MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — The Martin County Sheriff's Office has made an arrest in the death of a Stuart man whose body was found dumped in a wooded area.
46-year-old Lori Beth Hart was arrested in connection to the death of 65-year-old Chester Smith.
Charges include tampering with evidence and failing to report the death.
![A homicide investigation in the 900 block of Darling Street near Stuart on Aug. 15, 2024.jpg](https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e524577/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1280x720+0+0/resize/1280x720!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fewscripps-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F1f%2F16%2F86190bf34276af70bd6489f884ce%2Fa-homicide-investigation-in-the-900-block-of-darling-street-near-stuart-on-aug-15-2024.jpg)
Region Martin County
Woman shot man, body found in wooded area near Stuart, deputies say
The sheriff's office told WPTV Thursday that at approximately 11:30 a.m. it was conducting a homicide investigation near the 900 block of Southeast Darling Street.
Hart was said to be with another man at a Home Depot in Jensen Beach, when the man she was with called deputies at around 10 a.m. Thursday, and told them where the body was located.
Deputies told WPTV the woman confessed to "being in a scuffle with someone she knew" and, during that time, shot the man.
Deputies also say that the investigation is in a "very fragile state," and still ongoing.
Hart is being held in the Martin County Jail on a $2 million bond.