MALABAR, Fla. — The Brevard County sheriff’s office said Monday that one set of remains found in a Malabar home burned in an intentional fire last week has been positively identified as 38-year old Rogers Heritage teacher Linda Woods.
Woods, who was visiting the home of her sister Chrissy Hughes at the time of her death, was a resident of Bella Vista. Hughes, 38, and her 9-year-old son Sebastian Meachum, also perished in what police are now calling a triple homicide
All three were discovered after neighbors reported the fire on Sunday, June 11.
At this time, Tony Hughes, the husband of Chrissy Hughes, has not been located and the investigation into the homicide is ongoing.
According to witness statements contained within the Brevard County incident report on the fire, there had been some recent domestic issues between Tony and Chrissy Hughes, although Brevard County issued a statement over the weekend saying there have been no domestic calls to the residence, nor are there any injunctions in place involving any of the victims or the missing husband.
The sheriff’s office said a truck and boat trailer registered to the occupants of the residence was located at Christenson’s Landing, a county run recreational park and boat ramp, around noon on Saturday. The truck was found running at the boat ramp with the trailer submerged and the boat missing.
A multiagency search was commenced and the Coast Guard recovered the missing 18 foot “Grady White” motorboat driving in circles approximately seven miles offshore of Sebastian Inlet. The boat was unoccupied, and a preliminary search of the vessel found suspected blood evidence in the vessel.
The boat was towed to Sebastian Inlet and transported to the Brevard County sheriff’s office for processing. The Coast Guard spent all day Sunday conducting a search and recovery effort in the area where the boat was located.