Police in Florida are searching for a 72-year-old woman whose vehicle was found burned out in Orange County.
Titusville police are treating the disappearance of Jessie D. Kirk, a member of a prominent real estate family, as suspicious. Detectives have expanded their search into north Brevard and Orange County.
According to Florida Today, a friend notified police around 9 a.m. Tuesday that Kirk was missing after failing to appear for her morning walk, an event she typically never misses.
Hours later, police arrested 35-year-old David Armstrong Barber, the estranged boyfriend of Kirk’s niece, after spotting him near Kirk’s Somerset Riverfront condo with second-degree burns on his right arm.
Shortly after, officers discovered Kirk’s burned-out Lincoln near the intersection of State Road 50 and State Road 520 in Christmas, Orange County, but didn’t find her at the scene. Detectives also searched a nearby area in north Titusville close to the Haulover Canal, but they have yet to confirm any findings. The Orange County sheriff’s office referred questions about the vehicle to the Titusville police department.
FOX Orlando reports that Barber worked as a corrections deputy for the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office from January 2018 until he resigned voluntarily, the sheriff’s office confirmed.
In November 2024, Barber’s ex-girlfriend sought a restraining order against him, alleging stalking. She reported seeing him digging through a dumpster outside her apartment and found him underneath her car. Additionally, she discovered a rod and wires attached to her vehicle, according to court documents.
In December 2024, Barber faced arrest for allegedly trying to break into the Rockledge apartment he had shared with his ex-girlfriend until their breakup in July 2024.
Police subsequently arrested Barber for attempted burglary and possession of burglary tools.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Titusville Police Department. To remain anonymous, call CRIMELINE at 800-423-TIPS.
[Feature Photo via Orange County SO]
