wrist, multiple bruises, scratches and significant chemical burning from the pepper-spray. Harper said the plea agreement sent a 'dangerous message' that law enforcement officials could be convicted of a felony and still 'cut a backroom deal after the trial.' Philip Stinson, a former police officer and attorney who studies police misconduct, said the plea deal offered to Kirk was 'seemingly without precedent' in federal court cases prosecuting police officers for their on-duty crimes, according to his search of an internal database of more than 24,000 arrest cases in the last 20 years involving sworn law enforcement officers. LA County Sheriff's Department spokesperson Nicole Nishida said Kirk will remain employed with the agency but relieved from duty while it conducts an internal investigation to determine if any policy or procedures were violated. A new approach by federal prosecutors Kirk's case is the latest showing the Trump administration's plan to take a lighter hand in the federal government's traditional role in prosecuting police misconduct. Trump's April executive order on policing promised the 'unleashing' of law enforcement and support for their legal defense. The Justice Department announced in May it was canceling proposed consent decrees reached with Minneapolis and Louisville to implement policing reforms in the wake of the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. The department also announced it would retract its findings in six other sweeping investigations into police departments that the Biden administration had accused of civil rights violations. Trump-appointed federal judges have also played a hand in dismissing cases against police officers, including murder charges against a former Atlanta police officer who shot and killed an unarmed man hiding in a closet in 2019. Experts say the reliance on the federal government to perform this policing oversight comes from the close relationship between local prosecutors and police officers, who regularly work together to investigate crimes. 'We are often looking at the federal government to serve as a check and balance for local law enforcement officials who are accused of really egregious activity toward the public,' said Devin Hart, a spokesperson for the National Police Accountability Project. All four members of the original prosecutors withdrew from the case after the new plea deal was presented, and at least one resigned from the office, according to court filings. Two others took the buyout offered to federal employees, spokesperson Ciaran McEvoy confirmed.
