Vero Beach Police Work to Identify Decomposed Remains Found Near Cove Drive

Overview

• Officers discovered a body in an advanced state of decomposition in a wooded area off Cove Drive and have not released the person’s identity or cause of death.
• Investigators spent the day at the medical examiner’s office seeking dental and DNA confirmation before making any identification.
• Police say the remains have not been tied to anyone yet but could be linked to a man accused in a March double killing at the county library; that connection remains unconfirmed.
• Separately, Saint Lucie County deputies are treating a body found in a tent on Royal Street as a homicide and have asked the public to contact them about a man named Zachary Edwards, who has not been named a suspect.
• Local officials say multiple recent deaths in the area have raised community concern and that prosecutors will release more information after forensic testing and next-of-kin notifications are complete.