Ronald L. Smith, 60, Vero Beach

Police: Man admitted to killing woman, putting her body in pickup

SEBASTIAN — A 56-year-old man was jailed after police said he admitted killing his fiancée and abandoning her body in a pickup at a Walmart Supercenter parking lot on Tuesday. "He transported her to Walmart to make it appear he was not involved," Sebastian police Cpt. Tim Wood said. Wood said officers arrested Michael Despres, of the 400 block of Briarcliff Circle, Sebastian. An Indian River County sheriff's jail deputy confirmed that Despres was charged with premeditated first-degree murder. Despres' booking information had not been uploaded to the Indian River County Sheriff's Office website as of 8 p.m. Tuesday. Officers identified the victim as Jeanine Bishop, 67, of Sebastian. A motive for the homicide was not immediately available. Police responded ...

Construction workers find man’s body inside Porta Potty

VERO BEACH — Two construction workers were shocked and saddened after discovering the body of a man inside a Porta Potty Tuesday morning. "I'm getting chills just talking about it," said John Digiulio, an employee for Liberty Insulation and Fireproofing. "It's a sad day in Vero Beach." The man has not been identified and his age was not available. It was unclear how long the man had been in the portable restroom. Foul play was not suspected in the man's death, Vero Beach police spokesperson Master Officer Darrell Rivers said. Digiulio, 44, and his work partner, Mark Gidron, 56, both of Fort Lauderdale, were performing renovations inside of West Bay Trading Company on the corner of 21st Street and 6th ...

Low beach attendance for January; no water rescues

VERO BEACH — While chilly temperatures caused a drop in beach attendance last month, lifeguards are happy to report that there were no water rescues that occurred in January. "It's a great thing," Vero Beach Lifeguard Association officials said in a statement. "We hope people are paying attention to lifeguards and condition signs before they go into the water." The Vero Beach Lifeguard Association recently released its monthly report for the beaches at Jaycee Park, Humiston Park and South Beach Park. Lifeguards said about 54,105 beachgoers flocked to the shore in January. The highest beach-attendance record of 65,700 was set in 2019 for Vero Beach, lifeguards said. The record low for beach attendance was set in 2016 with 36,000 people, ...