An 82-year-old woman's remains were found buried beneath a shed built by her handyman in northwestern Washington, likely several weeks after she disappeared, authorities said.
Marcia Norman was last heard from on the evening of April 1, her family told Thurston County sheriff's deputies when they reported her missing three days later. A missing person bulletin said Norman had "disappeared under suspicious circumstances" from her Tenino home, where both of the woman's cars remained parked after she disappeared.
She appeared to leave her residence in a hurry, with partially cleaned dishes left out, the Thurston County Sheriff's Office said. Investigators learned that Norman's handyman, Jeffrey Zizz, had dinner with her on April 1 and believe he may have been the last person to see her alive.
"He told us they had dinner together. He's not the average handyman to this family," Thurston County Lt. Mike Brooks told CBS affiliate KIRO. "He's a good family friend, so it doesn't necessarily seem like having dinner together would be uncommon."
As their probe into Norman's disappearance continued, Zizz fled the state, violating the terms of a previous sentence for an unrelated sex offense. He was arrested at a motel in Missoula, Montana, according to the Thurston County sheriff.
Investigators located Norman's body April 9. Her remains were discovered beneath a shed in Olympia, not far from Tenino, which they say Zizz built one day after Norman's family filed their missing person report. The remains were buried and partially encased in concrete.
Zizz was extradited back to Washington, where he is currently being held without bail for the sentencing violation. He is the primary person of interest in the investigation into Norman's death but has not yet been charged, the sheriff said.
Thurston County prosecutors said Zizz is serving a 93-month probation after nearly a year in prison for molesting a child, KIRO reported. They have asked a judge to revoke his probation, given the sentencing violation, and instead return Zizz to custody for 93 months, or over seven years, according to the station.
