Missing Washington Woman’s Body Found ‘Partially Encased In Concrete’, Suspect In Custody

The body of an elderly Washington woman who disappeared under suspicious circumstances earlier this month was found “partially encased in concrete,” authorities said Tuesday.

The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation into the disappearance of 82-year-old Marcia Norman on April 4, after family reported her missing. She was last seen on April 1, when investigators learned she’d had dinner with her handyman, Jeffrey Zizz.

Conditions at Norman’s home near McIntosh Lake suggested she left “abruptly,” and both her vehicles remained parked at the residence. Detectives contacted Zizz as part of the investigation, and he then fled to Montana, violating the terms of his sentencing for an unrelated child molestation, the sheriff’s office said.

Meanwhile, detectives learned that Zizz had built a new shed at an unrelated property in Olympia the day after Norman’s disappearance. On April 9, investigators moved the shed and excavated the ground beneath it. They found human remains under the shed, “partially encased in concrete. On April 10, the remains were confirmed to belong to Norman.

Zizz was arrested in Missoula, Mont., on a warrant for violating his sentencing terms, and was extradited back to Washington on April 13. He remains in jail for his child molestation sentencing violation while detectives continue gathering evidence linking him to Norman’s disappearance and death.

The sheriff’s office said Zizz “remains the primary person of interest” in the ongoing investigation.