A woman holidaying in Florida bravely plunged into the sea to rescue a distressed swimmer, only to discover after pulling him to safety that he was wanted in connection with the alleged murders of his wife and her estranged lover.

The woman, known only as Belinda, told WPBF that she spotted a man crying out for help while taking a stroll near Riomar Beach on the morning of 24th March. She immediately dashed into the water without hesitation, according to local reports.

She proceeded to instruct the man to roll onto his back and allow the waves to carry him back to shore, later telling the local outlet that he complained of exhaustion throughout the ordeal.

"So, he got on his back, and he said, 'I'm exhausted, I'm tired,' and I said, 'Do it! Get on your back and let the waves carry you, you can do it, come on,'" she said.

However, the man told Belinda he was "going to take a long vacation."

Belinda acted swiftly, guiding the man safely back to dry land. Police footage released following the incident shows her crouching beside him after he emerged from the water.

The man was subsequently identified as double-murder suspect Jesse Scott Ellis, 64, who allegedly shot dead his wife of 13 years, Stacie Ellis Mason, and her married colleague, Danny Ooley, in the car park of the Indian River County Main Library in Vero Beach at around 7am that very same morning. Mason and Ooley, 56, are believed to have been conducting an affair, according to officials from the Vero Beach Police Department who spoke at a press conference.

CCTV footage captures the pair, both employed by the Indian River County government, pulling up to the library in separate vehicles before Mason stepped out of her car and got into Ooley's.

Moments later, Ellis drove into the car park armed with an AR-15-style rifle and unleashed a volley of shots at Ooley's vehicle, Vero Beach Police Chief David Currey told reporters, before making his escape.

Shortly afterwards, a man was spotted wading into the water fully clothed, yet when emergency responders arrived on the scene, they concluded he required no assistance after he provided what was subsequently discovered to be a false name, Currey said.

A search of Ellis' truck uncovered wet clothing, an empty holster and a .380-caliber magazine. The vehicle was found at South Beach Park.

A number of documents were also recovered indicating he had intended to take his own life, police confirmed. Some of those documents were "pages long, dating back to early March," which described "his pain, wanting to crawl in a hole." He wrote that he couldn't eat, drink or sleep.

By Monday evening, the suspected killer remained at large, with residents urged to expect a heightened police presence in the surrounding area as the manhunt for Ellis continued.

After Belinda rescued Ellis and subsequently discovered he was wanted for murder, she maintained she would still have pulled him from the water, though she would have immediately contacted 999 had she been aware of the accusations against him.

"I could not leave him in the water, no matter what," Belinda said. "Everybody is going through something."

Ellis's whereabouts following the incident remain a mystery. However, should he be located alive, he faces two counts of first-degree premeditated murder, a capital felony that could result in the death penalty upon conviction.