Vero Beach police said dental records identified the remains as Jesse Scott Ellis.
VERO BEACH, FL — Police said a decomposed body found Wednesday in a wooded area was Jesse Scott Ellis, the man wanted in the March shooting deaths of his wife and another man outside the Indian River County Main Library.
The identification closed a two-month manhunt tied to a morning attack that killed Stacie E. Mason, 49, and Danny J. Ooley, 56, both Indian River County employees. Vero Beach Police Chief David Currey said investigators believe Ellis, 64, died by suicide shortly after the March 24 shooting, though the medical examiner had not made a final ruling on the exact manner of death.
The remains were found around noon Wednesday near the 2000 block of Cove Drive, a quiet dead-end street on Vero Beach’s barrier island. Police said a pool maintenance worker discovered the body in dense growth between homes and called 911. Currey said Thursday that dental records confirmed the body was Ellis. “Absolutely this case is solved,” Currey said, while explaining that the medical examiner still had work to complete because of the advanced state of decomposition.
Police had accused Ellis of following Mason to the library parking lot the morning of March 24. Investigators said surveillance video showed Ooley arriving first in a Ford Ranger and backing into a parking space. Mason arrived separately in a Volkswagen SUV and got into Ooley’s truck. Police said Ellis then approached the vehicle with a long gun similar to an AR-15 and fired multiple times, striking Ooley and Mason. Officers found both victims dead at the scene shortly after 7 a.m. An AR-style weapon believed to have been used in the shooting was recovered at the library, police said.
Ellis was Mason’s husband of about 13 years, and police said the couple had been separating or moving toward divorce. Their home was being sold, according to investigators. Currey described the shooting after it happened as a targeted, domestic-related attack. Police said Mason and Ooley appeared to have been seeing each other for a short period, though Ooley’s mother later disputed that account in comments reported by news outlets. Authorities issued two warrants for Ellis on first-degree premeditated murder charges after the shooting.
The search for Ellis shifted quickly from the library to the beach. Police said Ellis drove from the shooting scene to South Beach Park, where officers later found his Ford F-150 pickup. A caller reported seeing a fully clothed man enter the Atlantic Ocean near the area between South Beach Park and Riomar Country Club. Fire rescue crews reached a man offshore, but police said rescuers did not know at the time that he was a homicide suspect. The man refused help and gave a name that was not Ellis, Currey said. Police later said images and reports showed Ellis may have come back ashore with help from people on the beach.
Investigators found Ellis’ truck unoccupied at South Beach Park later that day. Police said items inside included wet clothing, an empty holster, a .380-caliber magazine, a wallet, a driver’s license, credit cards and a passport. Detectives also searched Ellis’ home and reviewed surveillance video, electronic devices and witness reports. Currey said the body found on Cove Drive was about 1.3 miles northwest of South Beach Park, near the area where police believe Ellis went after leaving the water.
Currey said Thursday that the wooded spot where the body was found was not in the open and could not be seen from the road. He said the area had heavy vegetation, including large oak trees, palms and undergrowth. Police said they found a belt with Ellis’ initials attached to a small tree, and investigators believe he hanged himself. No weapon was found near the body, police said. Currey said Ellis was wearing the same clothing investigators believed he had on when he left home the morning of the shooting, including a ball cap, dark shirt and camouflage shorts.
Mason and Ooley were longtime public employees. County officials said Ooley had worked for Indian River County for nearly 25 years and served as assistant public works director. Mason had worked for the county since 2014 and most recently served as a traffic analyst technician. County leaders described both as dedicated public servants after their deaths. The killings shook the library area and the county workforce, where both victims were known through years of local government service.
Police said the body remained undiscovered for about two months because of the thick brush and the quiet location. Currey said investigators had conducted extensive searches after the killings but had not initially searched that exact section of Cove Drive. He said the case also showed the need for faster information sharing between police and fire rescue crews when a suspect moves quickly across different locations.
The homicide investigation now stands with the accused gunman dead and the criminal warrants unresolved by arrest or trial. Police said the medical examiner’s final findings remain pending, but investigators no longer believe Ellis is at large. The next official step is the completion of the death investigation and final medical examiner documentation.
Author note: Last updated May 31, 2026.