Handyman named person of interest after missing woman's body found buried in concrete
OLYMPIA, Wash. (WFLA) — A missing woman was found buried and partially encased in concrete more than a week after she went missing. Now, deputies are questioning her handyman for his possible role in her disappearance and death.
The family of 82-year-old Marcia Norman last heard from her on April 1. Three days later, the Thurston County Sheriff's Office received a missing person report from Norman's family and launched an investigation.
Officials described the state of Norman's home near Tenino, Washington, as "suspicious," as dishes appeared to have been left mid-process, suggesting an abrupt exit.
The investigation revealed that Norman had dinner with her handyman, Jeffrey Zizz, on the evening of April 1, the sheriff's office said. Deputies believe Zizz was the last person to have seen Norman before her disappearance.
Zizz reportedly fled the state using a friend's vehicle, reaching Missoula, Montana. He was arrested at a motel on an unrelated warrant regarding child molestation.
Through investigative means, deputies discovered Zizz had recently built a shed on a property in Olympia, the day after Norman was reported missing. On April 9, detectives obtained power equipment to move the shed and excavate the ground beneath it, the sheriff's office said.
Underneath the shed, officials located human remains, later confirmed to be Norman's by the Thurston County Coroner's Office. The remains were partially encased in concrete.
Zizz, who remains the primary person of interest in Norman's death, was extradited back to Washington on Monday. As detectives work to gather more evidence, Zizz is being held in jail on a no-bail hold for his child molestation sentencing violation warrant.
This remains an ongoing investigation.