Florida man hits girlfriend with his pickup, drove over her, left her die on the side of the road
(Whispering Palms, 10300 block of U.S. Highway 1, Image credit: Google Maps)
Early in the day on January 5, Traffic Homicide Investigators with Florida’s Indian River County Sheriff’s Office (IRCSO) arrested Drew Leibrock, 52, in connection to the recent death of his girlfriend, whose lifeless body was discovered on the side of road on U.S. Highway 1. The woman’s body was had been discarded and discovered during the early hours of December 30, 2022.
The woman, whose name has not been released, was found dead early that Friday morning in the 10300 block of U.S. Highway 1, after deputies said they received a call from a passer-by around 3 a.m., according to WPTV.
Background: On the evening of December 29, 2022, Leibrock and the woman were involved in an ongoing domestic dispute that continued through the early morning hours of December 30, 2022. Leibrock told investigators he left his home in Sebastian, Florida, in his pickup truck in an effort to defuse the argument with his girlfriend. He said that he drove to the Whispering Palms Mobile Home Community where he was planning to sleep in his parked pickup.
IRCSO reported that alcohol was involved and that both Leibrock and his girlfriend had been drinking throughout the evening.
Leibrock’s girlfriend reportedly followed him to the Whispering Palms neighborhood and upon arriving at his location got out of her car to confront him as she was not done with their argument. Leibrock told deputies that she then struck the outside of his vehicle multiple times and refused to stop or leave.
When Leibrock drove away with his girlfriend still hanging onto his truck, he ended up hitting her with his vehicle and then he ran over her. Instead of stopping and helping her, Leibrock fled the scene, did not report the incident, and left her lying along the side of the road.
CBS 12 News reported that as “Leibrock drove away, investigators said she tried to get into his truck but fell off when he swerved; He then drove over her and left her to die,” authorities said.
Sheriff’s Detectives and Traffic Homicide Investigators were able to identify Leibrock within hours of locating the victim’s body. Leibrock had driven to nearby Micco and then returned to Whispering Palm, and that’s when law enforcement caught up with him.
Interviews were conducted and an arrest warrant was processed for the following charges:
- Leaving the Scene of an Accident with Death, and
- Tampering with Evidence
After the arrest warrant was finalized on January 5, Leibrock was served and arrested.
IRCSO went on to say that over 12 million people are affected by domestic violence each year and 1 in 4 women experience severe intimate partner physical violence.
If you know someone experiencing domestic violence, please contact local law enforcement and report the incident immediately.
If you rather not have law enforcement involved, you may contact SafeSpace on their 24-hour crisis hotline at (772) 288-7023.
For more on the story, see the video: Woman found dead on US Highway 1 in Sebastian was run over by partner ~ WPTV
(Source and Drew Leibrock booking photo, IRCSO)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Follow Richard on Facebook and Twitter
