Sheriff: Woman admits to fatally shooting man, dumping body in rural Martin County

STUART — A woman is cooperating with the Martin County Sheriff's Office Thursday after she told deputies she shot and killed a man and dumped his body on rural county land.

The shooting occurred during a scuffle between the two, said Sheriff William Snyder, and law enforcement authorities are unsure who started the scuffle.

"It's so early in the investigation," Snyder said.

The name of the suspect and victim have not been released. The woman has not been arrested, Snyder said. She knew the man, but Snyder was unable to describe the specific relationship.

Authorities were notified at about 9:50 a.m. Thursday when a man called 911. Dispatchers from the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office took the call and relayed it to Martin County.

The man may have been calling from Jensen Beach, but Snyder said he's unsure. Sometimes Martin County gets calls from St. Lucie County and vice versa, he said.

The caller told authorities a woman shot a man and dumped his body. He asked deputies to meet him and the woman at Home Depot in Jensen Beach.

When investigators arrived, the woman confessed to shooting the man, Snyder said, and told investigators where to find him.

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The body was found in some bushes just yards from the 1000 block of Southeast Darling Street and less than half a mile west of Southeast Willoughby Boulevard. Law enforcement authorities are unsure when and where the shooting occurred.

The man was in his mid 60s and suffered at least one gunshot wound, Snyder said.

A truck registered to the man was located nearby, Snyder said. Deputies have not recovered a gun, he said.

Keith Burbank is TCPalm's watchdog reporter covering Martin County. He can be reached at keith.burbank@tcpalm.com and at 720-288-6882.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Sheriff: Woman admits to fatally shooting man, dumping body in rural Martin County