Woman arrested in connection with man's death, body found in Stuart

STUART, Fla. (CBS12) — A woman was arrested Friday in connection with the death of a man whose body was dumped in Stuart.

According to the Martin County Sheriff's Office (MCSO), 46-year-old Beth Hart of Stuart was taken to the Martin County Jail where she was arrested on charges of tampering with evidence in connection with the death of 56-year-old Chester Smith.

Officials said Smith's body was discovered Thursday with a gunshot wound near Darling Street in Stuart.

Hart and Smith did indeed have a relationship, but the nature of that relationship is unclear, MPs say.

See also: Mail theft in Martin County: Checks and possibly ballots stolen from post offices

According to lawmakers, Hart is currently being held on $2,000,000 bail.

The murder investigation began Thursday after MCSO received a 911 call from a man who said he was with a woman who may have shot another man earlier in the day. The man told dispatch they could speak with investigators at the Home Depot in Jensen Beach, and officers arrived to speak with the two.

In a press conference Thursday with Sheriff William Snyder, a woman voluntarily went to the sheriff's office to give a statement. It is unclear if that woman was Hart.

The woman had told officers that she had gotten into an argument with Smith and it escalated when she shot him. During the press conference, Snyder said the woman, possibly with some help, dumped the body on the dirt road on Darling Street. He went on to say that the road is near the home of the man who first called the sheriff's office.

The shooting remains under investigation at this time. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Martin County Sheriff's Office.